Voice on Pako - July 2017

free monthly JULY 2017

LET THEM EAT

CUPCAKE THE LITTLE SHOP MAKING A BIG IMPRESSION ON PAKO SEE PAGE 9

21 West Fyans St, Newtown Ph: 03 5221 8877 E: sales@tintmaster.com.au

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YOUR voice With the mercury plummeting in Geelong the Voice headed down to Pako to find out locals’ favourite ways to enjoy the season and beat winter’s chill.

free monthly JULY 2017

LET THEM EAT

CUPCAKE THE LITTLE SHOP MAKING A BIG IMPRESSION ON PAKO SEE PAGE 9

21 West Fyans St, Newtown Ph: 03 5221 8877 E: sales@tintmaster.com.au

1228880-ACM30-16

Mark Witham tempts sweet-tooths at The Little Cupcake Shop.

Picture: LOUISA JONES

“

Going to a warm cafe - like Winter's Cafe.

– HOLLY WASON, 19, GEELONG WEST

“

Watching the kids play footy and sitting by my wood fire.

– ROWENA CURTIS, 36, INVERLEIGH

“

Cooking, drinking wine and walking my dog Connor.

– VIRGINIA PLUNKETT, 30, GEELONG WEST

Published monthly, covering Pakington Street and surrounds, Geelong West, Newtown Advertising executive: Ellen Fox: 5249 6705 ellen.fox@geelongindependent.com.au General enquiries: 5249 6700 Managing editor: Tony Galpin 52496700

Facebook.com/ voiceonpako Instagram @ voiceonpako Published by Geelong Independent Pty Ltd ACN 006 653 336. Publisher/Managing Director, Paul Thomas. All material is copyright to Geelong Independent Pty Ltd. All significant errors will be corrected as soon as possible. Distribution numbers, areas and coverage are estimates only. For our terms and conditions please visit: www. starcommunity.com.au

“

Staying inside. It's too cold to do anything else.

– JUSTIN CRERAR, 22, GEELONG

“

I love travelling country Victoria.

There are so many great restaurants and wineries!

– BARBARA THORLEY, 65, DRUMCONDRA

The person receiving the voucher will also get 15% off homecare products A: Shop 1/127 Shannon Ave Manifold Heights P: 5298 1547 W: www.saloneve.com.au E: info@saloneve.com.au

“

Staying at home and drinking coffee in front of the heater.

– KIM DRUMMOND, 43, CORIO

SALON

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PROGRESS on pako

Your thoughts on facelift

BY MANDY OAKHAM RESIDENTS and retailers are being asked to join the conversation regarding a facelift for the Geelong West end of Pakington Street.

Administrator Peter Dorling said the City of Greater Geelong had set aside $100,000 to develop a Pakington Street Master Plan during the 2017-’18 financial year.

“The Pakington Street shopping precinct is recognised as one of Greater Geelong’s most popular and busy areas,” he said.

“This shopping strip of designer clothes, hipster cafes and trendy eateries is clearly one of Geelong’s jewels, attracting more than 100,000 each year for the Pako Festa.

“However, it is looking a bit tired and in need of a renovation to add to its vibrancy.”

Mr Dorling said a part of the master plan would involve getting suggestions from shoppers and traders in the street.

“The master plan will a consider range of factors including traffic, parking, bicycle access, lighting, street furniture and landscaping,” he said.

A spokesperson for the council said the next stage of the process would be about opening up the conversation with a strong emphasis on community

Geelong council administrator Peter Dorling scopes out Pakington Street ahead of consultations to develop a streetscape concept.

(Joseph van der Hurk)

engagement and consultation.

“The council is very focused on getting down to the street and talking to people to find out exactly what they think should be done,” the spokesperson said.

“We want to hear from people in the area what they think needs to be removed, upgraded or renovated.

“The council certainly don’t want to be producing plans or designs without having input from the people who live and

work in the area.”

The director of Hodges Real Estate, Marcus Falconer, said the plans could be an exciting development in the area.

