Geelong Indy - 15th December 2023 by Star News Group

December 15, 2023

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Fast Track protesters take to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ Brougham Street office this week. (Ivan Kemp) 378454_01

Minister’s office targeted Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ two Geelong offices were targeted by different protest groups this week. Police discovered Mr Marles’ Yarra Street office covered in red paint with messages such as “stop arming Israel” and “river of blood on your hands” by pro-Palestine supporters at 7am on December 14. The incident followed a peaceful protest outside Mr Marles’ Brougham Street office that was supported by the Combined Refugee Action Group (CRAG) to raise awareness for people stuck in limbo due to the Fast Track refugee assessment system. Protesters from 8am to 6pm from Monday December 11 to Friday December 15 to ask the defence minister to make a change.

‘‘

We want to get permanent residency as soon as possible ... as we are mentally and physically affected by the issue

’’

- Prathipan The Fast Track system is the determination process for providing refugees and asylum seekers with visas in Australia. Protester Ketheeswran Chitravel said he was currently in a transition position despite everyone else in his family, including his children, having been granted permanent residency in Australia.

“I have been granted impermanent residency, so my family can’t feel happiness,” he said. “For the people who have been rejected and don’t have visas of their own, the department offers a great life with permanent residency’s so they need to fix the issue so people will be happier.” Prathipan said he met with Mr Marles in July to discuss the issues of the Fast Track system and that he hoped to meet with the defence minister again to discuss potential solutions. “We are waiting for 11 years to get a permanent residency, but we are like 11,000 people who are in limbo,” he said. “We want to give a message to the minister that we want to get permanent residency as soon as possible...as we are mentally and

physically affected by the issue.” Another protester, who asked not to be named, said she had been living in the country for 12 years and had no current visa. “I have a lot of medical problems and am suffering a lot of things, and I don’t know what to do. So, people need to be granted permanent residency visas so we can make a happy life,” she said. Victoria Police is currently enquiring about the graffiti at Mr Marles’ Yarra Street office that happened overnight and had established a crime scene around the building on December 14. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au Mr Marles was contacted for comment.

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Finished Port launches new plan VCE or looking for a career change? NEWS GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

GeelongPort launched its second reconciliation action plan (RAP) last week with the unveiling of a specially-created artwork. The port operator released its Innovate RAP, which follows its 2021 Reflect RAP and will guide the organisation’s reconciliation activity through till the end of 2025. The new RAP outlines a wide range of actions geared toward developing relationships, promoting respect and understanding, creating opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations and communities and providing governance structure within GeelongPort to further those goals. The report was developed in consultation with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, involving the commissioning of an artwork from emerging artist and proud Aboriginal woman Nikki McKenzie. In the report Ms McKenzie said Corio Bay, which she depicted in the artwork, served as a “link between our past and present”.

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Artist Nikki McKenzie, Wadawurrung Traditional Owner Corrina Eccles and GeelongPort chief Brett Winter. (Supplied)

Favourite playground to close

Scan the QR code to register your interest! Libby Coker MP Member for Corangamite

“The bay was used as a trade location by our people as the first traders and today the trade continues via GeelongPort,” she said. GeelongPort chief executive Brett Winter said he was proud of the organisation’s continued commitment to reconciliation. “GeelongPort has taken what we have learnt from our Reflect RAP and we look forward to working closely with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation to grow and enhance our vision for reconciliation through our Innovate RAP,” he said. “We recognise the legacy and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to our region, our state and our country, and we are committed to continually raising the bar of our RAP ambitions with a focus on respectful connections, education and impactful outcomes. “This RAP will see GeelongPort forge new pathways to connect more deeply, understand more intensely and influence more readily a future that honours and respects all people and the land and waters on which we live.”

The Hon. Jason Clare MP Federal Minister for Education

Sections of Geelong West’s Sparrow Park will close for up to two months while it undergoes upgrade works. The well-attended play space will have its playground and maze closed in early February next year, with the current playground equipment to be replaced with new equipment and seats and trees installed. With those areas off-limits for up to eight weeks, the rest of the reserve will still be available for use by the public. Council began community consultation over the play space’s renewal in March this year, which includes the playground, mini skate park and maze area. The park’s basketball and netball facilities, barbecue and picnic areas, public toilets and large lawn area were outside the scope of the renewal. The value the community put on Sparrow

Park was evident in the feedback, with the City receiving 623 community submissions during the engagement period. The main themes in the responses were respondents’ love of the maze, the need for additional swings and the desire for timber products and unique design elements. Brownbill Ward councillor Peter Murrihy thanked the community in anticipation of its patience through the process, saying he was looking forward to seeing the playground renewal delivered. “We understand the importance of providing play spaces that are easily accessible to residents, and include equipment that is both entertaining and testing, while maintaining high and safe Australian standards,” Cr Murrihy said. “While the closure of the playground and maze will be inconvenient in the short term, the result of the renewal process will be well worth the wait.”

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Relief and elation at ATAR joy The Independent spoke to some of the region’s high achieving VCE students after they received their ATAR score on Monday. There was a mixture of elation and relief as all the hard work paid off.

Henry Crutchfield Geelong Grammar School’s Henry Crutchfield has received the Melbourne Chancellor’s Scholarship thanks to his outstanding Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The VCE student was surprised to receive a 99.9 ATAR with two study scores of 50 in Chemistry and French on Monday, December 11. Henry said his high result led him to receive the Chancellor’s Scholarship on the same day, completely changing what he would do at university. “Originally, I was going to do biomedicine with the hope of getting into medicine but because of the Chancellor’s Scholarship, you have a guaranteed place in a graduate,” he said. “I’m going to do science and explore my interests more because now I don’t have to worry about getting into medicine.” Henry said his family were very proud of him for doing so well in his studies and that his siblings threw him a surprise party for his achievement. He said his plan for next year was to start pursuing studies in medicine and that he was thankful for the chance to explore his possibilities. Henry is one of six Geelong Grammar School VCE students to receive an ATAR of 95 or above, including Becky Knowles, Jessica Stapleton, Quimby Yates, Millie Fothergill and Amelia Charleson.

Matilda Stepto

Haisong Qi

Saint Ignatius College Geelong co-captain Matilda Stepto hopes to be offered a place at University of Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Biomedicine when offers come out next week. Matilda recorded an ATAR of 96.75 this week and said the news was “exciting”, but also “bittersweet” with some of her friends doing well and some being disappointed at their score. “I was absolutely excited – it was beyond my hopes of what I was expecting for myself,” she said. “I was very proud of myself, but also super relieved. Some were a little bit disappointed and some were super excited, so it was a 50/50 day. A very strange day. “It’s quite crazy how the entire year builds up to that one day and that one number.” Matilda will spend the summer working at Adventure Park and hanging out with friends.

Haisong Qi has made North Geelong Secondary College proud with his ATAR of 99.7, granting him the title of school Dux. Haisong was excited to open his results on Monday, December 11, to find his years of hard work reflected in his VCE scores. “I was feeling a bit nervous at the time, which I would say was kind of rare for me,” he said. “I was really thrilled when I saw the score and... my family were all hugging me and saying congratulations.” Haisong first came to North Geelong Secondary College as an international student five years ago and said he wouldn’t have done so well without the help and support from his teachers and peers. “Australia is full of different opportunities for young people, and I’m really excited for my future,” he said. “Next year I’m hoping to study at The University of Melbourne and get into a bachelor of science course, studying mechatronics engineering.” School principal Nicholas Adamou said he was proud of all his students’ ATARs and that the results were well deserved. “I don’t know if there’s a measuring stick to measure my pride not just in Haisong, but all the other kids in our results this year,” he said. Haisong has also received the Australian Defence Force Future Innovators Award for his science and mathematics abilities.

Oscar Saffin Oscar Saffin will be able to pursue a career in law thanks to his 99.7 ATAR, making him the school Dux of Christian College Geelong. Results were released on Monday, December 11, which also revealed two perfect study scores of 50 by the VCE student in Australian History last year and Extended Investigation this year.

“I think I’ll enjoy a bit of the freedom without. “I couldn’t have imagined myself anywhere else other than St Ignatius. We received so much support from the teachers.”

“It’s easy to lose sight of the myriad other elements of our lives that make us who we are that aren’t reflected in ATARs,” Oscar said. “But, for most people, the score can serve as a testimony to the hard work and tribulation of Year 12 studies in Victoria. It can be gruelling at times, but I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again.” Oscar said he was at a Spanish ‘LaLiga’ Football match between FC Barcelona and Girona when the ATAR results were released. “My brother has been living in Barcelona for the past six months on University exchange, and I had always planned to come over and visit after my exams had finished,” he said. “I soon realised that the ATAR release was at the exact same time as the kick off of the game, so I ended up just turning my phone completely off, watching the game, and then looking after.” Oscar said the ATAR would help him get into an undergraduate of law at Monash or Australian National University and that he looked forward to continuing his studies next year.

Oscar Waring Oscar Waring was dux of Belmont High School’s class of 2023, receiving an ATAR score of 99.7. With a perfect subject score of 50 for VET information technology, Oscar also earned four more scores of 45 or higher including specialist mathematics (49) and chemistry (48). Oscar said his initial reaction to the news was simply “wow”. “I’d already done a few subjects before (this year), so I knew I was going to get something

high but I didn’t expect it to be that high,” he said. “There was also just a feeling of satisfaction, that all the work I put in over the last few years paid off, even way more than I would have ever thought when I started VCE.” In addition to his excellent ATAR, Oscar has also received a Tuckwell scholarship to the Australian National University (ANU). Having studied both Indonesian and Japanese as part of his VCE, he hopes to complete a double degree of science and

languages at ANU. “With science, I haven’t decided; either chemistry or maths,” he said. “With languages it would also be good for working overseas, looking at more opportunities in other countries. It gives kind of a broader range of opportunities.” Oscar thanked both his parents and his literature teacher Mr Warren Whitney for their support and encouragement throughout his VCE journey.

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EPA feels the community’s heat By Matt Hewson Victoria’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) held a meeting this week to engage with the Lara community over its decision to approve a huge incinerator. The meeting followed the EPA’s decision last week to allow Prospect Hill International (PHI) to build a waste-to-energy facility in Lara that would burn 400,000 tonnes of general waste every year for 25 years. The three-hour community consultation session was held at Lara Golf Club on Tuesday December 12, with reports suggesting attendance by about 100 members of the public.

EPA representatives Con Lolis and Professor Mark Patrick Taylor addressed the community, including member for Lara Ella George and member for Western Victoria Dr Sarah Mansfield, explaining its decision and fielding questions. Community members expressed their concerns on a range of issues associated with the incinerator, including the facility’s impacts on the environment, community health, traffic, noise and general amenity. Team Lara organiser Charles Street said the EPA representatives continually referred to their assessment that risks to environmental and human health were found to be “low and

acceptable”. “We just heard this ‘low and acceptable’ over and over again, and I got very impatient with this, and, frankly, angry,” Mr Street said. “Acceptable to whom? And the proponents, Prospect Hill International, they’ve got no contracts for incineration of garbage. There’s no demand for it. “We pointed out that our analysis of the available figures regarding the supply of red-top bin garbage and commercial and industrial waste showed that the supply was nowhere near the capacity of the plant. “It was really weird. They really couldn’t justify the approval of the project.”

Mr Street said Team Lara was “absolutely determined to get rid of this incinerator” and, together with other organisations, would continue to pursue other avenues to shut its development down. He said the two most important things concerned community members could do was email or write to Victorian planning minister Sonia Kilkenny to lodge an objection and sign the petition sponsored by Dr Mansfield opposing the incinerator. PHI directors Ken Smith, Jian Qi and Wendong Huang did not attend the meeting, continuing a strategy of total silence on the matter.

Dr Kylie rules the vets It’s official. Bannockburn veterinarian Dr Kylie Flanagan rules. Dr Flanagan won this year’s Zoetis My Vet Rules competition designed to recognise the exceptional efforts of vets and vet nurses who go above and beyond to assist in lifechanging improvements for dogs who are affected by dermatological conditions. One of Dr Flanagan’s patients, Pumpkin, was given a careful examination and after running tests, it was discovered she had allergies. Dr Flanagan recommended an itch injection while food and exposure trials were run. Pumpkin is now totally relieved from her itch and has her happy face back. “I have always grown up with animals and wanted to help them,” Dr Flanagan said. “Growing up on a farm I saw an array of animals and was always enthralled when the

vet would come out to see and treat them. And going to the vet clinic with a dog or cat was the most exciting day. I always wanted to be like these vets, helping animals in both sickness and guiding pet owners to keep pets healthy.” Dr Flanagan said dermatology cases can be rewarding when the distress of a pet being so upset by their condition can be alleviated. “Some dogs we see are red raw and have infected skin and are causing themselves significant damage scratching and chewing at themselves,” she said. Pumpkin is now a different dog. “Since treatment and through using these Zoetis drugs, we have actually been able to eliminate many causes of her itch, which in turn has meant we can rely less on the drugs, which then gives us a product to fall back on when she has break through itch,” Dr Flanagan said.

Mayor Trent Sullivan, Janne Kearney with Pumpkin, Dr Kylie Flanagan and Simone Murphy from Zoetis, sponsor of My Vet Rules. (Ivan Kemp) 378400_03

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Clean energy hub opens Deakin launched its recycling and clean energy hub this week at its Waurn Ponds Campus ManuFutures facility. The $380 million Recycling and Renewable Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH) is expected to generate more than $1.4 billion in revenue in the next decade, as well as 2500 jobs in the Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Warrnambool regions. Backed by a $50 million federal Trailblazer Universities Program grant, REACH aims to solve some of the nation’s biggest environmental challenges, reducing landfill, fossil fuel emissions and the effects of global warming.

Assistant minister for education and regional development Anthony Chisholm, who officially opened the hub on Monday morning, said REACH was bringing together the brightest university minds to support Australia’s transition to net zero by 2050. “Each year Australians contribute more than 7.6 million tonnes of food to landfill annually, costing over $36.6 billion and producing 17.5 million tonnes of CO2,” he said. “Developing sovereign capability here in Australia is making our manufacturing greener and creating new job opportunities for the industries of tomorrow.” Federal member for Corangamite

Libby Coker said she was proud the Labor government was supporting “some of the best problem-solvers across the nation”. “Investing in sustainable manufacturing is a key focus of the Albanese Government; we want to see our local economies strengthened, more innovation from our universities, and an uptick in jobs for those with the skills to make things here in Australia,” she said. “That’s what this facility is all about – creating a sustainable, productive, and innovative local economy that can compete on the world stage, boost job opportunities for locals, and encourage our youngest community members to consider a future in research and development.”

One of Geelong Lutheran College Armstrong Creek’s Sematic teams Ilan Im, Lincoln Morris, Magdalene Porra, Murray Jenkinson, Elijah Blyton and Hannah Aldhahn. (Ivan Kemp) 378426_08

Teams build their way to nationals Two Geelong Lutheran College (GLC) Armstrong Creek teams will compete in a LEGO robot competition in Tasmania this weekend. The school’s extra-curricular robotics program teams, Sematics 101 and 102 will compete at the First LEGO League National Championship South Challenge on Saturday, December 16. Head of College Jill Lange-Mohr OAM said the Sematics program was helping foster creative and innovative minds at the school. “GLC is extremely proud of our two Sematics

teams who have qualified to compete in the upcoming national competition in Tasmania,” she said. “The Sematics robotics extra-curricular program for students in the upper primary and lower secondary years is a fantastic addition to our College’s STEM curriculum. “We wish our teams all the very best for next week’s competition, and know they will represent our college with wisdom, honour and purpose on the national stage.” Coaches Jane and Greg Hollett said the students were proud of themselves for qualifying for the national competition and

had been training hard. “They design, create, test, and then decide on which robot design they want to put through to the competition,” Ms Hollett said. “We teach them to act as a team and have responsibilities, so they learn how to do a lot of it themselves. They grow as a team and learn to look after each other,” Mr Hollett said. The competition features students aged nine to 16 who design, build, test and program a LEGO robot that can complete missions on a tabletop course. Jena Carr

NEWS

Murran opens in central Geelong A new hub called ‘Murran’ has officially opened in Geelong to cater for Aboriginal creatives and entrepreneurs. The hub, on Wadawurrung Country, is at Westfield Geelong and includes retail space, art gallery, co-working space, event and conference centre and cafe. The Allan Labor government invested $850,000 into the project. The space has been designed for networking, mentoring, nurturing new ideas and growing local First Nations businesses. Led by not-for-profit organisation Ngarrimili, the hub will create local employment and training opportunities and has a purpose built space for celebrating First Nations arts and culture. Minister for Employment Vicki Ward visited the hub on Thursday December 14 for its official opening. “We are excited by the opening of Murran – a space where First Nations people can come together to nurture new ideas, grow local businesses and create employment opportunities in the Geelong area,” she said. “Spaces like this break down barriers to people getting involved, pursuing ideas and finding employment that is meaningful to them – creating a more inclusive and equitable future for Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” “Murran is the first of its kind, located in the heart of Geelong on Wadawurrung Country,” Ngarrimili chief executive Bek Lasky said. “Murran will be a culturally inclusive and safe place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, and share stories from both local and interstate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, businesses and creatives for everyone to enjoy.” Minister Ward also announced the Geelong Aboriginal Employment Taskforce will receive $120,000 funding to continue their work for the 2023/24 financial year, including identifying and developing employment opportunities for Aboriginal people and working with the public, private and community sectors to reduce barriers to employment. Through the Yuma Yirramboi (Invest in Tomorrow) Strategy, the Victorian government will work closely with Aboriginal Victorians to support self-determination and achieve economic parity within a generation – with $25 million to support Aboriginal employment and business initiatives over the first two years of the strategy.

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Council shuts down Jan 26 motion By Matt Hewson Geelong council voted to stand by the decision it made earlier this year on January 26, despite efforts by councillor Eddy Kontelj to resurrect the debate. In May this year Geelong council resolved to no longer refer to January 26 as Australia Day, to schedule citizenship ceremonies around the day rather than on it and to promote education around the history of the date. Ahead of Tuesday night’s council meeting Cr Kontelj gave a notice of motion seeking the rest of the council’s support to reopen the debate

publicly and “complete further extensive community consultation”. He cited the community’s “strong backlash and concern” around the “insignificant sample size” of six-month period of community engagement conducted prior to the council’s May decision. In Mayor Trent Sullivan’s opening address, he made it plain that regardless of the outcome of the notice of motion, no changes would be made to the way the City would mark January 26 in 2024. Members of the public attended the meeting to voice their disappointment at the notice

of motion, with Greens member and former councillor Dr Sarah Mansfield submitting a question disparaging the motion. Given the “considerable interest” in the item, Mayor Sullivan brought the notice of motion ahead in proceedings, however, Cr Kontelj had no opportunity to press his claims. As Cr Kontelj moved the motion, seconded by Cr Ron Nelson, the gallery erupted, shouting their disapproval. Before Cr Kontelj could speak on the matter, Cr Peter Murrihy raised a procedural motion for closure, seeking to move directly to a vote on the matter without debate.

Cr Murrihy’s motion was seconded by Cr Elise Wilkinson and then passed by a margin of six to five, also supported by Crs Melissa Cadwell, Bruce Harwood, Jim Mason and Belinda Moloney. Cr Kontelj’s original motion was then immediately put to the vote and soundly defeated, with only he and Cr Nelson voting in the affirmative. The gallery then voiced first its approval of the result, followed by its anger at Crs Kontelj and Nelson. Cr Kontelj called for a division, but all councillors stood by their original votes.

Young Geelong leaders present ideas in Canberra Two Geelong students joined a group of Australia’s brightest young leaders at Parliament House in Canberra last week to present their ideas for the future. Northern Bay College year 12 student Jevic Mwanza and St Joseph’s College year 10 student Harris Henderson were two of 24 young people selected from more than 900 applicants from around Australia to attend the 2023 Olympic Change-Maker Summit. While in Canberra the Change-Makers workshopped ideas on how to make positive changes ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics in areas such as sustainability, inclusion and the benefits of sport. They then presented those ideas to the Australian Olympic Committee in Parliament House. Jevic said it was a great opportunity to meet other athletes and was an inspiring event. “It would be one of the things that I’ll

The 2023 Olympic Change-Makers at Parliament House, Canberra. (Supplied)

probably never forget because I really made a family there with the 25 other athletes around Australia,” he said.

“It was absolutely a privilege and an honour to meet other young like-minded athletes who have like high aspirations and goals to reach

the most potential in their athlete lives.” Jevic has been involved in many local community sports groups through school and his personal life. He said his favourite part about his efforts was seeing everyone having a good time. “It was never about comparing the different abilities and sporting skills, but just about having go and seeing everyone else challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zone.” Harris, a dedicated surf lifesaver, said the confidence gained from working with Olympians to workshop and present their ideas were wonderful takeaways from the event. “I’m so grateful for being able to experience that opportunity,” he said. “It’s honestly ignited me even more to want to drive change in my community and help others.” Jena Carr and Matt Hewson

NO ONE’S UNSINKABLE To all those Unsinkable Guys out there – You might think it’s safe to have a few drinks around water, skip the life jacket when you’re out on the boat or go for a swim without checking the conditions. But statistics prove that 4 out of 5 drownings are men. Just remember that no one’s unsinkable.

