Ocean Grove Voice - 5th April 2024

Big return for footy, netball

Winter sports were back on the weekend, although it was hardly winterlike conditions.

Ocean Grove hosted Queenscliff for a full round of Bellarine Football Netball League matches on Good Friday at Steeline Ray Menzies Oval.

Temperatures pushed into the mid-20s and a bumper crowd watched the Coutas eventually get the better of the Grubbers after an even first three quarters in the senior footy, but Ocean Grove won the A Grade netball.

It was a tough contest, but the Grubbers began their A Grade netball premiership defence in style with a two-goal win. It was a finals-like atmosphere with bar and canteen sales through the roof.

Ocean Grove defender Rhiannon Whitson (pictured) was airborne and maybe jumping for joy that the season was underway.

■ For more pictures, see page 30 and for match reports, see page 31.

Sights set on Corangamite

By Justin Flynn

A former SAS soldier will contest the seat of Corangamite for the Liberal Party at the next federal election.

Bellbrae resident Darcy Dunstan will run against Labor’s Libby Coker for the seat. A generalelectionmusthappenbeforeSeptember next year.

Mr Dunstan joined the Australian Defence Force at the age of 21, finished his carpentry apprenticeship, worked as a chippy, and built his own house in his spare time.

Mr Dunstan worked as a diver in the army before being selected to join the elite Special Air Services Regiment. He received a commendation for distinguished service for

outstanding commitment and actions taken while deployed to Iraq in 2021 with the SAS.

“I joined the ADF to serve my nation,” he said.“NowI’msteppingforwardforparliament because I want to serve my community. My commitment is simple. If I am elected, I will listen, I will work hard and I will focus on what matters most to you. I will never stop until our community is heard.

“Having been a tradie, I stand with hardworking, aspirational Australians. They are the backbone of this nation. The people of Corangamite are hurting while the cost-of-living continues to increase. People are goingoutlessandmakingsacrificestopaybills.

If elected, I will work every day to deliver real cost-of-living relief and make home ownership

a reality for all.”

Mr Dunstan faces an 8.26 percent swing against the Liberals at the 2019 election in which Ms Coker won after Sarah Henderson held the seat for the Coalition from 2013 to 2019.

“Darcyisahighly-credentialedrepresentative for the Liberal Party with an exceptional track record of service to his country and community,” Ms Henderson said.

“From acute cost-of-living pressures to the axing of $4 billion for faster rail to the failure to invest in new local infrastructure projects, Labor has consistently turned its back on the needs of Corangamite residents.”

Mr Dunstan is raising his 14-month-old daughter with his fiancée, a local GP, while

running his own small business. He currently volunteers with the local CFA and plays football for Modewarre and is a member of his local RSL.

When asked for comment, Ms Coker pointed to a recent speech in the House of Representatives where she outlined Labor’s tax cuts. “Did you know that under the Albanese government’s new tax plan 13.6 million Australians, including 70,000 taxpayers in my electorate of Corangamite, are about to get a tax cut?,” she said in parliament.

“It’s all part of our mission to help you and your family with cost-of-living pressures. Underourtaxplan,tokickinon1July,aworker in my electorate earning less than $45,000 will get a tax cut of $804.”

(Justin Flynn)

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Special charges angst

By Matt Hewson

Portarlington property owners will potentially pay tens of thousands of dollars for the sealing of their street after Geelong council flagged its intention to go ahead with a special rates and charges scheme (SRC).

After the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) canvassed Portarlington residents for support forsealingroadsunderanSRC,ParkStreetwas theonlystreettoreceivemajoritysupport,with owners of six of the 11 properties giving it the nod.

The property owners will be jointly responsible for paying $328,165.50 of the project’s $437,554 cost, with the City contributing $109,388.50.

James Taylor, who owns two adjacent properties in Park Street and does not support the scheme, would be charged the highest amount – $78,804.75 - if it goes ahead.

The lowest charge to a property owner under

‘‘ The first car I ever owned was an Alvis ... I’ve had a cacophony of Alvis’s, to use a silly term ’’

- Geoff Ross

the SRC would be $12,946.49.

At last week’s council meeting Mr Taylor questioned the fairness of the cost apportionment methods applied by City officers to come up with the individual charges to owners.

”How does Council reconcile its proposal to impose a special rate of almost $80,000, which is equivalent to more than 20 years of the annual general rate on my home… with the general cost of living reduction measures being adopted by governments and councils throughout Australia?” Mr Taylor asked.

“And would the implementation of such a special rate demonstrate that Council is out of touch or contemptuous of its constituents?

“How can council justify imposing a special rate on my property of $80,000, which is a quarter of the total property holder contributions for the scheme, whereas the property on the other side of the road, which enjoysasimilarfrontagetoParkStreetasmine,

is to be levied with only $12,946.49?”

Councillor Jim Mason, who moved the motion,emphasisedtherewouldbeanongoing process where property owners could submit their concerns to the council and subsequently take the matter to VCAT if they remained unsatisfied with the outcome.

“The majority support garnered through this exercise was done so with each property owner understanding their contribution costs,” Cr Mason said.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan said he had a “history of concern with SRCs” and was ultimately one of three councillors - alongside Crs Belinda Moloney and Eddy Kontelj – who voted against the intention to declare.

“This is an extreme cost that may be borne by the ratepayers if this is fully declared at the end,” he said.

Visit yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/SRC/ park-street-portarlington to stay up to date with the Park Street road upgrade.

Alvis revving to 100

A group of motoring enthusiasts celebrated the 100th birthday of a vintage car owned and driven by one of their members last week.

The Bellarine Drivers Group, a small community group of recreational drivers, gathered at Indented Head last Wednesday (March 27) to toast Geoff Ross and his 1924 Alvis SA 12/50 Supersports Ducksback, known to the group as simply Alvis.

Affectionately known as Biggles, Mr Ross regularlydrivestheAlvisaroundtheBellarine and Geelong area wearing a leather helmet, goggles and scarf, with his driving companion – a white teddy bear – similarly attired in the rear dicky seat.

Now retired, Mr Ross served in Australia and Malaysia in the RAAF before opening a dental practice. He does all his own mechanical work, and while the 1924 is his “pride and joy” it is only one of three Alvis’s he currently owns.

“The first car I ever owned was an Alvis,

which I bought in December 1964 and I still have it,” Mr Ross said. “So I’ve got… a 1947 and 1948, and I’ve had a 1938 Alvis Silvercrest and also a 1953 TA 21. I’ve had a cacophony of Alvis’s, to use a silly term.

“I was very impressed with the turnout. It was a good venue and the weather was great too.”

The group of enthusiasts met at Taylors Reserve, Indented Head for a barbecue to celebrate the car’s centenary with Mr Ross, using the occasion as a chance to showcase their range of vehicles.

Ray Allen, one of the event organisers, said the day was “fantastic”.

“It was a barbecue day and we had all the cars in a huge horseshoe,” Mr Allen said.

“We had about 30 cars there, all polished up beautifully, with quite a few visitors during the day coming to look at the cars.”

Matt Hewson

World’s longest book underway

A Portarlington artist is mapping the community’s favourite Geelong and regional spots in an attempt to make the Longest Book in the World.

Fern Smith started hosting free creativeworkshopsonApril2atChilwell Library, with more workshops taking place at varying Geelong Regional Libraries across the year.

Ms Smith said she was inspired by the Guinness Book of Records project, which saw Yang Shuanming complete an 814.26-metre-long concertina book of Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.

“All of Geelong will have participated by the time we’re finished... and it’s a focus on your favourite place or street,” she said.

“We’re at 101 metres as of today, and I’m going through the library system, where you capture a whole diversity of people that you wouldn’t normally get.

“You get a good diverse age group as well, and everyone mixes in together, whichisreallylovely.Ithinktheyoungest is about two years old and the oldest is about 85.”

Ms Smith said she thanked Geelong Regional Libraries and Geelong Writers for supporting the project and looked forward to the book’s completion.

“The librarians are very welcoming because they love that there’s someone that wants to engage in a book making process, because it is a book,” she said.

“Once someone has finished writing, drawing or collaging their favourite place, they are now a published author or illustrator,aseveryone’snamegoesinthe back of the book as a contributor.”

Visit events.grlc.vic.gov.au/events to register for Ms Smith’s Longest Book in the World creative workshops.

Jena Carr

Zoey and Hanna with their grandparents Jillian and Peter Bolger, and artist Fern Smith at the Longest Book in the World Geelong West workshop. (Ivan Kemp) 398388_01

Two-month commitment

By Cr Elise Wilkinson

We are a nation that loves our swimming and the water, and no more so apparent is this than in our beautiful and wild corner of the world here on the Bellarine.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Senior Victorian Life Saving Championships hosted by our very own Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club.

The club has been home to many young locals who have learnt to swim and surf and goneontoguardthebeach,sharingthatloveof the water with the community, so many others can safely swim.

Outside of our beaches, we need aquatic centres for our community to hone their swimming skills and relax and play safely in the water.

We need spaces protected from the often wild and dangerous conditions on our beaches where people of all ages can learn water safety and survival skills.

One life lost on the water is one too many. ThisiswhyitwassuchawinfortheBellarine community when we opened the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre last year.

Since its opening, we’ve heard from thousands of people that the North Bellarine AquaticCentrehasbecomeamuch-lovedasset, bringing joy, connection, water safety skills, and health and wellbeing benefits to the North Bellarine community.

However, due to financial constraints, the $15.5 million heated facility had been set to close between April and October.

At our March meeting council resolved to extend the season at North Bellarine Aquatic Centre for the next two months.

This is a big win for the people of North Bellarine and the decision was reached after

listeningextensivelytofeedbackfromresidents about the proposed closure.

This means the 50-metre outdoor pool will now remain open on weekdays from 6am to 10am and 3pm to 6pm, and on Saturdays between 8am and 1pm from April 1 to May 31.

An officer report will then be presented to council by May identifying opportunities that enable the aquatic centre to remain open year-round.

I advocated strongly for this position, and I am grateful to my council colleagues for agreeing with my fellow Bellarine Ward councillors to ensure the pool stays open for the next two months.

Council’s initial and ongoing investment in the pool underscores our shared commitment to promoting safety, health, wellness, and inclusivity through quality aquatic infrastructure.

As recent infrastructure projects – including the $64 million Northern Aquatic and Community Hub in Norlane – would indicate, councilisdedicatedtodeliveringqualityspaces and places where they are needed.

TheextensionofthepoolseasonforApriland May is a testament to council’s responsiveness to community needs. It signifies a triumph not only for North Bellarine but for the broader Greater Geelong community.

Cr Elise Wilkinson.

Pool lifeline, but not for long

By Matt Hewson

Geelong council has unanimously resolved to keep the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre (NBAC) open for the next two months following backlash over its previous decision to close the facility from April to November.

Mayor Trent Sullivan raised an item of urgent business at Tuesday night’s meeting asking council to extend the season of the NBAC, which was due to close at the end of March due to financial constraints.

Having only opened in November last year, newsofthefacility’simpendingclosurecreated an outcry among residents.

The item, prepared by Mayor Sullivan and fellow Bellarine Ward councillor Elise Wilkinson, originally proposed to guarantee

the NBAC would remain open between April and October 2024, albeit with reduced operating hours.

However, council regulations state items of urgent business have a maximum budget of $100,000, meaning the new proposal could only commit $96,000 to open the pool for two months and instruct council officers to prepare areportdetailinghowthepoolcouldbefunded the remaining months.