Mr Falconer said he hoped the council would consider what could be done in terms of improved landscaping in the area, establishing trees and gardens, and consideration should be given to improved lighting in the area. He said underground power cabling

Mr Dorling discusses Pako with Ethan Hickey and Susan Beretta.

(Joseph van der Hurk)

would make a huge difference.

“This is one of Geelong’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan strips and is definitely the

foodie capital of the city and this is such a positive step to rejuvenating the area,” Mr Falconer said.

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SAFETY on pako

United voice urged on crime

Traders meet to call for action at the Geelong West police forum.

told concerned residents that police were confident that they now had the gang responsible for the spate of recent burglaries and break-ins in the Pakington Street area and that crime in the Newtown end of the street had also “significantly dropped”.

Although the forum was told that the statistics for crimes

Geelong area did not experience the same crimes as people were watching on their television news at night.

Acting Inspector Rob Wilby said that while aggravated burglaries, which by definition are a break-in when someone is in the home, had increased in recent years, actual assaults on

such as theft and assault had gone down in the last quarter, some retailers in the audience said that the real crime issues in Pakington Street had increased dramatically since March this year and therefore were not showing up in the statistics yet.

All of the police panel members repeated that the

To advertise in the

people in their homes was “very, very rare” in the Geelong area.

“When assaults occur the people are known to each other either through things like domestic violence issues or drug-related issues,” Acting Inspector Wilby said.

But one of the business owners at the forum, Mary Resic of the Secretskin beauty salon, was not reassured. Mary says there have been two breakins, and another two attempted break-ins, to her salon since February this year.

She has had to seek counselling because of the stress involved in dealing with the continuous crime threat and Mary calculates that crime has cost her to date almost $10,000.

“I am angry and I have done everything the police have advised us to do and they are still trying to smash my door in and take my money that I work very, very hard to earn,” a distressed Mary said.

“The problem is these kids who are on the streets and who have no respect for anyone or anything and they have never been taught how to work.

“We need to get rid of these kids off our streets and if that means sending them to a camp in the middle of Australia where they do hard labour then so be it.”

12357130-JV30-17

BY MANDY OAKHAM PAKINGTON Street retailers have been urged to form a traders’ association to help fight rising crime rates in the area.

A group of around 60 residents and retailers have met at Geelong West Town Hall for a crime forum led by Acting Police Superintendent Graham Banks.

The forum was also attended

by South Barwon MP Andrew Katos and former mayor Darren Lyons.

The forum was addressed by president of the Ocean Grove business association Ty Simons, who told retailers about a local crime prevention strategy which had reduced the rate of break ins and burglaries from around three a week in his area, to almost no crime at all.

Supt Banks said it was the first time a non-police person had been asked to address a crime forum.

“This is an excellent example of how the community can work together with the police to bring down crime rates,” Supt Banks said.

The forum was told it was essential that traders were able to quickly communicate among themselves and also that a traders association would ensure that police could get messages out to retailers very quickly.

Acting Inspector Rob Wilby

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WHAT’S HOT on pako 1

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1. Nero leather band watches, $260 each, Nevermindleather.

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PEOPLE POWER on pako

Roll away the holidays

Win for people power

BY LUKE VOOGT NEWTOWN campaigners have celebrated a win for “people power” after Geelong’s administrators back-flipped on their decision to close one of Pako’s nearby libraries.

The suburb’s Lynne Dowling said “hundreds of hours of effort” and thousands of signatures saved Chilwell Library from the axe, until June 2018.

“It’s been an enormous effort,” she said on 28 June.

“Without objections from literally thousands of community members, Chilwell Library would now be closing at the end of this week.

“They’ve been forced to listen because of ordinary people spending a lot of time and energy opposing what they see as an undemocratic and unjust decision.”

But Ms Dowling worried about the libraries’ future and said many residents had lost confidence in City Hall’s consultation processes.

“If they had consulted us in the first place before making the decision we wouldn’t have had to spend hours pouring over their documents and plans.”

