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I can see why the Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club nominated their life member David Renton for a story in #humansingeelong. Dave joined the Club in 1965 and has served every season. ‘It keeps you young’ he tells us. ‘I feel very fortunate because you can make a difference. I’ve driven the Rubber Duckies since they were first introduced at Ocean Grove and am proud to say some of our members actually developed them.’

‘I’m the Vice President of the Ocean Grove DSA (Disabled Surfers of Australia). My wife Lorraine and myself are foundation members since 2008. She had a stroke in 2000. Our beach is one of the only beaches with a disabled ramp that services all abilities and prams. We also have beach wheelchairs that are free to use. We held a DSA event day on February 4th and our next is March 4th. We’re keen to have as many volunteers there as possible. It’s shaping to be our largest event since 2008.

Continue reading “Surf Life Saver, David” →

Larissa Zanardo, Year 11 at Sacred Heart College, Geelong, wins The Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize competition. Out of 100s of entries Larissa, has been chosen as 1 of 22 students to represent Victoria on an all expenses paid overseas study tour to Darwin & Singapore. She is the only recipient from Western Victoria. The photo shows her holding her winning entry. Congratulations Larissa, we wish you all the very best on what will be an amazing trip! Below are the written statement and poem she sent in.

Description of artwork: Size: 61cm x 61cm Materials: Printed paper sheets, acrylic paint, charcoal on canvas.

Continue reading “The Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize, Larissa” →

Geelong born, world-renowned street artist Rone has sprinkled his magic on the Geelong Cement Works with his mural of three local identities. They majestically watch over us as we circle Geelong via the ring road, west of the city.

Cor Horsten, 78, depicted in the centre, was a loyal and respected employee of the Cement Works for over 35 years. Corrina Eccles, direct descendent of the Wadawurrung’s Queen Mary stands proudly to his left. Corrina is the operator of the Wadawurrung Association and last year was the winner of the First Nations Women in Community Life Award.

The third local depicted is Kelly Cartwright OAM, our Paralympic champion. Kelly represented Australia in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic games and won two medals at the London 2012 Paralympic games. In 2014 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her service to sport. Kelly, always a sportswoman, lost her leg to cancer as a teenager and is an inspiration to us all through what she has achieved.

Continue reading “Geelong Cement Works” →

‘We’ve made a difference! In 2010, after a number of fatal cycling incidents, a group of us got together over coffee and decided something had to be done. We formed a not-for-profit association called Bike Safe and highlighted what was wrong and what we could do. Don’t find fault, find a remedy as the saying goes. Our aim was to improve the behaviour of cyclists, motorists and to improve cycling infrastructure. We are relieved to say that fatalities in the region have gone down from 33% in 2009 to 13% now.’

We hear from the founder Barton van Laar.

‘I have a background in marketing and communications and I joke that this time ‘I’ve used my knowledge for good’ to achieve positive outcomes. We started by identifying the top 10 hazardous roads in the region. One such road was Murradoc Road and a year after highlighting the dangers, there was a cycling fatality there. It was fixed quickly afterwards. Death is too big a price to pay to get action.

‘The Coroner asked me to give evidence and ruled that there were too many incidences like this. The Government got on board and so did the Councils.

We’ve found a positive approach works, we go into discussions with proposed solutions, cyclist led – to get strategic projects shovel ready.

Continue reading “Bike Safe, Barton” →

Every now and then our items break and we just don’t know what to do with them. The most common decision is to either throw them out or store them away, and then go on to replace them. The other option being spending, what can be, ridiculous amounts of money to have them repaired. However, thanks to a wonderful group of volunteers, those are no longer the only options that need to come to your mind. We caught up with members of St. Luke’s Uniting Church where once a month they hold an event that is known as a Repair Café. There are several Repair Cafes around Geelong, see the links below.

What is a Repair Café? It’s a place where you can bring anything you own that’s in need of repair and get it fixed for free, and get a drink and something small to eat while you wait. Household items from a Stanley knife to a push mower, the wonderful volunteers at the Repair Café will do their best to get it back in working order for you. If you have the option to get your items fixed for free, then why would you go and buy a replacement?

Back in August of 2017, Michelle Walker, along with a small group, was inspired to start up the Repair Café after watching the ‘War on Waste’ documentary series. One of the church’s other programs ‘Men’s Shed’ was a pre-existing program which had many members that already had the skills needed in order to give them the beginnings of a potential start. With a little added help and support from Geelong Sustainability they had everything that they needed to give the Repair Café a shot and see how it went. Needless to say, it was a huge success.

Continue reading “Repair Cafe, Michelle” →

Geelong’s own Tim McCallum with be performing at the Pier on Friday 9^th of February at 8pm. He will be accompanied by Mark Irwin and the Geelong Concert Band. They will play the first public hearing of Damian Austin’s song ‘City by the Bay’. It is a fundraiser for the worthy cause, the Sanctuary Counselling Centre. We caught up with Tim.

‘It’s One night only and it’ll be your chance to hear this amazing song for the first time. It will be a really special night, we’re doing it for a good cause, everyone is going to have a great night and help lots of others as a result of it. It’s an event not to be missed.

‘I love performing with Mark, he’s been a mentor of mine for years. He taught me so much about music and the appreciation of music. When I was 18 he was the musical director of the West Side story. Rhythm is one thing I’d always struggled with and he drummed rhythm into me. He always puts on a great show. There will be a diverse range of songs from Jazz, Classical, Musical Theatre and upbeat soul Big Band sounds.

Continue reading “A Night with Tim McCallum” →

Did you see Dazzling Dan sprinkling a dash of magic around the 2017 Humans in Geelong Expo?

Geelong’s much-loved magician, affectionately known as the Magic Man, has been performing to the public for more than 20 years.

Dan performs full time throughout Geelong, and travels across the state entertaining audiences with a combination of cheeky comedy and unexpected surprises.

Performances are often family affairs, with wife Lisa, a performing and visual arts teacher, working hard behind the scenes developing content and often appearing on stage. The pair’s daughters Lily 7, and Isabella 5, are always on hand to help or test out new material.

Dan was recently ranked second in Australia for his impromptu magic abilities and is the Vice President of the Australian Institute of Magic. He was the first professional magician to be invited to perform in the Doug Tremlett Theatre when it opened at the Magic Manor in 2016.

Humans in Geelong caught up with the creative couple during magic moments.

Continue reading “Dazzling Dan” →