Author: humansingeelong

“After two shoulder reconstructions, I needed to change my choice of sport. It was devastating. But when one door closes, another door opens. It was then that I decided that bike riding was the sport for me as I had already been racing bikes as part of triathlons.”

Melissa Burgoyne is a secondary school teacher at Northern Bay College in Corio with an avid passion for cycling and sport. “I was born in Horsham and went to Horsham West Primary School until the start of secondary school. My family then moved to Ballarat for work where I then completed my secondary school and university in Ballarat, studying a Bachelor of Physical Education and Health in Teaching at Ballarat University.“

“I started training for swimming during secondary school and I developed many great friendships and had many successes competing at State and National level. I then became interested in triathlons and competed in many events. One of my races that stands out to me is when I came 3^rd in Canberra, qualifying for the world championships.”

That is when Melissa had to overcome two shoulder reconstructions, forcing her to stop competing in triathlons and swimming. But that was not the end of her sporting career. “When one door closes, another door opens, and I didn’t want to focus on that closed door.” Melissa found cycling.

Continue reading “Melissa Burgoyne.” →

Multi-talented 19 year old Charlotte Crowley, started performing at age 7, with the Geelong Lyric Theatre Society. A dozen shows later, and she’s about to make her debut as choreographer for their live and local extravaganza ‘Wish Upon a Song’. Charlotte tells us more.

“Being part of the GLTS community has been a massive part of my life. Last year I joined the committee and begun coordinating their social media, and this year I was elected as their Secretary.

“’Wish upon a Song’ is Disney fun and magic, for all ages. This is a huge production, one of our biggest musicals in our 50 year history.”

Along with her work with Geelong Lyric Theatre Society, Charlotte works for CentreStage Pty Ltd, as an educator for their CPAA program. “Many of our youth cast members of ‘Wish Upon a Song’ are past or present CPAA students and it is wonderful to get to know them in an external theatre setting.

“There are a dozen production team members, including four producers, working very hard to create and coordinate such a large scale production. We had begun work on this production late 2019, and after being thrown a COVID-19 sized curveball and postponing our 2020 show dates, we were all determined to make this happen.

Continue reading “Charlotte Crowley” →

The ABC is our most trusted, admired and valued national institution, but it is under very serious threat – from politicians, commercial media organisations and certain lobby groups.

The Geelong ABC Friends group was formed in the 1990s to defend and promote the ABC in its vital role as Australia’s only independent broadcaster. The group is not party-political, but does encourage voters to think about the ABC before they vote. We organise rallies, letter-writing campaigns and fund-raising activities as well as meeting to plan those activities, discuss issues that affect the ABC and enjoy each other’s company.  

We are part of ABC Friends Victoria. You can find out more about the aims and activities of the whole organisation at https://me.abcfriendsvic.org.au/  

The ABC needs friends now more than ever, so new members are always very welcome.

Our regular meetings are on the second Tuesday of every month at 1.30 pm at the South Barwon Community Centre, 33 Mount Pleasant Road, Belmont.

Please come along to one of our next meetings on May 11 or June 8, keep an eye out for our next major event – Dinner with Barrie Cassidy (when Covid 19 permits)

If you’d like more information about the group, please contact our Secretary, Hilary Robinson – email: hilaryrobinson@gmail.com,  phone: 0447 435 923.

Information and photos from Geelong ABC Friends.

“I love all things music! Mainly I am a vocalist and songwriter but dabble in guitar and keys. With my solo project ‘Trinity Jayne’ I lean towards an indie/folk singer songwriter vibe which I love, inspired by Cat Power, Courtney Barnett, Patti Smith, Birdy etc.

“I also front an indie/grunge band called ‘Nurse Ratchet’ inspired by The Breeders, L7, Nirvana, Black Sabbath etc. So, my love for music is very broad but just as deep!

“The writing and performing processes are my very favourite, although both are so different – one very private and intimate, and one so public. I’ve written lyrics and poetry since… forever, so it’s kind of a huge part of me. In the past 4 years I’ve grown to love live performance just as much as writing. I missed it so, so, much last year in lockdown. 

“Recently I was invited to play at VCE Top Class which was an amazing opportunity. I recorded my first EP at Audrey Studios in Melbourne which was an amazing experience to be recording with a producer in a professional studio.

Continue reading “Trinity Jane.” →

Craig Morley knows Geelong’s 320 bird species, from the diminutive Weebill, weighing in at just 4 grams, to the majestic Wedge-tailed Eagle, with a wingspan of 2.5 metres.

When Craig was just 12, his fascination with birds was cemented by the gift of a bird book, What bird is that? by Neville Cayley, from his grandparents. He went on to join the Geelong Field Naturalists Club and BirdLife Australia while studying science at university. Over forty years later, Craig remains an active member of both organisations. In 2019 Craig was awarded Life Membership for outstanding service to the Geelong Field Naturalists Club. Throughout all those years, he has been keen to share his knowledge about the region’s birdlife, giving countless presentations and leading excursions and surveys. It was also a huge thrill in 2020 when Craig was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion for his contribution to furthering the knowledge and interest in the areas of Ornithology, Conservation and Education.

“Here in Geelong we play host to amazing birds which fly a round trip of more than 26,000 kilometres every year. Shorebirds such as Red-necked Stints, weighing barely 30 grams, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and the critically endangered Curlew Sandpipers and Far Eastern Curlews, with massive down-curved bills measuring up to 20 centimetres.

“They spend up to 6 months each year feeding in wetlands such as tidal mudflats and saltworks, feeding voraciously to build up condition to fly north to breed in the arctic tundra. Then they fly south for our summer and do it all again,” Craig says.

