Preps start school

 Best friends Haley Goodall and Zoe Kucic at Gisborne Primary School. 

 Benjamin says goodbye to his dad, Dean as he starts school at Woodend Primary. 

Courtney with her dad Alan, on her first day at Woodend Primary.

 Clementine Coone with her mum Emma Dodd at Kyneton Primary School.

  Sisters Ava and Amelie Le Blanc on Amelie's first day at Woodend Primary School. 

Brittney Flint has a last hug with her mum before starting the day at Gisborne Primary. Photos: Chris Fleming

Tylden Primary School's prep class.

Celebrating our newest Australians

Noorani Ishak and Azhari Dain with their daughters Nurfarhanah, Nurfarahin and Nurfarzana from Singapore, are new Macedon Ranges citizens. Photo: Chris Fleming

Richard Leach and Joanna Hambling from England. Photo: Chris Fleming

Jack Werrett

Azhari Dain, Noorani Ishak and their three children Nurfarhanah, Nurfarahin and Nurfarzana are among more than 20 new citizens recognised at the Macedon Ranges Citizenship Ceremony on Australia Day, last Saturday.
The family moved to Australia from Singapore in 2006. Education played the biggest part in their decision to settle in Gisborne with husband and wife, Azhari and Noorani wanting the best learning environment available for their three daughters.
"We wanted to give the kids the best education possible and we thought that was here in Australia," Azhari said.
Azhari said adjusting to Australian life took time but they were fortunate that his wife Noorani was able to secure a full-time job.
"We were lucky my wife was given a full-time teaching position when we arrived which made things easier," he said.
Azhari and his family were very proud and excited to finally receive their citizenship at the ceremony on Australia Day.
"It was a very happy occasion, the ceremony was quite overwhelming for all of us," he said.
Azhari has comfortably taken on Aussie slang and phrases, casually ending the Guardian interview with a traditional, "see you later mate".
***
Joanna Hambling and her partner Richard Leach, originally from the north-west of England, moved to Melbourne in November of 2006 because they were "sick of England," Joanna says.
"We wanted to go else where with our limited knowledge of foreign languages we decided Australia was the place to go," she said.
Joanna's partner Richard works in the renewable energy sector so they decided on Victoria as it was the state with the largest renewable energy industry in Australia.
Joanna and Richard lived in Melbourne for the first four years before they were presented with the opportunity to move to Macedon Ranges. 
Joanna jumped at the chance.
"I have a farming background so to get out into country was just perfect," she said.
Since moving into the shire Joanna and Richard have joined the Mt Macedon Fire Brigade and are really enjoying their new home.
"Everyone here is so friendly and welcoming, it's a great place to live," she said.
I ask if their allegiance to England still remains.
"Well, we decided during the Olympics to support team Great Britain first and foremost and if they were knocked out or weren't represented then we would support Australia," she said.
Joan and Richard are yet to decide who they will support for upcoming Ashes series, let's hope they make the right choice!
The Macedon Ranges Guardian would like to congratulate and welcome all the new citizens of the Macedon Ranges. The shire's newest residents come from the United Kingdom, Romania, Singapore, Ireland, Trinidad, Canada, the Philippines and the United States.