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Faith in leaders at an all-time low

Memories flood back

With the resumption of the ‘Gaza War’, I have lost faith in the leadership of western democratic nations whilst they bleat that Israel ‘must be careful’ in their carpet bombing of Gaza and supplying the weaponry that enables them to do so. The BRICS nations and those of the ‘global south’ have called out the genocide and Brazil, Turkiye and South Africa are currently referring Israel to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The western democratic nations, after the carpet bombing North Viet Nam, silently mumbled about the Khmer Rouge, were slow to act in Rwanda and stood silently with the Rohingyas in Myanmar and Houthis in Yemen. Yet we leapt into action for Bosnia/ Croatia and now Ukraine. Is it because they are European? With the resumption of the genocide in Gaza, I am again aghast at the unnecessary deaths being perpetrated by the supposedly only ‘democratic government’ in the Middle East. Apartheid Israel is only ‘quasi-democratic’ like South Africa was prior to the election of Nelson Mandela. It is plain to see that Israel is in the grip of messianic Zionists committed to their vision of a homeland ‘from the river to sea’ and keen to sweep out all Palestinians and others as statements of Netanyahu, Smotrich, Gallant and other ministers repeatedly aver. We have acquiesced too long on the USA’s UN Security Council veto that excuse Israel’s transgressions. We have permitted them to occupy another country and wring our hands whilst they terrorise the population then pretend to enter peace talks. Israel has repeatedly scotch them and assassinate any opponent at home and abroad to achieve their aim. Derek R Costello, Belmont

At the weekend, I visited the site of the magnificent sculpture of Frank Costa. It brought back memories when I was a 12-year-old in the early 1950 ,when the Costa brothers were selling Heralds at the Moorabool-Ryrie Street corners. Whilst the Stacey brothers were selling Heralds for Henry Franks newsagent at Moorabool-Malop Street corners, Brother Bill was at the National bank, Brother Stuart at Solomons, myself at the Commonwealth Bank and Gary Tanner was at Whites shoe shop corner. It was good pocket money and great memories. Ian J Stacey, Leopold

Christmas in lights Recently driving in the evening through the Portarlington estate bordered by Smythe St, Sproat St, Tower Rd and Queenscliff Rd, I saw Christmas lights put up by residents on and around their homes. They were truly lovely. Not the tasteless gaudy commercial kind one sometimes sees. These were just soft beautiful colours. Delightful. To the residents, congratulations. Maruska Aughterson, Portarlington

HAVE YOUR SAY Geelong Independent welcomes letters to the editor as well as comments and story tips on our website and Facebook page. Post: 1/47 Pakington St, Geelong West, 3218 Email: editorial@geelongindependent.com.au Web: geelongindy.com.au facebook.com/GeelongIndependent

Deep listening for First Nations Wadawurrung Traditional Owners will welcome the Surf Coast community to Country in Torquay on January 26 next year. The event will return for a second year from 5.30am at the Cosy Corner to promote reflection at Pilk Purriyn, or sunrise, and deep listening to historic truth-telling. Wadawurrung Elder Aunty Mary Shuttleworth said the event would help the community understand the trauma, loss and hurt experienced by the First Peoples in history. “Pilk Purriyn meaning sunrise is symbolic of a new day. Through truth telling, Wadawurrung People will be able to share our history and the story of the world’s oldest living culture,” she said. “It is an opportunity to move forward and give others a greater understanding of why we invite them to koling wada ngal – walk alongside to achieve selfdetermination.” Surf Coast Shire Council mayor Liz Pattison said January 26 was a “day of sorrow rather than celebration” for First Nations people. “Council is proud to support Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and the Pilk Purriyn event, respectfully acknowledging so much loss and hurt,” she said. “Our community demonstrated earlier this year a profound wish to participate in deep listening and to be there as allies for First Nations people. Organisers encourage people looking to attend the free event to register at surfcoast. vic.gov.au/PilkPurriyn

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CREATING A CLEVER AND CREATIVE FUTURE FOR GREATER GEELONG

CITYNEWS MEET OUR AWARD WINNERS Paige Humm, a proud Autistic/ ADHD advocate, researcher and NDIS professional received the Leadership and Advocacy Award. Paige works as a soletrader, providing support to people with a disability that models a neuro-affirming, person-centred and rights-based approach to others within the field.

Three outstanding locals are the winners of our annual Awards for People with Disability. We’ve partnered with genU to present the initiative, alongside support from the Barwon Disability Resource Council. Congratulations to the winners and also all award nominees for the outstanding work they’re doing in our community.

Tim Harte was acknowledged with the Volunteering Award. Tim strongly supports the human rights-based model of disability and advocates for equitable access to services and meaningful participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in society.

Shannon Bowman received the Achievement Award for his work as a skilled and passionate entrepreneur in the field of psychotherapy and counselling. Shannon not only utilises innovative approaches to the treatment of mental health, but also to business management.

Scan the QR code or visit geelong.link/ DisabilityAwardsWinners for more information.

NEWS

HAVE YOUR SAY Christmas survey - tell us what you think Every year, our region becomes a special place at Christmas with experiences and events that bring our community together, spreading the festive spirit.

TEMPORARY CHANGE TO BIN COLLECTION DAY On Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, Monday’s bin collection will move to the previous Saturday.

Instead of…

Bins will be collected on…

Monday, 25 December 2023

Saturday, 23 December 2023

Monday, 1 January 2024

Saturday, 30 December 2023

Only residents with a Monday collection are affected. Please put your bins out on Friday night for the Saturday collection.

Headlined by our iconic floating Christmas tree on the Waterfront, our popular Christmas in Geelong program is supported by free family activities across Greater Geelong designed to delight and entertain people of all ages. By sharing your views and ideas, you're helping us plan our future Christmas programs. We are also giving away gift cards to three lucky people who share their feedback! To share your experience with us, scan the QR code or visit geelong. link/ChristmasSurvey

NEWS

Christmas Day and New Year's Day are the only two public holidays every year that have a collection change. On all other public holidays, bin services operate as per usual.

Waste facilities public holiday operating hours The public holiday operating hours for the waste disposal facilities listed below are as follows:

Waste Facility

Drysdale Resource Recovery Centre and Landfill

Christmas Day Boxing Day 26 December

Closed 8.00am to 4.15pm

New Year’s Day

Photo Caption: (L to R) Deputy Mayor Cr Anthony Aitken, Cr Elise Wilkinson, Shannon Bowman, Paige Humm, Tim Harte and genU CEO Clare Amies.

Geelong Resource Recovery Centre and Transfer Station

7.30am to 4.15pm Closed

For more information contact us on 5272 5272, scan the QR code or visit us at geelong.link/ Recycling

Did you know that making simple switches and buying local can have a massive impact on our city? When you choose to spend money in Greater Geelong instead of outside our region, you’re helping to support more than 21,000 small businesses, which supports our people, industries and economy. Making the switch to local doesn’t have to be expensive - it could be buying Christmas presents or a gift card from a local retailer, getting fruit and veg at the nearby greengrocer, choosing a local wine, selecting a local tradesperson, donating to a local charity or trying out a different café. Scan the QR code to learn more or visit geelong.link/OurBackyard

WOMEN IN COMMUNITY LIFE AWARDS

Sunday 17 December – midday to 6.00pm Dive into the spirit of the season with our Christmas at the Kardinia Aquatic Centre extravaganza as part of our Swim, Sport and Leisure’s Summer of Fun program.

2024

Christmas at Kardinia Aquatic Centre

If you know a woman who has had a big impact on the Geelong community, nominate her!

This unique aquatic celebration showcases a double movie feature of The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2.

To nominate, scan the QR code or visit geelong.link/IWD

Settle into a comfy poolside spot or float on an inflatable as you watch the hilarious and heart-warming tales of Christmas. See you there for a splashing good time. Scan the QR code or visit geelong.link/ ChristmasAtKardinia for details.

Nominations are now open! Close 5 Feburary 2024

Christmas in the Gardens Experience a joy-filled family-friendly day full of festive activities like crafting, face painting and a Christmas-themed photo booth.

Hunt, visit the Sunken Glass House, take in the interactive circus acts and play on giant games like connect four and chess.

Capture a special moment with Santa and settle on the lawn for a screening of the Christmas classic, Deck the Halls. Explore the Gardens with a Christmas Scavenger

For more information, scan the QR code or visit geelong.link/ ChristmasInGardens

We make every effort to ensure City News is accurate at the time of publishing, but information may be subject to change.

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Tomorrow, Saturday 16 December 10.00am – 4.00pm

THE CITY OF GREATER GEELONG IS PROUDLY LOCATED ON

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We’re building an alternative to the West Gate Bridge and there will be transport disruptions As part of Victoria’s Big Build, we’re building an alternative to the West Gate Bridge. The West Gate Tunnel will make travelling to Melbourne quicker and easier, creating better connections across the city. As works continue, there will be road disruptions. West Gate Tunnel Project Footscray Shepherd Bridge

Nearly nine hectares of new parks and wetlands and 17,000 new trees

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Hyd

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Seddon

Widening the West Gate Freeway from 8 to 12 lanes

Altona North

West Gate Fwy

South Kingsville

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10 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

Yarraville

Maribyrnong River

New 4km outbound tunnel

town Rd Williams

Hw ces Prin

New 2.8km citybound tunnel

Millers Rd

Laverton North

Spotswood M

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While we work, road disruptions could affect your travel

Between October and December, we completed the first stage of extending Wurundjeri Way over Dudley Street to create a new city bypass with the construction of the foundations for a new bridge.

Road disruptions: Closed roads, lanes and ramps West Gate Bridge

26 December to 4 January

Lanes closed

West Gate Freeway

Mid-January to early March

Lanes and ramps closed

Wurundjeri Way

Mid-January to early March

Between Dudley and Bourke streets

West Gate Freeway

Ring

Also, from mid-January to early March lanes and ramps will be closed on the West Gate Freeway between Millers Road and the M80 Interchange for asphalting and gantry installation, bringing us one step closer to delivering four extra freeway lanes. Significant delays are expected.

The Department of Transport and Planning will also be carrying out important maintenance work on the West Gate Bridge from Boxing Day.

West Gate Freeway to M80 Ring Road outbound ramp closed

M80

The second stage of work underneath the bridge will mean Wurundjeri Way will need to be closed in both directions from mid-January to early March.

lo Gee

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Wurundjeri Way Connections to the city and CityLink

CityLink Dynon Rd

Blacksha ws Road

Queensb erry St

Citylin k

Ad de rle y

NORTH MELBOURNE

CBD

E RIDG

St robe LaT

St King

St rke Bou

r St nce Spe

ay ri W dje run Wu

ade plan r Es bou Har

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t yS dle u D Wurundjeri Way between Dudley and Bourke streets

y Wa

Moonee Ponds Creek

ay iW jer BOL

Costco

nt fro ter Wa

new paths existing paths

Port Melbourne

Ramps closed at Millers Road

Ramps closed at Grieve Parade

Sp en ce r

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Over 14km of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths including a new 2.5km elevated veloway

West Gate Fwy

Victoria St

ootscray Rd

d ng R

Millers R d

Major works are progressing on the West Gate Tunnel Project. The vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge will give drivers a choice – the tunnel or the bridge – and provide direct port access for the freight industry, taking thousands of trucks off local roads.

Grieve Pde

Works progress

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CBD t ins S Coll St ers Flind

DOCKLANDS Lorim er

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

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Artist’s impression, subject to change. Furniture and accessories not included.

Effortless living by design at Halcyon Horizon Experience a stress-free home-buying journey with Halcyon Horizon’s Turnkey Home collection. Carefully curated by our Home Specialists, these homes showcase premium finishes, contemporary colour schemes and the latest appliances. Complemented by our exclusive resort-quality clubhouse and facilities, Halcyon Horizon ensures a life of convenience, comfort and luxury. Visit our Welcome Centre – Now open 529 Horseshoe Bend Rd, Armstrong Creek Open Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm

Halcyon Horizon

Scan the QR code to find out more or call us on 1800 050 050 *All photographs, illustrations, statements and information in this advertisement, are for illustrative purposes only and are based on information available to and the intention of Stockland at the time of creation (December 2023) and are subject to change without notice. No diagram, photograph, illustration, statement or information amounts to a legally binding obligation on or warranty by Stockland and Stockland accepts no liability for any loss or damage suffered by any person who relies on them either wholly or in part. Indications of location, distance or size are approximate and for indicative purposes only. Subject to change.

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NEWS

$120k raised for Christmas appeal For the fourth year, the Geelong Building and Construction Industry has united to fundraise for the Barwon Health Foundation’s (BHF) Christmas appeal. Made up of construction unions and their members, builders, local and non-local subcontractors and other associated industry entities, the industry raised $120,000 for BHF’s Wish Upon A Star Appeal at its ‘night of nights’ at GMHBA Stadium. Brandan Pitt, one of the event organisers, said the industry’s support of BHF started back in 2020 when the union’s annual Christmas picnic was cancelled due to COVID-19. “We wanted to channel our efforts into

other avenues that encouraged festive cheer and made an impact with a particular focus on children, as this is a key aspect of what the annual picnic represents,” he said. “Partnering with the Barwon Health Foundation to support sick children at Christmas was a perfect fit for us and support since then has been overwhelming.” In its first year, the industry night raised $50,000 for BHF, and that number has steadily grown in the years since. “Not only do we support the need for vital medical equipment for babies, children and future generations, we also continue our tradition of providing Christmas gifts for children in care at Barwon Health over the

period,” Mr Pitt said. “To be able to provide some cheer for sick children over Christmas is heartwarming for all involved and a great way to finish off the year.” BHF acting executive director Francis Trainor said he was thrilled with the industry’s fundraising efforts. “The generosity of Geelong’s Building and Construction Industry has been outstanding and we are so appreciative of their support,” Mr Trainor said. “This year our Wish Upon A Star appeal is aiming to fundraise $250,000 for two very important sets of equipment to support local babies and children.

“8 new state-of-the-art birthing beds will help support a safe and world-class birth suite environment for local mothers and babies. We are also fundraising for five new infant and child CPAP ventilators to help the sickest of babies and children who are not able to breathe on their own. “The Geelong Building and Construction Industry’s contribution will have such a positive impact on helping us achieve our goal, because Geelong babies, young children and families deserve the very best care this festive season.” Visit www.barwonhealthfoundation. org.au to donate to the Barwon Health Foundation’s Wish Upon A Star appeal.

Geelong in the spotlight Filming has begun at Geelong West for a new feature film that will be pitched to Netflix early next year. Southside is a gritty 1980s action crime drama written by David Ball and directed by Paul Moore, featuring Geelong-based talent. Mr Moore said his aim behind the film was to provide more options for local actors and crew in the film industry while also showcasing locations from Geelong and the Bellarine. “Local stunning scenery and eccentric, stylish venues around the Bellarine Peninsula make for great backdrops and edgy scenes,” he said. “There’s a lot of actors out there that are remarkable, but a lot of them don’t know the correct steps to take to get noticed by agents and then to be able to deliver a good audition.

Advertising feature

“This is about presenting solid actors on the screen...and no one’s got a job just because they know someone who knows someone. The whole cast are trained, and you’ll be able to see it.” Filming began on Monday, December 11, at Geelong West’s Box Office Café, and Mr Moore said he was looking forward to how audiences would react to the film. “We’ve got a few unexpected twists and turns in the pilot that I don’t think they’ll see coming. So, I think there’ll be a pleasant surprise that they had no idea that it was brewing,” he said. Mr Moore said that if anyone was interested in being involved, they could visit stashamo. com.au Jena Carr

Paul Moore, Jack McAllister, Donal Taylor, Brayden McDonald, David Ball, Joshua Waite, Holly Brown, Kimmi Moscicki and Erica Brown have begun filming for Southside in Geelong. (Ivan Kemp) 378854_01

FEATURING ... MY BUSINESS

Effortless living by design at Halcyon Horizon Building a new home can be a daunting experience, especially when it comes to making decisions about the design elements such as the fixtures, finishes and colours. We have simplified the process and taken the stress out of the equation with the introduction of our Halcyon Turnkey home range. For active seniors looking to start their next chapter, Halcyon Horizon turnkey homes offer a hassle-free option when purchasing a new home. National sales manager Glenn Nugent said the introduction of turnkey homes was in response to a buyers’ seeking ease, effortlessness and certainty. “Home buyers can be overwhelmed by the idea of selling their current property and buying a new one,” he said. “They can feel uncertain about the true costs and benefits of living in a lifestyle community with resort style facilities. “When moving to a lifestyle community, buyers are looking to downsize without compromise and start a new chapter; we’ve made the process even more appealing with our turnkey home range. “Our turnkey homes are architecturally designed and our talented home specialists have carefully considered all the finer details. “Furthermore, with Stockland’s 70-year commitment to delivering exceptional communities there is the trust and reputation you can rely on.” Our turnkey homes feature the latest in home design, with modern colour schemes, high-quality finishes and the latest appliances. With all the selections made by our home specialists, our turnkey homes are already in the build schedule, meaning buyers can focus on beginning their next chapter.

To view the homes available at Halcyon Horizon, visit Halcyon Horizon | over 55s lifestyle community Geelong | Halcyon (stockland.com.au) Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 13

FRIDAY FEATURE GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

Ambulance Victoria’s Jacob Morris, Kathryn Robins with Madison and Nick Robins with son William. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 379436

Surprise street delivery for mum Kathryn Robins gave birth to baby Madison on November 28 outside her home in the middle of the street. Jena Carr talks with the Wandana Heights mum and husband, Nick, as the family reunites with the paramedics who helped them.

child’s birth can be an unexpected time, something Kathryn Robins knows well after giving birth to baby Madison in the middle of the street. The Wandana Heights mum started having contractions at close to 6am on Tuesday, November 28, and then everything began to escalate at 7.30am. “I got lots of pain and asked my husband to call the midwife. The midwife suggested that I either come to the hospital in your car or call an ambulance,” Kathryn said. “I said, ‘Yeah, we can make it in the car.’ I took two steps and said to call the ambulance. “I thought I had a lot of time because, with my first baby William, he took over 24 hours with the labour, so I just thought at 6am I had all the time in the world, but that didn’t really happen. “My husband called the ambulance, and they arrived in about 12 minutes. They helped me through the house and tried to help me into the ambulance. “I ended up walking down the driveway, they had a stretcher on the road and then I gave birth on a stretcher in the middle of the road.” Kathryn said she remembered the beginning of the labour but that the rest was a “bit of a blur” after the paramedics gave her the green whistle (a pain relief drug). “They (paramedics) were really calm and professional, and I felt really safe in their hands,” she said. “If they hadn’t shown up on time, my husband would have had to deliver the baby, and he probably would have had a little bit of a freakout, but thankfully that didn’t happen. “I got up on the stretcher, and I’ve been told 14 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

that I apparently death-stared somebody and said, ‘I need to push’, and then I pushed, and someone said, ‘wow, the head is out’ and I went, ‘what?’. “I’ve been told that there were people walking their dogs and a boy going to school, but he didn’t cross the road, so he would’ve got a lot more than he bargained for. “My husband ended up directing traffic around the stretcher because it was school, work, and peak time, so there were a couple of people around.” Kathryn’s husband, Nick Robins, said he didn’t have time to process his wife’s labour and that the family was “lucky”. “I just closed up the house and by the time I got back out, she was in labour on the stretcher in the middle of the road,” he said. “We had the ambulance with the lights on so everyone was driving slow in the area and because we were blocking up only one lane, I was just making sure the cars knew it was safe to go.” Ambulance Victoria’s Jacob Morris and Tiana Robertson attended to Kathryn on the scene, which was the first time delivering a baby for both paramedics. “I haven’t delivered a baby before, but I’ve been there pre-birth and after-birth of five or six... It’s probably something they won’t forget, and I don’t think I’ll forget it for a while,” Mr Morris said. “It was clear that Kathryn was in labour. She informed us of some medical history, and we thought it would be best to get her out to the ambulance if we could. “We could only get so far, and that’s when baby Madison decided to come. She was born out in front of their house.

“We just went into autopilot, followed our guidelines and made sure that both mum and the baby were safe.” Madison was born close to 8.20am outside the Robins’ home, a day past her due date. Kathryn said her daughter was “hitting all of her milestones” and was “really healthy”. “We ended up going straight to hospital (after labour) and went straight to the maternity ward at the University Hospital,” she said. “We were in there for six hours. The midwife checked over her and checked over me, and we went home. There were no complications, and it was brilliant. “She was one day late, but she is already a strong female character, and she definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. Even during my maternity appointments, she would do her own thing. “I think every birthday, someone will mention something about a paramedic, an ambulance or being born in the middle of the road.” Madison’s parents said she and her older brother William, 3, were getting along well but that he had realised he was no longer the centre of attention. Kathryn said expecting mothers should monitor their condition and call their midwife or local hospital after the first contraction for preparation. “As soon as you have that first twinge, pain, or contraction, call the midwife or the hospital and let them know that you will probably come in just to even be checked,” she said. “They’re probably more than happy to check you there and then instead of waiting like I did.”

‘‘

I apparently death-stared somebody and said, ‘I need to push’, and then I pushed, and someone said, ‘wow, the head is out’ and I went, ‘what?’ - Kathryn Robins

’’

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DISABILITY SERVICES AYS: your trusted local NDIS provider Access Your Supports (AYS) is a trusted and leading National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) registered provider in Geelong and the Surf Coast and has been operating since 2016. AYS offers various services to participants under the NDIS, including: • Support coordination • Employment support • Peer mentoring • Plan management • Therapies (such as Occupational Therapy, Behaviour Support, Early Child Intervention, • Psychology, Group Therapy and Therapy Assistants) The team at AYS values social connections and rapport building with participants, their families, carers and care teams. They also go above and beyond to ensure goals are achieved. The Peer Mentor Program is one service which is extremely popular. Peer Mentors with diverse and different experiences range from young adults to mature age. They are matched with participants based on shared special interests. A Peer Mentor’s objective is to be a positive role model who can help participant community interaction, improve confidence, build social connections and encourage participants to make positive choices now and in the future. This service is offered in a one-on-one context which allows their participants to have a more tailored and personalised approach that fits their individual needs. There is a level of uncertainty and change in the sector after the recent NDIS Review findings were published.

Peer Mentors are matched with participants based on shared special interests. (Supplied)

As a market leader, let AYS be your provider to help you navigate those changes in the New Year. Let 2024 be your year of goal attainment. They offer a comprehensive range of

services that complement and enhance each other to achieve the best outcomes for their participants to help them plan and achieve their life goals.

If you or a loved one would like AYS to assist you with one or you would like to access their wide range of other services visit ays.com.au or call 03 4222 7479.

