Author: humansingeelong

Getting into politics was an accidental journey for former councillor Priscilla Prescott. From humble beginnings as a tennis association tennis secretary, Priscilla went on to follow in her mother’s footsteps in local government.

Priscilla was on the South Barwon Council from 1977 to 1993 and was closely involved in the community. One of her first battles on the council was to have a lift installed at the swimming pool. No one else saw a need for people with a disability to use the upstairs area, but Priscilla fought for it. She became the representative for the Geelong Technical School, and helped elect Edna Russell as the first female principal at the school.

Having joined the Australian Local Government Women’s Association as a councillor, Priscilla started exploring ways women could be more prominent in the community. She decided that the Water Board needed to be represented by more women and nominated herself for it, becoming successful on her second attempt. Not one to sit back passively, Priscilla immediately got to work ensuring the proper meeting procedures were being followed. At the first State Association Water Board Conference in Warrnambool, Priscilla walked out when the speaker made an inappropriate sexist remark. She followed up by moving that the Association constitution should use more gender inclusive language instead of using ‘man’ and ‘he’ as default terms. It took years and much pushback, but eventually the Board agreed.

Continue reading “Priscilla Prescott” →

Wurriki Nyal, City of Greater Geelong’s new  administration and customer service centre was open to the people of Geelong on Saturday February 18th.

Meaning ‘speak and talk together’ in local Wadawurrung language, Wurriki Nyal was showcased with tours, activities and meet and greets by the team.   

The building incorporates timber design, solar panels and world-class waste systems among other design ratings that make it one of the most sustainable local government buildings in Australia.

It also connects and honours Wadawurrung heritage with exterior landscaping and interior design across the site.

Workers within the building are encouraged to ride to work and space is set aside for bike storage and charging. The transition from home to workspace also made smoother with showers, kitchen and dining facilities and desks that can be accessed across several levels.

The building is also designed to be a safe and inclusive space for visitors and staff alike with accessibility a key focus.

It honours the history of Geelong settlement,  inspired by the industrial and agricultural past, while servicing the growing community across the Geelong region.

https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/wurrikinyal/default.aspx

Extra photos available on our Instagram or FB sites.

With thanks to Aleisha, Amy and Teresa , our guides.

Louise is a loving wife and devoted mother of three girls (Giselle, Florence and Annabelle) and in April 2023, will be adding a baby boy into the Larkin clan. She and her team at Friend in Me are planning the first, all-inclusive Geelong Family Fun Day. When Louise learnt back in 2016, that children were missing out on going to parties her heart broke and she knew she had to make a change so Friend In Me was born.

Be part of the fun from 11am-2pm at Geelong Racecourse, 99 Breakwater Road, Breakwater on Saturday 25^th February.

Louise’s professional career began in hospitality and events at Crown Melbourne and she has never looked back.

When she was on maternity leave with her daughter Giselle she started a mums support group ‘West Assured Mums’ to help mothers on the journey of parenthood through trust, kindness and friendship.

Louise loves nothing else than seeing other people smile, especially our children.

Louise is committed to breaking the stigma of any child left behind and feeling lonely.

For most of us, childhood is a collection of our life’s most precious moments. It should be a time when we are worry free and our days filled with endless fun, games, and laughter.

Sadly, hundreds of kids don’t get this opportunity to make these lifelong, cherished memories as they appear ‘different’ and are excluded.

ONE in SIX Australian children experience social exclusion.

The physical, emotional, and mental effects of this can be lifelong. It can affect children’s sleep, educational achievements, behaviour and cause depression and anxiety.

Children become aware of their social rejection from around the age of eight.

Friend In Me is a charity that is on a crusade to break the cycle of exclusion and prevent the negative effects in childhood and adulthood.

‘We want to reduce the feelings of loneliness and isolation that children can experience by bringing families together to meet, share, laugh and connect with each other,” shares Friend in Me Founder, Louise Larkin.