Mayor Sullivan said core facilities such as pools “aren’t just a want, they are a need”.

“Aquatics across the Bellarine, across our wider municipality, has been a passionate topic for many, many years,” he said.

“And when we saw the announcement… the NBAC is to close over winter hours, the outpouringofsupportforittoremainopenhas

been incredible. To have a facility open in just November last year and to possibly close in its honeymoon year is unfathomable by many.”

The mayor said the council was in a “very difficult financial situation” when the budget proposing the winter closure of its outdoor facilities was formulated, but that the situation had changed since then.

“It was a tough budget, it really was, but our situation has been increasingly looking up,” Mayor Sullivan said. “We have a responsibility to our community that we can deliver assets like this and…keep them open for them. What signal does it send to those around us if we open new buildings only to close them?”

Cr Wilkinson said the NBAC had been “a godsend” for many Bellarine residents.

“Public pools, like public libraries, they’re

Grab a thrifty bargain this weekend

It’s time to get thrifty as the Revive Pre-loved ClothingMarketsbringsdisplaysofon-trend and lightly warn items for one day in Barwon Heads.

The market will return to the Barwon Heads Community Hall on Sunday, April 7, from 9.30am to 2.30pm after its initial launch in December, with entry only costing $2.

Kylie Crane said she started the markets with her daughter Camryn Tucci, who “loves thrifting” and wanted to create an event a little closer to home.

“She (Ms Tucci) would often travel back and forth to Melbourne to visit similar markets and thought there wasn’t much down this way like that, so we had a go at putting it together,” Ms Crane said.

“Instead of buying new, this is the perfect opportunity to stock up on a few special pieces you can pull out and use for special occasions.

“If you’re looking for a bargain, you can certainly find it, and if you’re looking for something special or unique, it’s worth having a good sift through.”

Ms Crane said she expected close to 650 people to attend the market and that the day was “a really good vibe”. She also said people should make sure to bring a bag.

“We have a lot of fun with the people coming as they’re all excited and often come out with arms full of purchases,” she said.

“We do have two dedicated men’s wear stall holders, which I’m interested in seeing how they go, but it would be nice to mix up the demographic.

“This is a much better way to go, especially with the idea of swapping and sharing with your friends as, if you haven’t paid a fortune for it, you may be more inclined to do that.”

essential places within our community,” she said.“TheideaofopeningtillMaydoesprovide us with time to look and discuss hours going forward.”

Deputy Mayor Anthony Aitken supported the motion but voiced his concerns around the City’s current funding models.

“This isn’t actually a solution, it’s just a short stay of execution for the facility,” he said.

“The community is demanding, and has every right to demand that they should be available and a normal service provided in their local community. Our current operating models and our current financial support that we’re putting for them clearly do not match the community’s expectations. We need to properly resource and fund our facilities that we have in the community.”

Surf event locked in

TheiconicRipCurlProBellsBeachEaster surfingeventhasbeenlockedinuntil2028 the state government has announced.

Minister for Tourism, Sport, and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos announced Victoria will remain the home of the world’s longest running surfing competition – that has made Bells Beach a world-renowned surfing destination whileinjectingmillionsofdollarsintothe region.

With an impressive roll call of surfing legends winning the event and earning the right to ‘ring the Bell,’ including Stephanie Gilmore, Layne Beachley, Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning, the Rip Curl Pro continues to attract some of the world’s best athletes.

“We’re proud to be locking in the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach for another four years – attracting thousands of visitors to the Surf Coast region and boosting local businesses and jobs,” Mr Dimopoulos said.

The government’s support also maintains the Victorian wildcard entry in the men’s and women’s competitions –providing an invaluable opportunity for homegrown emerging talent to surf their local break against the world’s best.

“WSL is thrilled to secure the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach until 2028, an iconic event on the WSL Championship Tour, and we sincerely thank the Victorian Government for their ongoing support, ensuring this tradition of ringing the Bell at Bells Beach endures,” World Surf League APAC president Andrew Stark said.

Jena Carr Camryn Tucci getting clothes ready for the Revive Pre-loved Clothing Markets. (Ivan Kemp) 398722_06

Inspiring others to share stories

Armstrong Creek’s Fiona Luca was one of eight successful recipients of Geelong Arts Centre’s creative engine grants for Now: A Life Story, which looks to share stories by the region’s elderly. She spoke with Jena Carr about her inspiration and what the grant would mean for her creative project.

Since she heard about how her parents moved to Australia from Italy, Fiona Luca enjoys understanding history through other people’s eyes.

The Armstrong Creek woman was inspired by her 91-year-old grandmother to help people share their stories by lending a listening ear.

“My Nonna is in an aged care facility full timeherselfandshehasquiteseveredementia which has deteriorated significantly probably in the past three years,” she said.

“I went to visit her a few months ago, and I was sitting by her bed holding her hand. She was lifeless for most of it, and then it was like her soul would kick in, and she would get lucid.

“She can’t speak; she’s lost her words, but she would make sounds, give me this direct eye contact and want to tell me all these things. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, she still has so much to say’.

“She still has so many stories to tell, but it’s like her words have gone and we can’t hear these stories anymore.”

Fiona also instructs yoga and movement therapy classes at Cultura, an aged care facility, to encourage more older people in the region to move and connect with others.

“Every second week I go in, and I do some chair yoga with these incredibly beautiful people, and we move our bodies, sing and listen to music,” she said.

“I would get many of them coming up to me and just wanting to show me pictures of all their grandchildren and telling me stories about their life back when they were my age.

“As time progressed and we built a deeper connection, I would just learn so much about these people as they would just want to tell their stories and want me to hold space for their stories.

“They’re so potent and beautiful. There’s so much wisdom here that we can all learn from, and it really gives us perspective now in our kind of day and age of what our elders have walked.”

Fiona received $3000 and studio access for her project, ‘Now: A Life Story’, through Geelong Arts Centre’s creative engine grants and said she was grateful to be a successful recipient.

The creative project will use interviews with a culturally diverse range of Geelong’s elderly to create a captivating art piece that captures life’s essence.

“The grant is getting it off the ground and it was just impetus to turn this idea into a reality,” she said.

“It will help cement the idea and process which we need to undergo for it to become a project and visual resource that people can enjoy and watch.

“It gives me a week in residency in the beautiful Geelong Arts Centre’s studios and also, which I’m a very big advocate for, pays the artist during this process to explore, create and do what we do best.

“I’m really grateful to Geelong Arts Centre for recognising innovation, supporting local people to explore concepts, and doing it without any pressure, but rather embrace the explorative process.”

Fiona said she had a “beautiful cohort” of people who would be involved in the project and couldn’t wait to move with them into the centre’s space and hear their stories.

“I want people to walk around the space and be immersed in the story in a different artistic way,” she said.

“I’ve always been in the creative space, and dance has been my background since I was a little person, and I’ve created a big career out of it as a creator, developer, teacher and performer.

“The visualisation that I have, and I’m quite attached to, is for it (the project) not

‘‘ They’re so potent and beautiful. There’s so much wisdom here that we can all learn from, and it really gives us perspective now in our kind of day and age of what our elders have walked ’’

- Fiona Luca

to be a traditional stage piece, but more of an integrative piece and interactive for the audience members.

“I’ve collaborated with a beautiful small group of creatives to come together and be inspired by this resource to create an integrative performance or work that our region’s public can hopefully enjoy.

“We’ll start with movement, singing, and song, and we’ll use music therapy-orientated music to stimulate memory, so there’s a bit of neuroscience in there as well, and from there, we’ll have conversations.

“We’ll amalgamate the footage that we’ve got and create something to watch where we chop, change and move through all the different interviewees and people that we’re working with.”

Fiona said everyone, not just older people, had a story to share, and she looked forward to creating a project people could learn from and share.

“Story sharing in and of itself is so valid, important and impactful in supporting people to learn, grow and access resources while feeling safe share their own,” she said.

“It evokes introspection and supports people in feeling safe to express their own truth and stories. The compounding effect is huge, so story-sharing is invaluable and a really big part of healing.

“All anybody wants to do is feel seen and heard. When somebody’s brave enough to share their story, the way that ricochets and impacts such a broader audience in many ways offers perspective.

“I’m definitely looking forward to sitting down and hearing the details of these stories on a piece that is directly correlated to and aligned with the region and how it’s evolved and changed.”

Geelong Arts Centre’s creative engine grants will continue to offer regular funding for emerging projects with fresh initiatives for artists in 2024.

Creative industries and programming senior producer Nicole La Bianca said Fiona’s project was one of many grant submissions that “showcased the region’s remarkable local talent”.

“It is a privilege to witness the depth of talent and vulnerability seeded throughout the dynamic catalogue of applications,” she said.

Fiona Luca is a successful recipients of Geelong Arts Centre’s creative engine grants (Ivan Kemp) 396610_09

Easier access to specialist care

A free comprehensive women’s health clinic at BarwonHealthGeelongwillextenditsservices to remove barriers women face when accessing specialist care.

The existing clinic will operate five days a week following an announcement on Tuesday, April 2, that it would be included in the state government’s $153 million women’s health package investment.

Member for Lara Ella George said the Geelong Women’s Health Clinic was an example of “putting women’s health front and center” to ensure women’s pain is not

“overlooked”.

“The new Women’s Health Clinic at Geelong is another example of the Allan Labor Government’s investment into local health services,” she said. “Women in our community will be able to access the world class care they deserveforarangeofcomplexconditionseasily all while being close to home.”

Premier Jacinta Allan said it was essential to transform how women’s health was treated in Victoria positively.

“Victoria is leading the way, first by listening to women and what they experience, and then

School receives upgrade

A $16.1 million upgrade for Clifton Springs Primary School was unveiled last week by Minister for Education Ben Carroll and Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant.

The upgrade and modernisation project replaced or upgraded the majority of the school’s facilities.

“These new and upgraded facilities is a huge win for the Clifton Springs Primary School community – offering a range of unique spaces for students to learn for years to come,” Ms Marchant said.

This project included a new STEM building, administration area, wellbeing space, staffroom,16classroomsandanewtoiletblock.

The new wellness space includes a sensory room as a quiet space for students. It also houses a welfare office, disability and inclusion worker office and a space for the mental health practitioners.

The upgraded library is larger with more spaces for students to read and learn, and the

newartspaceincludesadedicatedkilnroomas well as general art spaces.

The science room has also been updated and includes Bunsen burner facilities for the first time.

This project also relocated portable classroomsandlandscapedtheschoolgrounds.

“Students at Clifton Springs Primary School will greatly benefit from the new and upgraded facilitiesonoffer–makingitafantasticplaceto learn,” Mr Carroll said.

by delivering the care and services they need,” she said.

Services will be delivered by hardworking gynecologists, urologists, specialist nursing and allied health support under one roof to help women access specialist care for various conditions.

MinisterforHealthMary-AnneThomassaid Northern Hospital, Royal Women’s Hospital, Frankston Hospital and Ballarat Base Hospital will also receive new or extended clinics.

“These new clinics will make a huge difference, delivering affordable and

comprehensivehealthcareforeverywoman,no matter her postcode,” she said.

Five clinics will open yearly for the next four years as part of the state government’s package, including culturally safe Aboriginal-led and mobile women’s health clinics.

The announcement coincided with the opening of the Women’s Pain Survey, which seeks the views of women and girls who have experiences with pain and accessing related services.

Visit engage.vic.gov.au/inquiry-intowomens-pain-survey to access the survey.