OUR LIFE’S PURPOSE IS TO EMPOWER YOURS

Access Your Supports has been a trusted and leading NDIS registered provider in Geelong since 2016. • Support Coordination • Plan Management • Employment Support • Peer Mentor • Therapy

Supporting and empowering positive change and contact us on 03 4222 7479 or visit our Website www.ays.com.au 12629426-MS37-23

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DISABILITY SERVICES Changing lives through custom assistive technology In a world where one-size-fits-all solutions often fall short for assistive technologies, Freedom Solutions Australia provides a unique service. Our mission is simple: to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities through custom-designed assistive technology. What are unique solutions? Unique Solutions are a wide array of customised assistive technology services designed to enhance the lives of individuals living with disabilities. These solutions can be anything that is not commercially available on the market. Our team of volunteers can either modify an existing piece of assistive technology or design a custom piece of AT. Custom and modified AT include: • Wheelchair modifications: Creating custom trays, modifying footplates, adding accessories like sun canopies or wheelchair bags, and adapting exercise pedals for wheelchair use. • Mobility aid adaptations: Trikes, walkers, scooters, and bikes, to suit the specific needs of individuals. • Accessibility Solutions: Designing steps or ramps for home, bathroom, kitchen, and trampoline access. Additionally, there are modifications for beds, chairs, tables, and workstations to enhance accessibility and functionality. • Assistive devices: Hand gripping aids, page turners, sensory boards, book stands, and modified exercise equipment to improve independence and participation in various activities. • Sports and recreation adaptations: Gaming adaptations, custom support for gaming, trampolines, golf bags, model power lines, and wheelbarrows. • Personal Care and Daily Living Aids: Toilet

Freedom Solutions Australia: changing lives through custom assistive technology.

platforms with rails, bed surrounds, shower commode accessories, kneeling/sitting garden chairs, CPAP sleep masks, and dressing aids. • Education and school-related projects: School chairs, art easels, trampoline steps, and platforms. • Miscellaneous projects: Designing controller setups, mountings for various devices, oxygen cylinder holders, noise issue reviews,

boccie baskets, sewing machine trolleys, and equipment modifications. The process begins with a simple Request a Service form. Once the request is reviewed, a volunteer is assigned to visit the individual to better understand their unique requirements. A quote is then developed, and upon approval, the assistive technology is tested, delivered, and implemented to help the individual achieve their goals.

Reach out to Freedom Solutions Australia today and unlock the doors to a world of possibilities. Because everyone deserves the freedom to live life independently. Request a Service: freedomsolutions.org.au/ request-a-service/ Visit our website: freedomsolutions.org.au/ Call us: 1300 663 243 Email us: info@freedomsolutions.org.au

Customised Assistive Technology Wheelchair modifications Mobility Aid adaptations Sports & Recreation Adaptations Personal Care Daily Living Aids Customised and modified bikes and trikes

freedomsolutions.org.au 1300 663 243 info@freedomsolutions.org.au

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DISABILITY SERVICES Programs empowering and enriching lives MaudCare is located on a small residential farm-style property and is a holistic day service that believes in running smaller group programs and one on one support. Some of the 12 programs include: • Morning mindfulness is a program designed to start the day with a sense of calm and clarity. Participants engage in guided meditation and mindfulness exercises to cultivate a state of presence and reduce stress. This program helps individuals begin their day with a peaceful and centred mindset, setting a positive tone for the hours ahead. • Cooking is a culinary journey that invites participants to explore the art of preparing delicious meals. Participants learn various cooking techniques, recipes, and culinary skills. • Fitness and health program is a holistic

approach to well-being that prioritises physical fitness and overall health. Participants engage in various exercise routines, fitness classes, and wellness activities tailored to their individual needs and abilities. • Outdoor living skills offer participants a therapeutic and hands-on experience with nature. It involves tending to plants, flowers, and vegetables in a garden setting. Participants learn about plant care, gardening techniques, and the wonders of nature. • Literacy and creative writing program is a captivating exploration of the written word. Participants are encouraged to tap into their imaginations and create compelling narratives, poems, and stories. To find out more visit maudcare.com.au/ join-us or call 0484 532 269.

AmAble Community Services’s short-term accommodation offers a safe haven.

AmAble a vital support As the holiday spirit fills the air, AmAble Community Services is dedicated to ensuring every individual experiences a joyful and supported season. Our focus this Christmas is on providing tailored individual support, extending a helping hand to those who may feel isolated, assisting with shopping, and fostering community engagement. At AmAble, we recognise the significance of respite care, especially during the festive season. Our short-term accommodation offers a safe haven, providing much-needed relief for families and individuals who require respite. Moreover, we’re thrilled to announce bookings are now open for our annual camp, scheduled from January 23 to 25. This unique

Maudcare runs smaller group programs and one on one support.

experience promises enriching activities and shared moments of joy and camaraderie. For families seeking engaging activities for their loved ones during the January school holidays, our specially curated holiday program awaits. It’s an opportunity to create cherished memories while engaging in fun and meaningful activities. At AmAble Community Services, our commitment extends beyond support; it’s about fostering moments of happiness and connection. Join us this season as we celebrate togetherness and empowerment for all. Connect with us today at (03) 5201 9093 or find out more at amable.org.au for comprehensive information and support.

EXPLORE OUR SERVICES Daily Life Home Supports Community Access Day Programs After School Programs School Holiday Programs Respite & Accommodation Youth Employment (SLES)

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OFFICE HOURS (03) 5201 9093 AFTER HOURS 0474 560 550

www.amable.org.au

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DISABILITY SERVICES ECI services available from MCM MCM is a registered NDIS provider delivering Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) throughout regional Victoria including Geelong. MCM ECIS specialises in providing comprehensive support to enhance child development across various areas. The team of experts is well-equipped to assist in the following key areas: 1/ Cognitive Skills: We offer tailored programs and strategies to promote cognitive development, including problem-solving, critical thinking, and early literacy skills. 2/ Self-Care Skills: Our professionals can guide and support children in developing essential self-care skills, such as dressing, feeding, and personal hygiene routines. 3/ Gross Motor Skills: We provide activities and interventions to improve gross motor skills, coordination, balance, and overall physical development. 4/ Fine Motor Skills: Our team can assist in enhancing fine motor skills, including hand-eye coordination, pencil grip, and dexterity, which are crucial for tasks like writing and manipulating small objects. 5/ Communication Skills: We offer interventions to support language development, speech clarity, expressive and receptive language skills, and effective communication with peers and adults. 6/ Emotional Skills: Our experts can help children develop emotional regulation, resilience, self-awareness, and empathy, fostering positive emotional well-being. 7/ Social Skills: We provide strategies and interventions to enhance social interaction, cooperation, turn-taking, conflict resolution, and building positive relationships with peers. MCM’s occupational therapists are pivotal in strengthening the connections between

‘‘

Thanks so much for all of your help and support – we appreciate it so much. You are one of a kind and we are extremely blessed to - past parent have you

’’

‘‘

You gave me hope and changed our lives forever. I could not have imagined my daughter going to a mainstream school without any supports two years ago. We just got her school uniform and when she tried it on, I had tears of joy

’’

- current parent

MCM Early Childhood Intervention Services specialises in providing comprehensive support to enhance child development across various areas. (Shutterstock)

children with disabilities and their families with the broader community. They promote developmental milestones, independence, and active participation. Whether working in homes, educational settings, or at the local playground, they are committed to facilitating positive outcomes and enhancing the participation of children with disabilities within the community. The team at MCM consistently explores innovative approaches, expresses unwavering compassion, and goes above and beyond to

empower children with disabilities and their families. Your Key Worker will support the whole family and really understand what will work for you and your child. Contact MCM on 1800 343 287 or submit an inquiry to find out more about our NDIS Disability Early Childhood Intervention Services. mcm.org.au/services/ disability-and-ndis/early-childhoodintervention-services/

‘‘

Words are not enough to express my gratitude for the patience and support you have given to my family. You have been very understanding and have made a noticeable difference to our child’s - current parent life

’’

Your Future, Your Way MCM is a registered NDIS provider delivering Early Childhood Intervention Services throughout regional Victoria, including Geelong. Come in and meet Millie, one of our wonderful Occupational Therapists / Key Workers, based in Geelong. Millie is available for face-to-face supports for local Geelong families, and telepractice supports for families outside of Geelong. Millie explains “I visit children and their families in their natural environments, meaning the environments in which the goals that they have, occur. This includes their home, kinder, childcare, or even community settings such as

the park or library. I will also spend time making resources, and keeping in contact with the family, and collaborating with their external supports. MCM has been a great place for me to work over the last 5 years. I feel supported, and that MCM can provide me with lots of opportunities to develop my practice as a Key Worker, providing me with opportunities and resources to expand on the skills I want to work on.”

If you are interested in our Early Childhood Intervention Services for your child and family. 1800 343 287 or visit our website mcm.org.au 12633343-JB46-23

18 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

The Guide SECRETS OF BRITAIN’S HISTORIC HOUSES & GARDENS SBS, Saturday, 7.30pm

PICK OF THE WEEK

Britain’s rich architectural history is celebrated in this engrossing six-part series. Getting old isn’t easy for anyone, but these grand mansions, homes and objects require a little more upkeep than your average person. For a start, some are more than 500 years old. It’s an inspiring insight into the work of Britain’s National Trust, which holds a massive portfolio of historically significant buildings, curios and land that are maintained by a passionate throng of volunteers. Premiering tonight, this peek into the curators and conservators’ work includes a 450-year-old table, Beatle Paul McCartney’s childhood home and writer Rudyard Kipling’s desk.

Jingle bell rock:

Delta Goodrem celebrates the festive season.

LONDON ZOO AT CHRISTMAS SBS, Monday, 7.30pm

As the world’s kids giddily gear up for Santa’s arrival and wolf down on sweet treats from advent calenders every day, what about the animals, some might ask? Well, in this warm and cosy Christmas special straight from London Zoo, all creatures great and small bear witness to some wonderfully festive shenanigans as the merry staff get ready for one of the zoo’s busiest times of year. There are playful scenes as even the nonchalant tigers receive some wrapped presents to inspect. Follow the keepers and staff as they busy themselves transforming the grounds into a magical winter wonderland, while also getting to the pesky everyday chores such medical check-ups. THE BACHELORS AUSTRALIA 10, Tuesday, 7.30pm

CHRISTMAS WITH DELTA Nine, Sunday, 7pm

Not all Bachelor episodes are the same; every fan knows this indisputable truth. When it comes to the moments that stand out – those more intoxicating and dramatic than rose ceremonies featuring tears and walkouts or champagne-soaked soirees bubbling with declarations of love and/ or heartbreak – it’s when the loose-cannon relatives finally come into play. When the bachelorettes’ loved ones divert from the script and drop truth bombs, it’s the stuff of gold. Tonight, in a movie-length instalment, Bachelors Ben, Luke and Wes introduce their dates to their own families, and meet their prospective in-laws, all under one roof. Host Osher Günsberg (pictured) needn’t order fireworks, because emotional pyrotechnics are guaranteed.

In her fourth festive extravaganza, it’s no secret that Delta Goodrem adores Christmas. In tonight’s joyous occasion, the festivities are set to sparkle even brighter, with the much-loved singer promising “a few extra little surprises”, along with launching a heartwarming initiative called The Community of Kindness Christmas Campaign. It’s all about at inspiring small, meaningful gestures of good will during the holiday period, with Goodrem recruiting big stars to join her for the merrymaking. The exciting sackful of homegrown and international talent includes Robbie Williams, G Flip, Budjerah, Kate Ceberano, Rai Thistlethwayte and a particularly merry turn from Russell Crowe.

Friday, December 15 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 11.00 State Memorial Service For Barry Humphries. 12.15 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Vera. (Mav, R) 2.30 Magical Land Of Oz. (R) 3.30 One Plus One. (R) 3.55 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 5.00 Back Roads. (R) 5.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 9.00 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PG, R) 10.00 Paddington Station 24/7. (PGl, R) 10.50 Our Coast. (PG, R) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 The Point: Road To Referendum History Bites. (R) 2.05 The Wonderful World Of Chocolate. (R) 2.55 Mastermind Aust. (R) 3.25 The Cook Up With Adam Liaw. (R) 3.55 Great Continental Railway Journeys. (PGnv, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! (R) 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 11.30 Seven Morning News. 12.00 Beach Cops. (PG, R) 12.30 Test Cricket: Pre-Game Show. 1.20 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 2. Morning session. 3.20 Test Cricket: The Lunch Break. 4.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 2. Afternoon session.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.00 Barry Humphries AC CBE: State Memorial. 12.30 Morning News. 1.00 Bondi Vet. (PGam, R) 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG) 4.00 Afternoon News. 4.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. (R) 5.00 [MELB] Millionaire Hot Seat. (R) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 The Talk. (PGa) 7.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 7.30 Entertainment Tonight. 8.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.30 Judge Judy. (PG, R) 9.00 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PGa, R) 9.30 Neighbours. (PGa, R) 10.00 Studio 10. (PG) 12.00 10 News First: Midday. 1.00 Dr Phil. (PG, R) 2.00 To Be Advised. 3.00 Entertainment Tonight. 3.30 Judge Judy. (PG, R) 4.00 Farm To Fork. 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PGa) 5.00 10 News First.

6.00 The Drum. (Final) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 Gardening Australia. (Final) Costa Georgiadis gives garden bed gifts. 8.30 Barry Humphries In His Own Words. (PG) Takes a look back at the life and work of Barry Humphries, told in his own words from archival interviews. 9.00 Midsomer Murders. (Mv, R) DCI Barnaby and DS Winter investigate the murder of a girl found dressed in period attire. 10.30 Question Everything. (Final, R) 11.00 ABC Late News. (Final) 11.20 Life. (Mal, R) 12.20 Wakefield. (Mals, R) 1.20 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Lost Treasures Of Egypt: Tut’s Unsolved Secrets. (PGa) A look at Tutankhamun. 8.30 Lost Cities Of The Bible: Mystery Of The Great Flood. (R) Part 1 of 2. Follows archaeologists as they investigate Iraq’s lost cities and the world of the Old Testament. 10.25 SBS World News Late. 10.55 Good People. (Final, MA15+a) 11.50 L’Opera. (Mal, R) 3.20 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (PGa, R) 4.20 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 2. Late afternoon session. 9.00 MOVIE: Men In Black II. (2002, PGh, R) A secret agent, who specialises in policing aliens living covertly on Earth, enlists the help of a former partner. Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Rosario Dawson. 10.45 MOVIE: Last Night In Soho. (2021, MA15+alv) A fashion student travels back in time. Anya Taylor-Joy. 1.15 12 Monkeys. (MA15+av, R) 2.30 Home Shopping. 4.00 Million Dollar Minute. (R) 5.00 NBC Today.

6.00 Nine News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 For The Love Of Pets. (PGm) 8.30 MOVIE: Deck The Halls. (2006, PGals, R) Two neighbours compete in a lights display. Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick. 10.25 MOVIE: Last Christmas. (2019, PGals, R) 12.20 MOVIE: Charming Christmas. (2016, G, R) Julie Benz, David Sutcliffe, Bruce Gray. 2.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Postcards Summer. (PG, R) 4.30 Global Shop. (R) 5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 5.30 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R)

6.30 The Project. A look at the day’s news and events. 7.30 The Graham Norton Show. Guests include Julianne Moore, Ricky Gervais, Jamie Oliver, Paapa Essiedu and Olivia Dean. 9.30 My Life Is Murder. (Mv, R) Feuding celebrity bakers put Alexa through her paces when a man is found drowned with flour in his lungs. 11.30 Good Sam. (Ma) Lex confronts Griff about his betrayal. 12.30 The Project. (R) A look at the day’s news and events. 1.30 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 2.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC TV PLUS (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 5.45pm Hey Duggee. 5.55 Octonauts. 6.10 PJ Masks. 6.20 Bluey. 6.30 Ben And Holly. 6.45 Kiri And Lou. 6.50 Supertato. 6.55 Shaun The Sheep. 7.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 7.20 Bluey. 7.30 Spicks And Specks. 8.00 Would I Lie To You At Christmas? 8.30 MOVIE: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. (1998, MA15+) 10.10 Would I Lie To You? The Unseen Bits. 10.40 QI. 11.10 Ghosts. 11.40 Killing Eve. 12.25am George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. 1.15 ABC News Update. 1.20 Close. 5.00 In The Night Garden. 5.15 Tik Tak. 5.25 Wallykazam! 5.50 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am WorldWatch. 8.10 ABC America Nightline. 8.40 CBC The National. 9.30 BBC News At Six. 10.00 Shortland St. Noon The Indian Pacific: The Full Journey. 3.20 BBC News At Ten. 3.50 ABC World News Tonight With David Muir. 4.20 PBS NewsHour. 5.20 Shortland Street. 5.50 The Curse Of Oak Island. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 8.30 Hoarders. 9.25 Sex Unlimited. 10.20 Planet Sex With Cara Delevingne. 11.15 Limetown. 12.55am The Last Year Of Television 2020 Special. 2.00 Letterkenny. 2.25 NHK World English News. 5.00 Al Jazeera Newshour.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Home Shopping. 6.30 I Escaped To The Country. 7.30 The Zoo. 8.00 Million Dollar Minute. 9.00 Harry’s Practice. 9.30 NBC Today. Noon Better Homes And Gardens. 1.00 Hidden Coastal Villages. 2.00 I Escaped To The Country. 3.00 Animal SOS Australia. 3.30 The Zoo. 4.00 I Escaped To The Country. 5.00 Bargain Hunt. 6.00 Pie In The Sky. 7.00 Better Homes And Gardens Summer. 8.30 Escape To The Country. 10.30 Escape To The Perfect Town. 11.30 I Escaped To The Country. 12.30am The Zoo. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 3.00 Better Homes And Gardens. 5.30 The Zoo.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Danger Man. 7.00 Creflo Dollar Ministries. 7.30 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. 8.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.55 The Young And The Restless. 1.50 Explore. 2.00 Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: The Brides Of Fu Manchu. (1966, PG) 5.30 Saved & Remade. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 RBT. 8.30 MOVIE: Never Say Never Again. (1983, M) 11.10 Madam Secretary. 12.10am Rizzoli & Isles. 1.10 The Closer. 3.05 Major Crimes. 4.00 Keeping Up Appearances. 4.30 My Favorite Martian. 5.00 Late Programs.

10 PEACH (52, 11) 6am The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. 7.00 NBL Slam. 7.30 Becker. 8.30 Seinfeld. 10.00 The King Of Queens. 11.00 Frasier. Noon Becker. 1.00 Seinfeld. 3.00 The King Of Queens. 4.00 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 8.00 The Big Bang Theory. 9.30 Seinfeld. 11.00 Frasier. Midnight Home Shopping. 1.30 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. 2.30 The King Of Queens. 3.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. 4.30 Home Shopping. 5.30 Joseph Prince: New Creation Church.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 8.50

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Fishy Business.

Tales Of The Moana. 8.55 Nanny Tuta. 9.00 Toi Time. 9.30 Spartakus And The Sun Beneath The Sea. 10.00 Brazil Untamed. 10.50 Going Places. 11.50 Kutcha’s Carpool Koorioke. 11.55 MOVIE: Jimi: All Is By My Side. (2013) 2pm Bamay. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Motown Magic. 3.25 The World According To Grandpa. 3.35 The Magic Canoe. 4.00 Toi Time. 4.30 Spartakus And The Sun Beneath The Sea. 5.00 Our Stories. 5.30 Strait To The Plate. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Brazil Untamed. 7.30 MOVIE: Get Santa. (2014, PG) 9.20 MOVIE: Baby Done. (2020, M) 11.05 Late Programs.

Sirocco. (1951, PG) 7.50 Into The Arms Of Strangers. (2000, PG) 10.00 The Amazing Catfish. (2013, M, Spanish) 11.40 The Company You Keep. (2012, M) 1.55pm The Mouse That Roared. (1959) 3.25 Belle And Sebastian. (2013, PG, French) 5.15 Capricorn One. (1977, PG) 7.30 The Client. (1994, M) 9.45 In The Line Of Fire. (1993, M) 12.10am Jiu Jitsu. (2020, MA15+) 2.05 The Operative. (2019, MA15+) 4.15 Undine. (2020, M, German) 5.55 Capricorn One. (1977, PG)

7.00 Oz Fish TV. 7.30 Creek To Coast. 8.00 NFL 100 Greatest. 9.00 America’s Game. 10.00 Blokesworld. 10.30 The Car Club. 11.00 Billy The Exterminator. 11.30 Storage Wars. Noon American Pickers. 1.00 Pawn Stars. 2.00 Close Encounters Down Under. 3.00 Timbersports. 3.30 Extreme Ice Railroad. 4.30 Storage Wars. 5.00 American Pickers. 6.00 Test Cricket: Tea Break. 6.20 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 2. Late afternoon session. 7.00 Pawn Stars. 7.30 MOVIE: Godzilla. (1998, PG) 10.15 MOVIE: Anaconda. (1997, M) 12.10am Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Children’s Programs. Noon Motor Racing. FIA World Endurance C’ship. H’lights. 1.00 Bewitched. 1.30 Raymond. 2.30 Full House. 3.00 MacGyver. 4.00 Family Ties. 4.30 The Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 Children’s Programs. 5.45 MOVIE: A Unicorn For Christmas. (2021) 7.30 MOVIE: The Polar Express. (2004) 9.30 MOVIE: Bad Moms 2. (2017, MA15+) 11.35 Duncanville. 12.05am Under The Dome. 1.00 Life After Lockup. 2.00 Motor Racing. FIA World Endurance Championship. Highlights. 3.00 Bakugan. 3.30 Beyblade Burst Surge. 4.00 Magic Mixies. 4.30 Ninjago. 5.00 Late Programs.

10 BOLD (53, 12) 6am Home Shopping. 8.00 Soccer. A-League Men. Round 7. Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar. Highlights. 8.30 Diagnosis Murder. 9.30 Jake And The Fatman. 10.30 JAG. 12.30pm Star Trek: Voyager. 1.30 MacGyver. 2.30 Jake And The Fatman. 3.30 Diagnosis Murder. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 Bull. 8.30 NCIS. 9.25 NCIS: Hawai’i. 10.20 NCIS: Los Angeles. 11.15 SEAL Team. 12.15am Home Shopping. 2.15 Diagnosis Murder. 4.05 JAG.

