Geelong Indy - 5th December 2025

Christmas joy in Geelong

Join in the harmony of the festive season with free carols events across Geelong this weekend.

Creative Geelong will host karaoke sing-along carolling, live choir singing, free Christmas tree ornament workshops and a Christmas market during its A Creative Christmas event at Centrepoint Arcade.

Operations manager Luisa La Fornara said it was a chance for the community to come together to celebrate the holiday season from 5pm on Friday 5 December.

“What is great about A Creative Christmas is the combination of everything coming together, but it’s the people that make it important,” she said.

“Art and music will collide together to create a really nice Christmas celebration. People will be able to make an ornament and put it on our tree, so they can come back throughout the whole month of December to see the tree on display in our front gallery windows.”

Free outdoor carols events will be held by OneHope Baptist Church’s Moolap (Saturday 6 December) and Highton (Sunday 7 December) locations from 5.30pm. Highton’s South Valley Baptist Church will host Christmas on the Hill from 4pm on 6 December, featuring an evening of carols and kids activities.

20 nabbed in CBD

Twenty people have been caught doing the wrong thing in Geelong after police flooded the CBD during a two-day patrol approach.

The STOP PROP CHECK approach was carried out by police across Geelong’s CBD on Friday 28 November and Saturday 29 November, with two people arrested on the first day.

A 22-year-old Breakwater man wanted in relation to a serious assault was arrested and remanded at Geelong Magistrates’ Court after he was found walking on Myers Street and charged with recklessly causing serious injury and unlawful assault.

A 28-year-old Grovedale man was also

interceptedonMooraboolStreetandfound to be in possession of an illicit substance, andwasreleasedpendingfurtherenquiries in relation to the product seized.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said the patrols were a proven method of policing with efforts across Geelong to remain ongoing.

“Our CBD patrols continue around the clock, and we are working hard to make sure our city is safe at all times,” they said.

“During our patrols, four drivers were seen distracted behind the wheel whilst driving in the CBD and observed by police using a handheld mobile device by foot patrol operatives.”

An 18-year-old Newcomb man was found riding an unregistered scooter near Eastern Gardens and was issued with two infringements for unlicensed driving and driving an unregistered vehicle, resulting in a $1800 fine.

A 25-year-old Corio man was caught driving a Holden Commodore with serious defects and issued an infringement notice for driving a dangerous and unroadworthy vehicle, along with his vehicle receiving a defect notice.

A 36-year-old Corio man was issued with two infringement notices, totalling $1300 worth of fines and the loss of three demerit points, after he was detected speeding at

75km/h in a marked 60km/h zone through Geelong and found to be unlicensed.

A 41-year-old Geelong woman was stoppedintheCBDandfoundtobedriving a red Mitsubishi Magna whilst suspended, with the woman summoned to appear at Geelong Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

An additional 13 drivers were found speeding more than 20km/h over the limit.

A 56-year-old Whittington woman was arrested at Westfield for allegedly stealing $300 worth of linen and other items from a large commercial store.

She has since been interviewed by police and will be summoned to Geelong Magistrates’ Court.

Christmas bugs Mitch Norris, April Garreffa and Emma Hollard with Adamo Di Biase. (Ivan Kemp)

BCH posts a small profit

Bellarine Community Health (BCH) returned a modest surplus for the financial year it announced at its annual general meeting.

Excluding depreciation, capital income and gains from revaluation, a $149,000 surplus was reported, with the not-for-profit supporting almost 6000 clients across the reporting period.

Almost 28 percent of clients accessed more than one service at BCH.

Chief executive Kathy Russell said she was proud of the outcomes achieved throughoutthepast12months,whichhas had both challenges and opportunities.

“We cannot continue to have the impact we do in our community without ongoing financial viability, and that remains a concern for community health organisations like ours,” she said.

“We are continuing to advocate for increased investment in community health to support the record population growth on the Bellarine and escalating healthcare needs.”

Throughout the year, BCH has taken a proactive approach to advocacy, by strengthening relationships with

stakeholders and participating in sectorwide initiatives through its membership of the Alliance of Rural and Regional Community Health (ARRCH) and the statewide Community Health First group.

