The Strathfieldsaye Standard & Junortoun Journal

01/06/2025

Central Victorian detectives have finally caught a couple of numbskulls behind a wave of car thefts that’s had the region on high alert.

These two geniuses allegedly swiped over 20 cars across a bunch of towns and suburbs, including Castlemaine, Epsom, Flora Hill, Ironbark, and more.

Apparently, they thought they were on some sort of crime spree, but turns out they were just helping the cops fill their arrest quotas.

The chaos started on April 29, when one of the lads stole a Toyota RAV4 from a Bendigo university. Fast-forward a few days and on May 1, they took two Toyota Corollas from Kennington, one of which was found burnt out.

But these clowns didn’t stop there – by May 12, they were busy stealing a Mazda 3 from Epsom. As if that wasn’t enough, they broke into six cars at a Bendigo uni car park on May 13. I mean, they’re really living the dream, aren’t they?

Things took a wild turn on May 16 when they made off with a Toyota RAV4 near a hospital, loaded up with over $12,000 worth of personal items and camping gear.

By May 20, that same car was found burnt out in Marong. And let’s not forget the car they stole from a Castlemaine dealership on May 15, where they allegedly tampered with the car’s onboard diagnostics system.

Then, on May 28, after weeks of detective work and some seriously solid effort, Bendigo detectives swooped in and executed search warrants in California Gully, Bendigo, North Bendigo, and Kangaroo Flat.

They managed to seize a stolen Subaru, a Holden Colorado, a fake firearm, stolen credit cards, and tools that connected these two jokers to the thefts.

The first bloke, a 21-year-old Bendigo fella, copped 43 charges, including firearm possession, theft of and from vehicles, and criminal damage. He’s now cooling his heels in jail, waiting for his day in court.

His mate, a 20-year-old, got hit with 22 charges, including theft, criminal damage, and driving unlicensed. He’s in custody too and made his court appearance on Thursday.

“This type of offending causes real harm to victims and impacts people just going about their daily lives,” stressed Detective Inspector Dan Davison.

27/05/2025

Strathfieldsaye Town Centre has been Djaara-fied under the Yilingga Marna (Shake Hands) agreement between the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation and the City of Greater Bendigo.

A Traditional Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country took place to mark the occasion and welcome community members into the space.

“This is the first project to be completed from start to finish through this landmark Traditional Owner-Local Government partnership – a model of shared decision-making, cultural safety and self-determination,” said Djaara.

Highlights of the space, named Djayi balak garat (Tread lightly you lot on Country), include a place for all cultures to gather on Country and Djaara-designed furniture, paving, and signage.

It also features artwork by Drew Berick, a mural at the Emu Creek Underpass, Indigenous-species planting, contemporary tree scarring, and language and cultural storytelling woven through.

“For Dja Dja Wurrung People, this space represents more than urban development – it’s a public invitation to connect with Culture, Country and community.”

17/01/2025

A sense of unease lingers in the air as detectives from the Bendigo Crime Investigation Unit intensify their probe into two suspicious bushfires that erupted east of Bendigo on Boxing Day. Authorities are now appealing for public assistance to uncover the truth behind what they believe were deliberate acts of destruction.

The first fire ignited near Munroe Road in Mandurang just before 7:30am on December 26, prompting an urgent response from emergency services. Later that evening, at approximately 5:45pm, a second blaze was reported in the Wellsford Forest.

Fortunately, both fires were swiftly extinguished, sparing the community from disaster. However, their origins have left investigators deeply concerned. The fires are now being treated as suspicious, and evidence points toward the possibility of arson.

Detectives are urging anyone with information to come forward, particularly those who may have witnessed unusual activity in the areas surrounding Munroe Road and Wellsford Forest that day.

12/08/2024

Remembering Jess West, a former Avoca and Maryborough resident and Strathfieldsaye Primary School teacher, and her young son, Deighton. 💞

The West and Shearer families have issued a statement following the deadly collision in Kingston, near Creswick, nine days ago.

The incident tragically claimed the lives of 37-year-old former Maryborough resident Jess West and her five-year-old son Deighton.

"Jess West was an exceptional, generous and caring woman with a bubbly personality and aged 37 years. Jess died in a vehicle collision last Sunday the 29th December."

"She was born in Traralgon, educated at Avoca Primary School, Highview College in Maryborough and graduated from Ballarat Grammar in 2000."

"Jess then went on to La Trobe University, Bendigo, where she graduated and became a successful and highly competent Primary School teacher, the last 10 years of which have been at Strathfieldsaye Primary School."

"Jess will be greatly missed by family, friends, her school community and sporting & recreational bodies in the Bendigo Region."

"Deighton West, who was 5 years old, died in the same vehicle collision as his mother Jess. He showed great sporting potential and was very excited at the prospect of joining his brother Oakley at School this year to start his formal education."

"Deighton had just graduated from Jenny's ELC Kindergarten. Deighton was a very caring little boy, a characteristic developed by his very close family."

"Jess was a devoted loving wife of Anthony West and mum of Oakley who is 9 years old. Jess was and always will be the love of Anthony’s life."

"She would walk into a room and instantly make the vibe of the room better like no other. There aren’t enough words to use to express how much he will miss Jess."

"Jess had an enormous influence in our lives, and we will continue to follow her legacy to ensure Oakley reaches his full potential."

"Deighton, your infectious smile and cheeky grin will forever be embedded in our minds. Your thirst for life and desire to be the best at whatever you did was nothing short of inspiring. We love you, little man. Take care of mum and never stop trying to win. Love always."

"The West and Shearer families would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Emergency Services Personnel."

"In addition, we would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the extraordinary staff at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne who are caring for Oakley."

"We are hugely indebted to the amazing staff at Victoria Police for their incredible and caring involvement with our families."

"We thank everyone for their love and sympathy during this very sad time. We request no flowers and suggest donations be made to The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Good Friday Appeal.”

13/06/2024

Congratulations to Sheryl Batrouney on being named Axe Creek Fire Brigade's new Captain! 🙌🏻 👩🏻‍🚒

🚒Axe Creek CFA recently held its Bi-Annual Elections. We are pleased to announce the election of a new Captain Sheryl Batrouney, who will take over as of 1st July. We will introduce you to the new Brigade Management Team (BMT) over the next few weeks. 📣
Please join us in thanking our outgoing Captain Neil Irving-Dusting who has held the position of Captain since 2010, an impressive achievement 🥳 Neil has overseen many changes and improvements to Axe Creek CFA over the years and has made an impressive mark on the brigade's infrastructure, capacity and culture. We thank you for your service. 🧑‍🚒