HuG

“The Fire Ants are a horrible pest: they are hard to detect, difficult to kill and spread like… well… fire. They are one of the world’s most invasive species.”

Valentina Di Marco is a mother, a world citizen, a Geelong local, and a scientist, whose skills are currently helping to solve one of Australia’s largest environmental problems caused by a relatively small pest; Fire Ants.  If you haven’t heard of Fire Ants before, Valentina explains just how much of a risk they pose.

“In highly infested areas, all outdoor activities, such as barbecues, picnics and sporting events may no longer be possible. Their bite is really painful, and this is where their name comes from as the sting sensation is similar to a burn. They are aggressive and push away other species that are a useful part of the ecosystem. They can also cause serious damage to electrical equipment. I think it is a lot of fun applying some very theoretical mathematical knowledge in getting rid of such a menace!”

Valentina has found a research project that could have an immediate and positive impact on our environment.

Continue reading “The Fire Ants, Valentina.” →

Humans in Geelong team members @kimelisecooper and @thejessemalthouse are producing volgs (video blogs) to help inspire, connect and strengthen our community. You can catch up with these two amazing stars at our Humans in Geelong Expo 2019 on Sun 6 Oct 10-3pm Deakin Waterfront. Kim is our MC and Jesse will be delivering an inspiring talk, the time of which will be confirmed on our website. Both will also be at the Humans in Geelong Book Launch, where Kim will be the MC and singing. Thanks for following Humans in Geelong and sharing our stories!

Geelong Design Week will be held from 19-29 March 2020. Humans in Geelong pride ourselves on being creative and doing things differently. We’ll be putting in a submission to participate, will you?

“The inaugural theme for Geelong Design Week 2020 is ‘doing it differently’. We are all designers in our own way. Each of us has an intrinsic design connection that gives structure to how we live, work, learn and play. In March 2020, Geelong Design Week will explore new ideas, challenge what is possible and showcase our design achievements. Geelong is an evolving, dynamic city with a deep sense of place and a strong industrial past. We embrace change to build a clever and creative future.” We hear from Nerilee Jones of the City of Greater Geelong.

“Applications are now open at www.geelongdesignweek.com.au and will close on September 30 so there’s plenty of time to get your submission in. I encourage you to talk about Geelong Design Week with your friends, work colleagues and wider community networks. We invite you to work with us in building a quality program that is representative of the amazing talent and stories to share in the Geelong community.”

Geelong Mayor added in a post on Aug 15, “It is a chance to showcase why we are Australia’s only UNESCO city of design.”

Story: Jacqui Bennett. Photo: supplied

 

Amazing Humans in Geelong team member Brandon Dellow is one of only a couple of Geelong’s representatives in the running to receive $10,000 for his cause but he needs our VOTES! It’s easy, just leave your name and email at https://gourmetpieguy.brumbys.com.au/profile/brandon-dellow/

Brandon is a caring, giving member of the Geelong community. He’s an advocate for mental health, cultural diversity, equal opportunities, Human Rights, education, homelessness, the community and Type 1 Diabetes having lived experience. Working in a secondary school, as well as a Youth Activities Officer for the local council, he is also studying Secondary Education and aims to teach English in the Middle East.

Continue reading “Vote for Brandon Dellow.” →

This brightly-coloured aircraft hangar at Armstrong Mount Duneed is coming to life early in September when we hold our Humans in Geelong Book Launch there. It’ll be showcased to and warmed by hundreds of the changemakers in our community at this exciting event. Entertainment on the night will be provided by Kim Cooper. We’ll hear from The Mayor of Geelong and Ange Liston-Mccaughley of The Type1 Foundation. Villawood Properties are proud to offer this space free of charge to community groups like ours.

“It can work as a regular meeting place for groups looking for a home, as a pop-up venue for meetings, exhibitions, installations, Book Launches – all sorts of things. We’re not using The Hangar at the moment and we’d love to see it being utilised by the community,” offers Rory Costelloe, Executive Director of Villawood.

“Villawood is always conscious of community groups and their needs, especially smaller, fledging groups in new areas like Armstrong.”

Continue reading “Humans in Geelong Book Launch.” →

“God controls someone’s death, and controls someone’s living. I was not expecting it to be that bad. He was the love of my life, my partner, my everything.” Shila Rahmani came to Australia with two of her children in February of 2013, and has called Geelong home for just over 6 years.

“I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. At the age of 13, I was married to my husband. When we married, we fled to Iran and lived there for 21 years. It was hard for my children to be educated because we were Afghans living in Iran. Everything was getting hard. To send my children to school, I had to pay double just because they were Afghans. If you were a refugee in Iran, you could not own anything, not even a bike for my children. The bike had to be registered to an Iranian person, not an Afghan.

Continue reading “Shila Rahmani.” →

“The Farm Next Door – affordable access to local, organic fresh produce for local people. But it’s not just about the food, it’s also about the like-minded community that we’ve built.” We hear from one of the founders, Lachie Chomley.

“We’re all concerned about Climate Change, inequality and the limited access to fresh healthy food in this area. The Farm Next Door is in Forster St. Norlane 3214 and the grocers across the road, in Labuan Square, offer a limited amount of fresh food.

Continue reading “The Farm Next Door, Lachie and Joel.” →

We were blown away by the calibre of the nominees at the City of Greater Geelong’s Youth Awards 2019. Congratulations to all involved. Two Humans in Geelong team members were among those nominated. Come and meet Steph and Jesse at the Humans in Geelong Expo on Sun 6 Oct 10-3pm Deakin Waterfront. Jesse Malthouse will be speaking, time TBC. Updates to the program on our website.

Stephanie Downing’s nomination: Knowledge and creativity are powerful tools, that can be used to do great good in the community. This is something that Stephanie Downing embodies in her life and in what she hopes to share with others. She’s a talented local writer based in Geelong who studied Creative Writing at Deakin University. Stephanie is passionate about using her skills in writing to spread messages of positivity, mental health and fostering a creative community.

Continue reading “Geelong Youth Awards 2019.” →

Earlier in the year I reached out to Rotary Club of Geelong West, family and friends to raise money for a library project I wanted to start at Lalomanu Primary School in Samoa. I began volunteering at this school in 2018 and fell in love with the kids and the community there and remain incredibly thankful for the experiences I’ve had at the school; experiences which have allowed me to re-establish a connection and devotion toward my Samoan culture and history.

The initial aim of the project was to renew the school library which was built in honour of young Clea Salavert. Clea’s life was tragically taken nearly ten years ago when Lalomanu and its neighbouring regions were struck by a tsunami.

With the help of the Geelong West Rotary, the library was repainted from floor to ceiling and with help from staff at the school, hundreds of books were sorted and redistributed to the National Library and local colleges. Additionally, I acquired new resources for the library so that it could function as a proper classroom for further literary sessions and activities.

Continue reading “Samoa, Tiarney.” →