School Leaders Tess, Tobias, Miranda and Makayla with Clifton Springs Primary School principal Meg Parker, Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant and Minister for Education Ben Carroll. (Supplied)

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.

Ex-Lib boss to pay $40k in fines

By Cassandra Morgan, AAP

The former boss of the Victorian Liberals will pay$40,000infinesafterhefellfoulofelectoral advertising laws, undermining voters’ rights.

The Australian Electoral Commission sued former Victorian Liberals director Sam McQuestin over four advertisements placed in the Geelong Advertiser before the 2022 federal election.

The commission alleged McQuestin, whose full name is Charles David McQuestin, breached electoral laws by not properly declaring the ads came from him and the Liberal Party.

One of the newspaper ads was a full-page attack on sitting Labor MP Libby Coker, while another was a full-page portrait of Liberal candidate for Corangamite Stephanie Asher

along with a how-to-vote card.

Bothpaidpoliticaladvertisementscontained authorisations in small writing towards the bottom of the page.

PoliticaladvertisinglawsinAustraliarequire authorisations to be made prominently, legibly and in contrasting text.

McQuestin admitted to the allegations but fought against paying a fine of up to $150,000, which the Electoral Commissioner argued he should cough up for the “intentional“ breach.

The ad about Ms Coker was the subject of three complaints to the commission.

FederalCourtJusticeMichaelHughO’Bryan onTuesdayruledMcQuestinshouldpayatotal $40,000 in fines, but the former Victorian Liberals boss previously told the court the party would pay any penalty.

“The contravening advertisements were

likely seen by tens of thousands of voters,“ Justice O’Bryan said in a judgement.

“That is a significant matter. The failure to include legible particulars in the anti-Coker advertisement was a serious failure because that advertisement did not otherwise identify the person or political party on whose behalf the advertisement was placed.“

McQuestin did not explain why the contraventions happened and rather suggested the busy final days of a federal election campaign often meant ads were “approved on anongoingbasis,andsometimesbywayoftext message on mobile telephones“.

The judge said while the final days of a campaign may be busy, “the need to protect free and informed voting is not diminished as election day approaches“.

“Indeed, the contrary is true: transparency

Sound of music to blow through town

The Brass Band Concert Series at the Rotunda is returning to Portarlington for a day of toe-tapping and head-bobbing music.

Geelong Memorial Brass Band will play two hour-long concerts on top of the Portarlington Rotunda at 57 Newcomb Street from 11am to 2pm on April 6.

Portarlington Community Information Booth organised the concert series, and president Phil Cameron said the upcoming event was the third of four free community concert days.

“We have two performances, one at 11am, one at 1pm. We have a marquee for people who need and are seeking shelter the forecourt, but the music is all up and down

the streets,” he said.

“The most important thing is that people enjoy it, and the weather, thankfully, is going to be good... You get a whole range of contemporary type music that appeals to a wide audience.

“It’s all about making North Bellarine, in particular, Portarlington, a place to come to visit and possibly live... This is a very interconnected town and area where people help each other.

“The building was built in 1910 and it was specifically designed as a bandstand... We are really grateful that we have this facility, and we’ve been able to use it for what it was intended as.”

Geelong council reverses G21 exit, funding to be cut

After announcing plans to leave the Geelong Regional Alliance (G21) almost a year ago, Geelong council has decided to continue the partnership, albeit with a reduced funding obligation.

A joint statement from the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) and G21 said after “ongoing talks” an agreement had been reached, with the the City remaining a G21 member and providing $250,000 to the alliance rather than the previous sum of over $500,000.

When councillors mooted ending the City’s G21 membership last April the council was grappling with a growing list of budgetary headaches.

The cost of membership to the alliance was regularly mentioned in statements from councillors and City spokespersons, and a statement from G21 said it “understands the City’s decision relates to the increasing financial pressure it is experiencing”.

A year later, it seems a combination of budgetary belt-tightening and lower cost of participation has made G21 membership viable for the City again.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan said we are “stronger when we work together’’.

“As the fastest growing regional city in Australia, Geelong has a lead role to play in advocating for the collective interests of our broader region.

“Geelong’s new partnership with G21 aligns with Council’s new Advocacy Framework, which drives how we better strategically advance Greater Geelong and ensure its ongoing positive development.

“This improved and redefined approach recognises that working collaboratively will deliver better value for all our communities.”

G21 chair Melissa Stephens said the organisation welcomed the City of Greater Geelong’s return to the fold.

“Geelong is the capital of Australia’s most exciting and dynamic region,” Ms Stephens said. “G21’s local government partners and 165 members look forward to a productive partnership which will guide good quality growth across all our communities in the years to come.”

Founded 22 years ago, G21 is a formal alliance between government, business and community organisations advocating for the Geelong region infrastructure and policy improvements and state and federal government funding.

Matt Hewson

The previous concert series included performances by Beaufort Municipal Brass Band on February 17 and Belmont High School on March 24.

The last concert of the series will be performed by the Christian College Geelong Brass Band on Sunday, April 21, at 11am and 1pm.

Jena Carr

and accountability become more crucial the closer in time one gets to an election,“ Mr O’Bryan said.

The judge found the Liberal Party’s processes were not robust enough to ensure the contraventions did not happen.

“The admitted contraventions undermined the important objective of allowing voters to know who is communicating electoral matter and accordingly protecting Australia’s system of representative democracy,“ Justice O’Bryan said.

Therewasnoevidenceaboutwhethertheads hadanyweightonvotesintheelection,andthe Liberal Party candidate for Corangamite did not succeed, Justice O’Bryan said.

The judge also ordered McQuestin to pay the commissioner’s court costs, subject to any objections.

Phil Cameron at the ready for the Geelong Memorial Brass Band at the Portarlington Rotunda. (Jena Carr) 399232_01

City of Greater Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan. (Supplied)

CELEBRATING SENIORS

11/ Feet. In the ‘40s and 50s, ‘plates of meat’ was heard everywhere in Melbourne’s west, including from the ‘trouble and strife’ and ‘rub-a-dub’ on the main ‘frog and toad’. 12/ In 1956, Fats Domino did – and he probably ate all the blueberries on that hill, with ice cream on the side. He wasn’t called Fats for nothing.

10/ Capulet. Memory jogger: think of that meshy headdress known as a Juliet cap. Cap…Capulet…get it?

Voice seniors quiz

Readers must be at least 63 years old before providing answers, because any younger and you a) won’t know the answers anyway; and b) you’re way too young to handle the pressure.

So, all you fabulous 63s, 74s, 85s and 96s, are you up for the challenge?

If you score under 5, you’re really only 62 and still have a bit to learn

If you score 6-9, you’re probably 79 and thinking about a uni course

If you score 10-12, you’re 98, and pretty well know everything by now

It should be noted that, while true, the answers provided may cause indelicate snorting or hiccups.

Compiler: Carole Levy

THE QUESTIONS:

1/ Who killed Cock Robin and with which weapon?

2/ How old was Edward VIII when he abdicated the British throne?

3/ For what was June Bronhill named?

4/ Who preceded William McMahon as prime minister?

5/ Which US president was the first to visit Australia, and what was his wife’s name?

6/ What date did Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin?

7/ Who won the 2020 AFL Grand Final and where was the game held?

8/ What was tennis player Evonne Cawley’s maiden name?

9/ What year did Queen Elizabeth II visit Australia? And her coronation?

10/ Was Juliet a Montague or a Capulet?

11/ What are ‘plates of meat’ in Cockney slang?

12/ Who found his thrill on Blueberry Hill?

Then she married a bloke named Cawley and gave up one of the best names ever.

8/ Goolagong – and didn’t we all love her?

7/ Richmond Tigers, at the Gabba in Brisbane against Geelong. Dusty won the Norm Smith Medal…of course.

9/ 1954, and more than THREE QUARTERS of Aussies saw her in person. She was crowned in 1953 (June 2) and appeared on the cover of Women’s Weekly 40 million times thereafter.

6/ Christmas Eve, 1974. Tracy must have

5/ Lyndon B. Johnson, who only showed up to promote the unpopular Vietnam War. “All the way with LBJ” was his slogan, which nowadays would likely be met with “Fly away LBJ”. His wife’s name was Lady Bird but she wouldn’t fly away either.

been scorned somewhere along the line because she showed more fury than a mum whose kids have been mistreated.

3/ Her birth place, Broken Hill. Bet she was glad she wasn’t born in WA’s Delicate Nobby and became Delia Obby.

Jessie Owens won four Olympic Gold Medals and put it right up Hitler and every sane person rejoiced.

2/ 1936 (December 11), the same year

1/ The sparrow, with his bow and arrow. The little bird was a classic dupe of the Tall Poppy Syndrome, otherwise known as bringemdownapegortwo-itis.

4/ John Gorton, he of protruding ear and dinged-up face that marked him as a crashed fighter plane pilot in WWII. Protruding ears were sadly still the fashion when Billy McMahon succeeded him.

THE ANSWERS:

Will-ing and able

If you are asking yourself this question, the chances are, you already need a Will.

It can be a daunting process. KG Lawyers understands that each client is unique and provides tailored solutions for your estate now and in the future.

A well-executed Will can help avoid confusion and conflict among your loved ones and ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes. Just as a will directs your wishes for the distribution of your assets after your death, an enduring power of attorney allows you to appoint a trusted individual to make decisions on your behalf, if required.

Consulting a lawyer ensures your Will and Enduring Power of Attorney are valid, enforceable, and tailored to your specific needs. It will give you peace of mind knowing that your affairs are in good hands. Our team has extensive experience and expertise and can guide our clients through the preparation of Wills, Powers of Attorney and to navigate the complexities of estate planning with confidence. KG Lawyers invites you to visit our website at kglawyers.com.au to use our estate planning tool, or call the office 5253 1238 so we may assist you.

KG Lawyers, the family firm on the Bellarine.

The team at KG Lawyers are your conveyancing professionals. (Supplied)

CELEBRATING SENIORS

Refurbishment a vital strategy at Homestyle Aged Care

Homestyle Aged Care believes that the physical environment plays an important role in shaping a resident’s experiences.

With an ageing population, the demand for high quality aged care facilities is increasing. However, many existing facilities are outdated, presenting challenges in meeting the evolving needs of residents.

Refurbishment emerges as a vital strategy to modernise these spaces fostering comfort, safety, and dignity to elderly individuals.

Homestyle Aged Care is committed to this cause, exemplified by ongoing refurbishment projects at Belmont Grange in Grovedale and Sea Views Manor in Ocean Grove.

Both facilities are currently undergoing major refurbish of resident rooms and communal areas, with the aim of enhancing the living environment for residents.

Uponcompletion,eachhomewillalsoboast the award-winning Concentric Rehabilitation Centre, further enhancing the quality and care and amenities available.

If you would like to know more about Concentric Rehabilitation at Homestyle Aged Care or if you or your loved one are looking for care in Ocean Grove, Leopold or Grovedale, our admission team can discuss yourindividualsituationandadvisethemany options available.

Call 1300 104 663 or visit homestyleagedcare.com.au

Homestyle Aged Care is committed to ongoing refurbishment projects at Belmont Grange in Grovedale and Sea Views Manor in Ocean Grove.

MORE SUPPORT FOR LOCAL PARENTS

Labor’s changes to Paid Parental Leave –expanding the scheme to a full six months –will now be law after our Paid Parental Leave reform passed the Senate.

