Second round of community grants awarded

FUNDING of just over $14,000 was shared among eight applicants in the second round of the Derwent Valley Council's community grants program for the 2019-20 financial year.

In a report to last month's council meeting, community development officer Bec Tudor said more money had been available than was originally expected, due to a first-round grant not being expended. "In Round 1, New Norfolk Neighbourhood Watch were conditionally approved for a grant of $3025 on the grounds that further funding was acquired. As this condition was not able to be met, those funds remained in the funding pool for Round 2, bringing the total available amount to $14,109," Ms Tudor said.

The councillors present at the March council meeting unanimously supported Ms Tudor's recommendation that the following grants be approved:

• New Norfolk High School: $999 for a digital sewing machine and overlocker
• New Norfolk Fire Brigade: $519 for a smoke machine
• Derwent Valley Horse Riders Association: $1689 to resurface the club's arena
• Fund Reclink Australia: $1000 for sporting equipment
• New Norfolk Neighbourhood Watch: $2290 for IT equipment
• Lachlan Craft Circle: $620 to run a residential design workshop for members
• Epona Horse Archers: $4492 for equipment and site work
• Derwent Valley Concert Band: $2500 for a synthesizer.

Moving the motion, Cr Natasha Woods congratulated the applicants on the standard of their submissions. "The applications met the mark really well," she said. Mayor Ben Shaw was the only other councillor to speak, noting that every applicant had received funding. "Some of them didn't get fully funded, but we managed to give pretty much every group that applied something that can actually get them an actionable item or a piece of equipment, which was really good to be able to do," Cr Shaw said.

Councillors also accepted Ms Tudor's recommendation that the Community Grants Policy approved in December 2018, be reviewed. "Further clarity around the policy will be required prior to the next  financial year," she said in her written report to the council meeting. "The importance of clarity for the evaluation process will allow all applicants a clear direction when applying. As public funds are used to for community grants it is important to note that these are required to be acquitted in accordance with standard accounting practices."

Ms Tudor said more than $241,616 had been  allocated under the current community grants program  since 1997-98.

Council offering free 'flu vaccinations

BOOKINGS are closing soon for the Derwent Valley Council's free influenza vaccinations under its annual vaccination program. The council is offering free 'flu vaccinations for:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Pregnant women (during any stage of pregnancy)
• People aged 65 years and over
• People aged six months and over with medical conditions which increase the risk of influenza disease complications
• Children from six months to less than five years.

The vaccinations will be given on April 22. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, physical distancing measures will be in place. Bookings are essential and must be made by April 10. For bookings and further information contact the council’s immunisation co-ordinator on 6261 8530.

Warning to sheep graziers

Warning to Sheep Graziers
for the Furneaux Islands, North West Coast, Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts

Issued at 3.35pm on Sunday 5 April 2020.

Sheep graziers are warned that cold temperatures, showers and strong westerly winds are expected during Sunday. Areas likely to be affected include the Furneaux Islands forecast district and parts of the North West Coast, Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts. There is a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.

The next warning will be issued by 11pm Sunday.

Changes to access to Justices of the Peace

PHYSICAL distancing requirements for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 mean that a number of the Derwent Valley's Justices of the Peace - and many others throughout the state - are no longer undertaking their duties.

With many JPs being older members of the community, and working from home, the Department of Justice says it supports the decision of any Justice deciding not to perform their role at present.

"The Department of Justice supports the decision of any Justice to take this course of action, given that a number of Justices are older members of the community and may be susceptible to an increased risk of contracting the virus," a spokesman said. "Justices have limited premises from which they can provide services and in those circumstances, it is not considered appropriate for members of the public to visit Justices at their residences."

A list on the Department of Justice website shows which JPs are continuing to provide services. Click here for the latest update to the list.

BUSHY PARK: Glenn Gittus
ELLENDALE: Micky Quinn and Dawn Tomlin
GRANTON: Shaun Dobson, Tomas Clarke
GRETNA: Iris Fenton
MOLESWORTH: Ngaire Glover
GRANTON: Shaun Patrick Dobson
NEW NORFOLK: Terry Burdon, Colleen Cranefield, Barbara Davis, Debbie Hutchinson, Pat Graham

The document signing centres voluntarily staffed by JPs at the Glenorchy and Kingborough council offices and the Hobart and Rosny branches of Service Tasmania are temporarily closed.

Given the current restrictions on movement, the Department of Justice asks anyone needing a JP to first consider whether the matter is essential, and to consider waiting until the situation improves. "In the event that a Justice is urgently required, it is recommended that you phone Justices in your area to ask whether they are willing to deal with your matter."