CONSUMER ADVICE (P) Pre-school (C) Children (PG) Parental Guidance Recommended (M) Mature Audiences (MA15+) Mature Audiences Only (AV15+) Extreme Adult Violence (R) Repeat (a) Adult themes (d) Drug references (h) Horror (s) Sex references (l) Language (m) Medical procedures (n) Nudity (v) Violence.

VIC

Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 19

Saturday, December 16 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 Rage. (PG) 7.00 Weekend Breakfast. 9.00 Rage. (PG) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 12.30 Midsomer Murders. (PG, R) 2.00 QI. (Mal, R) 2.30 You Can’t Ask That. (Mal, R) 3.00 The Durrells. (PG, R) 4.40 Landline Summer. (R) 5.10 Joanna Lumley’s Britain. (PG, R) 5.55 Barry Humphries In His Own Words. (PG, R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 9.00 Cook Up With Adam Liaw Bitesize. (R) 9.05 Lap Of Luxury: Escapes Down Under. 10.05 Love Your Garden. (PGa, R) 11.00 Rick Steves’ Europe. (R) 12.00 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 ABC World News Tonight With David Muir. 1.00 Surf Life Saving. Iron Series Manly. Round 1. 3.00 Sailing. Transat Jacques Vabre. Highlights. 4.00 Ethnic Business Awards.

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. 10.00 The Morning Show: Weekend. (PG) 12.00 Surf Patrol. (R) 12.30 Test Cricket: Pre-Game Show. 1.20 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 3. Morning session. 3.20 Test Cricket: The Lunch Break. 4.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 3. Afternoon session.

6.00 Hello SA. (PG, R) 6.30 A Current Affair. (R) 7.00 Weekend Today. 10.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 12.00 Surfing Australia TV. 12.30 Great Australian Detour. 1.00 Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo. (PG, R) 2.00 Explore. (R) 2.10 Family Drives. 3.10 MOVIE: Christmas Next Door. (2017, G) Jesse Metcalfe, Fiona Gubelmann. 5.00 News: First At Five. 5.30 Country House Hunters Australia.

6am Morning Programs. 9.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 9.30 10 Minute Kitchen. (R) 10.00 St10. (PG) 12.00 Luxury Escapes. (R) 12.30 The Yes Experiment. 1.00 Taste Of Australia: BBQ. (R) 1.30 Exploring Off The Grid. (PGl, R) 2.00 Planet Shapers. 2.30 GCBC. (R) 3.00 Healthy Homes. (R) 3.30 Luca’s Key Ingredient. (R) 4.00 My Market Kitchen. 4.30 Farm To Fork. (R) 5.00 News.

6.30 Poh’s Kitchen On The Road. (R) Poh Ling Yeow visits the Flinders Ranges. 7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day. 7.30 All Creatures Great And Small. (PG) James is given a last chance to make the Ministry of Agriculture’s TB testing scheme work. 8.20 Vera. (Ma, R) Part 4 of 4. DCI Vera Stanhope finds herself drawn into a mystery that brings her closer to her estranged family than she would like when a woman’s body is found in the grounds of her family’s home. 9.50 The Capture. (MA15+lv, R) DCI Rachel Carey investigates a case involving a man murdered by invisible assassins. 10.50 Prosecuting Evil. (Ma, R) The story of Ben Ferencz. 12.15 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) Music video clips.

6.00 Grand Tours Of Scotland’s Lochs: A Fyne Tour. (PG, R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Secrets Of Britain’s Historic Houses & Gardens. (Premiere) Explores Britain’s historic homes. 8.40 Highclere: The Real Downton Abbey. (PG) Part 4 of 5. The biggest event of the season, Battle Proms, is just around corner. 9.35 World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys: Portugal. (PGa, R) Narrated by Bill Nighy. 10.30 Secrets Of The Royal Palaces. (PG, R) 11.20 Rex In Rome. (Mv, R) 1.15 The Indian Pacific: The Full Journey. (R) 4.20 Bamay. (R) 4.50 Destination Flavour: Japan Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 3. Late afternoon session. 9.00 MOVIE: Men In Black 3. (2012, Mv, R) A secret agent, who specialises in monitoring and policing aliens living covertly on Earth, must travel back in time to 1969 to save the planet after a criminal manages to change the course of history. Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin. 11.10 MOVIE: Antlers. (2021, MA15+ah) A teacher and her sheriff brother become embroiled with her enigmatic student. Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons. 1.20 12 Monkeys. (MA15+av, R) A desperate Cole searches for Titan. 2.30 Home Shopping. 4.00 Get Clever. (R) The wonders of science are explored. 5.00 My Greek Odyssey: Chania, Crete. (PG, R)

6.00 Nine News Saturday. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 The Garden Hustle. (PG) Hosted by Lisa McCune and Dave Franklin. 8.30 MOVIE: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. (1971, G, R) A poor yet honest boy wins a guided tour of a famous sweets factory owned by an eccentric businessman. Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum, Jack Albertson. 10.30 MOVIE: Patch Adams. (1998, Mal, R) Robin Williams. 12.40 Australia’s Top Ten Of Everything. (PGl, R) 1.30 Great Australian Detour. (R) 2.00 The Incredible Journey Presents. (PGa) 2.30 Surfing Australia TV. (R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 Global Shop. (R) 5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 5.30 Helping Hands. (PG, R)

6.00 Bondi Rescue. (PGl, R) A woman is rescued from a rip. 6.30 Jamie Oliver: Cooking For Less. Jamie Oliver whips up budget recipes, including a fish pie and a spicy one-pan chicken supper. 7.30 The Dog House. (PGa, R) A spaniel may have founds its soul sister. An excitable lurcher puppy meets a husky. 8.30 Ambulance. (Ma) Ambulance crews attend an 85-year-old man who has collapsed and cut his leg; a woman with chest pain; a male patient who has come off his motorbike; and 93-year-old female struggling with shortness of breath. 11.00 CSI: Vegas. (Mm, R) Sonya’s life is in jeopardy. 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 Authentic. (PG) 5.00 Hour Of Power.

ABC TV PLUS (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 7.05pm Karma’s World. 7.20 Bluey. 7.30 Spicks And Specks. 8.00 QI. 8.30 Live At The Apollo. 9.15 Whose Line Is It Anyway? 9.40 Melbourne Comedy Festival: The Gala. 10.40 Brian Johnson’s A Life On The Road. 11.25 MythBusters. 12.15am Portlandia. 1.00 Fleabag. (Final) 1.25 ABC News Update. 1.30 Close. 5.00 In The Night Garden. 5.15 Tik Tak. 5.25 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am WorldWatch. 10.00 Shortland St. Noon Noisey. 12.55 Planet A. 1.25 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 2.45 WorldWatch. 4.45 Mastermind Aust. 5.50 American Runestone: A Viking Mystery. 6.45 The Toys That Built The World. 7.35 Impossible Engineering. 8.30 Love In Bright Landscapes. 10.25 Vegan Vigilantes. 10.40 Overlooked. 11.10 Vikings. 1am The X-Files. 2.50 Letterkenny. 3.25 Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Home Shopping. 8.30 Travel Oz. 10.00 Escape To The Perfect Town. 11.00 Hidden Coastal Villages. Noon Horse Racing. Royal Randwick Raceday, Caulfield Christmas and Ladbrokes Grand Prix Stakes. 6.00 Extreme Animal Transport. 6.30 The Yorkshire Vet In Autumn. 7.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 8.30 Escape To The Country. 10.30 Carol Drinkwater’s Secret Provence. 11.30 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Morning Programs. 10.00 Helping Hands. 10.30 My Favorite Martian. 11.00 The Baron. 12.10pm Saved & Remade. 1.10 MOVIE: The Titfield Thunderbolt. (1953) 2.55 MOVIE: Beautiful Stranger. (1954, PG) 4.50 MOVIE: The Barefoot Contessa. (1954, PG) 7.30 MOVIE: Johnny English Reborn. (2011, PG) 9.30 MOVIE: Octopussy. (1983, PG) 12.10am Late Programs.

10 PEACH (52, 11) 6am The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. 7.00 Seinfeld. 8.00 Becker. 9.00 Neighbours. 11.00 Farm To Fork. 11.30 Seinfeld. Noon The King Of Queens. 1.00 Becker. 2.00 The Bachelors Australia. 4.50 Seinfeld. 5.50 The Big Bang Theory. 10.00 Friends. Midnight Home Shopping. 1.30 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. 2.30 South Park. 3.30 Just For Laughs Montreal. 4.30 Home Shopping.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 2.15pm Vanille: A Carribean Tale. 2.50 Songlines. 3.30 Pacific Lockdown: Sea Of Resilience. 4.30 Songlines On Screen. 4.50 Going Places. 5.50 The Last Land: Gespe’gewa’gi. 6.20 News. 6.30 The Barber. 7.00 Great Lakes Wild. 7.30 Great Australian Walks With Julia Zemiro. 8.30 Nina Simone: Live At Montreux. 9.50 MOVIE: The Descent. (2005, MA15+) 11.35 Late Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am Capricorn One. Continued. (1977, PG) 8.10 The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen. (1988, PG) 10.30 The Ides Of March. (2011, M) 12.25pm Kill The Messenger. (2014, M) 2.30 Sirocco. (1951, PG) 4.20 The China Syndrome. (1979, PG) 6.35 Percy Vs Goliath. (2020) 8.30 The Promise. (2016, M) 11.00 Late Programs. 5.55am The China Syndrome. (1979, PG)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Children’s Programs.

2pm Rides Down Under: Workshop Wars. 3.00 Drag Racing. NDRC Nitro Funny Cars. 4.00 Secrets Of The Supercars. 5.00 Counting Cars. 5.30 Storage Wars. 6.00 Test Cricket: Tea Break. 6.20 Cricket. First Test. Aust v Pakistan. Late afternoon session. 7.00 Storage Wars. 7.30 Air Crash Investigations: The Accident Files. 8.30 Marine Disasters. 9.30 Mighty Trains. 10.30 Late Programs.

2.15pm MOVIE: Holiday In Santa Fe. (2021, PG) 4.00 MOVIE: Loving Christmas. (2021) 5.50 MOVIE: The Secret Life Of Pets 2. (2019, PG) 7.30 MOVIE: Crocodile Dundee. (1986, M) 9.30 MOVIE: National Lampoon’s Animal House. (1978, M) 11.45 Duncanville. 12.15am Metro Sexual. 1.15 Life After Lockup. 2.15 Transformers: Cyberverse. 2.30 Teen Titans Go! 3.30 Late Programs.

10 BOLD (53, 12) 6am Home Shopping. 9.00 Exploring Off The Grid. 9.30 Diagnosis Murder. 10.30 All 4 Adventure. 11.30 On The Fly. Noon Escape Fishing With ET. 12.30 Jake And The Fatman. 1.30 Luxury Escapes. 2.00 JAG. 5.00 Reel Action. 5.30 iFish. 6.00 JAG. 7.00 Soccer. A-League Men. Round 8. Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC. 10.15 NCIS. 11.10 SEAL Team. 12.05am FBI: Most Wanted. 1.00 Evil. 2.00 Late Programs.

Local News 12466496-DL43-20

Send us your news leads. We’d love to know... editorial@geelongindependent.com.au

Sunday, December 17 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6am Morning Programs. 9.00 Pilgrimage. (PG) 10.00 Weird Australia. (PG, R) 10.30 World This Week. (R) 11.00 Compass. (PGa, R) 11.30 Praise. (R) 12.00 News. 12.30 Landline Summer. (R) 1.00 You Can’t Ask That. (Ml, R) 1.30 Call The Midwife. (Ma, R) 3.00 All Creatures Great And Small. (PG, R) 3.45 Grand Designs. (PG, R) 4.30 Project Wild. (PG, R) 5.00 Nigella’s Christmas Table. (R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 9.00 Cook Up Bitesize. (R) 9.05 Lap Of Luxury: Escapes Down Under. 10.05 Love Your Garden. (R) 11.00 Rick Steves’ Europe. (PGa, R) 12.00 APAC Weekly. 12.30 France 24 English News. 1.00 Surf Life Saving. Iron Series Manly. Round 2. 3.00 Speedweek. 4.30 AusMoto Show. 5.00 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (R) 5.30 The D-Day Superhero: Jack Kirby. (PG)

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. 10.00 Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 Surf Patrol. (R) 12.30 Pre-Game Show. 1.20 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 4. Morning session. (Please note: alternative schedule may be shown due to changes to cricket coverage). 3.20 Test Cricket: The Lunch Break. 4.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 4. Afternoon session.

6.00 Fishing Aust. (R) 6.30 ACA. (R) 7.00 Weekend Today. 10.00 Golf. Jack Newton Celebrity Classic. H’lights. 11.00 Cross Court. 11.30 Iconic Australia. (PGa, R) 12.30 Fishing Australia. 1.00 Drive TV. 1.30 The Pet Rescuers. (PGam, R) 2.00 The Garden Hustle. (PG, R) 3.00 For The Love Of Pets. (PGm, R) 4.00 Great Getaways. (PG, R) 5.00 News: First At Five. 5.30 Postcards Summer. (PG)

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 8.30 Freshly Picked. (R) 9.00 Jamie Oliver: Cooking For Less. (R) 10.00 St10. (PG) 12.00 The Bachelors Aust. (PGls, R) 1.30 Farm To Fork. (R) 2.00 Food Trail: South Africa. (R) 2.30 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 3.00 Cook With Luke. 3.30 GCBC. (R) 4.00 All 4 Adventure. 5.00 News.

6.00 Antiques Roadshow. Hosted by Fiona Bruce. 7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day. 7.30 Living With Devils. (PG) A look at the Tasmanian devil. 8.30 Vera. (Ma) Vera investigates the apparent suicide of a well-known TV personality who has recently fallen from grace. 10.00 We Hunt Together. (Malsv, R) Freddy makes a deadly confession. 11.35 Attenborough And The Empire Of The Ants. (R) 12.30 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 1.30 Rage Vault. (MA15+adhlnsv) 5.00 Gardening Australia: Christmas Family Special 2017. (R)

6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Nefertiti: The Raiders Of The Lost Tomb. (PGa) The search for the tomb of Nefertiti. 8.30 Rescuing The Nile’s Sunken Temple. Explores the Philae temple complex in Egypt, a Pharaonic site that had to be moved due to rising waters. 9.35 The Kim Dynasty: A Family Affair. (PGa) Delves into the goals of the Kim dynasty. 10.30 Autun: Rome’s Forgotten Sister. (PG, R) 11.30 Rodman: For Better Or Worse. (Mal, R) 1.30 The Indian Pacific: The Full Journey. (R) 4.25 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 Al Jazeera News.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 4. Late afternoon session. 9.00 MOVIE: Men In Black: International. (2019, Mav, R) Two MIB agents uncover a sinister plot involving a traitor who is aiding an alien invasion. Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson. 11.15 7NEWS Spotlight. Matt Doran interviews Mary Kay Letourneau. 12.15 Bates Motel. (MA15+av, R) 1.15 Emergency Call. (Ma, R) 2.00 Home Shopping. 3.30 Million Dollar Minute. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Seven Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 Nine News Sunday. 7.00 Christmas With Delta. A Christmas concert with Delta Goodrem. 8.50 MOVIE: The Holiday. (2006, Mls, R) Two women, who live on opposite sides of the Atlantic, impulsively switch homes for Christmas. Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law. 11.20 MOVIE: An American Pickle. (2020, PGalv) An immigrant worker is preserved for 100 years. Seth Rogen. 12.50 Great Getaways. (PG, R) 1.50 The Pet Rescuers. (PGam, R) 2.20 Cross Court. (R) 2.50 9Honey Hacks. (R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 Drive TV. (R) 5.00 News Early Edition. 5.30 Today.

6.30 The Sunday Project. (Final) Joins panellists for a look at the day’s news, events and hot topics. 7.30 The Bachelors Australia. (PGls) Eligible bachelor Wesley Senna Cortes drops a bombshell on the ladies when he arrives at the mansion. 8.40 NCIS: Hawai’i. (MA15+v, R) The discovery of the body of a former MI6 agent uncovers secrets from NCIS Special Agent Jane Tennant’s past, forcing her to go to extreme lengths to track down the responsible party. 10.40 The Secrets She Keeps. (Mal, R) Meghan navigates a nightmare. 11.40 The Sunday Project. (R) A look at the day’s news. 12.30 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

ABC TV PLUS (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 6.10pm PJ Masks. 6.20 Bluey. 6.30 The Adventures Of Paddington. 7.05 Karma’s World. 7.20 Bluey. 7.30 Spicks And Specks. 8.00 QI. 8.30 Louis Theroux: Altered States. 9.30 You Can’t Ask That. 10.05 Doc Martin. 10.55 Penn & Teller: Fool Us. 11.35 MOVIE: Gone Girl. (2014, MA15+) 2am ABC News Update. 2.05 Close. 5.00 Clangers. 5.10 Peg + Cat. 5.25 Bing. 5.35 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning Programs. 12.05pm Patriot Brains. 1.00 The Kimberley Cruise: The Full Journey. 4.15 Cook Up Bitesize. 4.20 WorldWatch. 4.50 Shortland St. 5.20 Kelly Clarkson: When Christmas Comes Around. 6.10 Kars & Stars. 6.40 The Buildings That Fought Hitler. 7.35 Abandoned Engineering. 8.30 A Very British Space Launch. 9.30 History’s Greatest Of AllTime With Peyton Manning. 10.20 Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. Noon Carol Drinkwater’s Secret Provence. 1.00 The Surgery Ship. 2.00 South Aussie With Cosi. 2.30 Animal SOS Australia. 3.00 Extreme Animal Transport. 3.30 The Yorkshire Vet In Autumn. 4.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 5.30 I Escaped To The Country. 6.30 Escape To The Country. 7.30 Slow Train Through Africa With Griff Rhys Jones. 8.30 Call The Midwife. 11.05 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Morning Programs. 7.30 In Touch. 8.00 Beyond Today. 8.30 The Incredible Journey. 9.00 Turning Point. 9.30 TV Shop. 10.00 My Favorite Martian. 10.30 Avengers. 11.40 MOVIE: Isn’t Life Wonderful! (1953) 1.25pm MOVIE: Private’s Progress. (1956) 3.30 MOVIE: The Hallelujah Trail. (1965) 6.30 M*A*S*H. 8.30 MOVIE: A View To A Kill. (1985, M) 11.10 Late Programs.

10 PEACH (52, 11) 6am Friends. 9.15 The Bachelors Australia. Noon Friends. 1.00 The Middle. 2.00 Basketball. NBL. Round 11. Tasmania JackJumpers v Sydney Kings. 4.00 Basketball. NBL. Round 11. Brisbane Bullets v Cairns Taipans. 6.00 The Big Bang Theory. 9.00 Two And A Half Men. 10.00 South Park. 11.00 Friends. Midnight Home Shopping. 1.30 Friends. 3.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. 4.30 Home Shopping.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. Noon

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am The China Syndrome. Continued. (1979, PG) 8.10 Belle And Sebastian. (2013, PG, French) 10.00 The Client. (1994, M) 12.15pm In The Line Of Fire. (1993, M) 2.40 Capricorn One. (1977, PG) 4.55 CJ7. (2008, PG, Cantonese) 6.30 The Ipcress File. (1965, PG) 8.30 The Man Who Sold His Skin. (2020, MA15+, Arabic) 10.25 Molly’s Game. (2017, M) 1am Sid And Nancy. (1986, MA15+) 3.05 Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Children’s Programs.

Noon The Fishing Show By AFN. 1.00 Hook, Line And Sinker. 2.00 Merv Hughes Fishing. 2.30 Step Outside. 3.00 Fishing Addiction. 4.00 Pawn Stars. 5.00 Storage Wars: TX. 6.00 Test Cricket: Tea Break. 6.20 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 4. Late afternoon session. 7.00 Border Security. 8.30 MOVIE: Apocalypse Now. (1979, MA15+) 11.40 Late Programs.

7.30 MOVIE: Alice-Miranda: A Royal Christmas Ball. (2021, C) 9.00 Children’s Programs. 1.40pm Surfing Australia TV. 2.10 Rich House, Poor House. 3.10 MOVIE: Problem Child. (1990, PG) 4.45 Mr Mayor. 5.15 MOVIE: Christmas Next Door. (2017) 7.00 MOVIE: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. (2005, PG) 9.20 MOVIE: The Matrix Revolutions. (2003, M) 11.50 Late Programs.

10 BOLD (53, 12) 6am Home Shopping. 7.30 Key Of David. 8.00 The Offroad Adventure Show. 9.00 All 4 Adventure. 10.00 Escape Fishing With ET. 11.00 JAG. 1pm On The Fly. 1.30 What’s Up Down Under. 2.00 iFish. 2.30 JAG. 4.30 Soccer. A-League Men. Round 8. Melbourne City v Central Coast Mariners. 7.00 Bondi Rescue. 7.30 NCIS. 10.20 NCIS: Los Angeles. 11.15 FBI: International. 12.10am Evil. 2.05 48 Hours. 4.00 JAG.