Train ticket upset

Jack Werrett 

Some V/Line passengers on the Bendigo line are getting a free ride by taking advantage myki ticketing, a Woodend commuter says. 
Sunbury commuters can ride V/Line trains to and from Melbourne without proving they have paid for a ticket, while Macedon Ranges passengers' tickets are inspected.
The introduction of the Metro service at Sunbury has given Sunbury residents the choice between the Metro and V/Line services. 
However, V/Line ticket inspectors are unable to check myki passes - the ticketing system newly introduced in Sunbury, but not yet in the Macedon Ranges (Macedon Ranges train stations still using paper tickets).
A regular Woodend commuter, who wishes to remain anonymous due to the animosity between Sunbury and Macedon Ranges passengers, says passengers who board V/Line services at Sunbury are rarely asked by conductors to show their myki passes.
"Conductors barely ever ask commuters who board at Sunbury to show their myki cards. Even on one occasion when the conductor did, customers just ignored him and he gave up," he says.
The same applies on the return journey from Southern Cross station, with people packing on V/Line services and exiting at Sunbury assuming they won't be asked to show their myki passes.
"V/Line trains from the city are packed every night as people know they can ride for free to Sunbury," he says.
Even if commuters have a myki, conductors aboard V/Line services have no way of checking whether or not it has funds on it or whether it has been swiped on by the commuter before boarding the service.
The Woodend commuter has asked V/Line to refund his ticket as he doesn't feel he should be paying while others travel for free. And he says he is not alone.
"There is a group of us who want our tickets refunded. I pay something in excess of $3000 a year for a ticket and others will not pay a cent, it's not fair at all," he says.
There has been an ongoing debate about whether Sunbury passengers should be allowed to catch V/Line trains since Metro services began operating in Sunbury late last year.
A 75 signature strong petition calling for Sunbury customers to be banned from V/Line services circulated late last year, but Sunbury residents are still allowed to catch either V/Line or Metro services.
A Public Transport Victoria spokesperson says passengers with invalid tickets risk being fined.
"Authorised officers check tickets at stations and on trains and anyone found travelling without a valid ticket risks receiving a fine," the spokesperson says.
"Myki is valid for travel on V/Line services between Sunbury and Melbourne. 
"As with all other services, myki must always be touched on to be valid and authorised officers will report passengers who do not have a valid ticket for travel."

Students' anti nuclear message

Members of the ICAN Hiroshima Youth Committee in Japan make paper cranes as part of a campaign against nuclear weapons. Gisborne Secondary College students have joined the campaign.

Students from Gisborne Secondary College will present 2,000 peace cranes to the Prime Minister's representative as a message against nuclear weapons.
They will give a gift of hand folded Japanese paper cranes to Senator Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, on Monday morning at their school.
Half of the cranes were folded by students from Hiroshima, Japan, which was destroyed by a nuclear bomb in World War II, killing 140,000 people. 
These will be presented by Dr Jenny Grounds, a GP in Riddells Creek, who will represent ICAN as president of MAPW (Medical Association for Prevention of War). 
The rest were folded by students from Gisborne, several of whom visited Hiroshima last October as part of their Japanese studies.
Bundles of 1,000 cranes - symbolising support for nuclear disarmament - will be delivered to every president and prime minister worldwide as part of a project of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which is urging governments to negotiate a global ban on nuclear weapons.
Senator McLucas will travel from Queensland to accept the cranes on the Prime Minister's behalf. In a letter accompanying the cranes, the students from Hiroshima wrote:
"As youth from Hiroshima, we are deeply concerned that our future is still being threatened by close to 20,000 nuclear weapons. We are writing to you and other leaders to ask for help in eliminating this threat … We fear that unless governments and individuals do more to rid the world of these horrible weapons, another city might one day
suffer the same fate as our own."
More than 140,000 paper cranes have already been delivered to leaders worldwide, and messages of support have been
received from the presidents of Afghanistan, Cyprus, Greece, Kazakhstan, the Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Vanuatu, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
ICAN is calling on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to join other nations in calling for negotiations in 2013 on a treaty to outlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons.
www.icanw.org/resources/paper-crane-project

Penguins chill out at Macedon

Wild Action director Chris Humfrey splashes around with 'fairy' penguins at Macedon. Photo: Chris Fleming