Ms Dowling said the board of Geelong Regional Library Corporation lacked

Newtown residents Lynne Dowling (rear left) and Tracey Stone (holding sign) celebrate saving Chilwell Library.(Rebecca Hosking) 170020

elected representation for the people living in the affected communities.

City Hall managers Kaz Paton and Brett Luxford currently serve on the board, along with councillors from Queenscliff, Golden Plains and Surf Coast Shire.

“All of which have retained their libraries despite two of (the municipalities) contributing significantly decreased contributions to their operating costs.”

In Tuesday night’s meeting administrator chair Kathy Alexander caved into community pressure and

announced Chilwell, Highton and Barwon Heads libraries would remain open.

Dr Alexander admitted City Hall had failed to consult residents properly before the original decision.

The administrators made the decision based on Geelong Regional Library Corporation’s recommendation to close the libraries.

Five reviews since 1999 found the libraries scored lowest in indicators like visits and loans per hour, according to the recommendation.

Dr Alexander said the

libraries being in areas of relative affluence and not of highest need or growth also informed the decision.

“Newtown/Geelong West has a population of 20,000 people and two libraries, plus another three within three kilometres.

“Corio/Norlane, on the other hand, has a population of 24,000 people and only one library, with the closest neighbouring library seven kilometres away.”

Elected councillors will review the libraries’ fate in June 2018 Dr Alexander said.

AS SCHOOL holidays approach, Rollerway is again gearing up for another fun holiday.

Centre manager Ashlie Aparicio says there is nothing like seeing kids “who can barely do up their skates” learn to skate in a matter of minutes.

“It inspires me to keep training myself,” says the Australian Inline Hockey team rep.

Ashlie has skated almost since learning to walk and grew up playing inline roller hockey at the Newtown rink.

She’s the fourth generation of the 40-year-old family business.

“My great-grandfather helped my grandparents as their skate mechanic at this centre,” she says.

And now, with her nephews hitting the rink, the fifth generation is raring to go. Ashlie’s father Raul, who owns the centre, reckons skating is perfect for family fun.

“Anyone can have a go, regardless of age; from one-year-olds to their grandparents,” he says.

“Generations of people who have skated here as little kids have come back here as adults, with kids of their own.”

Rollerway even caters for birthdays; a fun, active and great value alternative to children’s parties, according to Raul.

Hundreds of kids and adults will roll up to the centre to hire roller skates and rollerblades for its holiday sessions, Ashlie says.

“I think the key is the amazing atmosphere we create - who doesn’t like music and bright lights?”

Rollerway Skate Centre is open every day over the holidays at 6-8 Lambert Avenue, Newtown.

Phone 0411 335 544 or visit rollerway.com.au for information and opening times.

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Q&A on pako

A little cupcake royalty on Pako This month Voice on Pako spoke with Madeline Witham about how she and her husband Mark became the Queen and King of cupcakes.

The couple are the co-owners of The Little Cupcake Shop where the Goldilocks principle rules, that is, cupcakes are “not too big and not too small but just right”.

How did your family become involved in cupcakes?

Well my husband Mark and I actually met while we were musicians playing in the Army’s band corps. We married and started our family in Sydney but four years ago we decided to move back to Ballarat where I had family, including my mum and my sister.

We bought a house with a little shop in it and I was going to have a go at selling cupcakes while Mark took on a job as music director at St Patrick’s. One year later he gave up that job to help me in the business, our first Little Cupcake shop. So it’s a case of musicians to cupcakes but when I think about it has always been about finding outlets for our creativity so it makes sense in that way.

How did you end up opening a shop in Geelong?

Well people used to travel up from Geelong to the Ballarat shop to buy their supplies of cupcake and we were literally lobbied by our customers to open a shop down there. So we are keeping our shop in Ballarat open five days a week and my husband now travels down to Geelong to open our Pakington “little glass box” shop on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. And in the first week of opening we sold more cupcakes in our three days than we normally do in five days in Ballarat so it was definitely a good move.

Any why Pako?

