July 10, 2020
Abraca-Bella, it’s showtime
(Louisa Jones) 210921_16
Highton seven-year-old Isabella has dreamed of appearing – and disappearing – onstage with magician dad Dazzling Dan the Magic Man since she was a toddler. “When she was little, she would try to run onstage during my shows – she deinitely loves the spotlight,” Dan told the Independent. Dan spent months unsuccessfully trialling new magic online during COVID-19, until he discovered Isabella was the missing link. “It wasn’t till I started rehearsing with Isabella that everything felt fresh,” he said. “The show just kept getting better and better the more we played around.” Isabella acted as a “proxy” online for kids who Dan used to invite onstage from the audience in his shows pre-pandemic, he explained. Much to Isabella’s delight, she has become a regular part of his online gigs. “I like how funny and silly he is,” the chirpy youngster said. “Magic tricks are fun to do and I like getting tricked by new magic tricks. I think my dad is one per cent better than me.” Details: www.dazzlingdan.com.au/gig-guide Luke Voogt
Guard raised hotel safety By Luke Voogt A Geelong security director warned a irm embroiled in Victoria’s bungled hotel quarantine program of safety concerns prior to declining a contract, he told the Independent this week. Authorities have linked breaches from hotel quarantine for returned travellers to the second wave of COVID-19 currently gripping Victoria. Standby Security managing director Angelo Kakouros said a security company consultant phoned him to ofer his company work guarding Melbourne hotels used to quarantine
Mr Kakouros said he got the impression the company was more interested in saving money than safety. “here’s no way in the world our guards could have been paid correctly for the amount of money they were ofering,” he said. Returned travellers began arriving at Tullamarine Airport from midnight on March 28, little more than 24 hours ater national cabinet approved the hotel quarantines. he state government has conirmed it bypassed the usual tender process hiring large security companies MSS, Uniied and Wilson to guard hotels for returned travellers in quarantine, citing urgency.
returned travellers. But Mr Kakouros declined when the consultant failed to answer his questions about COVID-19 protocols and personal protective equipment (PPE), he said. “hat in itself raised alarm bells,” the Geelong local said. “I was not convinced that there were adequate safety measures put in place to provide a safe environment for our guards and the community. Mr Kakouros said he warned the consultant of a lack of planning and safety equipment. “When I raised all these things with them, they didn’t want to hear about it.”
he government this week ordered a judicial inquiry into the program to investigate allegations of under-trained and under-paid staf, inadequate PPE and billing rorts by private security contractors. Mr Kakouros said the inquiry should be “no diferent to a forensic investigation”, examining every single subcontractor and employee involved. Local opposition MP Bev McArthur last week called for Police Minister Lisa Neville and Health Minister Jenny Mikakos to resign over the matter. he Independent contacted the oices of both ministers but neither responded before deadline.
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