Who would have thought that a colony of eight bachelor male 'fairy' penguins reside in Macedon. Where else of course but at Chris Humfrey's private zoo! 
The little penguins or 'fairy' penguins have been bred in captivity and hand reared to be part of Chris Humfrey's Wild Action program in Victorian schools. 
"The fairy penguin makes an ideal educational animal by being hand raised," Chris said. 
"They recognise my voice and call out when they are hungry, eagerly jumping into my lap for a feed of pilchards!
"The only drawback to having a fairy penguin as a pet is that your hands always smell of fish, and that you get some funny looks when you stand in line at the bank." 
Chris said the world's smallest penguin finds the Macedon ranges an idyllic climate most of the time, except for those really hot days in the middle of summer. 
"That's when the little guys have a reprieve in my bathtub…and boy can they make a mess!"
Chris prefers to call the little penguin by it's former name the 'fairy' penguin. 
Chris has a private displayers license with the Department of Sustainability and Environment, not everyone can keep a fairy penguin. 
"I am so lucky to be able to keep penguins, it is a dream come true," he said.
"My penguins are the only penguins in Australia which visit classrooms.
"They are the world's only blue penguin, and eat up to eight pilchard fish a day…each!"
Humfrey hopes his interactive wildlife education shows will help foster a greater awareness for the environment among children and adults alike. 
"I don't think that people fully appreciate our natural world, and how much of an impact on it with have," he said. 
Look out for Chris Humfrey and his penguins in Macedon Ranges schools and kindergartens over the summer months. 
Wild Action's rock pool discovery programs showcase Victoria's rocky shores biodiversity. 
www.wildaction.com.au

Woodend on the rise

The Woodsmen find themselves in the middle of round 11 with a bit of work to do to get into finals contention. The seconds are fourth on the ladder and are a long way behind the front-runners.

The firsts and thirds are remain in fifth position and need to win everything from now on to ensure finals. The Under 16s are fourth and the Under 14s are third. Sleepy Woodend is known to start slow and come home like a train.

SENIORS

McIntyre Cup – The Woods played Ruperstwood at Rupo. They routed Rupo for 115. Greggie Matthews got 5/21 and young Andrew (Smaley) got 3/32. The Woods put on 82 for the opening partnership before passing Rupo to be 3/159 at stumps. If I were skipper, ‘Badge’,I’d put ‘em back in next week to go for the outright, and I’m pretty sure I overheard him at the rooms saying just that!

C Grade - The seconds played Sunbury United at the GeeGee. They batted first and

creamed 315. Chris Boyer (the destroyer) made 121. He achieved his ton with two huge sixes. The last, was seen heading for the trees behind the footy rooms. Boyer is ex-army, built like the proverbial and one of the cleanest hitters and drivers at the club. You don’t take your eye off the ball at training when two guys are batting in the net. One is Chris and the other is Dan (wombat) Heaney. Mitchy Hannan also got 33, and Scotty Fuller made 42. With a strong bowling attack, me- thinks that the Woods’ have this one in the bag, but that would be mozzing us, so I won’t go on.

E Grade - The Terds played fifth placed Diggers Rest/Bulla at the

Racecourse in a must win game. They lost the toss, bowled first and got the Burras out for 170. The Woods had a scrappy start. They dropped a few catches but pulled them back thanks to some good

bowling by Grayham Hannan with 3/31 and Luke Mann with 2/17 and great catching. Brett (Trout) Beattie was tight, and his caught and bowled was something to behold!

Old Jamo and I had to face a nervous last half hour and I’ve got to admit, pretty good Diggers bowlers. We managed to survive on 0/10. It will be a tight game.

One Day - The Oncers played East Sunbury and won easily by making 6/201. Skipper, O’Meara (Bear) made 50, Waters made 48 and Jimmy (Soda) Hepburn with 40 all got into the run hunt. We then skittled them for 102 with Brendan (Funnel) Fennel getting 3/10. That’s gotta

be better than fishing, Funnel. He reminds me of Andrew Symons.

JUNIORS -

December 8 and 15

Woodend Tempest (under 16s) - Our boys played Bacchus Marsh Blue and got them out

for 115 off 40 overs. Saddington got 3/9 in what I have heard was a lovely spell of bowling.