The Department also recommends checking to see whether a JP is in fact required, as many of the duties of a Justice can also be undertaken by a Commissioner for Declarations who can witness signatures to documents, certify a true copy of an original document, and take statutory declarations.

Commissioners for Declarations include:

• accountants;
• bank, building society or credit union officers with five or more continuous years of service;
• medical practitioners, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, optometrists;
• permanent Federal, State or Local Government employees with 5 or more continuous years of service;
• police officers and legal practitioners;
• full-time teachers.

Click here for more details about Commissioners for Declarations and here for the full list of people designated Commissioners for Declarations because of their profession or because of an appointment they hold.

Arrangements are being put in place to allow for electronic witnessing/certifying/taking of statutory declarations.

Pollies' pay cut proposed

Councillor Paul Belcher

A LOCAL councillor's proposal for elected officials to take a pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic was broadcast on multiple commercial radio stations on Friday.

"In this troubled time I am putting forward the suggestion that elected members of Local Government and State and Federal parliaments, and executive managers and general managers - excluding the premiers, health ministers and prime minister - should take a pay cut to help with the COVID-19," Derwent Valley councillor Paul Belcher said in a media statement earlier in the week.

"We see lots of people being forced out of their jobs with no options as businesses across the country are closing down or cutting hours to save what money they have to survive," the councillor and small business owner said.

"We have seen big and small businesses managers, sporting professionals and racing industry participants all taking cuts and I think we all should play a part in managing this crisis. For most elected members, the workload would be less [now] as they are working from home, or the usual demands are most likely not there after the new lockdown regulations have come in.

"I ask all elected members to think of, and help out, those that elected us to represent them. Let's do our part," Cr Belcher said.

On Friday morning Cr Belcher was a guest on the Tasmania Talks program, broadcast across the north and west of the state on LA-FM, 7AD, 7BU, 7XS and 7SD, and online. Host Aaron Stevens noted that prime minister Scott Morrison had rejected talk of any pay cuts for federal MPS, saying they were working longer hours due to the coronavirus challenges.

"Meanwhile, some state leaders have put a pay increase on hold or offered to donate some of those pay rises to charities, but no mention of pay cuts," Stevens said. "Derwent Valley councillor Paul Belcher is the exception. He's written a letter targeting local government and state and federal parliaments calling for many - there are some exclusions - to take pay cuts."

Cr Belcher said the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic meant that many local, state and federal politicians might not be as active as usual. "There are some, premiers and health ministers, which I had excluded, that are actually working around the clock, and I feel for them - they look absolutely tired when you see them doing media statements. But I just think that the councillors, mayors, deputy mayors, are probably not as functional as they would have been three weeks ago."

Cr Belcher said he had hoped to put his proposal to last week's Derwent Valley Council special meeting dealing with a community COVID-19 community support package. "But obviously the meeting got canned, so I couldn't put that forward. Whether that got supported was another thing," he said.

"I'm not pressuring the premier, I think that the premier's done a quite a good job. He's taken over the reins at the wrong time, really, and he's been put under pressure and I think that he thought a great job ... and we all know that the health minister's job is probably one of the worst jobs in ministry and I think here in Tasmania, Sarah Courtney has stepped up and I think she's done a great job."

The fixed allowance paid to Derwent Valley councillors totals $148,748 per year. Each councillor receives $12,955 for the year, with the deputy mayor receiving an additional $12,400, and the mayor receiving an extra $32,388. A 20% cut would more than cover the cost of the community grants program ($20,000) which the acting general manager has proposed diverting to support small businesses and not-for-profit organisations.

Listen to the Tasmania Talks interview here.

Wade Gleeson reviews the cricket season

WITH the 2019/20 cricket season now completed, let's take a look at how our local clubs fared in what was a great season of cricket action.

Some teams played finals and some missed out, while others went on to win the premiership. The men's statistics quoted below are combined from the T20 and 50-over formats.

BOTHWELL CRICKET CLUB: Bothwell I had a pretty good season in fourth grade, but would have preferred a bit more success over all. In the T20s they finished runners up by just 18 runs to St Virgil’s in the grand final. Then after winning nine matches in a row and finishing on top of the ladder in the 50-over format by 16 points, they went out in straight sets during the finals. Although the disappointment would be felt, hats off to captain Cody Eyles and his team. Standouts with the bat were Josh Eyles (498 runs and 18 wickets) and Mathew Eyles (364 runs and 25 wickets). The opening duo of Brock Nichols (37 wickets) and Cody Eyles (34 teamed) up well. Congratulations to Brock Nichols for taking a hat-trick earlier in the season.

