Latest news with #MonashVillarreal
Sydney Morning Herald
06-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Arson attacks strike local soccer clubs after stoush over sports ground
Days later, Waverley Wanderers president John Leloudas started a petition that urged the council to reconsider the allocation and argued that Mayfield Reserve was unsuitable for the club. '[The decision] is detrimental to our ability to continue growing and serving our community,' the petition said. At the council's November 26 meeting, Leloudas submitted two questions to raise issues with brown tap water and sewer backflow at Mayfield Reserve, and to ask why sharing Carlson Reserve with another club had not been an option. Mayor Paul Klisaris responded: 'None of the submitters to the expression-of-interest raised the potential of sharing the facility.' That same week, according to Victoria Police, a Mercedes-Benz was torched just after midnight on November 28 in the driveway of the Hughesdale home of a Monash Villarreal club director. The car was destroyed and fire also burnt part of the property. Monash Council said Monash Villarreal withdrew from using Carlson Reserve on November 29, and the council did not offer the reserve to another soccer club. Monash Villarreal declined to comment when approached by The Age. A Victoria Police spokesman said investigators were examining if the car firebombing was connected to last month's suspected arson attack at the Capital Reserve pavilion, which is used by Glen Waverley Soccer Club. The third blaze on Saturday at Mayfield Reserve's clubrooms, used by the Waverley Wanderers, was deemed suspicious but police for now say they don't believe there is a link to other incidents. Detectives are appealing for witnesses for all three fires. No arrests have been made. Glen Waverley Soccer Club president Kosta Ganotis said he was shocked by the three fires and didn't understand why his club might have been targeted. 'I've been at the club for over 25 years, and I've never seen anything like this before,' he said. Ganotis, whose club has about 350 children, said fear was now spreading among the local soccer community over possible future attacks. He hoped for answers soon. 'Kids just want to come and kick the ball, it's a big part of their life. It hits home pretty badly when they see a place they felt safe [get burnt down].' Ganotis said his club lost its memorabilia and equipment, including $40,000 worth of new player uniforms. 'That's the most heart-wrenching part ... We're just trying to stay strong and move forward for the rest of the community,' he said. Monash Council said it moved the newly homeless soccer club to Carlson Reserve, which sat idle for months. Ganotis said he hoped to return to Capital Reserve when the pavilion was rebuilt. Members of the Waverley Wanderers are also devastated following the weekend's fire. They said in a statement that the fire had scorched trophies, flags and photos that were moved to the clubhouse only days earlier. Leloudas, the club's president, said that any earlier community suspicion that someone connected to the Waverley Wanderers could have been behind the fires was 'unfair and unwarranted'. 'We have a terrific relationship with all the soccer teams,' he said. 'We're a family team, we're good people and we love our football.' Leloudas said he was working with Monash Council and still hoped to some day return to Carlson Reserve. Monash Council has moved the Waverley Wanderers' next home games to Gardiners Reserve and is working on other alternatives. Mayor Paul Klisaris said the cost of rebuilding each building was estimated to be $3-4 million. The council has introduced extra security at other sports grounds. 'Losing two facilities for local sporting clubs in a matter of weeks is incredibly disappointing and concerning,' Klisaris said. A council source, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said: 'Needless to say these events have been very distressing or everyone at Monash. Safety is our number one concern.'
