The Portarlington Golf Club received outstanding news this week with confirmation of a $50,000 grant towards its new solar installation.

The grant, funded by Sustainability Victoria, will help build a 99.36kW on-grid solar power system that will produce an average of approximately 370kWh of electricity per day.

It’s part of the $1.8 million second round of the Victorian Government’s Community Climate Change and Energy Action (CCCEA) program that will slash the energy bills of 88 successful applicants around the state.

Minister for Energy Lily D’Ambrosio said upgrades or new installations of solar and renewable energy batteries would save those facilities almost $900,000 on annual energy bills.

“We’re giving community groups like Portarlington Golf Club the opportunity to reduce their energy costs by upgrading their facilities with simple switches which save money and slash emissions,” Minister D’Ambrosio said.

“We’re helping community groups reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by more than 4400 tonnes per year — bringing us closer to our goal of reducing Victoria’s emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.”

Chief executive officer Michael Phillips said the grant was music to the club’s ears.

“In line with the club’s strategic policy, it’s our absolute goal to reduce our environmental footprint and this Sustainability Victoria grant enables us to take a huge step in the right direction,” Phillips said.

“To that end, we had already entered into an agreement with Aus1 Energis to provide a $100,000 system for the club that will help us slash our annual $85,000 electricity bill as well as our environmental impact.

“But thanks to the Victorian Government’s CCCEA program, what would have been a five-year repayment phase will now be cut to approximately three years, giving the club and its community a long-term return on investment over the 20-year life expectancy of the system.

“It will now allow us to repurpose that funding towards an even more expansive push towards sustainability, as well as investing in other community projects.”

Through the CCCEA program, a total of $3 million will ultimately be invested by the Victorian Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency for community groups.

In 2021, the CCCEA program funded more than $1.16 million for community organisations to make energy upgrades or conduct an energy audit. This has already delivered $300,000 of annual savings.

It sat at the Portarlington Golf Club, commanding the reverence of a visiting head of state.

It was photographed like a leading lady on the red carpet.

And we’re led to believe it may even have put a tear in the eye of a few more seasoned observers.

Yes, it’s the Melbourne Cup.

And for the first time in its 161-year history, the Cup made its way to town this week, including a dinner date at the Portarlington Golf Club.

It’s revered around Australia and New Zealand as the ultimate racing prize and maintains a strong historical attachment to the racing industry’s “battlers” who cling to the romantic notion that anyone can own the stayer that can win the “race that stops a nation”.

So for those who had watched it through the decades, particularly those who’d never seen it in person, to have the golden cup in the View Room was a special treat indeed.

“It’s been part of us for so long, so it’s pretty nice to see it first hand,” one guest said of the surprisingly large and heavy trophy, that weighs in at 3.4kg and, containing 1.65kg of 18-carat gold, is valued at approximately $275,000.

“It’s impressive … and you know how much it means to so many people, so to be able to pick it up and take a photo with it is very cool.”
Legendary race caller Greg Miles, who called a remarkable 36 editions of the Cup, was part of the VRC contingent who brought the Cup to town as the only western Victorian stop on its international tour that is now in its 20th year.

Miles regaled the 80-strong audience with a series of Melbourne Cup tales, spilling some inside secrets on a few great moments.

Since the tour’s inception in 2003, the famous three-handled Cup has travelled more than 760,000km around the world, visiting more than 560 destinations, engaging with tens of thousands of people and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local fundraising initiatives.

As part of that process this year, Portarlington is one of 24 regional venues that will be allocated a barrier as part of a $50,000 national sweep.

That barrier will be allocated to a horse when the final barrier draw is made on the weekend before the cup is run. Should that horse duly win on the first Tuesday in November, a cash prize of $50,000 will be put towards a charity for a community initiative within Portarlington.

The models shone, Bellarine fashion rocked – and a good time was had by all!

A full house in the View Room at the Portarlington Golf Club was treated to a wonderful night as four local fashion houses combined forces to put on Port’s first catwalk parade.

Event organiser and host Sonja Di Pietro said the night had been wonderfully received by all involved and that she hoped it would be the first of more to come.

“The stores and their teams should be really proud of the effort they put into showcasing their wares, especially to a sell-out crowd at our first attempt,” Sonja said.

“It was a great opportunity for a predominantly female audience to have a night out together for the first time in a long while – and I think it was really well received by all.”

Sonja, the manager at Stockdale & Leggo Bellarine on Newcombe St, had another goal on her mind through the evening, too.

“I am delighted to let everyone who came along know that we managed to raise $2300 for the Epworth Hospital’s women’s health programs – a great cause dear to many of our hearts,” Sonja said.

“The feedback we had from participants and the crowd was extremely positive and I hope to continue to achieve wonderful things together as a community.”
The four boutiques - Just Next Door, Kouture by the Sea, Montana’s Fashion and Accessories and Kita Ku – each put up an impressive array of spring and summer concepts for the upcoming season.

“And the way the models showed it off was absolutely brilliant,” Sonja said.
“The way they strutted their stuff along the red carpet was so much fun and I really think the audience loved their enthusiasm and willingness to have a good time. The emphasis of the night was really to just have fun after a challenging few years.”

Stockdale and Leggo Bellarine director Daniel Lamanna paid tribute to Sonja’s efforts.

“She’s a great representative in our community and you can see her passion to bring people together really shine through on nights like that,” Daniel said.