Well everyone told us this is the place to be in Geelong where

all the foodies are. And when we started looking around and saw our little glass box in the Pakington Strand we just fell in love with this lovely little space. The location is just great as well with lots of people walking through to Woolies at the back. So the walk by traffic has been great for us with people looking in and deciding that they just have to step in and try one of our little delicious cakes.

And what is the customer experience like in the “little glass box”?

We try to make it a great experience when people visit both our shops in Geelong and Ballarat but the Pako shop is very special. It is a bright and sunny place and we always have a smile on our faces and there is always that beautiful smell of cakes baking, so what could be better?

What is it about cupcakes that is so appealing?

I guess it is obvious that they taste great but you can also make them look so beautiful. For me it is always about the creativity. My mind is always ticking over and I am always getting new inspiration and ideas for ingredients and flavours. Our little cupcakes are also very affordable at $3 each and just putting a cupcake on someone’s desk at work for birthday can make a person’s day!

Do you have favourites?

Our shops always have at least 12 different flavours on any one day and I am always changing things up and creating new taste sensations. I know it is a bit like choosing your favourite child but for me the standout favourites are Lemon Delicious, Red Velvet, Salted Caramel and our Honeycomb cupcakes.

What makes your cupcakes different?

Well we make everything from scratch. There are definitely no cake-mix packets around in my kitchen. We are talking about real cake not fake cake, so we try to use the best ingredients in terms of flour and sugar, as well as freerange eggs. Wherever possible we try to source the best ingredients locally so when you bite into our cakes they taste real.

Mark Witham with another tray of tasty treats at The Little Cupcake Shop. (Louisa Jones)

11

BOOKS on pako

MIDNIGHT JEWEL

FORTUNE’S SON

Richelle Mead (Penguin)

Jennifer Scoullar (Penguin)

A refugee of war, Mira was cast out of her home country and thrust into another, where the conditions were inhospitable at best. In a life-altering twist of fate, she is given the chance to escape once more, and she takes it, joining the Glittering Court.

For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. But for Mira, it means further persecution, not only from her fellow Glittering Court jewels, but from her suitors, as well - men she would potentially be expected to give her life to.

Mira is not like the other Glittering Court girls. She is a war refugee, cast out of her home country and thrust into another, where she has learned to fight against the many injustices around her. For some, it's a chance at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. But for Mira, it’s simply a means to an end.

Young Luke Tyler has everything going for him: brains, looks and a larrikin charm that turns heads. The future appears bright, until he defends his sister from the powerful Sir Henry Abbot. His reward is 15 years hard labour on a prison farm in Tasmania’s remote highlands.

Luke escapes, finding sanctuary with a local philanthropist, Daniel Campbell, and starting a forbidden relationship with Daniel’s daughter, Belle. But when Luke is betrayed, he must flee or be hanged.

With all seeming lost, Luke sails to South Africa to start afresh.Yet he remains haunted by the past, and by Belle, the woman he can’t forget.

LAUGHING AT CANCER

PIPPA’S ISLAND, THE BEACH SHACK CAFE

Ros Ben-Moshe (Brolga Publishing)

BelindaMurrell (Randomhouse)

With two young boys, a new lecturer position and all the commitments of an active life, Ros Ben-Moshe had no plans for a tumour to take over her life.

Yet after the news came on her 43rd birthday, medical appointments turned into hours of surgery, casual conversations disappeared, and even her children started asking questions. Brimming with humour, insight and sensitivity, this series of journals, written at the time, explores how we talk about and view illness, and how changing your mindset can do wonders on the journey to health.

Laughing at cancer will inspire you to take a deep breath and start laughing.

Pippa has just arrived at a new school, in a new town, and even living on a gorgeous island isn’t cheering her up.

Her arrival causes ripples at Kira Island Primary School - but Pippa soon starts to make friends with eco-warrior Meg, boho-chick Charlie, and fashionista and cupcake baker Cici. Pippa’s mum plans to buy a rustic old boatshed and start a bookshop cafe, and Pippa worries they’ll lose all their money in this madcap venture - until her new friends come to the rescue to help get the grand opening back on track. Will Kira Island ever feel like home?

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