This means new parents will be eligible for more Paid Parental Leave from 1 July this year with the passage of this historic legislation.

From 1 July, two more weeks of payment will be added each year until the overall length of the Paid Parental Leave scheme reaches 26-weeks by July 2026.

It also provides more flexibility by increasing the amount of leave that parents can take at the same time, from two to four weeks.

Expanding Paid Parental Leave to 26-weeks also complements the Government’s plan, announced earlier this month, to pay superannuation on Paid Parental Leave from 1 July 2025.

Celtic culture on show for all

By Matt Hewson

The National Celtic Folk Festival (NCFF) is gearing up for a special edition this year, celebrating its 20th year in Portarlington.

Held over the King’s Birthday weekend in June, the three-day festival is one of Australia’s premier events focused on Celtic culture, with festival organisers promising this year’s NCFF is “going to be big”.

Festival director Una McAlinden said the 20th running of the event in Portarlington was a “significant milestone and achievement”..

“The 20th edition in Portarlington is definitely going to be a huge celebration,” Ms McAlinden said.

“There’s a big history with this event. It’s had a life of over 40 years, and was in Geelong for about 20 years.

“Building from nothing 20 years ago, we went to Portarlington with $2000 which we got from a fundraiser. Basically we went there with nothing, just a whole lot of passion and commitment and hope.

Ms McAlinden said this year’s NCFF would both pay tribute to the event’s past as well as celebrate its present and future.

“What we’ve done with this program is look at people’s highlights and favourite acts over the 20 years and we’re bringing some of them back,” she said.

“As well, we’re supporting some of the young bands who actually started coming to

our festival as small children and are now so passionateaboutthemusicandtheculturethat they’re on our stages in amazing bands.”

Such acts will include renowned traditional Irish music exponents such as Dylan Carlos, John McCartin and Orlaith McAuliffe, youngeractssuchastheLumberJills(Canada), Apolline and Oceanique and well-known artistsincludingShaneHowardandClaymore.

In addition to music, the festival will include workshops, theatre, dancing, heavy games, markets, Irish hurling and a range of food and drink across over 10 venues. Visit nationalcelticfestival.com for more information.

Scan the QR code to stay up to date with what’s happening in our region.

Tolliday units unveiled

SomeolderresidentsontheBellarinePeninsula will benefit from a 16-unit affordable housing complex in Point Lonsdale.

BellarineCommunityHealth(BCH)recently joined with affordable housing provider Sirovilla to celebrate the official opening of the refurbished Sirovilla Eric Tolliday Units in Point Lonsdale.

Under a partnership with Sirovilla, the 16 units on the grounds of BCH Point Lonsdale have been refurbished and reopened to provide secure and affordable housing for older residents.

Board chair Kate Kerkin said Sirovilla was thrilled to support older independent community members with affordable, safe and secure accommodation.

“Our experience at Point Lonsdale so far has highlighted the need for this type of housing on the Bellarine Peninsula,” she said. “We have more people on our wait list at Point Lonsdale than we do on the wait list at Anglesea which

has been run by Sirovilla for over 10 years.” The units were originally opened in two stages in the early 1980s. Funding for the first eight self-contained units came from the CommonwealthDepartmentofSocialSecurity and were opened in 1982. Further funding was secured, and another eight units were opened in 1984.

“It’s a partnership with an alignment of values, people, community and relationships that now sees the site once again active, units renovated and occupied and home to its own active and engaged community within a community,” BCH board chair Fay Agterhuis said.

The one-bedroom units were named in honour of the late Mr Eric Tolliday, who gave more than 30 years of service to the local community as treasurer of the Queenscliff and District Memorial Hospital Society and Queenscliff and District Community Health Centre.

BCH board chair Fay Agterhuis, Sirovilla manager Vicky Chettleburgh, Neil Tolliday and Sirovilla board chair Kate Kerkin. (Supplied)

Sean Cook winning the 70Kg caber toss at last year’s NCFF heavy games. (Ivan Kemp) 341011_16

View.com.au’s stunning rise

View.com.au is the fastest growing residential property portal in Australia with a 102 per cent growth in unique audience since October according to new data.

IPSOS released new data which compared property portal data from October to February with the majority of portals have declined or have had very low growth*.

View’s had a 102 per cent growth increase, while realestate.com.au was the next best with a 2.2 per cent growth.

Domain’s portal had a decline of 2.6 per cent, while Allhomes’ portal declined by 9.0 per cent and Homely declined by 0.5 per cent.

View.com.au’s chief marketing officer Paul Tyrrell said it’s fantastic to see such strong audience growth on View as they continue to enhance the product and build the brand.

“Our consumer proposition is unique and features over 136,000 properties for sale, however it offers a complete view of the market with access to nearly 11 million properties Australia wide, with buyers able to express interest in properties even if they’re not for sale. All delivered by best in class mapping from Nearmap,” he said. “The marketing campaign is now in full swing and we’ve seen some massive spikes, particularly fromourbroadcastpartnershipwithChannel 7’s AFL coverage. To be the fastest growing property portal in the country is a testament to the hard work of the team and a clear demonstration of the need for a competitive alternative in the property portal space.”

“Our agent partners are enjoying the benefit of this audience growth with our premium product delivering up to 10 times more enquiry than our free product. But we’re only just getting started, watch this space.”

Homely’s February total audience dropped to 600,000 with View’s February audience

over 80 per cent higher at 1.1 million according to IPSOS data, with users of View spending on average 2.8 times longer on site than they did on Homely on

While internal Google Analytics data is showing nearly 1.7M Users for the month of February on View.

The executive team behind View includes seven ex-Domain executives that successfully took Domain to a $2.2 billion listing on the ASX and the company is headed up by former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano.

“We’re seeing the proposition we’ve built clearly resonating with consumers and we’ve got great momentum,” Mr Catalano said.

“Our freemium model for agents presents a true alternative to the traditional listings model;it’sfreetolistonViewandourlowcost premium product is performing incredibly well and delivering strong value for agents and vendors. We can make it free or keep prices low because VMG’s business model is not predicated on listings revenue, where the only option is annual price increases. We’re creating a true property ecosystem that caters to all steps along the property journey.

“While REA continues to cement its number one position, Domain’s audience has stagnated and we’re seeing some agents downgrading or dropping them from their advertising schedule due to high costs, underperformance and questionable return on investment. The industry is fed up with the status quo.

“We are the first genuine challenger to Domain’s number two audience position, having been propelled into the number three position for residential property portals showcasing properties for sale in only five months and relegating Homely to the number 6 portal behind Allhomes.”

Anthony Catalano.

Becoming ‘Chopper’

By Matt Hewson

Basing a comedy act around impersonating a man convicted multiple times for killing people might not seem like a great career move to some.

But in the early 2000s the potential implications of creating a show based on infamous (and at that stage, very much alive) criminal Chopper Read didn’t occur to then-uni student Heath Franklin until it was a little too late.

After discovering Read through the 2000 film Chopper, Franklin would often quote the movie when hanging out with his mates.

“Then I did a show at a university revue and I was like, I want to put the Chopper thing in,” Franklinsaid.“IfIcanjustborrowallthefunny bits and get rid of the super dark bits from the movie, then there might be something there.”

Before he knew it, Franklin was performing as Chopper at the 2024 Melbourne Comedy Festival, drawing the interest of Channel 10 in the process.

“We did a pilot for them and eventually got a series (The Ronnie Johns Half Hour) greenlit,

and I was just sort of caught up in the fact that I was on a TV show,” he said.

“But the first time that first episode went to air, just as the Chopper sketch was about to come on and I was like, oh, hang on, I bet

Chopper’s got a TV.

“That was the first time I thought, oh my gosh, I’m suddenly accountable for this. But thankfully… he seemed to take it pretty well at the time.”

Having entertained audiences across Australia and overseas for nearly 20 years, Franklinsaidthefocusofhisshowwas“mostly just an hour of jokes about humans acting like idiots”.

“There’s a tendency now… that there’s going to be a story or a message or some philosophy or something like that,” he said.

“ButI’veneverbeengreatatthattobehonest. And it’s also kind of hard if you’re playing a sociopath to have a moment at the 50-minute mark where you reflect on your feelings, because you don’t have feelings.

“So I’m just going for as many hard laughs as I can for an hour. I just want people to sit down and forget about everything and enjoy themselves and leave hopefully with aching stomach muscles and a big smile on their face.”

Heath Franklin’s Chopper Read: Not Here to F*** Spiders is at Geelong Arts Centre on Thursday, April 11.

Emma’s honouring a family legacy

Award-winning singer Emma Donovan has performed since she was a young child, played to audiences across the world and sung with everyone from Archie Roach to Paul Kelly and symphony orchestras.

But when Melbourne music company CookingVinylofferedherthechancetorecord a solo album, she “freaked out for a little bit”.

ForoveradecadeDonovanhascreatedmusic and won awards with Melbourne-based funk/ soul band The Putbacks in what she called “a beautiful bubble” of collaboration.

“It’s a long relationship, from times with Doogs (drummer Rory McDougal) and (bassist) Micky (Meagher) in the Black Arm Band days,” she said.

“After being in this collaboration with The Putbacks for so long… I thought, what can I present, what can I do on my own? And that’s a massivequestionforme,givenI’vebeenplaying with these generous and amazing players.

“So when I ask myself who am I, or what can I do on my own, all I can go back to is chords and progressions, melodies and phrases from my early childhood, which was growing up in a musical family.”

Donovan’s grandparents Micko and Aileen Donovan were the founders of Aboriginal country band The Donovans, which included her mother Agnes and her five uncles.

Having begun performing with The Donovans since the age of seven, she said her upcoming album ‘Til My Song is Done was all about making her family proud.

“It was such a beautiful thing to grow up around, houses that were full of all the mob

comingtogethertosing,”shesaid.“Forme,this album is just going back down memory lane, going back to basics and things that I grew up on, which is my love for my family and country music. And there’s a big story, you know.”

The evolution of a sound

Geelong-based singer songwriter Maddie Jackway is gearing up for her second EP release early next month.

With the first single You Make Me Look Over My Shoulder already up on streaming platforms, the full EP, Kindred, will be released on Friday, April 5.

The five-track EP was recorded through 2023 while Jackway was the Music Artist in Residence at Victoria University in Footscray at Kindred Studios, and features appearances by some of Australia’s finest musical talents including Jake Amy (keyboards/co-producer), Patrick Danao (drums), Matt Dixon (pedal steel), Alexander Flood (drums), Stephen Lane (bass) and Pia

Nesvara (strings).

Kindred follows Jackway’s 2020 release What Is This Freedom, serving as a continuing evolution of the sound she established with that offering.

Drawing on pop, folk, soul and R&B elements, Jackway’s music maintains a twin focus on her clean, agile and expressive vocal abilities and the narrative nature of her lyrics.

Jackway said the pastiche of stylistic influences in her songs was a natural result of her wide tastes in music.

“I don’t really like to box myself into a genre; I listen to and am inspired by a lot of different genres,” she said.

“That was definitely evident on the first

Enjoy Hypnos by Lewis

An Ocean Grove family will soon perform Hypnos in their hometown following the neo-classical album’s successful launch in March.

Musician, recording artist and producer Simon Lewis will be joined by daughter Calista, 18, on violin and vocals, and son Lazarus, 15, on cello at the Ocean Grove Uniting Church from 7.30pm on April 13.

Mr Lewis said the family would play music from Hypnos, a relaxing and piano-based album released on March 2.

