While the fortunes of Queenscliff's senior football and netball teams are looking shaky across the board, Queenscliff juniors are doing their share of the heavy lifting, with upwards of five teams set to feature in finals.  

Among them are our U/14 footballers, who, after being promoted to Division 2, remain undefeated on top of the league ladder. The Colts are sitting on top of the Division 3 table, and our U/16’s are holding down third place. 

Our U/19 netballers suffered their first defeat of the season last weekend, but remain on top of the Division One ladder. Under 15 girls are holding down second place, having given up one game to date. 

Likewise our senior netballers have started looking to the future. At just 15, Kaitlin Gladman is among the youngest players to receive a call up into the Division one ranks. 

Angela Gladman was just 15 when she made her debut in Queenscliff’s Division one netball ranks. Proving the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, daughter Kaitlin received her call up at just 14. 

The talented teen looks set to retain a position in the side, after impressing with her on-court versatility. 

A member of the Geelong Flyers Open netball team, Kaitlin is known for her goal shooting skills, but more recently has seamlessly moved into centre court positions. 

“She does a bit of everything really and she’s doing really well, but she’s so devoted to it,” said proud mum Ange. “She really does her homework and comes to the game prepared for whatever positions she will be playing.”

Queenscliff Music Festival organisers believe they’ve finally struck the right recipe for success, after recording yet another bumper profit .

Last year's event attracted 15,800 patrons and raked in more than $200,000 in profit over its three days.

“There will be some minor tweaks this year but clearly based on last year’s success, we know we have a good thing going now and we just need to focus on building on it,” said Director Andrew Orvis.
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“We’re extremely happy with the result of course and we look to try and maintain it going forward. The festival industry is a tough one though, so we know that things can change. It’s our job to future-proof things now so that QMF can continue on to our 30th and 40th festivals.” 

Last year’s was the first sell out in the event’s 20 years.  It was also named Victoria Tourism’s best festival and the Borough of Queenscliffe’s Community Event of the Year.
Ninety-five percent of close to 880 patrons surveyed rated the festival as “very good” or “excellent” and 99 percent indicated a wish to return.  

It also delivered: 

• Record volunteer participation
• Record cash and fundraising contributions from the QMF back into the community ($52,000 total),
• An economic boost to the local economy of $3.3 million, and
• Over $100,000 in marketing and promotion of Queenscliff and the surrounding region

Locals have been warned to purchase tickets early or risk missing out this November.

“Ticket sales this year are phenomenal, with an unprecedented level of Early Bird sales. We’re well on our way for another sell out,” Mr Orvis said.

A local campaign to have the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve included on the National Heritage List has received a significant shot in the arm, with the Federal Government calling for a “priority assessment” of the site. 

Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg has directed the National Heritage Council to undertake a formal review, to determine its suitability to sit alongside more than 100 other iconic locations. 

The Council will now seek feedback from the public, stakeholders and others potentially affected by the listing, including Indigenous people – a process that could take upwards of two years. 

“Consultation, including in relation to the geographical boundary of any National Heritage listed site, is integral,” said Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson, who has been vocal in her support of the reserve’s inclusion on the list. “This means that the community will be offered the opportunity to submit that historical parts of Queenscliff should also be considered.

“I visited the site with the then Environment Minister Greg Hunt in May 2016 and was proud to throw my support behind the push for National Heritage listing.

“I strongly believe that the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve and environs would make a worthy addition to the 110 places that already feature on our National Heritage List, which includes the Great Ocean Road.” 

The Reserve is just one of two nationwide to gain priority assessment. The other is Finnis Springs Mission in South Australia. 

The announcement is in response to a nomination, lodged by resident Andrew Sutherland which  detailed the reserve’s maritime, defence and cultural assets as justification for inclusion. 

The lighthouse has navigational aids and defence structures associated with the first and second World Wars. The reserve was first used in the mid-ninteenth century to help guide the safe entry of shipping into Port Phillip for the Victorian colony. It is also the site of William Buckley’s cave. 

“It’s been a long fight to get this far but it’s not over yet. With rampant development occurring west of Point Lonsdale, keeping precious foreshore open space is an absolute priority. The foreshore is what residents and visitors all come to Point Lonsdale to enjoy. Keeping the foreshore accessible to all comers, not just niche groups, is my passion,” said long-time heritage advocate Lester Hunt.

“Importantly, NHL will mean that the many historic structures - dating back to the 1850’s on the Reserve, will get the formal recognition that recent local planning schemes have failed to accurately document.”

Queenscliffe Council, which manages the reserve, has been forced into an embarrassing backflip as a result of Mr Frydenberg’s announcement. Having refused to support Mr Sutherland’s nomination it has now moved to have a report tabled at its August Council meeting detailing the “significance and implications “ of the listing. 
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“I think it’s terribly important that the process from here on in is fully understood by all of us,” cautioned Councillor Bob Merriman. “Certainly we’ll be waiting for the Heritage Council to come forward with their report. “

The removal of Queenscliff’s Avenue of Honour need not be traumatic as locals might fear and a new one could be established within 10 years, if the Council gets its replacement strategy right, a leading tree expert has advised. 

Dr Greg Moore is former Principal of Melbourne University’s Burnley College and a leading voice in tree cultivation and management. 

He says while the decision to bring down the century old Monterey Cypress pines is “very disappointing,” Council’s appointment of a reference group to oersee replanting appears  “fair and reasonable.”

“The issue here is you’ve got these significant trees. They shouldn’t be removed before a proper replacement strategy is in place … and there should be proper consultation with the local RSL if they’re prepared to do it, because it’s an Avenue of Honour,” Dr Moore said. 

“Often these avenues are not just avenues of honour but avenues in general and essentially gateways to the town and they have a very significant impact… an even bigger impact than most people will realise.
“With an agreed selection of plants and good management , if you do that properly, then you will get your avenue back in a surprisingly short period of time. “

Council announced it would move to replace the trees after an arborist assessment found some were close to their end of life and most were at risk of succumbing to the incurable disease Seiridium Canker. 

The oldest of the trees date back to 1918, and were planted in honour of local fallen soldiers.  

“Canker can be a real problem. It can also be used as an excuse for removal before other management options have been considered,” Dr Moore said. “If you’ve got the cypress canker then you’re going to have to consider that in choosing your replacement species. The usual recommendation is that you’ve got to wait for a period of up to two years to put cypress back in and that’s probably not going to be acceptable in a community situation. “

There are hundreds of potential replacements but locals, not outsiders, need to make the call, Dr Moore cautioned.

“They didn’t always get their tree selections right with their avenues of honour and so I personally don’t believe that you should be committed to the mistakes of the past if you like. 

“All of the replacement strategies have their benefits and their disadvantage and locals really have to decide what they think is best for them, and it will differ for different communities," he said. 
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“My usual advice for avenues of honour is try and find a connection between the species you choose and the original reason for establishing the avenue in the first place. Sometimes there are trees that are relevant to where soldiers fought, sometimes there are trees that are relevant to the period in history when the avenue was planted and sometimes there are trees that are relevant to the community group that did the original planting. I always advise that you do a little bit of historical work just to see if there is a connection and I would then say that whatever species you are going to consider, they must be appropriate to the site. “
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