Friend in Me’s goal is to have reached 5,000 families by 2025. By 2030 Friend In Me wants to make sure that no child is left behind.

Friend In Me has partnered with Bendigo Community Bank, The Bisnella Group and a number of local businesses to break the stigma of any child left behind and feeling lonely with their first, all-inclusive Geelong Family Fun Day. https://www.friendinme.org.au/

Emily received her Brain Cancer diagnosis in October 2018 at the age of 4 and has been involved with the Peace of Mind Foundation’s Brain Cancer Support Program since its inception in 2021.

Help the Peace of Mind Foundation, Challenge Brain Cancer and raise funds to get more Brain Cancer Support Workers available to families like Emily’s! Peace of Mind was founded in Geelong.

The link to the challenge brain cancer page is  https://www.peaceofmindfoundation.org.au/challenge-brain-cancer-2023 and the link to Emily’s t-shirt raising funds for challenge brain cancer is https://www.peaceofmindfoundation.org.au/shop

@peaceofmindfoundation

Explore – Excite – Experience. Is a beautiful new playgroup that will gather at Rippleside Park to explore nature, foster strong connections to each other and the land we gather upon. The sessions are predominantly child-led. Parents are encouraged to follow their child’s lead, enjoy the freedom of unstructured nature-based play and to have fun!

“We hope to bring so much joy and child-based learning to Geelong families by learning through play and forging strong connections with nature.”

“Open-ended play encourages children to think critically, reason and self-regulate. It ignites imagination and creativity, and provides a calming way to help process emotions. It helps children develop independence and build leadership skills. It promotes cognitive flexibility and social awareness.”

Bookings are now open, so please get in touch. We’ll meet from Thursday 9^th February from 10-11.30 at Rippleside Park. Insta: @explore.excite.experience or Facebook @EEE or email koerntjesc@gmail.com Please share.

You can see the calmness in people as they progress through the course. It’s the best way to live your life! I’ve been teaching Meditation and Mindfulness for about 20-25 years. We’ve been living in Torquay for 16 years. My husband was initially interested in this and now I live my life by it. 

We work on calming our minds, diminishing the constant chatter so as to limit the number of desires and debilitating emotions. We look at what we identify with as a human being and its relationship to consciousness and the world around us.

We discuss information, then put what we’ve learnt together into daily practise. Then we revisit it the following week to reflect on our achievements. I’ve had people say, in as little as 6 months, how they get on better with their family, friends and the challenging events that come up in life.

I will be starting two new classes in Meditation and Mindfulness, in the day this year for retired people at U3A (University of the 3^rd Age).  From 1^st of February in Grovedale and the 16^th of February in Torquay. I find it’s a wonderful way to enrich my life while giving back to the community.

U3A is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteers.  Just $60 per year will cover anyone to attend as many classes weekly as they like.  Classes range from Computer Literacy to water colour painting, talks, calligraphy, poetry etc. They run all day over the school year timetable.

There are many lonely elderly people who don’t know about U3A.  I have formed many friendships there and miss the classes myself when there are holidays.

If interested call Jean Bohulslav 0352 647484.

Or register at U3A Geelong https://u3ageelong.org.au/ or Surf Coast https://www.u3asurfcoast.org.au/

We hope that in sharing these stories, we can help to reduce the stigma and taboo surrounding death & dying, to assist our community in healing, and preparing for one of life’s inevitable challenges. ‘Humans of Kings Funerals’ is a short series opening the door to locals who work in funeral service, their purpose, and their lives within our shared community.

In this fourth episode we meet Shannon Alexander, one of the Funeral Arrangers at Kings Funerals. We learn more about what is involved in creating a funeral and how Shannon seeks balance in her life outside of work.

“If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s just that humans want to be listened to” Shannon Alexander – Bellarine local.

Is there more to life? Who am I? Are we here for a purpose? To explore these questions, you might be interested in joining our Spiritual Discussion Group. We’ll discuss the thought-provoking works of Ekhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer and others. We’ll incorporate works from the East including Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and more.