Rugby League. Queensland Murri Carnival. Replay. 1.00 Away From Country. 2.05 Songlines On Screen. 2.35 Bamay. 3.30 Struggling Songlines. 4.00 Going Places. 5.00 Stories From The Land. 5.50 Moko. 6.20 News. 6.30 Wild New Zealand. 7.40 Greatest Hits Of The 80s. 8.30 Ella: Just One Of Those Things. 10.05 MOVIE: Mandela. (1996, M) 12.15am Late Programs. 20 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

Monday, December 18 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 Dubboo: Life Of A Songman. (R) 11.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Vera. (Mav, R) 2.30 Barry Humphries In His Own Words. (PG, R) 3.00 Gardening Australia. (R) 4.00 Back In Time For Dinner. (PG, R) 5.00 Back Roads. (R) 5.25 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 9.10 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (R) 10.10 Paddington Station 24/7. (PGadlv, R) 11.00 Our Coast. (R) 12.10 WorldWatch. 2.00 The Point: Road To Referendum. (R) 2.05 The Wonderful World Of Chocolate. (PG, R) 2.55 Mastermind Aust. (R) 3.25 The Cook Up. (PG, R) 3.55 Great Continental Railway Journeys. (PGas, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! (R) 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 11.30 News. 12.00 Beach Cops. (PG, R) 12.30 Pre-Game Show. 1.20 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 5. Morning session. (Please note: alternative schedule may be shown due to changes to cricket coverage). 3.20 Test Cricket: The Lunch Break. 4.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 5. Afternoon session.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 Morning News. 12.00 MOVIE: Crashing Through The Snow. (2021, PGa) Amy Acker, Warren Christie, Brooke Nevin. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 Afternoon News. 4.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. 5.00 [MELB] Millionaire Hot Seat. (R) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 The Talk. (PGa) 7.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 7.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 8.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.30 GCBC. (R) 9.00 Judge Judy. (PG, R) 9.30 Bold. (PGa, R) 10.00 Studio 10. (PG) 12.00 10 News First: Midday. 1.00 Dr Phil. (PGal, R) 2.00 The Bachelors Aust. (PGls, R) 3.10 Entertainment Tonight. 3.30 Farm To Fork. 4.00 Neighbours. (PGa) 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PGa) 5.00 10 News First.

6.00 Great Australian Stuff: Food. (PG, R) Part 1 of 4. 7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day. 7.30 7.30. Presented by Sarah Ferguson. 8.00 The Man Who Stole The Scream. (Mal) The story of the theft of The Scream. 9.35 Bradman And Tendulkar. (R) Takes a look at the lives of two of cricket’s greatest players, Donald Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. 10.35 MOVIE: Brock: Over The Top. (2020, Ml, R) Allan Moffat. 11.35 Yakka: Australia At Work: At Your Service. (PG, R) 12.30 Lucy Worsley: Agatha Christie Mystery Queen. (PG, R) 1.35 Call The Midwife. (Ma, R) 3.05 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 4.00 Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One. (R) 4.30 Classic Countdown. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG, R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 London Zoo At Christmas. (PG) Behind the scenes at London Zoo. 8.30 Freddie Mercury Auction Special. (PG) The story of Freddie Mercury told through the sale of his personal items at Sotheby’s in London. 9.25 Big Ben Restored: The Grand Unveiling. (R) Takes a behind-thescenes look at the six-year renovation of the iconic Big Ben clock tower. 10.20 SBS World News Late. 10.50 My Brilliant Friend. (MA15+v) 11.45 Darkness: Those Who Kill. (Mav, R) 3.20 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (PGa, R) 4.20 Bamay. (R) 4.50 Destination Flavour: Japan Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. First Test. Australia v Pakistan. Day 5. Late afternoon session. From Optus Stadium, Perth. 9.00 MOVIE: Morbius. (2022, Malv) When a biochemist tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, he instead infects himself with a form of vampirism. His efforts to control his new condition are hampered by the actions of his patron. Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Micheal Keaton. 11.15 MOVIE: Winchester. (2018, Mhv, R) Ensconced in her sprawling California mansion, an eccentric heiress believes she is haunted. Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook. 1.15 Bates Motel. (MA15+av, R) Norma gains a new ally. 2.30 Home Shopping. 4.00 NBC Today. News and current affairs. 5.00 Seven Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 Nine News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III: Extremes. (PGa) Narrated by Sir David Attenborough. 8.40 Australian Crime Stories: Deadly Deception. (Mav, R) Takes a look at the case of Renae Marsden, who died by suicide on the day her relationship ended. 9.50 Vanished: The Disappearance Of Dolores McCrea. (Mv) Takes a look at the murder of Dolores McCrea. 10.50 Law & Order: Organized Crime. (Return, MA15+av) 11.40 Kenan. (PGal) 12.05 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 2.00 Hello SA. (PG) 2.30 Global Shop. (R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 News Early Edition. 5.30 Today.

6.30 The Project. The hosts and guest panellists take a look at the day’s news, events and hot topics. 7.30 The Bachelors Australia. (PGl) Professional matchmaker Trudy Gilbert shines a light on aspects of their relationships the men might be blind to. 8.40 The Secrets She Keeps. (Final, Mal) Agatha and Meghan face their hardest trials yet with an explosive ending that neither will see coming. 9.40 FBI: Most Wanted. (MA15+av, R) A celebrity child psychiatrist is kidnapped by the son of a former client. 11.30 The Project. (R) A look at the day’s news and events. 12.30 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) Hosted by Stephen Colbert. 1.30 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

ABC TV PLUS (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 7.20pm Bluey. 7.30 Spicks And Specks. 8.00 Would I Lie To You At Christmas? 8.30 MythBusters. 9.20 George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. 10.10 Louis Theroux: Law And Disorder In Lagos. 11.10 Would I Lie To You? 11.40 QI. 12.10am Whose Line Is It Anyway? 12.35 Brian Johnson’s A Life On The Road. 1.20 ABC News Update. 1.25 Close. 5.00 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am WorldWatch. 9.30 Small Business Secrets. 10.00 Shortland St. Noon Miniseries: The Salisbury Poisonings. 1.50 Mukbang. 2.40 Sidelined: Women In Basketball. 3.40 WorldWatch. 5.20 Shortland St. 5.50 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 8.30 Taskmaster. 9.25 Sesame Street: 50 Years Of Sunny Days. 10.55 Then You Run. 11.50 Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. 9.00 DVine Living. 9.30 NBC Today. 10.30 Better Homes And Gardens Summer. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 I Escaped To The Country. 2.00 Weekender. 2.30 Slow Train Through Africa. 3.30 Last Chance Learners. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 I Escaped To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Doc Martin. 8.30 Endeavour. 10.30 Fortitude. 11.30 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Morning Programs. 9.30 Newstyle Direct. 10.00 Danoz. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.55 The Young And The Restless. 1.50 Dr Quinn. 2.50 Antiques Roadshow. 3.20 MOVIE: Kind Hearts And Coronets. (1949, PG) 5.30 Saved & Remade. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Death In Paradise. 8.40 MOVIE: The Living Daylights. (1987, PG) 11.20 Late Programs.

10 PEACH (52, 11) 6am The Big Bang Theory. 10.00 The Middle. 11.00 Friends. Noon Charmed. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 The King Of Queens. 4.00 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 6.30 Neighbours. 7.00 Friends. 8.00 The Big Bang Theory. 9.30 Seinfeld. 11.00 Frasier. Midnight Home Shopping. 1.30 South Park. 2.30 The King Of Queens. 3.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. 4.30 Home Shopping.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 1.30pm Moko. 2.00 Bamay. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 4.00 Toi Time. 4.30 Spartakus And The Sun Beneath The Sea. 5.00 Our Stories. 5.30 APTN National News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.30 News. 6.40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms. 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? 8.30 Living Black. 9.00 The Panther Within. 10.00 MOVIE: Once Were Warriors. (1994, MA15+) 11.50 Late Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Children’s Programs.

Morning Programs. 7.00 Percy Vs Goliath. (2020, PG) 8.55 CJ7. (2008, PG, Cantonese) 10.30 The Promise. (2016, M) 1pm Ferrante Fever. (2017, M, Italian) 2.25 Modern Times. (1936, PG, No dialogue) 4.00 FairyTale: A True Story. (1997, PG) 5.50 Three Summers. (2019, PG, Portuguese) 7.40 Ladies Of Steel. (2020, M, Finnish) 9.30 Small Town Killers. (2017, MA15+, Danish) 11.10 Late Programs.

1pm Rides Down Under: Workshop Wars. 2.00 Motor Racing. Extreme E. Copper X-Prix. 3.15 Motor Racing. Extreme E. Copper X-Prix. 4.30 Storage Wars. 5.00 American Pickers. 6.00 Test Cricket: Tea Break. 6.20 Cricket. First Test. Aust v Pakistan. Late afternoon session. 7.00 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Outback Opal Hunters. 8.30 Aussie Salvage Squad. 10.30 Late Programs.

Noon Starting Up, Starting Over. 1.00 Rich House, Poor House. 2.00 Bewitched. 2.30 Full House. 3.00 MacGyver. 4.00 Family Ties. 4.30 The Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 I Dream Of Jeannie. 6.00 Raymond. 7.00 Young Sheldon. 7.30 Seinfeld. 8.30 Love Island Australia. 9.45 MOVIE: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. (1999, M) 11.45 Late Programs.

10 BOLD (53, 12) 6am Home Shopping. 8.00 Snap Happy. 8.30 All 4 Adventure. 9.30 Reel Action. 10.30 JAG. 12.30pm Star Trek: Voyager. 1.30 MacGyver. 2.30 Jake And The Fatman. 3.30 Diagnosis Murder. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 Bull. 8.30 NCIS. 10.20 Blue Bloods. 11.15 SEAL Team. 12.15am Home Shopping. 2.15 Diagnosis Murder. 4.05 JAG.

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Tuesday, December 19 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 Ask The Doctor. (PG, R) 10.30 Dream Gardens. (PG, R) 11.00 Living With Devils. (PG, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Vera. (Mv, R) 4.00 Back In Time For Dinner. (PG, R) 5.00 Back Roads. (R) 5.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 9.00 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (Return) 10.05 Paddington Station 24/7. (PGal, R) 10.55 Our Coast. (R) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 The Point: Road To Referendum. (R) 2.05 The Wonderful World Of Chocolate. (R) 2.55 Mastermind Aust. (R) 3.25 The Cook Up. (PG, R) 3.55 Great Continental Railway Journeys. (PGav, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! (R) 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 11.30 Seven Morning News. 12.00 MOVIE: Christmas In My Heart. (2021, PGa) Heather Hemmens, Luke MacFarlane, Sheryl Lee Ralph. 2.00 Border Security: International. (PG, R) 2.30 Surf Patrol. (R) 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 Morning News. 12.00 MOVIE: A Song For Christmas. (2017, G) Becca Tobin, Kevin McGarry, Kendra Leigh Timmins. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 Afternoon News. 4.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. 5.00 [MELB] Millionaire Hot Seat. (R) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 The Talk. (PGa) 7.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 7.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 8.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.30 Judge Judy. (PG, R) 9.00 Bold. (PGa, R) 9.30 Neighbours. (PGa, R) 10.00 Studio 10. (PG) 12.00 10 News First: Midday. 1.00 Dr Phil. (PGdls, R) 2.00 The Bachelors Aust. (PGl, R) 3.10 Entertainment Tonight. 3.30 Farm To Fork. 4.00 Neighbours. (PGa) 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PGa) 5.00 10 News First.

6.00 Great Australian Stuff: The Land. (PG, R) Part 2 of 4. 7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day. 7.30 7.30. Presented by Sarah Ferguson. 8.00 Take 5 With Zan Rowe: Songs Of Summer: The Best Of Take 5. Explore stories of summer in Australia. 8.30 MOVIE: Whitney. (2018, Madl) An intimate portrait of Whitney Houston and her family that probes beyond the tabloid headlines. Whitney Houston, Michael Houston, Cissy Houston. 10.30 MOVIE: Burlesque. (2010, Mls, R) Christina Aguilera. 12.25 Just Between Us. (Malns, R) 1.25 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 4.00 Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One. (R) 4.30 Classic Countdown. (PG, R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? Ralf Little. (PG) Ralf Little explores his roots. 8.40 Britain’s Scenic Railways At Christmas. (R) Takes a festive look at Britain’s scenic railways, from the Severn Valley Railway to the Yorkshire Moors. 9.35 Copenhagen: Europe’s Greatest Christmas Market. (PGa, R) Presented by Gregg Wallace. 10.30 SBS World News Late. 11.00 Das Boot. (MA15+s, R) 12.50 The Promise. (Malsv, R) 4.00 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (R) 4.30 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Game 8. Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Thunder. From Adelaide Oval. 11.00 The Endgame. (Malv) When a shocking discovery racks the country, Val’s faith in job and country are tested. 1.00 Bates Motel. (MA15+av, R) A revelation forces Dylan to question his loyalty to Norma and Norman. 2.00 Home Shopping. 4.00 NBC Today. International news including interviews with people from the world of business, politics, media and sports. 5.00 Seven Early News. 5.30 Sunrise. Takes a look at the latest news, sport and weather, with business and finance updates.

6.00 Nine News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Travel Guides. (PGls, R) Australians become travel critics. 8.30 MOVIE: Crocodile Dundee II. (1988, PGlv, R) Mick Dundee returns to the Australian bush after his girlfriend is kidnapped by drug dealers. Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon. 10.45 New Amsterdam. (Mamv, R) 11.35 Kenan. (PGl) 12.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 2.00 Australia’s Top Ten Of Everything. (PG, R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 News Early Edition. 5.30 Today.

6.30 The Project. A look at the day’s news and events. 7.30 The Bachelors Australia. (PGas) The bachelors’ families, the women and their loved ones all meet under the same roof. 9.10 NCIS. (Mav, R) The team works to solve the murder of a marine private who appears to have been killed for helping an Afghan refugee. Jimmy navigates the pressure of parenting his teenage daughter’s dating life. 10.10 NCIS: Los Angeles. (Mv, R) The team investigates a shootout. 11.10 The Project. (R) A look at the day’s news and events. 12.10 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) Hosted by Stephen Colbert. 1.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

ABC TV PLUS (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 7.20pm Bluey. 7.30 Spicks And Specks. 8.00 Would I Lie To You? 8.30 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. 9.10 Ghosts. 9.45 Rosehaven. 10.10 Inside Portlandia. 10.35 Portlandia. 11.00 State Of The Union. 11.20 Would I Lie To You? (Final) 11.50 MOVIE: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. (1998, MA15+) 1.30am ABC News Update. 1.35 Close. 5.00 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am WorldWatch. 10.00 Shortland St. Noon When Big Things Go Wrong. 2.20 The Future Of Work. 3.25 WorldWatch. 5.20 Shortland St. 5.50 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 8.30 Travel Man’s Greatest Trips. 9.25 Alone: The Skills Challenge. 10.15 Hudson & Rex. 11.55 Dopesick Nation. 12.45am Hate Thy Neighbour. 1.40 VICE Guide To Film. 2.30 Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. 9.00 Harry’s Practice. 9.30 NBC Today. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 I Escaped To The Country. 2.00 Creek To Coast. 2.30 Cities Of The Underworld. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 I Escaped To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Rosemary & Thyme. 8.30 Inspector George Gently. 10.30 Law & Order: UK. 11.30 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Morning Programs. 9.30 Newstyle Direct. 10.00 TV Shop. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.55 The Young And The Restless. 1.50 Garden Gurus Moments. 2.05 Dr Quinn. 3.05 Antiques Roadshow. 3.35 MOVIE: Went The Day Well? (1942, PG) 5.30 Saved & Remade. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 New Tricks. 8.40 MOVIE: Licence To Kill. (1989, M) 11.25 Late Programs.

10 PEACH (52, 11) 6am Stephen Colbert. 7.00 Becker. 8.00 Basketball. NBL. Round 11. Tasmania JackJumpers v Sydney Kings. Replay. 10.00 King Of Queens. 11.00 Frasier. Noon Becker. 1.00 Big Bang. 1.30 Seinfeld. 3.00 King Of Queens. 4.00 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 6.30 Neighbours. 7.00 Friends. 8.00 The Big Bang Theory. 9.20 Two And A Half Men. 10.10 Seinfeld. 11.10 Late Programs.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 1.30pm

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Children’s Programs.

Bamay. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 4.00 Toi Time. 4.30 Spartakus And The Sun Beneath The Sea. 5.00 Our Stories. 5.30 Indian Country Today News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.30 News. 6.40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms. 7.30 The Casketeers. 8.30 MOVIE: Bitchin: The Sound And Fury Of Rick James. (2021, MA15+) 10.30 Faboriginal. 11.00 Late Programs.

Morning Programs. 6.35 Three Summers. (2019, PG, Portuguese) 8.25 Modern Times. (1936, PG, No dialogue) 10.05 Molly’s Game. (2017, M) 12.35pm Hive. (2021, M, Albanian) 2.10 The Ipcress File. (1965, PG) 4.10 It’s All About Karma. (2017, PG, Italian) 5.50 Bye Bye Birdie. (1963, PG) 7.55 Fantastic Mr. Fox. (2009, PG) 9.30 Me, Myself And Mum. (2013, MA15+) 11.10 Late Programs.

9.00 America’s Game. 10.00 American Pickers. 11.00 Pawn Stars. Noon Aussie Salvage Squad. 2.00 Motor MythBusters. 3.00 Billy The Exterminator. 3.30 Hustle & Tow. 4.30 Storage Wars. 5.00 American Restoration. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Outback Truckers. 9.30 Heavy Tow Truckers Down Under. 10.30 Ice Road Truckers. 11.30 Late Programs.

Noon Starting Up, Starting Over. 1.00 Bewitched. 1.30 Raymond. 2.30 Full House. 3.00 Seinfeld. 4.00 Family Ties. 4.30 The Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 I Dream Of Jeannie. 6.00 Raymond. 7.00 Young Sheldon. 7.30 Seinfeld. 8.30 MOVIE: Troy. (2004, M) 11.45 Seinfeld. 12.45am Life After Lockup. 2.30 Full House. 3.00 Bakugan. 3.30 Beyblade Burst Surge. 4.00 Late Programs.

10 BOLD (53, 12) 6am Home Shopping. 8.00 Snap Happy. 8.30 Dr Phil. 9.30 Diagnosis Murder. 11.30 Jake And The Fatman. 12.30pm JAG. 2.30 Jake And The Fatman. 3.30 Diagnosis Murder. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 Bull. 9.25 FBI: International. 10.20 NCIS: Hawai’i. 11.15 48 Hours. 12.15am Home Shopping. 2.15 Diagnosis Murder. 4.05 JAG.

Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 21

Wednesday, December 20 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 Magda’s Big National Health Check. (PG, R) 11.00 That Christmas. (PG, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Vera. (Mav, R) 2.30 The Royal Variety Performance 2021. (PG, R) 4.30 Back In Time For Dinner. (PG, R) 5.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 9.00 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. 10.05 Paddington Station 24/7. (PGal, R) 10.55 Our Coast. (PG, R) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 The Point: Road To Referendum. (R) 2.05 The Wonderful World Of Chocolate. (PG, R) 2.55 Mastermind Aust. (R) 3.25 The Cook Up. (PG, R) 3.55 Great Continental Railway Journeys. (PGa, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! (R) 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 11.30 Seven Morning News. 12.00 MOVIE: Maggie’s Christmas Miracle. (2017, PGa, R) Jill Wagner, Luke Macfarlane, Lauren Guci. 2.00 Border Security: International. (PG, R) 2.30 Surf Patrol. (R) 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 Morning News. 12.00 MOVIE: A Dogwalker’s Christmas Tale. (2015, G, R) Jonathan Bennett, Lexi Giovagnoli. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 Afternoon News. 4.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. 5.00 [MELB] Millionaire Hot Seat. (R) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 The Talk. (PGa) 7.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 7.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 8.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.30 Judge Judy. (PG, R) 9.00 Bold. (PGa, R) 9.30 Neighbours. (PGa, R) 10.00 Studio 10. (PG) 12.00 10 News First: Midday. 1.00 Dr Phil. (PGls, R) 2.00 The Bachelors Australia. (PGas, R) 3.30 Farm To Fork. 4.00 Neighbours. (PGa) 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PGas) 5.00 10 News First.

6.00 Great Australian Stuff: Home. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. Presented by Sarah Ferguson. 8.00 Hard Quiz Battle Of The Influencers. (PG) Presented by Tom Gleeson. 8.30 The Yearly With Charlie Pickering 2023. Charlie Pickering is joined by a cavalcade of guests to look back at stories from 2023. 9.30 Would I Lie To You? (Final, PG, R) Hosted by Rob Brydon. 10.05 QI Christmas Special. (PG, R) Hosted by Sandi Toksvig. 10.35 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. (R) 11.15 We Hunt Together. (Malsv, R) 12.00 Life. (Mal, R) 1.05 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 2.05 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 4.00 Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One. (R) 4.30 Classic Countdown. (PG, R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG, R) Presented by Marc Fennell. 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Gods Of Tennis: Martina Navratilova And Chris Evert. (Ml) Part 3 of 3. 8.30 Monster: The Mystery Of Loch Ness: The Birth Of A Monster. (R) Part 1 of 3. A detailed exploration of the mystery of the Loch Ness monster. 9.30 Fargo. (MA15+) Lorraine calls things off. Gator asks questions. Wayne makes a surprising discovery. Indira offers a new perspective. 10.30 SBS World News Late. 11.00 COBRA. (Mal) 11.50 Max Anger: With One Eye Open. (Mal, R) 3.20 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (PGa, R) 4.20 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Game 9. Perth Scorchers v Hobart Hurricanes. From Perth Stadium. 11.00 The Amazing Race. (Final, PG) The teams continue their race around the world travelling across three continents and eight countries as they compete for the chance to claim the $1 million prize. Hosted by Phil Keoghan. 12.30 Parenthood. (Mds, R) Amber’s ex-boyfriend arrives from Fresno, putting the family on alert. 2.30 Home Shopping. 4.00 NBC Today. International news including interviews with people from the world of business, politics, media and sports. 5.00 Seven Early News. 5.30 Sunrise. News, sport and weather.

6.00 Nine News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo: Camel Lump. (PGm) Takes a look at a lump on a camel’s ear. 8.30 Clarkson’s Farm: Wilding. (Ml) Jeremy Clarkson decides to do something about Britain’s worryingly depleted insect population. 9.40 Police Rescue Australia. (PG, R) Bomb technicians travel to country NSW to detonate explosives used in the mining industry. 10.40 Superpower. (Mal) 1.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 2.00 Fishing Australia. (R) 2.30 Global Shop. (R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 News Early Edition. 5.30 Today.