The Age
06-05-2025
- The Age
Arson attacks strike local soccer clubs after stoush over sports ground
Days later, Waverley Wanderers president John Leloudas started a petition that urged the council to reconsider the allocation and argued that Mayfield Reserve was unsuitable for the club. '[The decision] is detrimental to our ability to continue growing and serving our community,' the petition said. At the council's November 26 meeting, Leloudas submitted two questions to raise issues with brown tap water and sewer backflow at Mayfield Reserve, and to ask why sharing Carlson Reserve with another club had not been an option. Mayor Paul Klisaris responded: 'None of the submitters to the expression-of-interest raised the potential of sharing the facility.' That same week, according to Victoria Police, a Mercedes-Benz was torched just after midnight on November 28 in the driveway of the Hughesdale home of a Monash Villarreal club director. The car was destroyed and fire also burnt part of the property. Monash Council said Monash Villarreal withdrew from using Carlson Reserve on November 29, and the council did not offer the reserve to another soccer club. Monash Villarreal declined to comment when approached by The Age. A Victoria Police spokesman said investigators were examining if the car firebombing was connected to last month's suspected arson attack at the Capital Reserve pavilion, which is used by Glen Waverley Soccer Club. The third blaze on Saturday at Mayfield Reserve's clubrooms, used by the Waverley Wanderers, was deemed suspicious but police for now say they don't believe there is a link to other incidents. Detectives are appealing for witnesses for all three fires. No arrests have been made. Glen Waverley Soccer Club president Kosta Ganotis said he was shocked by the three fires and didn't understand why his club might have been targeted. 'I've been at the club for over 25 years, and I've never seen anything like this before,' he said. Ganotis, whose club has about 350 children, said fear was now spreading among the local soccer community over possible future attacks. He hoped for answers soon. 'Kids just want to come and kick the ball, it's a big part of their life. It hits home pretty badly when they see a place they felt safe [get burnt down].' Ganotis said his club lost its memorabilia and equipment, including $40,000 worth of new player uniforms. 'That's the most heart-wrenching part ... We're just trying to stay strong and move forward for the rest of the community,' he said. Monash Council said it moved the newly homeless soccer club to Carlson Reserve, which sat idle for months. Ganotis said he hoped to return to Capital Reserve when the pavilion was rebuilt. Members of the Waverley Wanderers are also devastated following the weekend's fire. They said in a statement that the fire had scorched trophies, flags and photos that were moved to the clubhouse only days earlier. Leloudas, the club's president, said that any earlier community suspicion that someone connected to the Waverley Wanderers could have been behind the fires was 'unfair and unwarranted'. 'We have a terrific relationship with all the soccer teams,' he said. 'We're a family team, we're good people and we love our football.' Leloudas said he was working with Monash Council and still hoped to some day return to Carlson Reserve. Monash Council has moved the Waverley Wanderers' next home games to Gardiners Reserve and is working on other alternatives. Mayor Paul Klisaris said the cost of rebuilding each building was estimated to be $3-4 million. The council has introduced extra security at other sports grounds. 'Losing two facilities for local sporting clubs in a matter of weeks is incredibly disappointing and concerning,' Klisaris said. A council source, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said: 'Needless to say these events have been very distressing or everyone at Monash. Safety is our number one concern.'
The Age
28-04-2025
- General
- The Age
My suburb is one of Melbourne's most liveable, though nobody seems to know it exists
Most people don't know my suburb. It's not Oakleigh or Murrumbeena. Nor is it Chadstone or East Bentleigh. It's nestled between them and easily overlooked. When I explain to someone where Hughesdale is, 15 kilometres south-east of Melbourne's CBD, the first thing people usually say is 'Oh, I think I've driven around it'. We are bordered on three sides by Dandenong, Warrigal and North Roads, all major routes for commuters, tradies and truck drivers as well as shoppers heading to Chadstone Shopping Centre. Perhaps we residents of Hughesdale are lucky that few seem to know about our quiet pocket of around 8000 people. It recently came in sixth on an analysis of Melbourne's most 'liveable' suburbs – well ahead of all those neighbours – so maybe that will change? For a long time, Hughesdale was a suburb not of Melbourne, but of Oakleigh, dating back to the late 19th century when it was a country town. This explains why we have gorgeous early 20th-century cottage strips in Carlisle Crescent, and Calembeena and Moorookyle Avenues that wouldn't look out of place in Yarraville or Prahran. On the map, you can see traces of two early failed railway lines to Hughesdale – the abortive Rosstown Railway running east from Elsternwick, and the Outer Circle Line that carved a diagonal route from Fairfield to today's Boyd Park. But trains did arrive, and have been key to the area's growth, first in the late 19th century and then again in the years between the wars, when the area became known as Hughesdale after former Oakleigh mayor James Hughes. Today the city is only 20 minutes away on the new trains, running at least every 10 minutes for most of the day. Thanks to the new Metro Tunnel opening this year, they will soon run direct to Swanston Street. This no doubt contributes to our liveability rating and is why Hughesdale residents are among Melbourne's greatest users of trains. I moved here from Sydney in 2008, joining my wife, Carolyn, in the suburb where her family has a history going back more than 100 years. It was an easy switch. Living near Sydney Harbour and taking ferries to work had been magic, but once I discovered the beautiful parks, gardens and streetscapes here in Hughesdale, I was sold. We also have easy access to the bay at Brighton to the west, and Mentone to the south, and it's simple to jump on any of the local bus routes, like the 630 or the 903, and find somewhere pleasant to walk and picnic without having to drive. Hughesdale may have seceded from Oakleigh, but two of its schools retained the name. Oakleigh Technical School closed as part of the 1990 selloffs, but its playing grounds became Argyle Reserve, home to many happy off-leash dogs and Monash Villarreal, which has the unusual distinction of being directly affiliated with a Spanish La Liga soccer team. Oakleigh Grammar maintains its historic connection to St Anargiri Greek Orthodox Church. We also have Sacred Heart Girls' College, which now extends beyond its 1954 modernist building designed by Frederick Romberg during his celebrated partnership with Sir Roy Grounds and Robin Boyd.