Hamish Renwick was particularly miserly at one stage with three maidens from five overs. A great partnership between Jack Cubley with 37 and James O’Malley with 28 just about put

paid to the game, but we only just made it in the end, being 8/121 at the end of play - phew!

Under 14 East - Our Saplings played Gisborne Lightning. This is always a tough

game between traditional rivals. Our boys pummelled the ‘Gissie bowling for 186, with Jotham Hughes(y) and James Blyth (do your mates call you Blythy?) making 34 and 47 respectively.

Blythy took 3/5 and who I must imagine is his youngest brother, S Blyth took 2/22. A bag for the family? Brandon Nicholls was good too with 2/6 and ‘Gissie was all out for 113.

*Apologies to the Woodend Cricket Club and Macedon Ranges

Guardian for the lack of cricket write-ups for the last few rounds. I’ve been moving house. Happy new year, everyone.

Asbestos fears dismissed

A Woodend house undergoing renovations was taped off with warning signs following residents' complaints. Photo: Chris Fleming

Kylie Kitchen

The site of a proposed funeral parlour in residential Woodend is the subject of an asbestos risk.
Neighbouring residents are alarmed at the potential asbestos exposure they may have suffered during brick cladding removal at the Forest Street property last week.
When works began, residents suspicious the cladding could contain asbestos had four samples lab tested, resident Effie Konstantinidis says.
Ms Konstantinidis says the results returned positive for asbestos.
Neighbours approached Macedon Ranges Council and WorkSafe with their concerns, but both saw no reason to question the owner's asbestos audit which returned a negative result.
"The community is really distressed," Ms Konstantinidis says.
"Why do they trust (the owner) and not trust us? Why are they satisfied with the negative result but not satisfied with the positive result?"
With asbestos dangers so high, neighbours are appalled their concerns were taken so lightly.
"We don't want it to be positive (for asbestos)," Ms Konstantinidis says.
"We're not doing this to say to the council, 'we're right and your wrong', we just want to be safe.
"The council have not ensured the community is safe."
Neighbours called on council and WorkSafe to undertake independent asbestos testing of the site.
"What we need is a third party to come and take a sample and they weren't willing to do that," Ms Konstantinidis says.
"How's it going to hurt anybody to do a third sample?"
The neighbours' testing is invalid to council and WorkSafe as it was illegally obtained and the source of the test material cannot be proved.
Ms Konstantinidis argues council and WorkSafe are also unable to positively confirm the source of the material tested in the owner's audit.
"We could have been exposed to asbestos and the council's not doing anything about it," Ms Konstantinidis says.
"So now we have to wait 20 or 30 years to find out if anyone in the neighbourhood gets sick.
"If the positive is correct, and I don't understand why a laboratory would be wrong, they're all going to be accountable."
Despite the owner's audit stating a negative asbestos result, and council and WorkSafe endorsing the document, signage reading 'DANGER ASBESTOS REMOVAL IN PROGRESS and tape reading, 'DANGER ASBESTOS DUST HAZARD', surrounded the property last Friday.
WorkSafe inspected the site last week to investigate the potential exposure to asbestos during the demolition works.
"The builder conducting the refurbishment works had an asbestos audit conducted on the building being refurbished and the analysis of samples confirmed there was no asbestos containing material on the house," a WorkSafe spokesperson said.
"As a precautionary measure and to ease concerns of residents, the owner of the site engaged a licensed asbestos removalist last week to remove any remaining materials on the house despite the analysis confirming that the samples did not contain asbestos fibres.
"WorkSafe returned to the site to ensure the removal was carried out efficiently. WorkSafe is satisfied with how the matter was handled."
Council defended it's decision against undertaking independent asbestos tests of the site. 
"In this instance the landowner opted to undertake their own sampling to ensure there was no risk of asbestos affecting them or surrounding residents," planning manager, Rick Traficante explained.
"Council has been in close communication with the owner to ensure that the works do not pose a safety hazard to the community. 
"Council is satisfied from the certificates provided by the accredited asbestos expert that the works do not pose a danger to the public."