6.30 The Project. The hosts and guest panellists take a look at the day’s news, events and hot topics. 7.30 The Bachelors Australia. (Final, PGl) The three eligible bachelors, Wesley Senna Cortes, Ben Waddell and Luke Bateman, have made their decisions. 9.00 My Life Is Murder. (Ma) When Alexa investigates the death of a popular male nanny, she discovers pushy parents can be more terrifying than killers she has met before. 11.00 The Hunt For The Family Court Killer. (Mav, R) Part 4 of 4. 12.00 The Project. (R) A look at the day’s news and events. 1.00 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) Hosted by Stephen Colbert. 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

ABC TV PLUS (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 6.40pm Do, Re & Mi. 7.05 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. 7.20 Bluey. 7.30 Spicks And Specks. 8.00 Would I Lie To You? 8.30 Doc Martin. 9.20 Bay Of Fires. 10.20 Killing Eve. 11.00 Would I Lie To You At Christmas? (Final) 11.35 Louis Theroux: Altered States. 12.35am Whose Line Is It Anyway? 1.00 ABC News Update. 1.05 Close. 5.00 Clangers. 5.10 Peg + Cat. 5.25 Bing. 5.35 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am WorldWatch. 10.00 Shortland St. Noon The Indian Pacific: The Full Journey. 3.00 Lee Lin Chin’s Fashionista. 3.15 WorldWatch. 5.15 Shortland St. 5.45 Vs Arashi. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 8.30 MOVIE: 2001: A Space Odyssey. (1968) 11.05 MOVIE: Poltergeist. (1982, M) 1.10am VICE. 2.20 Letterkenny. 2.45 NHK World English News. 5.00 Al Jazeera.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Shopping. 6.30 I Escaped To The Country. 7.30 Under The Hammer. 8.00 Million Dollar Minute. 9.00 Harry’s Practice. 9.30 NBC Today. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 I Escaped To The Country. 2.00 Weekender. 2.30 Cities Of The Underworld. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 I Escaped To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Heartbeat. 8.45 Lewis. 10.45 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Danger Man. 7.00 Creflo. 7.30 Skippy. 8.00 TV Shop. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.55 The Young And The Restless. 1.50 Garden Gurus Moments. 2.00 Dr Quinn. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: The Last Days Of Dolwyn. (1949) 5.30 Saved & Remade. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 As Time Goes By. 8.40 MOVIE: GoldenEye. (1995, PG) 11.20 Late Programs.

10 PEACH (52, 11) 6am The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. 7.00 Becker. 8.00 Seinfeld. 9.00 Friends. 10.00 The King Of Queens. 11.00 Frasier. Noon Becker. 1.00 NBL Slam. 1.30 The Big Bang Theory. 2.00 Seinfeld. 3.00 The King Of Queens. 4.00 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 6.30 Neighbours. 7.00 Friends. 8.00 The Big Bang Theory. 9.20 Two And A Half Men. 10.10 Seinfeld. 11.10 Late Programs.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 1.30pm Bamay. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Motown Magic. 3.25 The World According To Grandpa. 3.35 The Magic Canoe. 4.00 Toi Time. 4.30 Spartakus And The Sun Beneath The Sea. 5.00 Our Stories. 5.30 Living Black. 6.00 Bamay. 6.30 News. 6.40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms. 7.30 Supreme Team. 8.30 Barry White: Let The Music Play. 9.35 White Noise: Inside The Racist Right. 11.10 Late Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am The Movie Show. 6.15 Bye Bye Birdie. (1963, PG) 8.20 FairyTale: A True Story. (1997, PG) 10.10 Ladies Of Steel. (2020, M, Finnish) 11.55 Beautiful Lies. (2010, M, French) 1.55pm Three Summers. (2019, PG, Portuguese) 3.45 Asterix And Obelix Vs Caesar. (1999, PG, French) 5.50 Malcolm. (1986, PG) 7.25 Entrapment. (1999, PG) 9.30 28 Days. (2000, M) 11.30 Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Children’s Programs.

10.00 American Pickers. 11.00 Pawn Stars. Noon Outback Truckers. 2.00 Motor MythBusters. 3.00 Billy The Exterminator. 3.30 Hustle & Tow. 4.30 Storage Wars. 5.00 American Restoration. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Highway Patrol. 8.30 The Force: Behind The Line. 9.30 Beach Cops. 10.30 Surveillance Oz: Dashcam. 11.00 Late Programs.

Noon Starting Up, Starting Over. 1.00 Bewitched. 1.30 Raymond. 2.30 Full House. 3.00 Seinfeld. 4.00 Family Ties. 4.30 The Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 I Dream Of Jeannie. 6.00 Raymond. 7.00 Young Sheldon. 7.30 Seinfeld. 8.30 MOVIE: Deck The Halls. (2006, PG) 10.20 MOVIE: Suka. (2023, MA15+) Midnight Seinfeld. 1.00 Life After Lockup. 2.00 Late Programs.

10 BOLD (53, 12) 6am Home Shopping. 8.00 Snap Happy. 8.30 Dr Phil. 9.30 Diagnosis Murder. 11.30 Jake And The Fatman. 12.30pm JAG. 2.30 Jake And The Fatman. 3.30 Diagnosis Murder. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 Bull. 8.30 NCIS. 9.25 Hawaii Five-0. 10.20 Evil. 12.15am Home Shopping. 2.15 Diagnosis Murder. 4.05 JAG.

12478894-JW03-21

Thursday, December 21 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 The Pacific. (R) 11.00 Christmas Sounds Better This Year. (R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Vera. (Mav, R) 2.30 Hard Quiz Battle Of The Influencers. (PG, R) 3.00 Would I Lie To You? (PG, R) 3.30 Shaun The Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas. (R) 4.00 Back In Time For Dinner. (PG, R) 5.00 Back Roads. (PG, R) 5.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

6.00 WorldWatch. 9.10 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGa) 10.15 Paddington Station 24/7. (PGal, R) 11.05 Wonderful World Of Baby Animals. (PG, R) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.05 The Wonderful World Of Chocolate. (R) 2.55 Mastermind Aust. (R) 3.25 The Cook Up. (PG, R) 3.55 Great Continental Railway Journeys. (PGs, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! (R) 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 11.30 Seven Morning News. 12.00 MOVIE: Candy Cane Candidate. (2021, PGa) Jacky Lai, Jake Epstein, Edwina Renout. 2.00 Border Security: International. (PG, R) 2.30 Christmas With The Salvos. (PG, R) 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 Morning News. 12.00 MOVIE: Dancing Through Christmas. (2021, PGa) AnnaLynne McCord, Colin Lawrence. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 Afternoon News. 4.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. 5.00 [MELB] Millionaire Hot Seat. (R) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 The Talk. (PGa) 7.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 7.30 Ent. Tonight. 8.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.30 Judge Judy. (PG, R) 9.00 Bold. (PGas, R) 9.30 Neighbours. (PGa, R) 10.00 Studio 10. (PG) 12.00 10 News First: Midday. 1.00 Dr Phil. (PGal, R) 2.00 The Bachelors Australia. (PGl, R) 3.30 Farm To Fork. 4.00 Neighbours. (PGa) 4.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. (PGa) 5.00 10 News First.

6.00 Great Australian Stuff. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. (Final) Presented by Sarah Ferguson. 8.00 Project Wild: Tonga. Part 2 of 2. 8.30 Grand Designs: South Lakeland. (PG, R) Kevin McCloud meets a couple who want to build a home out of the ruins of a former blacking mill. 9.20 Lucy Worsley: Agatha Christie Mystery Queen: Destination Unknown. (PG, R) Part 2 of 3. 10.20 You Can’t Ask That. (Ma, R) 10.50 MOVIE: Whitney. (2018, Madl, R) 12.50 Nigella’s Christmas Table. (R) 1.50 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 3.05 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 4.00 Kurt Fearnley’s One Plus One. (R) 4.30 Classic Countdown. (R) 5.30 7.30. (Final, R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Secret World Of Snacks: Christmas Chocolate. Narrated by Jo Brand. 8.30 Megabridges: Spanning The Void. (PG, R) An insight into the construction of three bridges from different eras that are icons of progress. 9.30 The Doll Factory. (Malsv) Reeling from a confrontation with Silas, Iris is faced with a devastating secret. 11.30 SBS World News Late. 12.00 Mr Mercedes. (MA15+alv, R) 3.25 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (PG, R) 4.20 Bamay. (R) 4.50 Destination Flavour: Japan Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Game 10. Melbourne Renegades v Brisbane Heat. From Marvel Stadium, Melbourne. 10.30 Seven’s Cricket: The Spin. Lisa Sthalekar, Brad Hodge and Jason Richardson take a deep dive into the world of cricket. 11.00 MOVIE: Cold Pursuit. (2019, MA15+av, R) An unassuming snowplough driver seeks revenge on a criminal kingpin for his son’s murder. Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Micheál Richardson. 1.25 Black-ish. (PGa, R) Jack discovers he has a very lucrative talent, but Ruby wants to use it for the wrong reasons. 2.00 Home Shopping. 4.00 NBC Today. News and current affairs. 5.00 Seven Early News. 5.30 Sunrise. News, sport and weather.

6.00 Nine News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Great Getaways. (PG) Part 3 of 4. 8.30 RPA. (PGm, R) A 44-year-old mother from Orange is confronted with a life-changing diagnosis of abdominal cancer. 9.30 Children’s Hospital. (PGm, R) An eight-year-old arrives at the hospital in a bad way with his appendix about to burst. 10.30 Chicago Med. (MA15+am) 11.20 Emergency Call. (Ma, R) 12.10 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.05 Pointless. (PG, R) 2.00 Drive TV. (R) 2.30 Global Shop. (R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 News Early Edition. 5.30 Today.

6.30 The Project. A look at the day’s news and events. 7.30 Jamie’s Christmas Shortcuts. Part 2 of 2. Jamie Oliver turns to the period between Christmas and New Year. 8.30 Law & Order: SVU. (Mav, R) Velasco takes drastic action to get information from a witness as Benson and Carisi put crime boss Oscar Papa on trial. Fin tries to help a woman who was drugged and left for dead in a garbage truck. 10.30 Blue Bloods. (Mv, R) Frank and Mayor Chase butt heads. 11.30 The Project. (R) A look at the day’s news and events. 12.30 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) Hosted by Stephen Colbert. 1.30 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

ABC TV PLUS (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 7.20pm Bluey. 7.30 Spicks And Specks. 8.00 Would I Lie To You At Christmas? 8.30 Hard Quiz Battle Of The Influencers. 9.00 Gruen. 9.40 Penn & Teller: Fool Us. 10.20 Whose Line Is It Anyway? 10.45 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. 11.25 Would I Lie To You At Christmas? 11.55 Live At The Apollo. 12.45am Louis Theroux: Law And Disorder In Lagos. 1.40 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am WorldWatch. 10.00 Shortland St. Noon The Indian Pacific: The Full Journey. 2.55 The War On Kids. 3.20 WorldWatch. 5.15 Shortland St. 5.45 Vs Arashi. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 8.30 Beyond Oak Island. 10.10 Battleground Texas. 11.05 Locked Up: Teens Behind Bars. Midnight F*ck, That’s Delicious. 12.30 QAnon: The Search For Q. 1.20 Dark Side Of The Ring. 2.10 Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. 7.30 Under The Hammer. 8.00 Million Dollar Minute. 9.00 Harry’s Practice. 9.30 NBC Today. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 I Escaped To The Country. 2.00 South Aussie With Cosi. 2.30 My Greek Odyssey. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 I Escaped To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Father Brown. 8.30 Murdoch Mysteries. 11.30 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Danger Man. 7.00 Creflo. 7.30 Skippy. 8.00 TV Shop. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.55 The Young And The Restless. 1.50 Garden Gurus Moments. 2.00 Dr Quinn. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: Geordie. (1955) 5.30 Saved & Remade. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Keeping Up Appearances. 8.40 MOVIE: Tomorrow Never Dies. (1997, M) 11.05 Late Programs.

10 PEACH (52, 11) 6am The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. 7.00 Becker. 8.00 Seinfeld. 9.00 Friends. 10.00 The King Of Queens. 11.00 Frasier. Noon Becker. 1.00 The Big Bang Theory. 2.00 Seinfeld. 3.00 The King Of Queens. 4.00 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 6.30 Neighbours. 7.00 Friends. 8.00 The Big Bang Theory. 9.30 Seinfeld. 11.00 Frasier. Midnight Shopping. 1.30 Late Programs.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 1.30pm

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am Morning Programs. 6.35 Asterix And Obelix Vs Caesar. (1999, PG, French) 8.35 It’s All About Karma. (2017, PG, Italian) 10.15 Fantastic Mr. Fox. (2009, PG) 11.50 Motherhood. (2018, M) 1.25pm Bye Bye Birdie. (1963, PG) 3.30 Big Fish. (2003, PG) 5.50 Last Chance Harvey. (2008, PG) 7.30 The Mirror Has Two Faces. (1996, M) 9.50 Two Days In Paris. (2007, MA15+, French) 11.45 Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Children’s Programs.

10.00 American Pickers. 11.00 Pawn Stars. Noon Highway Patrol. 1.00 The Force: BTL. 2.00 Motor MythBusters. 3.00 Billy The Exterminator. 3.30 Hustle & Tow. 4.30 Storage Wars. 5.00 American Restoration. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Family Guy. 8.00 American Dad! 8.30 MOVIE: The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. (2005, PG) 10.45 Late Programs.

Noon Survivor 45. 3.00 Seinfeld. 4.00 Family Ties. 4.30 The Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 I Dream Of Jeannie. 6.00 Raymond. 7.00 Young Sheldon. 7.30 Survivor 45. 10.30 MOVIE: Vampires Suck. (2010, M) 12.10am I’ve Got A Text With Josh And Flex! 12.50 Life After Lockup. 1.50 I Dream Of Jeannie. 2.20 Full House. 2.50 Transformers: Cyberverse. 3.00 Bakugan. 3.30 Late Programs.

10 BOLD (53, 12) 6am Home Shopping. 8.00 Soccer. A-League Men. Round 8. Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC. Highlights. 8.30 Dr Phil. 9.30 Diagnosis Murder. 11.30 Jake And The Fatman. 12.30pm JAG. 2.30 Jake And The Fatman. 3.30 Diagnosis Murder. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 Bull. 8.30 NCIS. 9.25 NCIS: New Orleans. 10.20 FBI: Most Wanted. 11.15 JAG. 12.15am Home Shopping. 2.15 Diagnosis Murder. 4.05 JAG.

Bamay. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Motown Magic. 3.25 The World According To Grandpa. 3.35 The Magic Canoe. 4.00 Toi Time. 4.30 Spartakus And The Sun Beneath The Sea. 5.00 Our Stories. 5.30 The 77 Percent. 6.00 Bamay. 6.30 News. 6.40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms. 7.30 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. 8.30 Not Even. 9.00 MOVIE: I’m Not There. (2007, M) 11.20 Late Programs. 22 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

12635362-AA37-23

DISABILITY SERVICES

Geelong Neuro Centre is widely recognised as one of the leading adult neuro rehabilitation clinics in the state.

Creative and flexible Geelong Neuro Centre Kids was born off the back of the success and reputation of the Geelong Neuro Centre, widely recognised as one of the leading adult neuro rehabilitation clinics in the state. Driven by the team’s passion for helping younger clients – ranging from infants to 18 years old – GNC Kids was established. At GNC Kids, clients are encouraged with a creative and flexible approach to therapy, challenging the stereotypes of children with a disability. Staff specialise in assisting clients with physical conditions such as rare genetic conditions, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and developmental delay. GNC Kids’ specialised services include: • DMI therapy

• Supported gait retraining • Wheelchair and 24-hr positioning solutions • Play-based therapy • Adolescent to adulthood transition support • Communication device assessment and prescription • Upper limb therapy including spasticity management, splinting, and casting What sets GNC Kids apart from other therapy services is its world-class equipment, clinic environment, multidisciplinary team (speech, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and exercise physiology), and ability to think outside the square. As a parent, you can count on a creative and empowering approach to deliver the best outcomes for your child.

The family and friends picnic in April was a huge hit.

Celebrating success at TCG Congratulations for making it to the end of the year. December is a time for celebration and reflection on the year that has passed, and to look forward to what 2024 has in store for us. The Companion Group achieved many of its own goals this year, while supporting our participants to achieve theirs. In January we passed our mid-term audit with flying colours. April hosted our first ever family and friend’s picnic. June introduced Leanne, the seventh member of the TCG office.

September brought us together for our staff brush ‘n bubbles night. Over the year we were also able to deliver a new staff training platform, launch our new website and welcome 16 new Companions to the group. Our brilliant team helped to support roughly 122 participants, by delivering more than 32,000 hours of individual support and travelling more than 166,000km with our participants on community access adventures. Cheers to another excellent year, and here’s to an exciting 2024.

WE SUPPORT YOUR GOALS

Occupational Therapy

Seating and Positioning

Exercise Physiology

Concussion Rehab

Speech Pathology

Podiatry

Physiotherapy

WE ARE OPEN FOR REFERRALS

WHY WORK WITH US?

Individual Support Community Access Capacity Building Visit our website to submit your referral form or get in touch with our friendly team today!

geelong_neuro_centre 03 4245 1191 www.geelongneurocentre.com.au 12650741-AV49-23

Support for all ages Complete NDIS registration Quick referral process Experience the best workers in Geelong Complete choice and control

NDIS Registered Individual Support for Geelong, Bellarine & The Surf Coast. www.thecompaniongroup.org info@thecompaniongroup.org | 0448 809 455 12638587-MS46-23

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DISABILITY SERVICES Helping people live their best lives Crossing the Gap Disability Services believes that everyone, regardless of age, ability, gender, background, or race, can achieve their goals. Crossing the Gap offers tailored support for people across the Geelong region and demonstrates genuine care for its staff and clients. They have a vast experience working with a wide range of people living with psychosocial, intellectual, neurological and physical disabilities. The staff are constantly developing their knowledge and skills, and networking with the regional community to raise awareness of the incredible things people living with a disability can do. Crossing the Gap supports many young kids living with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and its staff are well equipped to attend to the ever changing needs and situations of each of their clients. Staff will, therefore, participate in an ADHD Master Class in December to learn even more about how the disorder affects children and adults and how parents, adults and educators can better support their loved ones. As an inclusive company, some of the disability support service’s staff have disabilities, which shows clients that anything is possible despite their barriers. Crossing the Gap promotes its motto of “Your Choice, Your Goals, Your Pace” and helps individuals live their best lives while thriving as productive community members. The organisation loves to see people succeed and regain their independence, whether by getting a job or developing their ability to do their shopping, cooking and cleaning, etc. Crossing the Gap understands that some people need ongoing support and are happy to help every person achieve their individual

The Crossing the Gap Disability Services team is ready to help people live their best lives. (Pictures: Supplied)

goals at their own pace. They also recently participated in expositions at a specialist school in Colac and the Barwon Valley Primary School to inform the communities about disabilities and the services available. Crossing the Gap’s story began in 2021

when Kristy Browing and Suzie Webber decided to grow their small sole trader business and became leading care providers in the disability field. The staff are well-qualified to work with disabilities across all age ranges. Their services include community access, complex care,

disability in-home care, disability respite, and independent living skills. To learn how Crossing the Gap Disability Services can help you and your family, visit www.ctgdisability.com.au or call Kristy on 0493 057 276.

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DISABILITY SERVICES Tyler continues to learn and thrive at Coles Tyler Cook’s pursuit of his dream job has paid off in more ways than just a pay packet. Six years into his role as retail assistant at Coles, Tyler continues to challenge himself to learn new skills, and enjoys connecting with customers from his local community. “The thing I like the most, it’s the cash registers. I like working with the customers, they’re kind,” said Tyler. The MatchWorks team first met Tyler when he was 19 years old. He was highly motivated to find work, visiting local businesses to introduce himself. He had a clear picture of what he wanted from MatchWorks as his Disability Employment Services (DES) provider, with a job at his local Coles in Lara at the top of his wish list. Tyler’s mother Sharon supported his career goals but was also acutely aware of the barriers that people living with disability can experience in their search for meaningful work.

‘‘

I like working with the customers, they’re kind

’’

- Tyler Cook “When he was younger, he always wanted to work at Coles. And we used to say to him, ‘oh maybe one day mate, there’s plenty of other things out there to do’. We never thought that he would actually get a chance to do it,” she said. MatchWorks employment engagement partner Joanne Falcone worked closely with Coles, assisting with access to government funding, and providing recruitment and onboarding support. Tyler was offered a position at Coles Lara, where he continues to be a valued team member. “He has really come into his own, which is amazing, and he is a completely different person than I met all those years ago…there has been a huge turnaround in his demeanour,” Joanne said. “Tyler has year on year demonstrated that he’s productive, that he’s a value to the business, that customers enjoy seeing him.” MatchWorks post placement support officer Katrina Gafa provides ongoing assistance to

Tyler Cook is thriving in his role as retail assistant at Coles. (Supplied)

Tyler and to the team at Coles to support his ongoing success. “He provides the best customer service. Regular customers stop and see how Tyler has been or ask for help. If he is unable to assist, he

asks them to come with him and finds someone who can help,” said Katrina. “Tyler is constantly wanting to challenge himself and be delegated new tasks to keep learning at work. He has said he would like

to work towards becoming an assistant department manager.” Learn more about MatchWorks Disability Employment Services at matchworks.com.au

Understanding individuals with disability and adaptability rather than limitation.

Disability is an aspect of the human experience that touches the lives of millions around the world. It encompasses a wide range of conditions, affecting people physically, intellectually, or emotionally. Embracing diversity means acknowledging and appreciating the unique abilities and perspectives that individuals with disability bring to society. In this article, we will explore the various facets of disability, challenge common misconceptions, and discuss the importance of creating an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone.

