A VOLUNTEER fire fighter with a heart of gold was tragically killed after the helicopter he was flying crashed into the Yarra River near Port Melbourne.
Edward Geldard of Ferny Creek was a family man who also offered a helping hand to anyone in need. He was remembered by more than 250 people in a moving ceremony.
TWO would-be robbers were jailed for a combined 15 years following a bungled raid on the Cuckoo Restaurant in April 2007. Donna Hayes, 36, and former partner Ben Jorgensen, 38, were found guilty of armed robbery and negligently causing serious injury.
The male threatened Horst Lantzsch with a shotgun as he left the restaurant holding a bag they believed contained $30,000, when in fact it was full of bread rolls.
The gun discharged injuring his accomplice.
KALORAMA residents won a long-awaited reprieve in the battle to stop the sale of the town hall. The Shire of Yarra Ranges agreed to put the sale on hold for at least 12 months and called for the Farndons Hall committee to develop a three-year business plan.
KNOX councillor Karin Orpen blasted VCAT following a decision to grant a planning permit to a Ferntree Gully boarding house. She said the tribunal had “lost the plot” after overturning a council decision to deny private operator Basil De Jong a permit to convert his Craig Avenue home into an 11-room boarding house.
COCKATOO residents remembered those who were killed in the tragic 1983 Ash Wednesday bush fires. In a moving ceremony, stories of sadness, devastation and courage were told. More than 250 people gathered at St Luke Church to commemorate the 25th anniversary of that horrific day on 16 February 1983.
AN UPWEY group was a step closer to changing the lives of Zambian villagers after a shipping container arrived at Upwey High School. Students and the local community collected basic school and agricultural supplies for the tiny African village of Chibobo. The container’s arrival was a significant Chibobo Container Project milestone.
A MONBULK man told the Mail he was terrified to go outside because ‘hoons’ were running the town and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Frank Ruigok feared the town’s new community centre would become the latest target of continued graffiti and vandalism. But a committee member for the centre said he was looking into strategies to prevent that from happening.
A BORONIA single mother of six was left living in fear after her car was torched just metres from her bedroom. Debbie Fitzgerald told the Mail the frightening attack at her Herbert Street home left her unable to sleep. A donated car helped Ms Fitzgerald get on with life, but she worried those responsible may return.
MONBULK Soccer Club’s ladies team called for more players as it prepared to step up into the big league – State League Division One.
A SILVAN woman fighting a chemical illness called for the State Government to build environmentally sensitive housing. Katherine Macintosh’s life was turned upside down after being diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity. She was in fear of stepping outside for fear of a reaction and called for housing to be set up for people in a similar situation.
POLICE were hunting the woman who attacked and stabbed a 69-year-old Ferntree Gully grandmother near a Boronia Village Shopping Centre ATM. The attack prompted calls for greater police numbers and security cameras in the area.
A LITTLE known Irish donkey from Emerald called Lulu was thrust into the spotlight as one of the stars of Opera Australia’s production of Carmen. The donkey and its handler, Janine Young took to the stage in acts one and three of the performance.
UPWEY Doctors closed its doors, forcing patients to travel to Boronia for medical care. Surgery manager Jenny Kirkpatrick said the building was too small to accommodate patients and lacked proper wheelchair access. Doctors Nadine Fisher and Chandrika Thangarajah moved to a Boronia Mall clinic after plans for an amalgamation with Belgrave Medical Clinic fell through.
