Geelong
Friday, 29 August, 2014
WIN CIRCUS OZ MATINEE TICKETS P17
Connecting people and communities
Phone: 5249 6700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808
BUCKETS & BOUQUETS PAGE 12
GREAT IDEAS FOR BEAUTIFUL HOMES P24-27
Myer Christmas windows ‘coup’ to raise festive season excitement By NOEL MURPHY
WINDOW DRESSING: Mayor Darryn Lyons draws a crowd as he announces the Myer Christmas Windows display with Westfield’s Craig Tapping, Central Geelong Marketing chair Paul Whittaker and Myer’s Stephen McMillan. Picture: LOUISA JONES
CHRISTMAS celebrations in Geelong are about to ramp up exponentially with a string of Yuletide features. A special Myer Christmas Windows showcase in central Geelong to rival the company’s famed display in Melbourne is set to draw tens of thousands of spectators on the back of a giant, controversial Christmas tree floating on Corio Bay. Other attactions will include special lighting in shopping strips and a community-led shopfront decoration campaign for the central city area. The council-driven bonanza is aimed at making Christmas a drawcard across Geelong and further afield while boosting civic pride. City Hall brokered the Myer windows display with the retailer, Westfield and Central Geelong Marketing in what mayor Darryn Lyons called a cost-neutral coup. “This is part of our activation of central Geelong at the most important trading time of the year,� he told the Independent. “We’ve negotiated with Myer to bring a retrospective of characters from past Myer Christmas Windows here as part of the 2014 central Geelong Christmas celebrations. Continued page 6
Drugs fuel crime surge By PAUL MILLAR DRUG offences in Geelong have soared over the past year, with a local security boss saying “it’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it�. The latest police statistics for Geelong show drug offences climbed 11.6 per cent to 607, with theft of motor vehicles up 8.9 per cent to 711. The drug statistics were no surprise to Rocky Pirrottina, the head of the Hume Protection Group and
a veteran observer of the street scene in Geelong. “There’s a big increase in drug use‌there’s a lot of people who are off their faces,’’ the one-time boxing champion said. His company provides security guards for Geelong taxi ranks, giving them a first-hand perspective of activities in the early hours. “People seem to be more stoned than drunk these days,’’ Mr Pirrottina said.
“Nobody has money anymore and then there’s the ice. There are a lot more desperate people out there.� Assaults in Geelong were down from 1854 to 1777 and residential burglaries dipped from 1136 to 1078. Geelong Police Inspector Gary Thompson said the Divisional Response Unit, High Volume Crime Team and Criminal Investigation Unit could take the credit for detecting illicit drug use and operations.
“These units continue to be extremely active and significant arrests continue to be made. These units will continue to tackle serious crime groups and illicit drug activity,� Insp Thompson said. Surf Coast statistics showed a drop of 17 per cent in drug offences to 93 but crime against the person was up 23 per cent to 470 offences. Property offences rose from 1430 to 1656, assaults from 310 to 332 and car theft from 57 to 70.
Surf Coast Inspector Peter Seel said the increases in his area were disappointing. “A lot of these crimes can be attributed to family violence assaults, although there are other categories that have also increased including property damage and theft of and from motor vehicles. “There has been an increase in residential burglaries and other burglary, which is a concern.�
Vintage Style Table Lamps
CONCERNED: Rocky Pirrottina. Valvoline XLD Premium 15W40 5LT
• 240V power supply • Perfect for use as a night light or decorative feature • Assorted designs
• Maximum protection for petrol engines & passenger diesels SKU OA02487
SKU AC43236 SKU AC40605 SKU AC43235
>L OH]L KL]LSVWLYZ ^HU[PUN [V I\`
OVER
50%
~
OFF
GREAT GIFT IDEA
Â&#x2039; (JYLZ Â&#x2039; )SVJRZ VM -SH[Z Â&#x2039; *VY ULY )SVJRZ Â&#x2039; =HJHU[ )SVJRZ Â&#x2039; <UYLUV]H[LK 7LYPVK /VTLZ *HSS 7L[LY 1\SPHU ;VKH` WO!
w what We kn w ants. D A D
CATALOGUE 1072213-PJ18-13
OUT NOW!
2999
$
EACH
NEW STYLES Armor All Quick Clean Bucket â&#x20AC;˘ Includes 1LT wash & wax, large sponge, 125ml protectant, cleanup wipes, all purpose cloth & cleaning sponge SKU CC05507
ular ticketed price. ~Savings are off reg er 7th. Sale Ends Septemb
LIMIT 2 PER CUSTOMER
GEELONG 82 SEPERATION ST PH: 5278 1200
1151878-EG35-14
1499
$
1999 OVER
NO RAINCHECKS
$40 VALUE
*
SAVE $17
~