Creating an inclusive society Building an inclusive society involves dismantling physical and attitudinal barriers that may prevent individuals with disability from fully participating in all aspects of life. This includes accessible infrastructure, inclusive education, and employment opportunities. Governments, businesses, and communities play crucial roles in fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. Education is a powerful tool for dispelling myths and promoting understanding. By incorporating disability awareness into school curricula, we can instill empathy and acceptance from a young age. Businesses can also contribute by adopting inclusive hiring practices, providing reasonable accommodations, and fostering a workplace culture that values diversity.

Understanding disability Disability is not a monolithic concept; it is diverse and multifaceted. It includes physical disabilities, such as mobility impairments, visual or hearing impairments, intellectual disabilities, and mental health conditions. Each person’s experience of disability is unique, shaped by their individual circumstances, abilities, and the environment they navigate. It is crucial to recognise that disability do not define individuals; they are just one aspect of who they are. People with disability have talents, skills, and aspirations that contribute to the rich tapestry of human experience. By understanding and respecting these differences, we can move towards a more inclusive society. 26 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

The role of technology Common misconceptions Despite efforts to raise awareness, there are still prevalent misconceptions surrounding disability. One common misconception is that individuals with disability are limited in their abilities or potential. In reality, many people with disability lead successful lives, pursuing careers, engaging in social activities, and

contributing to their communities. Another misconception is that disability is a static condition. However, disability is often dynamic, influenced by factors such as advances in medical treatment, assistive technologies, and changes in social and environmental conditions. It is important to view disability through a lens of capability

Advancements in technology have played a transformative role in improving the lives of individuals with disability. From screen readers and voice recognition software for the visually impaired to mobility aids and prosthetics, technology has opened up new possibilities and avenues for inclusion. However, it is essential to ensure that these technologies are accessible and affordable for all.

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Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 27

ENTERTAINMENT

Local legends bring the laughs By Matt Hewson Did you hear the one about the four Boomers who wanted to put on a comedy show? Well, you can this Sunday, December 17 at the Potato Shed when four of Geelong’s best-loved entertainers present their brand-new, old-fashioned show, Stand-Up For Seniors. Colin Mockett OAM, who leads the four-man troupe, has been a journalist, a broadcaster, a historian, even a fish and chip shop owner, but he is probably best known for his work in entertainment. Part of comedy trio There Was an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman alongside Roy Carson and Ron Sutton, Mockett co-created the Concert of the Decade

series at Costa Hall, established the Geelong Theatre Awards and founded the History Alive! Geelong Cemetery Tours, among other things. For him, the new show represents a return to what made comedy great in years past. “In comedy shows these days, jokes have been replaced by either outrage or a whole rant at society… they’ve all got a purpose, rather than just somebody standing there, having fun and telling jokes,” he said. “So we put together this particular little show. We don’t use bad language, we don’t tell jokes about drug-taking or anything like that, (just) old-fashioned jokes. “The jokes have to make us laugh, they have to be funny in the first place. And they have to be original if possible; it’s not the old jokes

being rolled out or even varieties of the old jokes being rolled out. “It’s new takes on life today from the point of view of four old codgers who are quite determined to have a bright and merry time without any reference to Christmas at all.” Mockett will be joined on stage by three long-time colleagues; actor (and virologist) Bryan Eaton, actor (and teacher) Barry Eeles and legendary rock and roller Allan James. “We have one aim in mind, and that is to leave everybody a lot happier than when they came in,” Mockett said. “We’re going to have fun, and we’re inviting the audience to come along and have fun with us, without being nasty or using bad language or talking down to them. We just want people to have a lovely time laughing.”

Allan James, Colin Mockett, Bryan Eaton and Barry Eeles present Stand-Up For Seniors at the Potato Shed on December 17. (Supplied)

Good grief, it’s Charlie Brown coming to life!

Sophia Katos and Chelsea Gibb. (Ivan Kemp) 378356_03

The beloved characters of Charles M Schulz’s Peanuts come to life this summer when Geelong’s newest professional theatre company What’s On? Production Company presents You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Running for six shows across three days from January 11 to 13, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown comes from the acclaimed creative team of director Paul Watson (Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You, Wicked) and choreographer Vanessa Paech (Rent, The Boy From Oz, Chicago). The show gives a snapshot of the lives of Charlie Brown, sister Sally, Lucy and Linus van Pelt, Schroeder and, of course, everyone’s favourite beagle, Snoopy. Playing the role of Lucy is one of the most

sought after leading ladies in Australian musical theatre and Geelong local Chelsea Gibb (Chicago, Cabaret, Anything Goes), with fellow local actor Sophia Katos (Wentworth, Strictly Ballroom) as Sally Brown. Gibb said what drew her to this musical was its portrayal of five very different children navigating their way through situations that often seemed too much, only to find it was okay to just be themselves. “I’ve got five kids, so looking at this show, it’s this beautiful representation of children struggling with their own issues… but ultimately they can be okay,” Gibb said. “I’m excited for the talking points for families, I’m excited for the dinner table

discussion afterwards. And it’s just a joyous experience.” Katos agreed, pointing out the musical was written in 1967 but remained hugely relevant today for adults and children alike. “The songs are catchy and funny and the characters are really infectious, but for adults it’s really philosophical,” she said. “It asks the big questions; what makes us happy, why are we here? Charlie Brown’s going through an existential crisis. “And these kids, they just strive and they keep going, and they work out they’re all okay, just as they are.” Matt Hewson

Stefan West has released his new single Happily Ever After. (Ivan Kemp) 378594_05

The beauty of growing old

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28 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

Geelong indie artist Stefan West has released a new single focusing on all aspects of life and the beauty of growing old. Happily Ever After was released on December 15, the second single from Mr West’s upcoming debut album Cambridge. Mr West said he wanted to explore the different parts of his life and write about the positive emotions along with the negative. “I think staying young is about remaining very curious, staying really playful and continuing to learn,” he said. “I don’t know if the chorus came first or the verse, but I remember the idea of Happily Ever After came to my mind, and that was the first time in my life I felt safe and secure in a relationship. “It happened by accident through wanting to explore everything in my own experience, not just the parts that I struggle with but the parts

that I celebrate and make me feel good, joyous and blissful.” Mr West said the inspiration for the single came from a relationship he was in at the time and that growing old was guaranteed but only sometimes celebrated. “The verses are about the feeling of what it is to grow old, almost nostalgic because it feels like you’ve been there before, but it’s also something that’s brand new,” he said. “The song is a beautiful mesh of an intense moment I had never experienced before, accompanied by a train of thought that felt incredibly freeing, painted into a new world in my mind.” Mr West is also a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and addiction recovery, with his passion and experiences flowing through his music. Jena Carr

GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

NEWS

FROM THE ARCHIVES The Geelong Independent looks back through the pages of our archives

7 years ago

5 years ago

3 years ago

1 year ago

December 16, 2016

December 14, 2018

December 11, 2020

December 16, 2022

Waurn Ponds crime has surged by 26 per cent in 12 months, according to data released by the state opposition yesterday (Thursday). Three months of reduced counter hours at Waurn Ponds Police Station had contributed to the rise, said South Barwon MP Andrew Katos.

Belmont traders have threatened legal action if bike lanes go ahead on High Street following a council survey for the controversial plans. Traders including baker Sean Clark told the Indy they would seek compensation if construction of bike lanes impacted their businesses.

Four former Geelong detectives who prevented a murder and a potential child-hostage situation have won recognition after a decade-long wait. “I have been fighting for recognition for those members since 2010,” said Paul Robson, then a detective sergeant. “I could not have asked for three more experienced and professional members than I had with me on that day.”

Another greyhound has died at the Geelong racetrack, making Geelong the second-deadliest track in Australia behind Shepparton with nine deaths. According to the stewards’ report for Thursday, December 8, two-year-old Felonious Gru suffered a broken leg in an undescribed incident in the catching pen after completing the fifth race at Geelong and was then euthanised by the on-track vet.

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Member of AFDA | Ph: 5221 4788 Email: west@tuckers.com.au Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 29

NEWS GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

Tiny house project pilot begins A Tiny Houses on Wheels (THOWs) Pilot is starting in the Surf Coast Shire to provide more affordable housing and key worker accommodation. The council endorsed the three-year pilot, which will run until December 2026, during its December 12 meeting, with applications now open. Mayor Liz Pattison said the program would help address the impacts of THOWs and whether it would provide a safe and legal way to offer diverse and affordable housing options. “Issues surrounding the regulation of tiny houses on wheels are complex and largely uncharted in Victoria,” she said.

“We’re among the first councils in Australia to endorse a tiny houses pilot, and we’re proud to be proactive in this space to provide key workers with a potential accommodation solution. “The pilot also supports our goal to see households take their own steps to become more sustainable, with tiny homes typically resulting in a reduced environmental footprint.” Mayor Pattison said the pilot was not a “short-term leisure-style accommodation” and that successful applicants would receive a Temporary Residence permit. “It could enable residents, some who might currently be living in unaffordable

or unsuitable housing, to stay in their community close to their jobs, social networks and family,” she said. “We’re also clear in what a THOWs is. In this pilot, we aren’t classifying caravans, wagons, vans, tents, transportable homes, or shipping containers as THOWs. “The pilot adds to the Aireys Inlet Affordable Housing Project to develop social and affordable housing in Fraser Drive, and the Anglesea Community and Health Hub draft precinct plan which features proposed townhouses and apartments for key workers.” For more information on how to apply for the THOWs Pilot, visit surfcoast.vic.gov.au/ THOWs

Surf Coast Shire starts its Tiny Houses on Wheels Pilot. (Aussie Tiny Houses)

Shire takes no sides on Gaza

Aboriginal organisations from across Victoria met in Geelong last week to discuss housing and homelessness. (Supplied)

Tackling housing and homelessness Aboriginal organisations from across the state met in Geelong last week to discuss a housing and homelessness crisis facing their communities. Hosted by Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, the Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Forum (AHHF) celebrated a commitment from Housing Australia and Homes Victoria to meet in early 2024 to ascertain how they can support Aboriginal housing providers to access funding to build housing. The AHHF is made up of 38 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations from all over the state that deal with homelessness on the ground. AHHF chair Darren Smith said given the scale of the Aboriginal housing crisis in

Geelong, it was fitting that the meeting took place on Wathaurong Country. “In the Barwon region, like in many regional areas, there is a scarcity of affordable rental housing,” he said. “We know Aboriginal people are more likely to rent. This is tied to the historical dispossession of Aboriginal people, the continuing legacy of colonisation and because of this an inability to create generational wealth. “You can’t tackle homelessness without housing and there simply aren’t enough housing options. For example, in Barwon, 37 per cent of people that access the homelessness system exit it homeless because there’s nowhere appropriate to go. “Barwon isn’t unique in this sense, the Aboriginal housing and homelessness crisis

is statewide and felt acutely in regional areas. We need a concerted effort, at all levels of government, to increase the number of Aboriginal social and affordable housing dwellings.” Aboriginal people in Victoria are accessing homelessness services at 10 times the rate of non-Indigenous people, AHHF said. “The fact that Aboriginal homelessness increased by 40 per cent between 2016 and 2021 in Victoria according to census data demonstrates the enormity of the issue,” Mr Smith said. “The figures are unacceptable – the AHHF’s guiding framework is called Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort, which means ‘every Aboriginal person has a home’ in Gunditjmara dialects. We will keep fighting for this through the AHHF.”

The Surf Coast Shire Council has decided not to take a position in addressing the current conflict in Gaza. During its December 12 meeting, the question was brought forward by a member of the public on whether the shire would do anything regarding the Israel-Hamas war. Chief executive Robin Seymour said the council didn’t have the means to influence the conflict in Gaza and would not take a position. “The war in Gaza is shocking and I think each and every one of us when we’ve seen the footage and heard the stories are horrified by what’s happening in Gaza at the moment,” she said. “Our hearts go out to all of those who are impacted by the conflict, whether it’s those who have family members in Gaza or those who are witnessing from here. “We don’t have a means to actually influence the situation in Gaza, it’s a federal government matter and it’s appropriate that the federal government advocate for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.” Mayor Liz Pattison said she felt deeply for everyone involved in the conflict and that local community groups were doing “great work” in supporting refugees and people displaced by war. “Like all of us, I am devastated by what is happening in Gaza right now and the stories, images and footage are just horrific,” she said. The decision follows a statement made by City of Greater Geelong Council mayor Trent Sullivan calling on the federal government to support a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza. Four other Victorian councils have declared their support, with Yarra City Council joining the Merri-bek, Maribyrnong and Dandenong councils during its December 12 meeting. Jena Carr

Lotus Kitchen raises more than $10k for food truck A community fundraiser has raised over $10,000, giving anti-modern slavery project the Lotus Kitchen the chance to get its vintage food truck on the road. The Lotus Kitchen Food Truck Trivia Night, held at Cloverdale Community Centre in partnership with A2B Support, hosted 100 attendees for a six-course Thai banquet, with the intent of raising both money for the Lotus Kitchen food truck and awareness of modern day slavery. Lotus Kitchen, which began selling Thai 30 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

food one night a week during the pandemic, works to liberate women from modern slavery and provide them with community connections and volunteer employment. Cloverdale chief executive Liz Bonner-Barnett said the night was so successful the community centre would run the event annually from now on. “A lot of people have never walked through the door of a neighbourhood house or community centre… but it was really joyful and fun,” she said.

“(The Lotus Kitchen staff) love this truck and they want to see it on the road, so they’re really driven and dynamic. And the feedback from everybody was that the food was delicious, they did an amazing job.” Ms Bonner-Barnett said the funds would see the food truck fit-out completed over the next few months. She said the project was already making a bigger impact on people’s lives thanks to the fundraiser. “I was talking to a woman today who is

engaged with the kitchen but is currently in a debt bondage situation,” she said. “The food truck for us represents an opportunity to start planning her gainful employment. She’s a qualified chef… and we need a head chef, a person who’s qualified to train people underneath her. “It’s exciting. Now we’ve got hope and a plan.” Matt Hewson

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adventures of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the Pirates come to life in the fun-filled fantastical world of Neverland. wonderlandspiegelte nt.com.au 12656441-SM50-23

Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 31

NEWS GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

Dolly’s Creek diggings 160 YEARS AGO IN GEELONG From the pages of the Geelong Chronicle DOLLY’S CREEK DIGGINGS The area known as Dolly’s Creek is today just a camping ground and a walking track, a few miles north of Morrisons. In 1864, Dolly’s Creek diggings, on a tributary of the Moorabool River, was home to a thriving little community of miners and their families. Alluvial gold had been discovered in the creek in 1856; and there were further ‘rushes’ in the early 1860s. The reporter for the Geelong Chronicle was up there in 1864 and noted that “these diggings have changed wonderfully during the last year”. The creek, which ran very low or was dry at certain times of the year, “now has a constant supply of water, which is brought from the Lal Lal, a distance of six or seven miles”. “Where they were getting gold, opposite

Adamson’s store, is now like a maze of worked-out quarries. Gold is still being got in payable quantities on the Charcoal Hill, and it is here that the mass of the diggers are employed. Adamson’s store, which four years ago was merely a small place, some 12 feet square, is now as large as most of town stores. “Four years ago Dolly’s Creek could not boast of a single hotel; weary travellers used to get disappointed, and troop back to Morrison’s. The hotel that Adamson has built adjoining his store is a handsome, spacious building, and a credit to the place. At the back of the hotel is a large assembly hall, which can accommodate between two and three hundred people.” An amateur singer and ventriloquist from Geelong filled up the Assembly Hall to capacity. Henry Meakin gave numerous concerts in the district in aid of funds for the

Geelong hospital. The first in the series was at Dolly’s Creek, in June 1864. Adamson’s Assembly Rooms were “crowded to excess, and the entertainment, if one can judge by the roars of applause, gave great satisfaction to everyone present”. In 1864, steps were also being taken to establish a post office at Dolly’s Creek. The Geelong Chronicle thought it was not before time. “There are some three hundred inhabitants round and about, and the nearest post office is at Morrison’s, some three miles. The road between them is very much a quagmire in winter.” The Dolly’s Creek Post Office opened for business at the start of January 1865. This article was provided by the Geelong Historical Society. For enquiries, email admin@geelonghistoricalsociety.org.au or write C/- P.O. Box 7129, Geelong West, 3218.

Left: Admin manager Lisa Havey and venue manager Rob McLeod. Centre: Cabaret performer Molly Diamond. Right: Jane Clifton Below left: Veteran entertainer Issie Dye. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 378343

Shed launches new year schedule Drysdale’s much-loved Potato Shed held its 2024 launch on Wednesday December 6 and Ivan Kemp was there to take these pics.

Above: Master puppeteer and illusionist Murray Raine. Right: Tash York. 32 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

PUZZLES No. 163

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

4 5 8 8 2 3

12 13 14 15 20 21 25 26 28 29 30 31

5 8 9 6 3 1 8 5 7 3 6 4 2 7 7 4 8 5 6

8 9 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 27

No. 163

Those sharing a house (9) Send (4) A stringed musical instrument (6) Small rowboat (6) Dead and putrefying flesh (7) Psychiatrist (9) 13 to 19 (7) Chinese east coast city (8) Medieval weapon (8) A red wine (6) Food retailer (6) Meal (6) South Pacific island (4)

DOWN Game bird (8) Love song (8) Bondage (6)

1 2 3

medium

Messages sent on holiday (9) Matured (4) Organ used to hear (3) Thing found disgusting or vile (11) Words of the same meaning (8) Rupture (6) Naked (4) Post (7) Rubeola (7) Thunder god (4) Voice box (6) A doctor’s customers (8) Acknowledgement (11) Centre (3) Edible rootstock (4) Question and answer session (9)

1 6 10 11

1 8

4 5 7

ACROSS

easy

1 6 7

QUICK CROSSWORD

DECODER

No. 163

5 7

4 3 8 9 4 4 1 5 8 7 8 7 6 9 7 9 3 1 2 7 5 hard

9 1 1 3 2 6 1 4 8 7 9 6 4 5 6 1 7 8 9 1 8 7 2 2 6

10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

G M 14

F I D V ZWX U K T H Y J 1

9-LETTER WORD Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

Today’s Aim: 21 words: Good 32 words: Very good 43 words: Excellent

1 2 9 6 3 7 4 5 8 6 7 5 1 4 8 2 3 9 4 8 3 5 9 2 6 7 1 3 6 4 7 1 5 9 8 2 8 5 2 9 6 3 7 1 4 9 1 7 8 2 4 5 6 3 2 9 1 3 7 6 8 4 5 5 3 6 4 8 9 1 2 7 7 4 8 2 5 1 3 9 6

1 9 6 8 3 7 5 2 4 8 3 4 9 2 5 1 7 6 5 7 2 6 4 1 9 3 8 3 6 7 1 8 9 4 5 2 4 1 9 2 5 3 6 8 7 2 5 8 7 6 4 3 1 9 6 4 1 5 7 2 8 9 3 7 8 5 3 9 6 2 4 1 9 2 3 4 1 8 7 6 5

hard

L D

6 7 4 1 9 3 2 8 5 5 2 9 8 6 4 1 7 3 8 1 3 7 2 5 6 4 9 1 4 6 2 3 8 5 9 7 7 8 5 9 1 6 3 2 4 3 9 2 5 4 7 8 6 1 4 5 7 3 8 2 9 1 6 9 6 8 4 5 1 7 3 2 2 3 1 6 7 9 4 5 8 Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

G S

3 LETTERS ACE AGO APE ASK ATE BOA DUO EGO ERA FBI GEL GNU INS KEG OAF OFF ROW RUE SEA SEE TEE URN UTE WEB 4 LETTERS BULB EARN EGGS GROW LATE LOTS MYTH REEF RIFT SALT SELL SKIM SONG UNTO

abiding, aiding, ailing, algid, align, aligns, bailing, balding, baling, bang, bangs, basing, biasing, biding, digs, ding, dings, DISABLING, gain, gains, gild, gilds, gins, glad, gland, glib, idling, lading, lags, lang, nags, sailing, sang, sibling, siding, sidling, sign, sing, slag, slang, sliding, sling, snag

medium

C O E B L S NR P AQGM

easy

WORDFIT

5 LETTERS ADORE

No. 163

* $ 5 / , &

ALONG APRIL ARENA ARISE AURAS AWOKE BESET CARGO CEDED CHOSE DAZED DEBUG DELTA EIGHT ELEGY ENTER ESSAY ETHER EVICT FERNS FORGE GRAPE

HORDE HORSE IRONY ISLES LEECH LUNGE MADAM MAINS MERGE METER ONION OPENS PANEL RATIO REINS ROBOT SCORE SHARP SHOES SORES SPEAR TOKEN

TOYED TWEED USING WALTZ WEDGE 6 LETTERS CAWING GARLIC LIKELY ONWARD

7 LETTERS ELASTIC ENEMIES EROSION FOOTAGE ORIENTS RIVETED 8 LETTERS HANDRAIL INCITING INSTANCE POWERFUL

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COMMUNITY GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

COMMUNITY CALENDAR WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED? Community Calendar is made available free of charge to not-for-profit organisations to keep the public informed of special events and activities. Send item details to Geelong Independent Community Calendar, 1/47 Pakington Street, Geelong West, 3218, or email to editorial@geelongindependent.com.au. Deadline for copy and announcements is 5pm Tuesday.

