NEWS DESK
No school nudes in sight on site Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au THERE were no photos of girls attending Frankston area schools on a website targeting Australian schoolgirls as part of a vile trade of nude snaps of women without their knowledge. The overseas-hosted site where people publicly swapped images of nude women was reportedly set up in December and taken offline Friday (19 August) amid fears underage girls’ private photos sent to friends or boyfriends were subsequently exposed to the online world. While a person posting on the site last
week specifically sought nude photos of students from two Frankston area schools The Times understands none were ever uploaded to the site. Another person asked for any nude pictures of students from a third Frankston area school, but again there was no response to the request on the comments thread online. The site, which The Times has chosen not to name, was reported to Victorian and interstate authorities by women disgusted that private photos were published without their consent. Male visitors to the site hunted for nude photos by naming women and in
some cases listing their home suburb on the website in an attempt to solicit pictures. Queensland Police confirmed on Wednesday (17 August) they had investigated the site. “While we have not received any formal complaints, we are working with our interstate colleagues, the Australian Federal Police and the eSafety Commissioner and have conducted an initial investigation into the origin of the site,” Detective Superintendent Cheryl Scanlon, of the Child Safety and Sexual Crimes Group, said in a statement. “We believe the site is hosted over-
seas and does not appear to contain any child exploitation material.” Victoria Police said it will not comment on specific cases but did confirm a Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team is investigating. The Victorian Department of Education is helping police with enquiries. “It is disgraceful to see Victorian students being targeted by this highly inappropriate website,” spokesman Alex Munro said. “The online exploitation of young people is a very serious issue that can have serious ramifications for those involved.” Mr Munro said support would be
available for any students at schools named on the site if needed and people should report inappropriate photos published online to police. Some photos were deleted from the site by users after its existence was reported elsewhere but there is no evidence at this stage that any of those images featured students attending Frankston area schools. n Call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111 with any information about the site. Anyone suffering sexual assault or exploitation can call 1800 RESPECT and Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 for support.
Arts centre marketer moves on IT’S the people that Frankston Arts Centre marketing head Gillian Thompson will miss the most when she finishes up at the centre on Friday (26 August) but the shows must go on. The business development and marketing coordinator has decided to leave and strike out on her own after nearly a decade in the job. She has seen many positive changes to the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula arts scene over the years. “The thing is a lot of art type people live on the peninsula and we’re renowned for our art. We’re doing lots of groovy things. People love it. It’s just something different. “It’s actually a wrench to leave. It’s a great team here. It’s a lot of hard work but whoever gets the job is very lucky.” She moved to Australia from England ten years ago and initially didn’t plan to “work for someone else” rather than set-up her own business but the theatre lover felt the Frankston Arts Centre gig looked too good to ignore and planned “to give it two years”. Personal show highlights over the journey include circus dance spectacle Circa (“Beyond belief brilliant, Beautiful and challenging”) and an Australian Ballet production of Bolero (“Outstanding and fantastic”). As for marketing the arts, she notes the rise of social media has brought the arts closer to audiences. “I think we’re far more vibrant now. When I first started there were only about 3000 people on the database and that’s at 90,000 now. The first year I was there was when Facebook started so we got onboard with that.” As she looks forward to her next challenge there is a bit of advice for her eventual successor in the marketing role. “The biggest challenge for anyone walking into this role is working for council. If you’re from a commercial environment you’ve got to get to know bits and pieces about council,” she said. “You’ve also never got enough time but we’re very much a ‘glass full’ team here.
Looking ahead: Gillian Thompson is leaving Frankston Arts Centre after nearly a decade. Picture: Gary Sissons
Everyone’s optimistic and we always want to deliver the absolute best we can to our audiences.” Frankston Council CEO Dennis Hovenden wished her well before her departure. “In the time Gill has been at Frankston Arts Centre, she has been a dynamo of positive energy, bringing fantastic new ideas to light, working hard while providing plenty of laugh-
ter and smiles along the way. “We have all appreciated Gill’s willingness to embrace new and different approaches towards promoting the activities, shows and programs offered at the Frankston Arts Centre. “On behalf of council and the local arts community, I would like to sincerely thank Gill for her many years of dedication and wish her the best for a bright and successful future.”
Thompson says she now wants to work with companies to help them understand great customer experiences are vital to building a company’s brand. “This has been a dream job but my next dream job is going freelance for a while. I’m going to see what opportunities are out there.” Neil Walker
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BLAIRGOWRIE • DROMANA • MORNINGTON • ROSEBUD • SEAFORD • TOORAK Frankston Times
22 August 2016
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