Sydney Morning Herald
28-04-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
My suburb is one of Melbourne's most liveable, though nobody seems to know it exists
Most people don't know my suburb. It's not Oakleigh or Murrumbeena. Nor is it Chadstone or East Bentleigh. It's nestled between them and easily overlooked. When I explain to someone where Hughesdale is, 15 kilometres south-east of Melbourne's CBD, the first thing people usually say is 'Oh, I think I've driven around it'. We are bordered on three sides by Dandenong, Warrigal and North Roads, all major routes for commuters, tradies and truck drivers as well as shoppers heading to Chadstone Shopping Centre. Perhaps we residents of Hughesdale are lucky that few seem to know about our quiet pocket of around 8000 people. It recently came in sixth on an analysis of Melbourne's most 'liveable' suburbs – well ahead of all those neighbours – so maybe that will change? For a long time, Hughesdale was a suburb not of Melbourne, but of Oakleigh, dating back to the late 19th century when it was a country town. This explains why we have gorgeous early 20th-century cottage strips in Carlisle Crescent, and Calembeena and Moorookyle Avenues that wouldn't look out of place in Yarraville or Prahran. On the map, you can see traces of two early failed railway lines to Hughesdale – the abortive Rosstown Railway running east from Elsternwick, and the Outer Circle Line that carved a diagonal route from Fairfield to today's Boyd Park. But trains did arrive, and have been key to the area's growth, first in the late 19th century and then again in the years between the wars, when the area became known as Hughesdale after former Oakleigh mayor James Hughes. Today the city is only 20 minutes away on the new trains, running at least every 10 minutes for most of the day. Thanks to the new Metro Tunnel opening this year, they will soon run direct to Swanston Street. This no doubt contributes to our liveability rating and is why Hughesdale residents are among Melbourne's greatest users of trains. I moved here from Sydney in 2008, joining my wife, Carolyn, in the suburb where her family has a history going back more than 100 years. It was an easy switch. Living near Sydney Harbour and taking ferries to work had been magic, but once I discovered the beautiful parks, gardens and streetscapes here in Hughesdale, I was sold. We also have easy access to the bay at Brighton to the west, and Mentone to the south, and it's simple to jump on any of the local bus routes, like the 630 or the 903, and find somewhere pleasant to walk and picnic without having to drive. Hughesdale may have seceded from Oakleigh, but two of its schools retained the name. Oakleigh Technical School closed as part of the 1990 selloffs, but its playing grounds became Argyle Reserve, home to many happy off-leash dogs and Monash Villarreal, which has the unusual distinction of being directly affiliated with a Spanish La Liga soccer team. Oakleigh Grammar maintains its historic connection to St Anargiri Greek Orthodox Church. We also have Sacred Heart Girls' College, which now extends beyond its 1954 modernist building designed by Frederick Romberg during his celebrated partnership with Sir Roy Grounds and Robin Boyd.
