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WHAT’S COMING UP 🎟️

• SUNDAY 14/06/26, 10AM-12 NOON | Lillydale Lake Repair Cafe

• SATURDAY 20/06/26, 7-11:30 PM | Winter Solstice Viking Feast

• SATURDAY 20/06/26, 7.30PM | The Wolfe Brothers

• SATURDAY 20/06/26, 8-10PM | Bob Sedergreen and Friends

• SUNDAY 21/06/26, 9AM-4PM | Unity In Motion: International Yoga Day

• TUESDAY 23/06/26, 10.30-11.45AM & 1.30-2.45PM | Silvie Paladino

• EVERY DAY TO SUNDAY 12/07/26, 10AM-5PM | Play School: Come and Play!

📰 THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES

This Healesville couple had to demolish their home after termites tore it apart. Experts say the wood-eating pests are thriving in the east

Healesville couple Clare James and Mark Boulet demolished their home in 2023 after termites destroyed the main structure.

The decision came after a year of deliberation and multiple expert opinions.

Now, local pest control experts say hotter, wetter weather is creating ideal conditions for more homeowners to face similar devastation.

When Clare and her husband Mark bought a house in Healesville in 2007, they thought it would be their “forever home”.

However, their dream came crashing down in 2019 when they discovered their house was showing signs of termite damage.

A termite inspector initially dismissed it as dry rot. But only three months later, more spots of decay appeared.

“Your fingers could just go straight through the paint, into the wood,” James told the Eastern Melburnian.

The couple called another inspector, who removed wall panels and revealed the termites had essentially eaten through the house’s main structure.

“They kind of rained out of the wall, like a waterfall,” James said.

Still paying off their mortgage and unable to secure a home loan for a rebuild, the family found ways to get by, including surviving a winter without heating.

“We knew to fix the heating was going to cost thousands of dollars and the house was going to come down anyway,” James said. “It felt like the house was sort of in palliative care mode.”

Recent national reports have pointed to hotter and wetter periods – and more erratic jumps between these conditions – in Melbourne.

The CSIRO’s 2024 State of the Climate report also highlighted rising temperatures and altered rainfall patterns.

These hotter and wetter conditions speed up a termite’s metabolism and reproduction cycle, creating an ideal environment for colonies to grow and spread.

A 2022 international study examining termites and wood decay found that termites in regions with temperatures of 30°C consume wood seven times faster than those in regions with temperatures at 20°C.

Meanwhile, flooding or more humid conditions can trigger termite swarming, where a colony moves from one house to another.

Bayswater Pest Control owner Mark Okur said hot weather followed by rain was “ideal for termites”.

“Once it gets over 20 degrees, that’s when termites start becoming more active and the nest will naturally grow in numbers,” Okur told the Eastern Melburnian.

Tom’s Pest Control spokesperson Stefan Barker said suburban growth, combined with milder winters, had created “an environment where more termite colonies can establish and thrive”.

“Traditionally, termite activity was more seasonal, with a noticeable slowdown during the colder months,” Barker said. “However, over the past two years in particular, our team has continued to attend active termite jobs throughout every month of the year.”

Because their insurance did not cover termite damage, James and Boulet rolled their mortgage into a new home loan to demolish and rebuild in March 2023.

“I found it very distressing having the house knocked down,” James said.

Their new home has termite-resistant protections, but James still plans regular inspections and has removed any possible wood around the outside of the house where colonies could enter, such as mulch coverings.

“Termites are everywhere,” she said. “They're an important creature to have in the environment, but you just don't want them in your house.”

Knox councillor receives second suspension in three months after allegations of profane attacks on colleagues

Knox councillor Peter Lockwood has been suspended for one month after two of his colleagues alleged he called them “f***wits” and told them to “f*** off” during last year's mayoral election debate.

The suspension is the second sanction against Lockwood, who was previously suspended from March to April due to claims of being “very disruptive” during a meeting which eventually saw Knox Council commit $15,000 towards installing red bows at selected retail precincts last Christmas.

On November 20, Knox Council held its mayoral election, which lasted 11 voting rounds before councillors reached agreement on appointing Paige Kennett as mayor and Chris Duncan as deputy mayor.

On February 9, councillors Robert Williams and Susan Pearce lodged a misconduct complaint alleging Lockwood swore at them in the council chamber and during an adjournment during the meeting, behaving in a way that was intimidating and that made them feel unsafe.

They alleged Lockwood described Pearce as “always trouble” and “always complain[ing] and whing[ing]” before telling the pair to “f*** off”.

Williams and Pearce also accused Lockwood of calling them “f***wits” and “idiots”.

During an April 15 directions hearing, Lockwood denied the allegations, later telling arbitrators he did not use obscene or threatening language.

Williams provided a screenshot of a text message sent later that evening saying "Sorry I swore at you", as well as an email from Lockwood expressing regret and asking the pair to reconsider their complaint.

Lockwood later claimed the apology referred to him saying “Jesus Christ”.

On June 1, independent arbiter Louise Hill found Lockwood had engaged in misconduct and suspended him for one month from June 10.

Hill also ordered him to apologise in writing and verbally. During Tuesday night's council meeting, Lockwood acknowledged his conduct was “disrespectful and demeaning”.

Vegan options are shrinking at Melbourne’s eastern supermarkets. Here’s where to shop instead.

Croydon Hills mum Ida Kalajdzic has an extended family of seven mouths to feed, with her parents, husband and three children living under the one roof and five people currently eating a vegan diet.

However, she said she has discovered that some of her favourite vegan staples were disappearing.

According to data into dieting and food avoidance published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2023, 5.3 percent of Australians were vegetarian or vegan.

Females were more likely to be vegetarian or vegan and people aged 30 to 49 years were more likely than any other age group to be vegetarian or vegan.

Ida said she is now adjusting her buying habits after noticing options were disappearing from shelves and fridges a few months ago.

“There used to be benefits of shopping at Woolworths, but I rarely bother these days,” Kalajdzic told the Eastern Melburnian. “I feel disappointed every time I shop.”

Ida isn’t alone in noticing the dwindling amount of choice.

Vegan Australia managing director, Greg McFarlane, said their organisation had been “receiving increasing reports from people who were finding it harder to access vegan products in Woolworths stores”.

“When vegan products are removed, hidden, scattered, inconsistently stocked or placed in marginal sections, vegan living becomes less accessible,” McFarlane told the Eastern Melburnian. “This particularly affects people who rely on mainstream supermarkets because of location, cost, disability, family responsibilities or lack of nearby specialist stores.”

Woolworths did not answer the Eastern Melburnian’s questions about the availability of vegan products across its stores in Melbourne’s east.

However, Woolworths New Zealand general manager for public affairs and sustainability released a public response, saying the company acknowledged the “frustration felt by our vegan customers”, citing slowing growth in the plant-based food category, a number of suppliers leaving the market in the past three years and a “poor and declining” sales performance.

👀 DID YOU SEE?

No laughing matter

Archie Milligan from the National Account spoke with recovered nitrous oxide addict Sam Bramman.

Nitrous, or nangs, have become readily and easily available in Australia — with many young people creating more than a habit.

Archie spoke to Bramman about quickly the addiction took hold, what drug-induced psychosis felt like, the two months he spent in a psychiatric hospital, and the 18 months of antipsychotic medication that followed. He also spoke about what he’s doing to stop “nangs” being sold at tobacconists and via delivery.

Watch the whole interview, and subscribe to the National Account’s channel, below.