“It (music) called me, more than me choosing it... and I’ve always been drawn to the way music can help people feel calmer,” he said.

“Hypnos is quite simple in the structure,butthere’senoughdepthinthe textures to make it interesting to listen too, rather than just one thing.”

Calista said she looked forward to the Uniting Church show and that performing with her dad and brother was a “circle of life moment”.

“It(Hypnos)letsyousitwitheverything and gradually washes that calmness and serenity over you. It’s so nice listening to it and it has a great effect,” she said.

“It’s so nice to be at a level now where I can learn Dad’s music and contribute artistically to how it’s played... and the church is so familiar, they’re like family.”

Lazarus said he grew up listening to classical music and was excited to play music with his family in front of the Ocean Grove community.

“Calista and I thought we’d play quite a lot together, growing up it was a bit harder, but it’s great to be able to do that now 12 years later, it feels surreal,” he said. “When you’re playing with your family, it’s very different compared to any other ensemble at school or outside of school because you can connect with each other and it’s actually fun.”

Visit simonlewis.com.au to listen to Hypnos or to book tickets for the upcoming show.

Jena Carr

EP (What Is This Freedom), and I think this second EP… has a little bit more emphasis on soul aspects, with a little sprinkling of R&B.

“There’s still definitely that introspective folk element that’s in the majority of my writing, just with instrumentation and arrangement that’s more pop, soul, R&B kind of focused, which is really exciting.”

Having been writing songs since the age of five or six, Jackway said it didn’t “make sense to me to do anything else”.

“I have just always done it, so writing for me helps me to process my emotions,” she said. “I remember my mum saying, what if you just did something else for the rest of your life? And I thought that was terrifying.”

Maddie Jackway. (Supplied)

Emma Donovan will perform an intimate

show – Songs, Stories and Soul from Family and Country – with special guests David Tweedie and James Gilligan at the Potato Shed on Saturday, April 13. ‘Til My Song is Done is out April 19.

Matt Hewson Emma Donovan. (Ian Laidlaw)

Simon Lewis on piano, with Calista on violin and Lazarus on cello. (Ivan Kemp) 398026_08

Heath Franklin as Chopper Read. (Supplied)

EASTER SALE

10 Titled Allotments Prices from $420,000 Sizes from 480m2 to 688m2

Includes Good Guys Geelong Voucher

$5000 Good Guys Geelong Voucher

Lifesaving carnival through the lens

The Life Saving Victoria Senior State Lifesaving Championships were held at Ocean Grove from Friday March 22 to Sunday March 24 and Ivan Kemp was there to take some photographs.

1/ The start of the Under 15 boys swim event. 2/ Teagen Reade and Addison Lewis from Ocean Grove Surf Lifesaving Club. 3/ Toby Hallam from Ocean Grove Surf Lifesaving Club, winner of the Under 15 boys swim. 4/ Miller Szalay securing the belt. 5/ Josh Scanlon and Sam Johnson form the Under 19 belt and reel team from Anglesea 6/ The Rescue and Resuscitation team from South Melbourne Lifesaving Club bringing the patient to shore. 7/ Rachael Robertson, Miranda McGree and Kylie Pummeroy from Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club. 8/ Winner of the Under 17 girls board heat Mae Lynch from Mornington Lifesaving Club. 9/ Lily Shipham, Mia Spencer and Julia Phillips (winner of the state flag race). 10/ The start of the Under 17 girls board race. 11/ The Rescue and Resuscitation team from South Melbourne Lifesaving club marching. 12/ Ocean Grove’s Toby Hallam runs to the finishing line. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 396458

Toot toot! It’s the school holidays

Voice photographer Ivan Kemp went to Portarlington Bayside Miniature Railway on Wednesday to see who was enjoying their school holiday break at the iconic Bellarine facility.

Railway volunteer John Mander attending a signal.

Above: Driver, Daniel Blues brings the train back into the station. Below: Mei Kwa with Kasper, Avi and Mason. Maria Vu and her daughter Mia.

Left: Sam and Maria Watkins about to start their journey. Above left: Brian Coleman in the signal box. Above centre: Sean and Thalia Watkins at the start of their trip. Above right: Driver Graeme Robinson ready to head off. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 399216

Dams need a good filling soon

I think the residents of the Bellarine had better start performing rain dances as it’s been so dry over the past few months.

Let’s hope that the heavens open soon, but hopefully the people who are camping over Easter have some decent weather first.

I had a lovely weekend at Aireys Inlet and stopped at Anglesea Heath on the way, but it was very quiet with only a few brown thornbills hopping around the trees.

Itwasaround35degrees,soI’mnotsurprised that the birds were sheltering. At Aireys I spotted a few rufous bristlebirds, white-eared honeyeaters and a pair of rufous fantails.

My friend Susie Baker and I witnessed a sulphur-crested cockatoo lifting the lid of a rubbish bin, which was amazing to see. The cockatoo proceeded to eat fruit that had been placed in the bin, including grapes and strawberries.

I visited my friend Robyn’s property in Wallington. Robyn has a male and female Indian peafowl or peacock, and they have five hatchlings to look after at the moment. The hatchlings all hang around the peahen or female bird, while the male bird seems to just prance around looking so handsome.

The male is currently moulting and Robyn gave me many of his feathers and they have to be the most beautiful feathers imaginable.

While wandering around the property I also spotted a kookaburra, yellow-rumped thornbills, common bronzewings and white-plumed honeyeaters.

There is still water in the Bellarine Bushland Reserve, but not a lot. I was hoping to see a few crakes or black-fronted dotterels, but it was not to be.

Robyn told me that a few wedge-tailed eagles have been flying over her property lately and she thinks that they have a fledgling. I hope I spot them soon.

I was driving home from work one day and while passing Barwon Heads Airport a brown falcon was perched on a fence post and amazingly remained there while I took some photos. I was so close that I could have almost touched the bird and it was such a privilege to have a close encounter with such a magnificent creature.

IreceivedanemailfromCarole,whoadvised me to visit Swan Bay, as she was amazed at the number of birds that she saw there. Carole guessed that the water level was low enough to enable all of the birds to feed.

The royal spoonbills could be seen everywhere and Carole has never seen so many all together feeding. The other birds in numbers are pelicans, all different cormorants, silver gulls and terns.

Jen’s brown falcon at Barwon Heads Airport, Indian peafowl at Wallington (top right), and rufous bristlebird at Aireys Inlet (right). (Pictures: Supplied)

Tips to keep kids engaged when the family is dining

When dining out at a restaurant with kids, it’s essential to have a few tricks up your sleeve to keep them entertained and engaged. Here are some creative ideas to ensure a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the entire family:

Bring quiet activities: Pack a small bag with colouringbooks,crayons,stickers,andpuzzles. These quiet and portable activities can keep kids occupied while waiting for their food or during lulls in the conversation.

Play interactive games: Engage the kids with interactive games that require minimal materials. For example, play ‘I Spy’ or ‘20 Questions’ to encourage observation and critical thinking skills. You can also create a restaurant-themed scavenger hunt by giving them a list of items to find in the restaurant.

Storytelling: Encourage storytelling by taking turns telling a story. Start a story with a sentence, and each person adds a sentence to continue the narrative. This game not only entertains the kids but also stimulates their imagination.

Tablecloth doodles: If the restaurant provides paper tablecloths, let the kids unleash their creativity by drawing and doodling. It’s a fun and mess-free activity that keeps them occupied.

DIY placemats: Create personalised placemats for the kids using plain paper or colouring sheets. They can decorate their placemats with drawings,stickers,ortheirnames.Thisactivity adds a personal touch and keeps them engaged during the meal.

Memory games: Play memory games by listing items on the table and challenging the kids to remember as many as they can. You can make

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it more challenging by removing an item and seeing if they can spot the missing one.

Conversation starters: Keep the conversation flowing by using conversation starters. Ask thought-provoking questions like, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” or “What’s your favorite thing to do on weekends?” This not only keeps the kids engaged but also encourages communication and bonding.

Origami or paper folding: Bring a pack of

JACK RABBIT VINEYARD

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• Sophisticated wines

• Lunch / Wine Tastings

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origami paper and teach the kids how to fold simple origami figures. There are numerous tutorials available online, ranging from easy to more complex designs.

Portablegames: Bringalongtravel-sizedboard games or card games that the whole family can enjoy. Classics like Uno, Connect Four, or Spot It! are compact and suitable for restaurant settings.

Engage with the menu: Involve the kids in the menu selection process. Ask for their input on

FLYING BRICK CIDER CO

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what they would like to order or encourage them to try new foods. Discussing the menu notonlykeepsthemengagedbutalsopromotes their decision-making skills.

Remember, it’s also crucial to set expectationsandestablishgoodbehavioratthe restaurant.Encouragegoodmanners,patience, and gratitude towards the waitstaff. With a combination of these entertaining activities and proper behavior, dining out with kids can becomeapleasantandenjoyableexperiencefor everyone involved.

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• Lunch / Dinner / Snacks

• Burger, Beverage & Balls packages

• Barista coffe, beer, wine & cocktails

• OPEN 7 days

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curlewisgolf.com.au

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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.

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 nouns ending in “s”.

19 words: Good 28 words: Very good 38 words:

1 What is the largest train station in the UK?

2 In relation to trees, what does deciduous mean?

3 Pedro Pascal (pictured) starred alongside Nicolas Cage in which 2022 film?

4 Which continent are capybaras native to?

5 What type of food is a chimichanga?

6 The book cataloguing website Goodreads was launched in which year?

7 Is Paraguay a landlocked or coastal country?

8 True or false: Otzi the Iceman, a natural mummy from 3105BC, had tattoos?

9 The world’s first electric tram line operated in which country?

10 Hazard signs are typically black symbols on what colour triangular background?

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Ocean Grove Voice looks back through the pages of our predecessors

7 years ago

March 29 to April 11, 2017

A group of Ocean Grove cyclists are pleading with City of Greater Geelong for a bike rack on The Terrace. The group, which cycles every day and meets outside Mint Cafe on The Terrace, is forcedtoleavetheirbicyclesonthefootpath or hang them from trees.

5 years ago

April 10 to 24, 2019

Ocean Grove residents are pleading with council to install a pedestrian crossing on Kingston Downs Drive before it’s too late.

The road, which services the rapidly expanding Kingston Estate, is used by schoolchildren riding and walking to two local primary schools.

3 years ago

April 9 to 22, 2021

Preliminary work on a potential “world class conservation area” stretching from Ocean Grove to Point Lonsdale is about to start.

TheSouthEastBellarineCoastalReserve Strategy, the brainchild of Ocean Grove Community Association, would further enhance one of the most significant conservation areas in the region, according to the City of Greater Geelong.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Christian Singles

Saturday April 13 – 6.30pm dinner at Mallee Thai, Shop 6, 1-3 Bellevue Avenue, Highton. Table for 30s & 40s, table for 50s and over. Book by April 11.

■ 0400 662 352

Saturday April 20 – 11.30am girls lunch at private venue. Details ring by April 19.

■ 0418 672 570

Bellarine Women’s Workshop

Portarlington Girl Guides Hall. Meets every second Thursday, and second Saturday of the month.

■ Facebook: Bellarine Women’s Workshop for further details

Book club

Leopold CAE book club meets second Tuesday each month from 6.30pm. Very friendly group. New members welcome.

■ Shirley, 0488 055 969

Carpet bowls

Leopold Hall 805-809 Bellarine Highway, Leopold on Wednesday and Friday from 1pm to 3.15pm. Admission: $4 includes afternoon tea.