■ probussouthpacific.org/microsites/waurn

Ballroom dance Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Highway. Admission $10 includes supper. Saturday December 16, 7.30pm-11pm, music Ben Costanzo. ■ 0400 500 402

Grovedale East Ladies Probus Fourth Monday of each month, 10am, Waurn Ponds Hotel. ■ Sally Nelson, 0402 450 610, or nelsonsally59@gmail.com

Geelong Harmony Chorus Women’s four-part harmony singing. All ages encouraged. Rehearsals Mondays 6.45pm in Herne Hill. ■ contact@geelongharmony.com.au, or 0406 666 737

Combined Probus Club The Combined Probus Club of Geelong East meets every third Monday of the month, 10am, East Geelong Uniting Church, corner Boundary and Ormond Roads. ■ Malcolm, 0419 376 380

Geelong Welsh Ladies Choir Small ladies choir who require no knowledge of the Welsh language. Meet Wednesdays 7pm at St Luke’s, Highton to help each other sing in Welsh and English. ■ 0413 406 433, or welshladieschoir.com.au

Geelong Scout Heritage Centre Meets third Sunday of the month, 56 Russell Street, Newtown, 10am-3pm. ■ 0419 591 432, or geelong.heritage@scoutsvictoria.com.au

Belmont Combined Probus Chess clubs Ocean Grove, Tuesdays at 1.30pm at 101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove; Portarlington, Mondays at 9.30am, Parks Hall, 87 Newcombe Street, Portarlington; and St Leonards, Thursdays at 9.30am, unit 2 1375-1377 Murradoc Road (on Blanche Street), St Leonards. ■ Ralph, 0431 458 100 (Ocean Grove), Rob, 5259 2290 (Portarlington), Lyn, 5292 2162 (St Leonards)

Badminton

Carpet Bowls

Afternoon tea dance

Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Highway, Wednesday and Friday each week, 1pm to 3.15pm. $4 Admission and includes afternoon tea. ■ 0400 500 402

Life Activities Club [Geelong Inc] afternoon tea dance Thursdays, 2-4pm, at Belmont Park Pavilion. Entry: $5. ■ 5251 3529

Social mixed, Corio Leisuretime Centre, Mondays 12.30pm. Beginners welcome. ■ Maureen, 0429 397 015

Barwon Valley Belmont Probus Geelong Breakfast Lions Club

■ geelongdayview@gmail.com

Meets first Tuesday of each month, 8am at The Eastern Hub, East Geelong. ■ ajd53m@yahoo.com

Leopold VIEW

First steps in music OMNI Older men new ideas men’s friendly informal chat group, South Barwon Community Centre, 33 Mt Pleasant Road, Belmont, 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, 10.30am. ■ Allan, 0409 665 608

Babies, toddlers and preschoolers welcome with parent/carer. Thursdays Northern Bay College, Tallis, and Fridays at Northern Bay College, Peacock. Free if living in 3214 postcode, bookings essential. ■ info@bluebirdfoundationinc.org.au

Second Tuesday of each month at Leopold Sportsmans’ Club at 10.30am. ■ leopold.viewclub@gmail com

Geelong Evening VIEW Third Monday of the month, 6pm at Waurn Ponds Hotel. ■ Von, 0414 930 259, or geelongeveningview@gmail.com

Lions Club International Enjoy meeting great people and help out your community at the same time. Clubs all over Geelong & District – see which one is right for you. ■ Les, 0428 466 446

PlayLinks Lara Community Market Run by Rotary Club of Lara District every second Sunday of the month at Lara RSL from 9am to 1pm.

Geelong Amateur Radio Club Storrer Street Clubhouse, Geelong, Wednesdays 1.30pm to 4pm and Fridays at 6.30pm. ■ Robert, 0438 409 979, or vk3atl.org

Geelong’s Soroptimist International Service club for women and girls, every second Tuesday of the month from 6pm at Belmont RSL. ■ 0455 835 691, or geelong@siswp.com

Geelong Sports & Game Fishing Meets first and third Monday of the month at Belmont Park Pavilion, 7.30pm. ■ John, 0409 234 307

Geelong Anglers Club Meets fourth Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm, 9 Yuille Street, Geelong West. Monthly fishing competitions. ■ Brian, 0417 190 092, or Ian, 0470 114 787

Drysdale CWA Every second Tuesday at 1pm and crafts every third Tuesday at 11.30am of each month at Drysdale RSL Club. ■ Jenny, 0452 258 333

Scottish country dancing classes GOG Scottish Country Dance classes 7.30pm Tuesdays at Leopold Hill Hall, $5. No partner needed. ■ Jane, 0481 126 022, or Barbara, 0419 511 781 34 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

First Monday of the month, 10am, Geelong RSL. ■ Pamela 5243 4042, or probusclubofbelmont@outlook.com

Music and art playgroup where babies, toddlers and preschoolers learn together with their parent/carer. Wednesdays St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, Norlane. Free if living in 3214 postcode, bookings essential. ■ info@bluebirdfoundationinc.org.au

GROW Australia Community organisation offering practical steps and peer support to help recover and maintain mental health through free face to face and online groups. Mondays 7pm, 195 Ormond Road, East Geelong, Fridays 12.45pm, Vines Road Community Centre, Hamlyn Heights, Zoom group 7pm Tuesdays. ■ grow.org.au, or 1800 558 268

First Thursday of the month, 10am, Waurn Ponds Hotel. ■ Membership officer, 0407 333 263, or bobstafford@ozemail.com.au

Hamlyn Heights Probus Second Thursday of the month, 10am, Geelong Cement Bowls Club, 200 McCurdy Road, Herne Hill. ■ Noel, 0425 706 339

Geelong Central Probus Third Friday of the month, 9.45am, Geelong RSL. ■ geelcentprob@gmail.com

Newcomb Probus Third Wednesday of each month, 10am, East Geelong Uniting Church, corner Boundary and Ormond Roads. ■ Gary, 0407 320 735

Grovedale Marshall Probus Second Thursday of the month,10am at The Grovedale Hub, 45 Heyers Road, Grovedale. ■ Anne, 0425 356 973

Polish language for kids

Ocean Grove Men’s Probus

Music for preschoolers

First Monday of each month, 10am, except January, at Surf Life Saving Club. ■ Barry, 0409 161 129

Mainly Music is a music and movement program for babies to preschoolers at St Albans-St Andrews Uniting Church, 276 Wilsons Road, Whittington, Tuesdays 10am during school terms. ■ Rhonda, 0437 241 345

Stamps

Fortnightly Polish language classes for kids aged 7-11 at one of Geelong’s libraries. ■ Dorota, 5224 1105

Geelong Philatelic Society Inc meets 7pm first Saturday of the month at Virginia Todd Community Hall, 9-15 Clarence Street, Geelong West and 1pm third Monday of the month at Belmont Library, 163 High Street, Belmont. ■ Julie, 0438 270 549

Geelong Rostrum Public Speaking Club Inc meets each Monday. ■ Andrew, 0408 369 446, or Jan, 0407 296 958

Barefoot bowls

Sing Out Geelong

Bareena Bowling Club, Newtown, Friday twilight starting 6pm. $15 covers bowls and BBQ. Drinks at Crackerjack bar prices. ■ John, 0419 563 199

Community singing for fun at Geelong West Neighbourhood House, 7.30pm-9pm every second Thursday in school term times. $10. ■ singoutgeelong.com.au

Rostrum meets

Grovedale Seniors Indoor bowls Monday 1-3pm; gentle exercise Tuesday 9-9.45am; cards (Euchre) Tuesday 1-3pm; bingo Thursday 1-3pm. Grovedale Community Hub, 45 Heyers Road. ■ Julie, 0419 549 521

Grovedale Marshall Probus Saturdays 9am, Eastern Beach in front of the swimming enclosure. 30-minutes free laughter yoga done standing or seated. ■ 0418 521 265

Meets second Thursday of the month, 10am, Grovedale Neighbourhood House, 45 Heyers Road. ■ Viv, 0458 288 504, or viviennebuchanan51@gmail.com

Art lectures each month, morning and evening, Newcomb Hall, Wilsons Road. ■ adfas.org.au, or geelong@adfas.org.au

Drysdale Day VIEW

Belmont Central Combined Probus

Geelong Jukebox Rockers

Fourth Friday of each month at Portarlington Golf Club for lunch. ■ Margaret, 0431 636 090

Second Wednesday of each month, 10am, Waurn Ponds Hotel. ■ 0417 555 547

Geelong Day VIEW

Waurn Ponds Combined Probus

First Monday monthly from 11am at Eastern Hub, East Geelong.

Fourth Wednesday of the month, 10am. Maximum 100 members.

•฀฀Monday฀social฀nights,฀Club฀Italia,฀Moolap,฀ 7pm-9pm, $5. •฀Monthly฀dance฀nights,฀Club฀Italia,฀Moolap,฀ first Saturday of month, live band, trybooking.com. ■ 0432 503 997, or jukeboxrockers@gmail.com

Laughter Club Geelong

Adfas Geelong

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Out and about Carols in the Park dodged the weekend rain and attracted a large crowd to Ocean Grove Park and Independent photographer Ivan Kemp was there to capture the Christmas spirit.

11 8

1/ Combined Our Lady Star of the Sea, Ocean Grove and Surfside primary schools under the banner of Jon Mamonski. 2/ Stellar entertaining the crowd. 3/ The Sweethearts band. 4/ Lara and Ande Santilli with children Luca and Rafael. 5/ Georgie and Clayton McIntosh with children Lila and Leo. 6/ Children watching the entertainment. 7/ Hannah, David and Jo Senftleben. 8/ Winnie, Noa and Otis. 9/ Erin Ryan (right) with daughter Eve and Niamh Rankin. 10/ Robby Methercote and son Jules. 11/ Mario and Ash Psaila with children Zafira, Zachariah and Kenzie. 12/ Samia and Di Sloane with grandchildren Pip, Hugh and Eva. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 376606 Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 35

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General Classifieds V For Sale GROODLE puppies Light-mid golden, born 29th October. Source Number MB235318. Microchip 956000016683541, 956000016589587 Phone: 0407 531 239 ecvicary@gmail.com

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36 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

MOTOR

Volvo XC60, there’s plenty to say By Derek Ogden, Marque Motoring What’s in a name? Plenty for Volvo, the Sino-Swedish car maker with its new mid-size luxury SUV, the XC60, tagged with a string of descriptors to separate each model from one another. Take, for example, our test vehicle, the Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright: phew! And that mouthful comes without mentioning vital specifications such as the powertrain – in this case 2-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine, plus eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. ‘Ultimate’ relates to the trim level, B5 to the engine, a turbocharged petrol motor enhanced by a standard 48V mild hybrid system to achieve higher fuel economy and lower emissions, while ‘Bright’ (or ‘Dark’) refers to core design elements. While Volvo is now owned by Geely Automobile, a major automotive brand based in China, the XC60 exhibits sleek Scandinavian styling, efficient four-cylinder engines and quality cabin ambiance. Range-topping Ultimate trim gets matrix LED headlights, 20in alloy wheels, adaptive dampers, air suspension, a head-up display, a powered passenger’s seat, power-folding rear headrests and a panoramic roof. While Volvo was initially slow to catch up, a move to a longer five-year warranty and fixed-price servicing puts the XC60 on a par with the opposition.

Styling Apart from the Volvo front grille and Thor’s Hammer headlamp display, the XC60 Ultimate is pretty much out of the standard premium SUV catalogue design-wise. For example, the vehicle shows off pleasing, if not striking, dimensions from all directions. The Bright theme of the test vehicle is standard, keeping the same exterior elements as the core model while the Dark theme, offered at no extra cost, gives new Volvo vehicles a sportier appearance inspired by the former R-Design model by replacing the chrome accents with black elements and making way for a more aggressive stance.

The refreshed Volvo XC60 continues to hold its place high in the mid-size premium SUV market. (Pictures: Supplied)

Interior With its ‘driftwood decor’ inlay inspired by the natural forces of water, wind and waves, the XC60 is a genuine five-seater, with optional Nappa leather accented front seats including seat ventilation and optional ten-point massage. A panoramic sunroof allows natural light to flood in, creating a feeling of space for everyone in the cabin. A word about the gearshift. Situated on the centre console it’s hard to ignore this genuine work of art. A product of Swedish crystal glass manufacturer Orrefors, according to Volvo, it’s all about capturing light to produce a warm feeling for the user more used to freezing weather conditions. Verdict: Tactile and easy to operate, it also works well in the Aussie subtropical environment.

Infotainment Those out of touch with the latest tablet-style automobile info systems, may find the XC60 set-up a little testing to start with. In keeping with the minimalist theme of the cabin the centrally positioned touchscreen is the key to control – buttons, knobs and dials are few and far between. Persevere, people. The upside is easy access to no-nonsense voice commands. With Google on hand to supply helpful features, the star of the show is undoubtedly an optional Bowers and Wilkins 1410W hi-fi audio system with 15 speakers and subwoofer tuned to cabin architecture to deliver impressive surround sound for all occupants. What’s more, the space can be transformed into varying room modes, including Studio, Individual Stage, Concert Hall or Jazz Club, via advanced acoustic technology.

Engines/transmissions Since 2013, Volvo Cars petrol and diesel

AT A GLANCE MODEL RANGE Volvo XC60 Plus B5: $72,990 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright: $79,990 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B6 Dark: $86,990 Volvo XC60 Ultimate T8 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid: $101,990 SPECIFICATIONS Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder petrol, 8sp automatic, AWD SUV

engines for most markets around the world have been made at their Skövde, Sweden, facility. Asian-market Volvo cars have had their engines produced at the Zhangjiakou, China, plant since 2016. The latter is the case for the XC60 in Australia with a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 183 kW of peak power at 5400 rpm and 350 Nm of torque at 1800 rpm via an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels.

Safety Volvo has built its brand on being a leader in vehicle safety – it developed the three-point lap/sash seat belt and shared it around, for example – so it’s no surprise that XC60 safety is five stars. Features include assisted cruise control, auto braking and parking, lane assist, blind spot alert and rear parking camera. A head-up display delivers speed, turn-by-turn navigation, and more. The brightness of the display adapts automatically to light conditions and can be set to suit personal preferences.

Driving Settling into any of the five seats on offer in the Volvo XC60 can be achieved with the minimum of fuss, none requiring a tall step up as in some SUVs. Shoulder space and leg room also are up in class. Firing the engine requires a turn of a centre-console situated switch, and it’s the same process for shutting it down. It’s a repeat to shut off the motor. Typically, of a Volvo, the XC60 offers comfortable, quiet and smooth riding, from the stop/start city commute to motorway cruising. The mild hybrid system unnoticeably doing its bit for added performance. Expect the XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright MHEV to use close to 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres of premium unleaded petrol in the combined urban/highway cycle while putting out 174g of carbon dioxide. The car’s active chassis with air suspension constantly adjusts ride height and adapts the shock absorbers to enhance stability and deliver a dynamic and refined ride with maximum energy efficiency at high speeds. And on demand, Off Road mode can increase

Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Volvo dealer for drive-away prices.

ground clearance. Steering, especially, provided positive feedback, while braking – ventilated disc front and rear – chipped in with the benefit of ‘B’ mode, harnessing engine braking to feed off kinetic energy produced when the foot is off the brake. Additionally, creep feature can help at low speed, for example in traffic queues or car parks. When active, the car moves slowly without use of the accelerator pedal.

Summary While the XC60 is well advanced with present-day automotive technology, it’s worth remembering that Volvo aims to go fully electric in Australia by 2026, four years before it does in the rest of the world. While the award-winning luxury mid-size SUV deserves a look now, it may be worth waiting to greet the new era. Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 37

SPORT

Adele Ryan leads the way for the Grovers.

Geoff Fry looks for position.

Midweek bowls dodges the rain Independent photographer Ivan Kemp was at Ocean Grove Bowling Club on Tuesday for the Midweek Division 1 match between the home team and Leopold.

Alan Callow bowls to win this end.

Carmel Seear guides her bowl.

Left: Tracy Willis puts her bowl close. Centre: Sheila Hedderick leads off for Leopold. Right: Nicole Shortis bowls to save the end.

Gary Brookes looks to close out the end.

Marg White shows her style.

Left: Terry Halliday is all concentration. Centre: Muriel Williams leads for Ocean Grove. Right: Terri Rudge follows her bowl into the rink. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 378722 38 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023

SPORT

Georgie earns Cats’ best and fairest Star midfielder Georgie Prespakis has claimed her first Geelong Cats AFLW best and fairest award. The 20-year-old enjoyed a career-best season averaging 24.2 disposals, 7.2 tackles and 6.6 clearances a game. Prespakis, who was runner-up in the Season 7 best and fairest to Amy McDonald, continued to stamp her influence on the AFLW, with her commitment to the contest and will to drive the Cats forward into attack out of stoppage. Ranking equal-third in the competition for average clearances (6.6), Prespakis also ranked sixth for contested possessions (13.7) and equal-seventh for ground ball gets (9). Polling 188 votes to win the award, Prespakis finished ahead of fellow midfielders Nina Morrison with 163 votes and Amy McDonald on 82. Morrison, who took her game to a new level in 2023, averaged a career-high 22.9 disposals and 4.8 clearances a game as she spent more time as an inside midfielder. She was also damaging in the front half, kicking six goals. A three-time Cats best and fairest winner, McDonald continued to establish herself as one of the elite midfielders of the competition,

2023 Geelong Cats AFLW Best and Fairest Top 10 1/ Georgie Prespakis – 188 votes 2/ Nina Morrison – 163 votes 3/ Amy McDonald – 82 votes 4/ Claudia Gunjaca – 69 votes 5/ Becky Webster – 53 votes 6/ Jackie Parry – 50 votes 7/ Aishling Moloney – 34 votes 8/ Chloe Scheer – 23 votes 9/ Chantel Emonson – 21 votes 10/ Meghan McDonald – 19 votes working to create a dynamic midfield threat alongside Morrison, Prespakis and Darcy Moloney. McDonald averaged 22.7 disposals per game (up on her career average of 21), 7.2 tackles and 5.8 clearances a game. She also finished in a tie for second in the AFLW best and fairest. Defender Claudia Gunjaca’s breakthrough season was recognised by finishing fourth in the count on 69 votes, with Becky Webster finishing fifth on 53 votes.

In other awards on the night, Prespakis claimed her second-consecutive Fan MVP award, supported by Geelong Dairy. Retiring Cat Renee Garing claimed the values-based Hoops Award, which is voted on by players at the conclusion of the season, recognising the player who best demonstrates care for her teammates’ wellbeing, champions the club’s and team’s values, works for the greater good of the club, and positively engages in all aspects of the AFLW program. Kate Darby’s extraordinary commitment to the community was recognised with versatile tall claiming her third Carter Family Community Champion award. Darby, who earlier this year was awarded the AFL/AFLW-wide Tom Hafey Variety Heart of Football Award, has continued to be an excellent role model and positive influence in the community space, particularly in her work in participation, inclusion and as a Pride Ambassador. Away from the club, Darby is also an ambassador for Peace of Mind Foundation, and regularly gives of her free time to support junior girls’ football teams at Surf Coast Suns and Armstrong Creek football clubs.

Matt Vanjak with a trophy snapper of 10.5kg. (Supplied)

Testing times for fishos ON THE BITE Peri Stavropoulos

Midweek Section 2 Wallabies: Robyn O’Donoghue, Steph Thomas, Monica Cavarsan and Wendy Caddy.

Grovedale takes top gong LOCAL TENNIS Donna Schoenmaekers It was glorious sunshine Thursday night for the start of the Triples Section 1 grand final at Moolap. The match was destined to be close with Moolap’s Two Phones Chol and Grovedale both scoring wins over the other during the season. Grovedale was pumped and showed it in the first doubles with Julius Busch and Nick Armstrong blasting their way to a 6-0 win. Sophie de Wit and Jacob Dingli were in more of a battle in the singles with Dingli eventually winning 6-3. With the first doubles finishing quickly, Lachy Edgar and Armstrong went out for the second singles, with Edgar putting Moolap on the board taking the set 6-2. To keep the match moving, the teams played the third doubles and singles, leaving the second doubles until last. With many long rallies and lengthy games, Callum Davey took the singles for Moolap 6-1, while Armstrong and Dingli battled through many rallies involving all four players to win the doubles 6-4. With just one set left to play, Grovedale

was ahead three sets to two and by only two games, meaning a 6-4 loss in the final doubles would result in a tie. Again the play was fierce with all four players being involved in multiple rallies, but Grovedale proved too strong, taking the set 6-1, and the final four sets to two. Rain threatened to postpone Monday’s Section 2 Women’s final, but under grey skies the match commenced on time. Wallabies and Western Warriors had both registered a win against the other during the season, so again things were likely to be close. Wendy Caddy and Monica Cavarsan continued their unbeaten run for the season, winning the first doubles 8-2, for their seventh win for Wallabies, while on the other court the Warriors’ Joanna Harriott and Carmel Addlem battled through in a tie break to keep the sets score even. Caddy continued her good form in the third set teaming with Robyn O’Donoghue to give Wallabies an unassailable lead winning 8-1. However, the Warriors weren’t just going to give it away, when Addlem teamed with Kelley Callanan to again go down to the wire winning in another tiebreak, leaving the teams level on sets, but with an 11-game advantage to Wallabies.

Julius Busch in action for Grovedale.

Very inconsistent weather has certainly made it testing to get out and get amongst the action but those that did managed to find some impressive fishing on offer. The bay has continued to produce snapper reports, not as consistent as what it was a few weeks ago but there is still fish about for sure. Some fish have been reaching up to 8kg, but it’s just a matter of putting some time in and doing all those little one percenters. Well worth sussing out are the channel, spoil grounds, Old Channel off Portarlington, Mussel farms and just off Clifton Springs Ramp in 8 metres. The outer harbour has had a hot bite of bronze whaler sharks as this time of year they come into the bay to breed and they are in thick numbers. Many anglers are losing fish to them, hooking them and getting smoked or for some that have come prepared, landing them. Pretty crazy fishing for our area with some sharks getting over 2.5 metres in length. The Bellarine beaches have been producing some fantastic results for anglers kayaking baits out with game setups. Well worth getting down there and having a crack. Offshore has seen some good numbers of snapper and gummy sharks still hanging about, the snapper aren’t huge in size at the moment but sure are making up for it with numbers, there are HEAPS. The 40 metre line is proving to be the standout area as of late. As for pelagics the tuna are starting to roll through with some reports starting to circulate with anglers finding a few schools kicking about, mostly small fish but great to see. There have also been a few makos kicking about in quite close. The water is looking very good out there. The Barwon River has offered some great fishing fun for families with carp on the bite across most of Geelong. Breakwater and Queens Park have been popular locations with anglers finding plenty of fish to 5kg with the odd mirror carp thrown into the mix. Corn kernels and bread are both working very well at the moment.

(Pictures: Supplied) Friday, 15 December, 2023 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 39

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40 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 15 December, 2023