Bothwell II played in seventh grade and in the T20 series won one match, lost one and the third was a wash out, resulting in them not making the finals. In the 50-over roster they finished fourth with seven wins and then bowed out after losing the 1st semi-final to Campania by seven wickets. In that match the team was playing one short and was dismissed for just 20 runs. Nathan White had an excellent season making 439 runs and taking 21 wickets, while captain Peter Hansch did well with 21 scalps. A player to watch in coming seasons is youngster Dylan Branch (who also played for Brighton in third grade of the premier league) who made 212 runs and as keeper took nine catches with five stumpings. A very good effort.

In their first season, the Bothwell women’s team did very well. Of their eight roster matches, the team was defeated in the first three rounds, then in the next two they secured the points from forfeits. With the final three rounds, the team strung together three very good wins which put them in the top four for finals. They played off in the semi-final, going down to Montagu Bay. During the season Leisa Pearce did well with the bat making 94 runs while Jemma Burke took 11 wickets and Kristy Mayne got 45 runs and took five wickets. In all it was a very good effort in their inaugural season. Well done to club secretary Rachael Clark who was instrumental in getting the team up and running and she had great support from club president Joey Eyles and vice-president Traci Millhouse. Well done to all team members on what was a historic achievement for the club as a whole.

Gretna I, runners-up for 2019-20, back from left: Todd Jarvis,
Glenn Blackwell, Mathew Burns, Corey Ransley, Trent Grant,
Adam Browning (12th man); front: Aaron Maddox, Marc
Worldon,  Jamie Duggan, captain Ben Rainbird, vice-captain
Jackson Ackerly, Rhyn Browning. Mascot: Cooper Gleeson. 

GRETNA CRICKET CLUB: Gretna I again played in second grade and in the T20 matches finished second in Pool B, but then lost the semi-final to Richmond/Cambridge by seven wickets. In the 50-over season they won eight matches from 14 rounds, with the final-round victory giving the team second place by percentage and the double chance in the finals. Gretna again made it to the grand final, but was beaten by top-of-the-ladder New Norfolk II by 54 runs. It wasn't a bad season, but after being runners-up for the past two seasons, they will be looking to go one better in 2020/21. Ben Rainbird (570 runs) and Mathew Burns (448) did well with the bat, while Aaron Maddox and Mathew Burns both took more than 20 wickets each with Burns also taking a double hat-trick in round 14.

Gretna II had a pretty good season in fifth grade. In the T20s they finished on top of Pool A and played off in the semi-final, going down to eventual premiers Rokeby. In the 50-over roster, they won seven of their 14 roster matches, finishing third on the ladder. They then played Claremont in the first semi-final where they lost by 26 runs. Zac Crosswell made 453 runs in the season while Josh Whitford, Bailey Wheeler and Adam Browning all took more than 20 wickets each.

MOLESWORTH CRICKET CLUB: Molesworth I had an indifferent season in second grade. In the T20 matches they won one of the three matches and didn’t make the finals. In the 50-over format, they managed to win seven of their 14 roster matches. After winning six of their first nine matches, they then lost their next four in a row. A big effort in the final match saw them make the very big score of 7/392 against the Knights, with captain Jamie Adams smashing 151 from 134 deliveries. But this wasn’t enough and Molesworth didn’t make the finals, finishing fifth. Brothers Brad Coppleman (525 runs, 27 wickets) and Daniel Coppleman (406 runs) doing well with the bat, while Jeremy Nichols took 27 wickets.

In seventh grade, Molesworth II missed out on the finals in the T20s, finishing last, but in the 50-over roster finished fifth. Winning eight of their 14 roster matches played, and considering their were 10 teams battling it out for a top four finals set-up, it was a pretty good effort. Captain Jack Evans led by example, making 448 runs with the willow and taking 16 wickets, and Ben Triffett captured 11.

New Norfolk I players with the SCA first-grade shield.

NEW NORFOLK CRICKET CLUB: What a season it was for the Red Caps! New Norfolk I began the season doing well in first grade of the T20 Super Bash. After defeating Wellington in a thriller in the semi-final, they then went on to defeat Old Beach in the final by 33 runs. From this win, the team made it into the Hurricanes Community T20 Cup at Blundstone Arena on the turf wicket. Here they defeated North Huon in the semi-final to earn a place in the grand final against Devonport. In a very good contest, the Red Caps gave it their all, only to just miss out, going down by the small margin of six runs. In the 50-over matches, they won 10 of their 14 matches and then in a spectacular fightback won the second semi-final over Wellington and advanced to a home grand final. Unfortunately this match didn’t go ahead due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but fittingly after finishing on top of the ladder and being the best team all season, the Red Caps were declared premiers for season 2019/20. It's not how New Norfolk wanted to win the premiership, but I guess that’s the advantage of finishing on top. With the bat, coach Jason Rigby scored 474 runs with 20 wickets for the season, while Seb Wishart scored 432 runs and 15 wickets, and Josh Rowlands took 17 wickets.

