HuG

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.” →

Hi I’m Hudson, a Year 6 student from Bellbrae Primary School.

I believe that there are lots of people out in the community trying to make it a better place for everyone to live, and I feel Liz Pattison, the Surf Coast Shire’s Deputy Mayor, is one of them.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Liz and sat down with her in her home in Jan Juc. During the weeks prior to the interview, I researched some information about Liz and one of things I found out, was that she loves a good coffee. Liz didn’t know I held this piece of information and I had a hunch that when I interviewed her, she would be having a coffee……….and I was right.

My ice breaker question was:

“What is a funny moment you can recall from your life?”

Liz replied:

“I was driving across town with my Dad, in a full hooded bee suit in case any rogue angry bees got out of the hive while we were moving our beehive. We looked like astronauts or Martians and we had a good laugh driving down the road. We were newbies to bee husbandry. As we moved the hive containing 50,000 bees, that was all strapped up, it slipped off the trolley and came apart. Thousands of bees started to escape the small entrance. They were like a roaring tiger! So angry and loud. They set their sights on a small gap in my bee suit around my ankle and gave me many nasty bee stings. Bees sense fear.”

Liz was very happy when she won her term as Deputy Mayor in 2020 (and went on to win a term as Mayor in 2022). She was working as an engineer before she was elected and was keen to put her profession into use for the better of the community. One of the things Liz really likes about her job, is talking to people and working out good ways to do things. Here, she found her engineering skills to be valuable, which helped her create a bigger picture about what was best in the long term for our Surf Coast community.

When asked about one of her quotes,

“I like to think outside the box” she replied, “Instead of looking at what’s the problem from a to b, let’s look at all the other things around it that you can think about to make a better solution”.

Liz is passionate about the Surf Coast, and one of her missions is to lead our community towards a sustainable future. This includes addressing the bigger issues of Climate Change, Environmental Leadership and Mental Health. It is great to know that we have a caring Deputy Mayor (now Mayor) who is prepared to problem solve and not take the easy route.

Story: Hudson Reynolds. Photo supplied.

Study Geelong held their end of year celebration at the Geelong Yacht Club tonight. International students from all around the world come to our beautiful city to study. Study Geelong also matches students with locals for fun cultural exchanges.

Keep up the great work everyone.

We were so grateful that we could celebrate together. Thanks to the Humans in Geelong team, for all you do. Our aim is to inspire, connect and strengthen community by sharing the positive stories of inspiring locals who are making a difference, one way or another.

Photo at the Piano Bar during the second half of our celebrations. Thanks also to all the team members who could make it along to the Wharfshed beforehand. An absolutely fabulous evening was had by all. Being part of a team and helping others is so rewarding.

Would you like to find out more about some of Geelong’s inspiring leading ladies? Strength and Grace is a free play that’s on this Sunday and everyone is welcome. Presented and narrated by historian Colin Mockett, the play tells the stories of significant women in our city and the region’s past through narration, images and song.

The stories range from temperance society members and suffragettes through to prominent women like Mary De Garis, Elizabeth Austin and Fanny Brownbill.  From more recent times we have Patricia Heath, Lindsay Sharp and Rebecca Cody, current principal Geelong Grammar.

Sometimes incorporating music from the times, the elected women are played in costume by singer/actor/ musicians Shirley Power, Jocelyn Mackay and Reyna Hudgell.

The show, in two 45-minute acts, traces women’s progress in Geelong since the beginning of European settlement. This has moved from no rights at all – women were seen as possessions owned by their husbands in the 1830s when the town of Geelong was established – to today’s status of aiming for gender equality.

Our presentation explains that progress through the words of the women themselves.  This informative, intriguing and entertaining play would appeal to a wide cross-section of Geelong residents, most especially female and seniors, who would remember many of the people depicted in their lifetimes.

It’s a free event, this Sunday 4 December 3.00 – 5.00pm at Geelong West Neighbourhood House (in West Park), 89 Autumn St, Geelong West.

Please book at info@gwnh.org.au or ph 0427 703 218

Thank you to City of Greater Geelong for providing funding for the play through its Positive Ageing Grant.

Surplus Musical Instruments needed. The Norlane Tin Can Orchestra is seeking donations of surplus musical instruments. They may be in a cupboard, in your ceiling, or in a backyard shed.