Continue reading “Craig Morley – Geelong Field Naturalists Club.” →

Are you interested in history? Could you help save the Marshall Bluestone Cottage from destruction? This cottage has stood at the corner of Tannery Rd. and Barwon Heads Rd. Marshall, since 1866 and was built by the pioneering McAteer Family.

Under plans by the Major Roads Projects Victoria (MRPV) it will be demolished to make way for the widening of the Barwon Heads Road.

A group known as the Marshall Bluestone Cottage Community Group (MBCCG) has been formed to try to save the cottage by having it dismantled and reconstructed by MRPV as part of the road widening project, rather than simply destroying it. You can find them on facebook @savemarshallbluestoncottage

Should you wish to support efforts to preserve this building and join the MBCCG, you can email mcateersbluestonecottage@gmail.com and you can be placed on the email list and be kept informed of meeting dates and future developments.

The Group meet again on Saturday 17^th April at 4pm at the Marshall Tennis Courts. All welcome. Please also visit the website: https://marshallbluestonecottage.org/

Continue reading “Save the Marshall Bluestone Cottage.” →

“In 1977,I had the opportunity to spend a year in Japan as a Rotary Exchange Student. I didn’t know what Rotary was or even speak Japanese! I did exchange in a small village in Northern Japan, where they’d never had a foreign visitor live before. I’m so appreciative of that experience as it shaped my life.” We hear from Barbara Barry, English as an Additional Language (EAL) Coordinator at Northern Bay College (NBC).

“On exchange I lived with 6 different families. I made lifelong friends. There were challenges because I did not speak Japanese and my host families had limited English. However, I dove into the culture and language, learning Japanese and experiencing Japanese society. I’ve visited Japan many times since, the last being in 2019. My host families are now in their 90’s.” 

Barb was the School Captain of Corio Technical School (fondly known as Corio Tech) and proudly instigated the coffee and breakfast club. She advocated for girls being allowed to wear trousers in winter. Barb has fond memories of the school which helped equip her with the skills for life. She’s now an advocate for refugees and asylum seekers at NBC and has led a colourful life in between.

Continue reading “Barbara Barry, exchange student.” →

ROTARY 100 DOWN UNDER PEACE POLE PROJECT – As part of the celebration of 100 years of Rotary in Australia, Rotary Clubs from around Australia were invited by the Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin, to become involved in a joint Centenary project by donating a Peace Pole to a Primary School in their local area.

Peace Poles are planted bearing the Universal Peace Message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”

Each pole and the message symbolise our common wish for a World at Peace. They stand as a silent vigil for peace, reminding us to think and act in the spirit of peace.

This Peace Pole project is a joint project between the Kardinia Rotary Club and the Corio Bay Rotary Club. Kardinia Rotary Club President Henry Brockman, Kerry Woodman of Kardinia Rotary and Corio Bay Rotary Club President Deb Furlan handed over the Peace Poles to Ken Massari of Northern Bay College.

The peace message is written in four languages, one on each side of the 4-sided Peace Pole based on language usage in each school. In this case, the four languages on each of the 4 Peace Poles are representative of the cultural diversity of each of the four primary school campuses of Northern Bay College. The languages include Karen, Swahili, Dari, Arabic, Urdu, Tamil and English. Northern Bay College campuses are proudly diverse schools with 1/3 of students speaking a language other than English.

The Peace Poles were accepted as both a symbol of Rotary’s support of Northern Bay College and a commitment to world peace and understanding.

They were installed by Northern Bay College at each of the 4 Primary School Campuses and unveiled as part of Harmony Day celebrations in March.

Photo: Wexford College unveil their Peace Poles as part of their Harmony Day celebrations on Monday.

Players from the Geelong Symphony Orchestra played a performance of Nick Batterham’s evocative score written especially for the RONE exhibition at the Geelong Gallery. The music captures the mood, impermanence and nostalgia.

Of those involved, we’ve published stories on Wendy Galloway founder of the GSO, Kym Dillon of With One Voice Choir Geelong, Vicki Hallett, Carter Harris-Smith of Skip Hip Hooray and the RONE Exhibition at the Geelong Gallery. You can read these stories on our website.

‘The Dance’, our fun music video project which was 18 months in the making and included a diverse cast of thousands, was launched to a Sold Out crowd at the dome, Geelong Library on Tuesday 23^rd  March. The event was part of Geelong Design Week 2021, which celebrates the fact that Geelong is the only city in Australia to be a UNESCO City of Design.

The aim of ‘The Dance’ was to bring joy, and to showcase our beautiful region and many of our amazing, creative individuals, Humans in Geelong team members and community groups who are making a difference. Humans in Geelong volunteer videographer Hadeel of @hs.stories.photography did a brilliant job of matching 60 clips to the winning song.

Andrea Robertson won The Song Contest. Her song ‘Dance the Blues Away’ from the Album ‘Live at New Hall’ was chosen to be the song for the video clip, it’s funky, upbeat music and lyrics matched the project perfectly. Humans in Geelong would also like to congratulate ‘The Red Violets’ who came second in The Song Contest with their song ‘The Beat’. It was a tough choice.

We thank each and every participant in this project. They are all included in our previous post.

Thanks also to the whole team, team member Bec Picone who spoke about Peace of Mind Foundation and guest speaker Kyle Jdali of Atman. You can view the talk on the Geelong Regional Library YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M1UNmacK3w

Watch and share ‘The Dance’: https://youtu.be/mfrbUIzd5Yk Geelong and region – you can be very proud!

View more photos from the launch on our Instagram or Facebook.