■ 0400 500 402

Chess clubs

For chess fun simply come along and see yourself, play some chess, meet some members, with no obligation to join. We welcome players of all abilities. 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

Ballroom dance Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Highway on Saturday, April 14. Admission $10 including supper, 7.30-11pm, music Kevin.

■ 0400 500 402

1375-1377

Murradoc Road, (on Blanche Street), St Leonards.

■ Ralph, 0431 458 100 (Ocean Grove), Rob, 5259 2290 (Portarlington), Lyn, 5292 2162 (St Leonards)

Scottish country dancing classes GOG Scottish Country Dance classes 7.30pm Tuesdays at Leopold Hill Hall, $5. No partner needed, just comfy casual clothing and flat shoes.

■ Jane, 0481 126 022, or Barbara, 0419 511 781

Ocean Grove Senior Citizens

101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove Weekly

Tuesday: snooker 1pm, chess, indoor bowls 1.15pm. Wednesday: bingo 1.15pm, ukulele class 2pm, chord chord jam session 4pm. Thursday: snooker 1pm, cards 500, social afternoons 1.15pm. Friday: art classes 9am.

Fortnightly

CWA 1st & 2nd Thursday 7.30pm Monthly

Stamp club 4th Wednesday 10am, inhouse Movies 3rd Wednesday 1.30pm.

■ Dianne, 5255 1372

Cards

Ocean Grove Seniors play card game 500 every Thursday at 1.15pm. If you are new to the game a quick lesson will get you in play. The core group of six players adjust to any number and you will enjoy the friendship of like-minded players.

Cost: $20 annually and coffee included.

At 102 The Terrace, Ocean Grove.

■ Lyn, 5256 2540

Drysdale Day VIEW

Supporting The Smith Family for fun and friendship while supporting disadvantaged Students. Meetings at Portarlington Golf Club for lunch on the fourth Friday of each month.

■ Margaret, 0431 636 090

Ocean Grove Evening VIEW

Meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6.30pm. Email oceangroveevening.viewclub@gmail.com for details.

1 year ago

April 7 to 20, 2023

Greater Geelong council made its views clear on the proposed development at 57-59 The Parade, Ocean Grove, with councillors unanimously rejecting the developers’ application for a planning permit at last Thursday’s planning meeting. The contentious development, a three-storey, 16 unit complex that was repeatedly described at the meeting by councillors, city officers and objectors alike as “monolithic”, was refused a planning permit on several grounds.

■ 0428 546 796

Ocean Grove Day VIEW

Meets second Wednesday of the month, 10.30am for 11am.

■ oceangroveday.viewclub@gmail.com

Ocean Grove on Barwon Probus Meets 9.45am for 10am every third Wednesday at Ocean Grove Golf Club.

■ gwen.anne.james@gmail.com

Drysdale Ladies Probus Club Meets at 10.30am on the fourth Monday of each month at the Clifton Springs Golf Club.

■ Lorraine, 0412 805 858

TOWN club

The Springs TOWN Club (Take Off Weight Naturally) meets Mondays, 9-10.30am at the Community Hub, 23 Eversley Street, Drysdale. Weigh-in, group therapy and regular relaxation sessions. Cost: $5 per session, $54 annual fee.

■ Bev, 0421 636 830

Afternoon tea dance

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

■ 5251 3529

CWA Drysdale

Meets Drysdale RSL, Princess St, Drysdale on the second Tuesday of the month. Meetings start at 1pm followed by afternoon tea. Friendly group looking to recruit new members.

■ Jenni, 0452 258 333

Surf’s up at Rip Curl Pro

1/ Superstar Kelly Slater. 2/ Barron Mamiya enters the water for his heat against Kelly Slater. 3/ Kelly Slater heads down to Winkipop for his heat. 4/ Sinead and Gary Case with their son Bodhi from Adelaide. 5/ Ishan with his children Bodhi and Ayla sharing an ice cream. 6/ Finn tests his skills on a board. 7/ Haley Esquino and Emma Carlin from California and Bella Linz from Melbourne. 8/ Cole Houshmand wins his heat on the last wave. 9/ Jesse Moyes with his daughter Milla. 10/ The crowd watching the heats on the big screen. (Picture: Ivan Kemp) 397476 Voice photographer Ivan Kemp ventured to the Rip Curl Pro at Jan Juc on Easter Saturday.

ACCOUNTING

Kelly Clifford Accounting0407 119 283

ANTENNAS

Arrow Antennas0439 785 703

Kendall Antenna Services0404 019 781

AUTOMOTIVE

Auto Care Ocean Grove (Repco)5255 1045

Gardiner Automotive5255 5380

BEAUTY/HAIR

Hair By Dana0400 065 431

Swish Beauty & Hair - Leopold 5250 3242

BUILDERS & NEW HOMES

Beechmore Building Solutions5250 4638

MB Builders0400 406 030

BUILDING DESIGNERS

Michael Higgins Building Design5255 3355

BUTCHERS

Benno’s Meating Place5254 1828

CARPET CLEANING

Carpet Cleaners Geelong5255 3510

CHIMNEY SWEEPS

A1 Chimney Sweep & Co0426 897 479

CONVEYANCING

Surfside Conveyancing Pty Ltd5255 5556

Vines Conveyancing5255 4480

DENTAL

Drysdale Denture Services

Ryan Davies & Andrew Irving5251 1683

Ocean Grove Denture Services

Ryan Davies & Andrew Irving5255 4533

ELECTRICIANS

Grove Electrical (REC 16943)0404 022 952

Personal Anzac Tributes to honour the soldiers who have served in the Australian Armed Forces will be published in the classified section in the week of Anzac Day 2024

Readers have the opportunity to place a tribute of a family member who has served in any of the following wars:

World War 1 (1914-1918)

Vietnam War (1962-1972) East Timor (1999-onwards)

World War 2 (1939-1945)

Afghanistan (2001-onwards)

Korean War (1950-1953)

Gulf Wars (1990-1991, 2003-onwards)

12678776-AP13-24

Review: the Mitsubishi Eclipse

By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring

I read somewhere that the government was going to drop financial incentives for plug-in hybrids in April next year.

I’m not surprised. While PHEVs look good onpaper,withtheirultra-lowfuelconsumption figures - the reality is very different.

For example, vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV are good for a claimed 1.9L/100km. But to achieve this figure, you need to recharge the battery every 100km, or the final figure is liable to be considerably higher.

Basically, the battery provides 45km of petrol-free travel for the first 100km travelled, 45kmforthenextandsoon.Don’trechargethe battery and you won’t reap the benefit.

Styling

With seating for five occupants, Eclipse Cross sits between ASX and Outlander in terms of size.

There are three plug-in hybrid versions from which to choose: ES, Aspire and Exceed.

Prices start from $47,290 for ES, $51,240 for Aspire and $55,990 for top of the line Exceed.

All PHEVs come with an auto and all three are underpinned by all-wheel drive. Standard kit includes cloth trim, two-zone climate air conditioning, 18-inch alloys, push buttonstart,LEDdaytimelights,cruisecontrol and rear parking sensors.

Aspire adds suede and synthetic leather trim, heated front seats, power-adjust driver’s seat, LED headlights, front parking sensors, along with adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera, blind spot warning, lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert.

Exceed adds full leather, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, power-adjust passenger seat, built-in navigation, head-up display and a double sunroof – plus an ultrasonic mis-acceleration mitigation system.

The PHEV received some minor updates earlier last year, including a power tailgate for Exceed and V2L (the ability to power external equipment) for Aspire and Exceed. latest USB-C ports or a 12-volt socket in the cargo area. Ditto rear air vents.

It’scoveredbya10-year200,000kmstandard warranty, provided that it’s always serviced at a Mitsubishidealership,otherwiseitdropstofive years and 100,000km.

So be wary if you’re consistently averaging more than 20,000km a year.

The battery warranty is for eightyears/160,000km battery warranty.

Infotainment

Infotainment comprises a now small 8.0-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth with voice control, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, wired Apple CarPlayandAndroidAutoandaneight-speaker Mitsubishi-branded sound system.

Engines/transmissions

The powertrain comprises a 2.4-litre petrol engine with two electric motors, one for the frontandoneforthebackaxle,plusa13.8kWh battery.

The engine produces 94kW of power and 199Nm of torque, while the electric motors deliver60kW/137Nmand70kW/195Nmapiece.

A combined figure is not provided, but throttle response is sharp thanks to the instant torque from the electric motors. Drive is to all four wheels through a single-speed transmission and is remarkably smooth.

Safety

Standard safety includes seven airbags, rear view camera, automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning, plus an ultrasonic mis-acceleration mitigation system. The latter reduces the chance and severity of hitting obstacles when the driver mistakenly presses the accelerator when stationary or at speeds of up to 10km/h.

Driving Eclipse has grown a little in size since

launch. It now offers a pleasant, comfortable environment, with more rear legroom and a larger boot.

The cool two-piece rear window has gone, replaced by a conventional and probably cheaper one-piece unit.

A revised instrument cluster displays engine speed as well as EV charge levels and battery use - but alas no digital speedo.

Thefrontseatsandsteeringwheelareheated, but cooling would have been a better option given our climate.

Although larger overall, plug-in hybrid versions have a smaller boot than the standard model because of the space occupied by the battery pack. At the same time the spare wheel has been replaced by a tyre repair kit.

The PHEV system is ‘EV-biased’ and prioritises EV mode wherever possible, but can deploy series or parallel hybrid modes when required.

In EV mode (available from 0-135km/h), the PHEV is powered by the front and rear electric drivemotors,drawingcurrentfromthebattery.

In series hybrid mode (available from 0-70km/h), the car continues to use the battery to power the front and rear motors, while the petrol engine is engaged to run the generator to charge the battery while driving.

This mode is also automatically activated when the driver wants maximum acceleration, or for example when driving uphill or when battery charge is low.

In this mode, the vehicle will attempt to revert to EV Mode as often as possible for maximum efficiency and minimum emissions.

In parallel hybrid mode (available above 70km/h), the PHEV operates like a traditional hybrid.

This means the petrol engine drives the front wheels in tandem with the front electric motor via the multi-mode front transaxle, while the rear electric motor drives the rear wheels.

Once again, the vehicle is configured to revert to EV mode or series hybrid mode whenever possible.

There are five steps that add drag when you take your foot off the throttle, sending energy

back to the battery.

But, unlike other vehicles of this kind, you still need to apply the brakes. A button marked ‘SAVECHRG’suggestsyoucansavethebattery charge for use later, but it’s a bit confusing.

The whole PHEV thing might sound a bit complicated, but there’s no need to worry because the car takes care of everything — everything that is apart from charging.

ThePHEVhasACType2andDCCHAdeMO style input sockets.

Using the supplied cable and a regular 10A powerpoint it takes seven hours to fully charge.

It’s also supplied with a second cable for faster Mode 3 charging using a wall charger which takes four hours, while 0-80 per cent with a full-blown commercial DC charger takes 25 minutes.

The Mitsubishi Remote Control app allows drivers to plan and activate battery charging remotely via the app, to take advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs.

Mitsubishiclaims55kmofelectricrange,but that’s under the old NEDC standard. Under the newer, more stringent WLTP system, it’s actually 45km - but 55 sounds better.

Basically, if you live in the ‘burbs, Mitsubishi claimstheelectricrangeissufficienttopopinto the city and back without needing to recharge. We reckon it’s a costly option and a lot of mucking around for little in return.