New Norfolk II team members, back from left: Nathan Rice,
Richard Graham, Bradley Chaplin, Sam Hoggett, Stewart Rice,
and Mitchell Crosswell; front: David Maddox, captain Jake King,
vice captains Rohan Heron and Jamie Hill, and Josh Walsh.

New Norfolk II started the season by not making the finals in the T20 format, but it was a much different story in the 50-over roster. The Red Caps powered through the 14 rounds losing just two matches and finishing on top of the ladder by the big gap of 23 points. In the finals they then won the second semi-final and grand final over Gretna I to take out the premiership in an excellent effort. For the season, openers Rohan Heron and Jake King shone with 609 and 566 runs respectively. Among the wicket-takers were father-and-son Stewart Rice with 32 and Nathan Rice with 18.

Playing in fifth grade, New Norfolk III won one of its three T20 matches, finishing third in Pool A and as a result didn’t play in the finals. In the 50-over roster, the Red Caps won four from 13 matches played and finished seventh, missing out on finals action. Among the runs and wickets over the two formats, captain Nathan Heron did very well with 246 runs, 25 wickets and a double hat-trick in a great performance. Young Jordon Gittus made 203 runs and took nine wickets, while David Mitchelmore took 15.

The New Norfolk Women’s team again coached by Brad Kemmler continued to show how important it is to have female cricket involved at club level. Although the women didn’t make the finals, they had some good individual performers, in particular in Lisa East who took out the team's best and fairest award and also was named in the KSCA team of the year. East scored 174 runs for the season, with highest score of 35. Others to do well were Kelly Read with 103 runs and three wickets; Amity Booth 101 runs and seven wickets; and Teagan Kemmler 82 runs and five wickets. This roster featured 20-over matches over eight rounds, plus finals.

New Norfolk once again ran a successful junior cricket program, fielding two Under-13 teams in the Cricket Tasmania Hurricanes Junior League. Both teams this season were made up of mostly younger first-time cricketers and credit must go to coaches Josh Walsh and Todd Jarvis for their work with the boys as the improvement by all was outstanding over the course of the season and I’m sure all will be returning.

A special mention goes to Josh Walsh who was also the club's junior development officer. Josh has been coaching and organising the juniors over the past five seasons and before this was the co-ordinator of the former Milo In2cricket and T20 Blast programs for the younger children. Josh’s knowledge and efforts over the past seven seasons has been exceptional and the way the kids look up to him is a great reflection of his hard work. Well done mate, you're a real asset to the New Norfolk Cricket Club and the wider community.

Before I conclude, a massive shout out goes to all club officials and volunteers, whose efforts nowadays basically go all year round and are greatly appreciated. It takes a lot to keep a cricket club running and with out you all, things wouldn’t run as smoothly as they do.

Lastly, please look after each other during this unfortunate coronavirus pandemic. Things will be tough on each and every one of us, but we Tasmanians are resilient. Until next season, stay strong.

WADE GLEESON

Changes to local charity services

INCREASED preventative measures against the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 has impacted on the provision of charitable and welfare services in New Norfolk and around the country.

New Norfolk's two thrift shops are now temporarily closed, following decisions of the Salvation Army and the St Vincent de Paul Society, and new delivery methods have been introduced for their welfare services.

Due to the constraints put into place to contain COVID-19, the Salvation Army's Derwent Valley Corps has had to change its service delivery process.

"We are still operating and are able to assist our community," corps officers Tim and Di Size said during the week. "We are no longer able to provide face-to-face appointments, instead we ask that you call us on 6261 5996."

The services available from the Salvation locally include:

• Material support
• Financial support
• Referrals
• Budgeting
• Information and advice
• Advocacy
• Emotional support

The St Vincent de Paul Society has also announced that it remains available to provide assistance despite the closure of its Vinnies shops, with southern Tasmanian clients asked to phone 6234 4244.

"We are still providing assistance ... however we are observing Federal and State government guidelines to protect our staff, volunteers and our clients," a spokesman said. "We urge you to follow these guidelines too, for the protection of you, your family and the broader community."