Our goal is to assist community development and capacity building in Geelong’s northern suburbs. A launch is planned scheduled for 24 January at the Norlane Community Centre.

We’re also inviting you to sign up as a member – you can be either experienced or simply intrigued.
We’re happy to collect musical items.

For more information, call Bernard Kelly 0414 778 518 or shoot him an email: bernardkellygeelong@gmail.com

We are looking for a volunteer photographer. BCYF and Geelong Cats are partnering up to host an inclusive and accessible holiday event for children with disabilities and their families.

Specifically designed for children who may not be able to join in traditional Christmas events, due to disabilities or sensory sensitivities, families will be able to participate in our sessions as an accessible and inclusive alternative. Parents and children have been invited into the Sensory Zone at GMHBA stadium to have their photo taken with Santa in a sensory safe and accessible space. This event is sold out.

 We would love to partner with a local Photographer to be our volunteer photographer for the day. People with lived experience of disability are strongly encouraged to apply, as this event is fully accessible.

The whole event is volunteer run. Letters of recommendation can be provided at the completion of the event. BCYF and Kardinia Park will also be offering vouchers as a form of reimbursement.

Sessions are running 13th – 16th December at GMHBA stadium, 1-3pm & 4-7pm. You can volunteer for any sessions that suit.

 Please send expressions of interest to annabelle.ryan-moriss@ndis.gov.au or contact 0421 230 823 for more information.

All volunteers are required to have a current Police Check and Working with Children check or be willing to apply prior to the event.

A chat over a coffee at a café in Queenscliff led to the establishment of an innovative community group aimed at connecting residents who had reached or were nearing retirement age and who share a love of music.

Research indicates that this demographic, now experiencing less structure in their lives and sometimes lacking that sense of being useful and purposeful beyond their immediate families, face the prospect of increasingly poor health outcomes and social isolation as they age.

Retired school principals, Des Gorman and Paul Jones met to discuss an idea based on the notion of a men’s shed, but using music as the connector rather than tools and machines. The word soon went out and a group of men across the whole of the Bellarine and East Geelong met at the Queenscliff Neighbourhood House to flesh out the concept.

A launch in early 2020 saw a packed hall at the Queenscliff RSL which has now become home to a solid group of men and women who meet regularly to play music together, teach each other musical skills and tricks, check on each other, share tips on maintaining mental and physical good health and prepare for public performances.

The name, Shedding the Blues, paints different images in describing the group’s aims and vision. The term “Shedding” has dual meanings in that one concept is that of a shed where people meet and share as well as the concept of removing, i.e. leaving negative thoughts behind. The notion of the “Blues” relates to how we are travelling in combination with the things we love about the healing force of music and the joy to be experienced when we share musical experiences.

Continue reading “Shedding the Blues.” →

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 third episode we meet Luke Valdeter, Digital Media Producer at Kings Funerals. We explore some different ways that photos, video and livestreaming can enhance the funeral experience for bereaved families and learn about how Luke’s passion for funeral service started as a third-generation member of his own family’s funeral business.

“I enjoy helping people, I’ve always enjoyed doing that” Luke Valdeter – Bellarine local.

It was a cold and wet winter’s night as I left the hospital. It was close to 9:00pm. The person I was visiting had their own room and was very unwell, so I was able to extend normal visiting hours.

Tired and preoccupied, it was by sheer chance that I noticed the young man, lying on the bench outside the hospital. Beautiful eyes in a world worn face, the young man was only in his early twenties, a similar age to one of my own children. My heart ached.

After checking that it was not a physical medical crisis I asked,

“Mate, what can I do for you, what do you need?”

I assumed his response; given his rough sleeping status and dishevelled appearance. His actual response was far more powerful and poignant……… “I need a hug”, he replied.

With the able assistance of others, supporting me, he got the hug and some help.

Another human in Geelong desperate for authentic connection.

The ‘not for profit’ community group ‘Humans in Geelong’ aims to inspire, build connection and strengthen community. Our stories reflect ordinary humans in Geelong that are doing extraordinary things.

This young man, caught in the ‘isolation of survival’ was yet to find his ‘extraordinary’….but extraordinary he was. Personifying author Amanda Richardson’s quote, “In a world where many wear a mask, it is a privilege to see a soul”.

Continue reading “The Bench.” →