The cynical might suggest it has more to do with satisfying emissions requirements across the range rather than delivering real world benefits.

At the same time, because it’s a plug-in hybrid, you don’t need to worry about being stranded. When the juice runs out, the petrol engine kicks in.

Hybrid questions aside, the PHEV is a heavy car and this has implications for ride and handling.

There are five drive modes: tarmac, snow, gravel, normal or economy.

Normal or Eco are what most urban motorists will use, while tarmac is in effect a sport mode in which the car becomes tauter, sportier and more responsive.

The ride is harsher on anything apart from smooth bitumen, even though they’ve done a bit of work on the rear suspension. You feel all the little imperfections and the car can take longer than normal to settle as it continues to bounce up and down on the suspension.

That weight means and the fact the car sits relatively high and also means it has a tendency to run wide in corners, with squeal hard braking and lift-off oversteer when braking late and hard into corners.

Thesteeringlacksanysortoffeel.Infact,you can waggle the steering wheel (technical term) from side to side with little or no effect on the direction of travel.

It’sliketryingtochangedirectioninthebilly carts we used to build as kids in the backyard with wood pinched from building sites.

A sports car it is not.

With a 45-litre tank, it takes regular 91 unleaded.

We were getting 6.5L/100km after more than 800km, bearing in mind that the trip computer in Mitsubishis are a law unto themselves.

That’s nowhere near the claimed 1.9L/100km, but unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to recharge the battery after the initial charge had been depleted.

Interestingly, 39 per cent of our time was spent driving in EV mode - not sure how. This compares with 7.7L/100km for the 1.5-litre turbocharged all-wheel drive version of the car.

On a final note, our test vehicle was fitted with Mitsubishi-branded roof racks, which were the source of an annoying hum at speed.

Summing up

At $14,750 more than the regular model, the Eclipse Cross PHEV Aspire is a big ask.

For a little less you can get into something like MG’s ZS Long Range EV, a fully electric SUVwith440kmofrangethatdoesnotrequire charging as frequently.

While buyers might be coming around to the benefits of EVs, they have demonstrated a reluctance to pay the outrageous prices that manufacturers are demanding for them.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV. (Supplied)

Pratt stars in B2 Grade victory

Queenscliff defeated Wallington in the BPCA B2 Grade final at Drysdale on Sunday March 24 with Matthew Pratt starring.

Ivan Kemp was there to take some photos.

Hawks soar sky high into A1 premiership

Ivan Kemp was at Len Trewin Reserve, St Leonard’s to see Drysdale earn promotion to the BPCA top flight.

Charlie Clode mishits this delivery but survives.

Charlie Clode pulls this delivery to the square leg boundary for four.

Rob Cutajar hits this delivery from Stan Grazotis for six on his way to making 92 not out.

Above: Corey Walter bowled steadily to take 1 for 44 off 12 overs. Below: Collindina players celebrate the dismissal of Charlie Clode.

Above: Lochie Wilson cuts on his way to making 30 runs. Above right: Rob Cutajar hits this delivery down the ground for four. Right: Charlie Clode hits this delivery to mid wicket for a single. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 396455

Queenscliff’s Matthew Pratt watches the ball go over the boundary to bring up his century.

Lewis Citroen congratulates Matthew Pratt on his ton. Alistair Fleming drives this delivery. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 396456

Above: Luke Adam is bowled by Murray Biemans. Below left: Murray Biemans congratulates Matthew Pratt on his innings. Below right: Luke Robinson takes the catch to dismiss Matthew Pratt.

Rags to riches: Heads on top

By Justin Flynn

Barwon Heads has gone from A1 Grade demotion, to A2 Grade premiers and now A1 Grade premiers within three seasons to completearagstorichesstoryintheBellarine Peninsula Cricket Association.

TheSeagullsdefeatedperennialpowerhouse Anglesea in a pulsating final at Jan Juc to halt the Seas’ quest for a fifth consecutive flag. Max and Harry Melzer got the Heads off to another solid start, putting on 51 while Brent McMinn upped the ante with 41 from 50 balls including an enormous six behind point.

Daniel Donaldson played the sheet anchor role and would end on 48 from 140 while Ben Harris chipped in with 23 including a mammoth six over mid-wicket.

Late contributions from Darcy Hewitt (23) and Harry Hyland (10 not out) got the score up to 227 all out and the Heads were favourites going into day two.

Anglesea skipper Dylan Taylor bowled superbly, taking 4/57 while Ben Harcombe’s nagging line and length netted him 3/9 from 10 immaculate overs.

Hewitt struck twice early on day two, but left-hander Tyron Norman was looking ominous, timing the ball beautifully.

Joined by Brett Venables, the pair looked untroubled in adding 42 for the third wicket, but Venables fell for 19.

Meanwhile Norman brought up his half-century, but was caught on the boundary off Sam Schaller for a well-made 54.

Will Huby played nicely for 38, but wickets and overs were running out for Anglesea.

Spin duo Schaller and Dan Donaldson were

proving difficult to score against. Eventually the end came with Anglesea all out for 166 and the celebrations began.

Left-arm finger spinner Schaller picked up the player of the match award with 5/48 from 22.3 overs while leg-spinner Donaldson took 3/52 from 25.

DRYSDALE will play in A1 Grade next season after defeating Collendina in the A2 Grade final at St Leonards.

Collendina would have been disappointed withitsscoreof177alloutdespiteatopknock from Ben Ricardo (56) and contributions from Stan Grazotis (36) and Aidan Foard (35).

However it was veteran left-armer David Sykes who stepped up for the Hawks to take 4/43 and Blake Dobbin again found himself among the wickets with 3/39.

Withacoupleofoverstofacebeforestumps

on day one, Robert Cutajar elevated himself to the top of the list to ease the burden on regular opener Andrew Spengler and it paid off handsomely. The left-hander made a stunning unbeaten 92 from 149 deliveries. Cutajar is familiar with Len Trewin Reserve at St Leonards having played more than 250 games with the Saints.

Charlie Clode made 35 and Lochie Wilson 30 to get the Hawks home by eight wickets.

Grubbers take B1 Grade honours after thriller

Ocean Grove claimed the BPCA B1 Grade premiership defeating Barrabool at Armstrong Creek.

The Bulls won the toss and batted first with Nathan Findlay (25) and Hayden Bickett (52) putting on 49, but Craig Byron stepped up and took a flurry of wickets.

The left-arm seamer formed a formidable partnership with spinner Tom Kent with Barrabool all out for 119.

Byron took an impressive 6/45 from 24.2 immaculate overs while Kent’s 4/33 from 20 also proved pivotal.

At 3/46 in reply, Jacob Taylor and Luke Morrison (28) put together an important 50-run stand and when Taylor departed for a well-made 45, Ocean Grove was only five runs

from victory with five wickets in hand.

MATTHEW Pratt starred in Queenscliff’s B2 win against Wallington.

Pratt made a stunning 107 from only 101 deliveries to steer the Coutas to an imposing 9/252 on day one at Drysdale. Pratt hit 12 boundaries and three sixes while Michael Washford made 51 and Lewis Citroen 46.

Luke Adam then stepped in on day two to take 6/43 in dismissing the Wallabies for 165.

Damian Howsam (36), Tony Jones (33) and Ross Moreland (30) all spent time at the crease, but Wallington needed one of them to go on and get a big one.

BARRABOOL recorded a one-sided 10-wicket victory against Jan Juc at Armstrong

Creek. Miles Kerr made 41 for the Sharks, but Harry Todd took 5/33 from 15 overs for the Bulls and left-armer Zac Pahl 3/27.

Needing 144 for victory, Barrabool openers SamFrancis(86notout)andJamieMulholland (48 not out) did it all themselves.

WALLINGTON defeated Queenscliff in D Grade at Barwon Heads.

Queenscliff batted first and made 8/176 with Ned Stephens getting 61 while Luke Roebuck-Stewart took 2/17 from eight tidy overs.

The Wallabies got the runs with four wickets and eight balls to spare with Matt Shipsides scoring 70 off 95 deliveries and Mark Johnson 34 from 47.

Justin Flynn

Matthew Pratt brings up his century with a boundary. (Ivan Kemp) 396456_01

Above: Ocean Grove won the B1 Grade premiership. (OGCC) Below: Wallington D Grade premiers. (Supplied)

Craig Byron was the star for Ocean Grove in B1 Grade with six wickets. (Ivan Kemp) 396457_11

That winning feeling: Barwon Heads BPCA A1 Grade premiers. Right: The moment Barwon Heads sealed victory. (Pictures: Justin Flynn) 395963

Drysdale’s Robert Cutajar hits this delivery down the ground for four. (Ivan Kemp) 396455_06

Barwon Heads win A1 Grade flag

Barwon Heads pulled off a stunning Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A1 Grade premiership against Anglesea at Jan Juc on Sunday March 24. Justin Flynn was there and took these photographs.

Barwon Heads coach Ben Harris and captain Max Melzer.

Brett Venables looked in good touch during his 19.

Sam Schaller receives the player of the match award from BPCA president Ian Caldwell.

The three young guns for the Seagulls – Harry Hyland, Taj Don and Angus Ford.

Left: Daniel Donaldson took four wickets for Barwon Heads. Right: Will Huby, who played very well for his 38, is bowled by Sam Schaller. (Pictures: Justin Flynn) 395963

Dylan Taylor at the crease.

Simon Umbers made 16.

Above: Tyron Norman was superb with a half-century for Anglesea. Below: Sam Schaller was a star with five wickets.

Darcy Hewitt took two early wickets for Barwon Heads.

Grovedale wins four of six

LOCAL TENNIS

Donna Schoenmaekers

The Tennis Geelong Saturday Senior Pennant has concluded and premiers have been crowned for another season.

Moolap had a successful day at home with 6 Mixed winning 4-2 over Drysdale, highlighted by Cameron Dempster winning his three sets. Sophie de Wit also led the charge in 1 Mixed winning her three sets in their 4-2 win over Highton, while 4 Open won both singles and the final doubles to take their final over All Saints three rubbers to one.

Grovedale had the most success for the day winning through in four of their six finals, with 4 Mixed, and 1, 3 and 5 Open getting over the line. Steve Tomkins and Saxon Richardson led the charge in 1 Open upsetting minor premiers Geelong West three rubbers to one,

while the father son combination of Andrew and Lachie Smith remained undefeated in 5 Open’s win over Lara Blue.

One of the closest matches for the day was 3 Open where the junior Premier A runner-ups Malachi Hedt and Tano-Li Quach rallied along with CJ Watkins to get over Ocean Grove three rubbers, four sets, 33 games to one rubber, four sets, 36 games. The club was guaranteed the flag in 4 Mixed, with Black and Yellow teams facing off, and despite Matt Allen winning his three sets for Yellow, Black proved too consistent taking the match by four games.

Jason Murnane suffered the same fate as Allen in 1 Men winning his three sets for the day for Waurn Ponds, but this wasn’t enough to stop Barwon Heads getting up by three games.

The best win in the Men’s sections went to Inverleigh with their 6-0 score over Ocean

Juniors have a taste of premiership success

LOCAL TENNIS

Donna Schoenmaekers

It was grand final day on Saturday March 23 for Tennis Geelong’s Junior Pennant and the competition was hotter than the weather.