There will be a variety of Spiritual teachings, from listening to Spiritual talks on Youtube to reading and discussing Spiritual books. In a group setting we find different people will bring different viewpoints and strengths. As a group we will help, support and uplift each other on a weekly basis.

Our aim is to apply these inspiring words to our everyday lives, to give meaning not only to our own lives but to those around us.

I was in my 30s when I started asking the question is there more to life? That question initiated my  search for meaning. My studies have enriched my life and helped me to cope with all of life’s ups and downs.

I’ve been undertaking Spiritual Philosophy classes with Michael Bohuslav for 14 years now. In later years I have been helping teach in Michael’s classes too. I’ve got a teaching background as I worked in the training department at Ford.

I have also attended the School of Philosophy Geelong’s branch, and attended the Drol Kar Paraparat Buddhist Centre for their meditation and discussion group for a year.

The application of my studies have enriched my life so much and I’ve seen a need for evening classes in Geelong. I know it is time for me to give back to the community by helping others on their Journey, but facilitating this group will also help me to progress even more.

Over the last few years, I feel like mother nature gave us time to reflect on our lives. This is the perfect time to begin a class because so many people are questioning things they have always done. Let’s help each other improve our everyday lives.

Starting Wednesday February 1st, 7-9pm, Grovedale Community Centre. Cost, $2.50 which is the weekly room hire per participant.

If this resonates with you, contact me, I would LOVE to hear from you. Tracey Hughes, 0418 320 537.

Anjella is a Geelong born and bred artist.  Her primarily artform is photography and she is currently undertaking her PhD in photography through Deakin University.  However, she dabbles in other artforms and recently has been doing some amazing stuff with AI (Artificial Intelligence) through her business Lilith & The Machine (hot tip – if you are into tarot, you need to check this out!).

In terms of her photography, Anjella creates stunning portraits by commission, which alone mark her skills.  But Anjella has taken her art to a whole new level in her studies and consequently produced works around themes such as abuse and trauma. 

Anjella first came to my attention when I heard about her series ‘Without Consent’ which aims to raise awareness about the subject of rape, by starting a conversation about the issue of rape culture and its cycle through our history.  The series examines the abuse of women in Victoria, in both early colonial times and current day, questioning the lack of significant changes to the traumas perpetuated on so many women.  Anjella uses vegetation removed from the location where the abuse occurred to create incredibly delicate and beautiful lumen prints – the stories behind the artworks catalogue and express the horrors of the abuse experience, but the inherent beauty of the artworks speaks to the power of these women, who continue to survive.  The series is ongoing and Anjella welcomes any abuse survivors who would like to take part.

Continue reading “Anjella Roessler.” →

The magic of icy cold ocean water. There was a time when I wondered why people went in the ocean even in the middle of winter’s freezing cold weather, and they just keep on going. No longer do I wonder, because I’ve become addicted to it myself.

Early this year I was asked if I would I like to go swimming one morning a week at 6:30 a.m. The lady, Rhonda, has now become a friend and she is an experienced paddle board rider. Rhonda is also very aware of the dangers out there and it is essential for safety to have company.

It is very hard to tell people why you are doing this. Most people think you are crazy, this is not true. The ocean Is always a mystery. One cannot predict what will be there for you on arriving. The early morning people who have loved the ocean for a long time know how to read the ocean and what is about to happen. A beginner just like me, can never guess what the waves and under tow are doing, you just accept what is happening.

No longer am I dubious and noisy entering the water, I just enjoy it incredibly. Going in the icy cold water has many health benefits, it’s hard to explain them all, but I’m going to say the most important one, is being out there in the big wide ocean with giant waves, well, it certainly washes away all your worries.

Your senses are heightened and you become very alert, switched on, ready for whatever the ocean might bring to you. After your time in the water, you gain an extra boost of energy. That day you will tackle jobs in the too hard basket.

Continue reading “The magic of icy cold ocean water.” →