March 26, 2021 12477076-DL02-21
SIGN UP NOW!
Child’s play
Carolina sees things from a different perspective at MoPA.
Children are clamouring to play with LEGO car ramps and have “graffiti wars” at Geelong’s Museum of Play and Art (MoPA), as coronavirus restrictions ease according to co-owner Tom Mahon. He and wife Billie Georgieff were devastated when COVID-19 hit just months after they opened their new million-dollar investment in January 2020. “We had literally just finished building and investing in a new museum, and we were relying on 2020 to recover that investment,” Tom said. After gradually opening again from last October, the museum’s bookings have increased every month in line with public confidence. “We sold out every single day [in] January,” Tom said. With restrictions easing further this week and half-price flights into Avalon Airport available from April 1, Tom is excited for the upcoming school holidays and beyond. “When the government says we can rip the masks off, that does fill people with confidence,” Tom said. Details: museumofplayandart.com.au
(Louisa Jones) 232295_07
Luke Voogt
‘Pleas for help’ to soar By Luke Voogt Geelong charities and emergency relief providers are bracing for an influx of demand with JobKeeper and the Coronavirus Supplement set to end in coming days. Calls for help have already increased at the Salvation Army’s Geelong Doorways site, according to centre manager Josie Taylor. About 30 to 40 per cent of the centre’s clients ceased using its services when federal government introduced the JobKeeper wage subsidy and the Coronavirus Supplement for those on JobSeeker and other payments, she explained.
“Half of them have come back since [federal government began rolling back the payments] so we’re at 80 per cent of what we were pre-COVID-19,” she said. “About 60 to 70 per cent remained with us throughout COVID-19. A lot of those people are rough sleepers, so they’re having contact day-to-day with us for frozen meals and pantry and hygiene items.” With a few new clients also attending the centre each day, Ms Taylor expected demand to exceed pre-COVID levels when the payments cease. “We are definitely anticipating it will go beyond,” she said.
Geelong Food Relief Centre chief executive Collin Peebles expected a “significant” increase in pleas for help. “We’ve seen an increase over the last couple of months as the payments have been gradually retracted,” he said. “Over the next couple of weeks we’ll start to see that fallout of people suffering food insecurity as the payments are retracted completely.” Representatives from organisations across Geelong also raised concerns over the payments ending in the Geelong Food Assistance Network’s regular quarterly meeting on Wednesday. About 24,000 Geelong and Surf Coast residents could lose up to $150 a fortnight when
We Are Open 7 Days
the coronavirus supplement ends on March 31. People on parenting payments, Youth Allowance, Austudy or JobSeeker will receive a $50 per fortnight increase beginning April 1, meaning they will effectively lose $100 a fortnight. As of January 29, Geelong had 10575 residents on JobSeeker, 52.8 per cent higher than 6921 in March 2020, according to Department of Social Services data. On the Bellarine Peninsula, 2237 residents were on JobSeeker, 74 per cent higher than 1282 in March 2020. The number of Geelong and Bellarine businesses receiving JobKeeper fell from 9158 in September 2020 to 4904 in December 2020.
For all restaurant and dine-in bookings, call restaurant mobile number.
Lunch & Dinner
WINE & BEER AVAILABLE WITH 3 LIC RESTAURANTS
NOW OPEN FOR DINE-IN & PICK UP ORDER 76 Malop St, Geelong Lic
Leopold Shopping Centre Lic
Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre Lic
Tel 5223 3288 / 5223 3118 Mob 0435 666 608
Hi Sushi & Hi Dumpling Tel 5250 6888 / 5250 5168 Mob 0411 105 288
Near to Reading Cinemas Tel 5241 2688 / 5241 2088 | Mob 0466 493 665
Sun - Thu: 10am - 8.30pm Fri & Sat: 10am - 9.30pm
Sun - Thu: 10am - 9pm Fri & Sat: 10am - 9.30pm
Sun - Thu: 10am - 8pm Fri & Sat: 10am - 9pm
Corio Shopping Centre Shop G15A | Tel 5275 5888 Mob 0411 817 788 Mon - Wed 9am-5pm Thurs 9am-6.30pm | Fri 9am-7pm Sat 9am-5pm | Sun 9am-4pm
Order Online Deliveroo, Menulog, Uber Eats, DoorDash & Easi App
Tasty Asia Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre
Westfield Geelong Shopping Centre
Shop T962 Opposite K-Mart Tel 5241 3688 Mob 0432 458 886
Shop 2284 Level 1 Food Court next to KFC Tel 5298 1387 | Mob 0422 749 988
Sun - Thu: 9am - 8pm Fri: 9am - 9pm | Sat: 9am - 8pm
Mon - Sun: 9am - 5pm 12488903-CG13-21