St Mary’s had one of the best wins in Green Ball 1, their only final for the day, 6-0. The best win went to Geelong Lawn in 9 Boys 6-0, with a 24-game advantage. Lawn also had wins in 1 and 2 Girls giving them three titles out of a possible eight.

Ocean Grove had seven teams competing, and they too managed to bring home three flags with wins in 6 Boys, 8 Boys and 7 Girls. Hamlyn Park proportionally were the best performed with 7 Boys, 11 Boys and 4 Girls all winning, although with 7 Boys and 4 Girls only decided on games there would have been a lot of nervous parents.

A number of clubs registered one win for the day with Barwon Heads Blue (Green Ball 3) winning 5-1, Lara (Green Ball 2) winning 4-2, Waurn Ponds (5 Girls) and Western Heights Uniting (3 Boys) both winning by two games. Newcomers to the competition this season were Meredith, who had their 6 Girls team win through as Champions with a 5-1 win over GeelongLawn.NearneighboursBannockburn also posted a win in 12 Boys, although it was one of 10 matches decided on games after teams tied on sets.

Wandana Heights White were the inaugural winners of the new Premier B section, their

one win for the day, while Moriac took out Premier A in a long match over Grovedale Black two rubbers, three sets, 29 games to one rubber two sets, 28 games.

Grovedale won four of seven finals with 1 Boys winning 4-2, 2 Boys winning 5-1, and 3 Girls winning by six games tied on sets. They also were involved in the two matches that went to deciding sets when the teams were tied on sets and games after the six sets.

Roy Earls and Will Campbell showed nerves of steel in the deciding sets for 10 Boys winning 6-1 to take the flag. The 5 Boys were also within reach for Grovedale, with the team tied with Surfcoast Jan Juc in a tight match with both teams tied on 30 points, involving four tie-breaks. The decider was no exception with Jacob Furness and Harrison McHale finally winning through for Juc in another tie-break.

Surfcoast also prevailed in 8 Girls with the slightly easier result of 4-2.

Highton would be thinking it was a day of ‘what ifs’ with success in two of its seven finals.

The 4 Boys and Green Ball 4 managed wins, while 3 Boys, 12 Boys, 2 Girls and 5 Girls all missed out at three sets all but down on games.

It is the end of a successful season with Grovedale’s 1 Boys, Meredith’s 6 Girls, Hamlyn Park’s 11 Boys and Highton’s Green Ball 4 winning through as champions, and the competition proving to be close with almost half the grand finals decided on games difference.

Grove in 3 Men. Ocean Grove had Inverleigh’s measure through the home and away season, but Inverleigh countered in the first-semi and followed up in the final.

Wandana Heights had a clean sweep against Moolap in 2 Open, avenging their semi final loss. The Heights had won both home and away matches against Moolap, but missed out on the minor premiership in the last round on percentage. Moolap came away with the win in the first Semi, but the Heights rallied when it counted to win out in the end.

Clifton Springs/Drysdale came from fourth in 3 Mixed to upset minor premiers Moriac. After Moriac took the first set, the combination team took control winning the next five sets, spearheaded by Andrew Vlahovic winning his three sets.

Tom Crosbie won his three sets in St Mary’s 4-2 win over minor premiers Grovedale in 2

Mixed. The team won the first two sets, and with the balance of the sets split, this was enough to get them over the line.

The closest result in the mixed sections went to Surfcoast Jan Juc in 5 Mixed against Moolap. Jan Juc made it through to the grand final with a two-game win over Moolap, and it was the same difference in the final, although with three sets decided 7-5, the match was a cliffhanger with the result in the balance until the very end.

Highton had wins in both their finals with Adam Thomas winning his three sets to lead 2 Men to a 4-2 win over Bannockburn, while Anthony Eyles won his singles and doubles in 6 Open to help his team to a seven-game win, with the rubbers and sets level.

With the summer season now done players will enjoy a break until the start of the winter season on April 27.

Section 4 Girls Hamlyn Park: Mikayla McKenzie, Ellie McKenzie, Naomi Spain, Elisha Spain and Lilly Synot.

Section 3 Girls Grovedale 2: Annabelle Wingrave, Ruby Egan, Rosie Kelly, Katelyn White and Suzhanna White.

Section 2 Boys Grovedale: Aki Bhatt, Riley van der Vliet, Oliver Plunkett, Lucas Trentini and Callum Henderson. (Pictures: Supplied)

Section 6 Open Highton & Surfcoast: Loiuse Dahlenburg, Sienna Clatworthy, Daniel Wright, Anthony Eyles, Sara Chol, Conor MacKinnon. (Pictures: Supplied)

Section 3 Mixed Clifton Springs/Drysdale & Moriac: Back (Moriac): Matt Head, Shelley Thompson, Sue Maibaum, Bridget Laird, Chris Thompson. Front (CS/D): Andy Vlahovic, Elodie Greenwood, Nicole Nicholls, Alison Scott, Jack Lane.

Good start for footy and netball

Ocean Grove took on Queenscliff in the opening round of footy and netball at Steeline Ray Menzies Oval on Good Friday.

Justin Flynn was there to check out the A Grade netball and senior footy.

2024

Far left: Max Sutton and Lachie Kidd go hard at this contest. Left: Ed Dayman and Joe Cincotta contest this ruck dual. Above: Campbell Snookes gets his kick away.

Left: Georgia Ryan looks for an option with Keely Kinsey providing plenty of pressure Centre: Courtney Leith in action. Right: Georgia Ryan and Laura Cayzer in midcourt. (Picture: Justin Flynn) 397855

Left: Zanna Woods was massive in attack for Ocean Grove. Centre: Emily Moroney and Zanna Woods. Right: Wing defence Anna Smith puts the pressure on, but Madison Foot is first to the ball.

Left: Charlie Every gets free on the wing. Centre: Brady Pritchard booted four goals for the Grubbers. Right: Co-coach Nick Bourke played well across half-back. (Pictures: Justin Flynn) 397856

Coutas too strong for Grove

By Justin Flynn

An impressive Queenscliff overpowered a promising Ocean Grove at Steeline Ray Menzies Oval in front of a bumper Good Friday crowd to open the Bellarine Football League season.

The Grubbers were in front by six points at the last change in a see-sawing encounter, but Queenscliff booted six goals to one in the final term to run out winners, 15.14(104) to 12.8(80).

In warm conditions, the game was played at a hectic pace and both sides showed enough to suggest they will improve this season.

Ocean Grove coach Dave Farrell was pleased with many aspects of his side’s game.

“For periods of the game we were really good, especially in the first half we strung together good moments and you couldn’t help but get excited by the way the boys were playing,” he said.

“Queenscliff played some really consistent footy and have some real fire power forward when they get the footy in quickly.”

Former Adelaide and Hawthorn player Kyle Hartigan booted four goals for the Coutas and Will Baker also kicked four.

Ocean Grove had trouble scoring at times lastseason,butonGoodFriday,ithadmultiple

Round 1

Ocean Grove vs Queenscliff

Ocean Grove 4.3(27), 7.4(46), 11.6(72), 12.8(80)

Queenscliff 2.4(16), 5.9(39), 9.12(66), 15.14(104)

GOALS – Ocean Grove: Brady Pritchard 4, Connor Asquith 3, Ben Bennett, Ed Dayman, Jace Collins, Lachlan Bedendo, Campbell Snookes.

Queenscliff: Kyle Hartigan 4, Will Baker 4, Isaac McCabe 2, Joe Cincotta 2, Jai McGough.

BEST– Ocean Grove: Ed Dayman, Max Sutton, Cameron Fowler, Grady Slocombe, Brady Pritchard, Sean McKenzie. Queenscliff: Harry Gower, Max Scott, Caleb Whitley, Sol Bowtell, Will Baker, Kyle Hartigan.

avenues to goal with Brady Pritchard booting four goals and Connor Asquith three.

“The offensive side of our game looks to be piecing together nicely and can hopefully compliment the contest work we prided

ourselves on in the back end of last season,” Farrell said.

“Last year we focused really heavily on our contest work and defence, while we continue to work at these areas, our ball movement and attack has become more of a focus since Christmas as we build out our game method.”

Farrell said his players fed off the energy of the big Easter crowd and that playing a home game during the holidays was a bonus for the club.

“It’s a huge undertaking by the committee and volunteers, but we love the exposure the staff and players get to a big crowd and the extra scrutiny that comes with round one,” he said.

“It’s a finals-like atmosphere that hopefully is an experience we can draw on when we get the opportunity to return to finals footy ourselves.”

QUEENSCLIFF won a thriller in the reserves with a goal on the siren giving it a seven-point win.

Jake Hedley kicked five goals for the Coutas in the 10.6(66) to 9.5(59) win while Fletcher Long booted three for the Grubbers.

Kirby Reilly, Joe Pierce and Ryan Cook were among Ocean Grove’s best and Jordan Wilson, Hedley and Kai Keenan did well for the visitors.

Grubbers open season with victory

Ocean Grove opened its Bellarine Netball League A Grade season with a two-goal win against Queenscliff at Steeline Ray Menzies Oval on Good Friday.

The new-look Grubbers led by a goal at the last change and prevailed 57 to 55 in an entertaining game.

Both sides showed enough to suggest they will again be there at the business end of the season.

New coach Mel Holmes said being reigning premiers was not really in the forefront of her team’s minds.

“Ihavetoseeitasanewchallengewithanew group,” she said.

“Last year was amazing and successful, but it’s a new year and a new team. They were successful last year and it was amazing, but I don’t want to go into the mindset that we need to prove anything other than to ourselves.”

Ocean Grove’s new-look attack started the seasonstronglywithstarrecruitZannaWoods scoring 35 goals and young gun Arlee Bennett 22.

“Zanna brings loads of experience and she’s got a really positive attitude and she’s willing to impart her knowledge on to the rest of the group,” Holmes said.

“And Arlee’s the baby, she’s fresh out of Under 19 Cougars, but she’s not playing there this year. She’s relocated here for uni and I think she’s just going to get better and better.”

Holmes said the side’s grit impressed her most, especially when it was challenged multiple times by a very slick Queenscliff outfit.Shesaidtheteamwilltakeawhiletogel. “They (Queenscliff) were good,“ she said. “They were strong and polished so we were really happy to get that first win.

“I’m really confident with the group we’ve got that it will just come as the season builds. Just getting used to each other and how to play.

“It was pretty close and at times there were ups and downs, but I think we dug deep and took it up that level.

“I was really proud of the fight the girls put up, and we just said ‘it’s not going to happen unless we make this happen, so we have to dig deep’.”

Ocean Grove has another home game in round two against Portarlington on Saturday April 6 at 1.45pm.

Round 1

A Grade: Ocean Grove 57 def

Queenscliff 55. Best: Ocean GroveGeorgia Ryan, Zanna Woods, Georgia

Berry. Queenscliff - Kaitlin Gladman, Tess Orvis, Laura Cayzer.

B Grade: Ocean Grove 46 def

Queenscliff 35. Best: Ocean GroveJesse Sutton, Charlotte Vines, Emma Jones. Queenscliff - Erin O’Shea, Mia Stephens, Sienna Bruhn.

C Grade: Ocean Grove 46 def

Queenscliff 32. Best: Ocean

Justin Flynn

Youngster Arlee Bennett was impressive for Ocean Grove in her first game.

Zanna Woods started the season strongly. (Pictures: Justin Flynn) 397855

Top: Josh Lange in action during round one. Above: Sean McKenzie was one of Ocean Grove’s best. (Pictures: Justin Flynn) 397856

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