“We rely on partnerships and successful partnerships rely on relationships, trust, goodwill and a strong belief in the power of working together,” BCH board chair Fay Agterhuis said.

“Working together is how we maintain, sustain and grow as a community health service.”

The annual report was also released at the AGM, highlighting some of the achievements for the year including: the official opening of the new BCH Child, Youth and Family Hub in Kingston Estate, Ocean Grove; navigating changes under the new Aged Care Act and the transition to the Support at Home Program, Launching the ‘Nourish’ series of cooking workshops developed in partnership with Farm My School; expanding the BCH Ageing Well Hub to the Drysdale site; being finalists in the National Palliative Care Awards; celebrating the 50th anniversary of the BCH Portarlington

Taking a chance on a career with the ADF

By Jena Carr

The Geelong community has received special insight into a career in the defence force thanks to a visit from Navy, Army and Air Force members.

Members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) visited Geelong in the Mobile ADF Careers Centre (MACC) this week for the public to meet with career specialists.

Navy Lieutenant Sarah Lister said the MACC’s visit went well, with people able to discover the variety of roles available.

“It (MACC) gave people in the Geelong community an opportunity to chat about a career within the defence force,” she said.

“It’s basically our recruiting centre on wheels, and it’s a giant bus that travels around Australia targeting rural, regional, and remote communities.

“People who were interested in chatting about careers were able to come on board and discuss their options, both within reserve and full-time roles in the ADF.”

Lieutenant Lister has been in the Navy for three years and said she had always been interested in joining the defence force.

“It was about getting a stronger sense of purpose and feeling like I’m doing something bigger than myself,” she said.

“I’ve been able to travel to different countries, and I’ve sailed up and down the east coast of Australia more times than I can count.

“Thisisoneofthemostrewardingthings that I’ve ever done in my life and...if it’s something that you’re considering, then you should just do it, as you only regret the

chances that you don’t take.”

The MACC visited the Geelong waterfront during the Geelong Revival

Festival from 28 to 30 November, before moving to Royal Geelong Showgrounds from 1 to 3 December.

Nine clubs recognised for road safety initiatives

Nine football and netball clubs across Geelong and the Bellarine have been awarded for promoting road safety in their communities.

Transport Accident Commission (TAC) awarded clubs across the state with rewards of up to $10,000 through its Club Rewards program.

Head of AFL Victoria Greg Madigan said he was thrilled to see the clubs rewarded for their efforts through the rewards program.

“Throughout this football season, many ofourclubshavedemonstratedasignificant commitment to promoting road safety and

education,” he said.

“Footballerscoverhundredsofkilometres on the road each season, travelling to and from games and training, so road safety needs to be at the front of mind for us all.”

GeelongandBellarineclubsthatreceived awards through the program include Corio Community Sports Club, Northern Stars Junior Football Club and Torquay Netball Club.

Surf Coast Suns, Grovedale Tigers, North Shore, South Barwon, Bannockburn and Armstrong Creek football and netball clubs also received rewards.

TAC chief executive Tracey Slatter said sporting clubs were at the heart of the region’s communities and that the money would support a range of road safety initiatives.

“The program aims to empower clubs to develop a culture where all players and members are expected to be safe on the roads,” she said.

“Footballers and netballers often travel long distances for games and training, so by making road safety a priority, these clubs are protecting their members and setting a powerful example.”

Last community arts calendar

People can grab the latest Surf Coast Community Arts Calendar next week, which will be the calendar’s last print edition.

Free copies of next year’s calendar will be available from Monday 8 December, featuring 13 artworks from the Surf Coast Shire community.

Councillor Leon Walker said artworks for the calendar months were chosen by a judging panel, whilethecoverwork,WinterSunrise at Urquhart Bluff by Caroline Lawrey, took out the People’s Choice vote.

“The works chosen for this year’s calendar beautifully illustrate the breadth of talent across our artistic community,” he said.

“We encourage community memberstopickuptheirfreecopies of the calendar from our community outletsandenjoytheworksfor2026.

“Congratulations to the artists on having been selected from almost 120 entries, particularly our successful entrants in the youth categories.”

Calendars will be available from council’s Torquay office at 1 Merrijig Drive and from visitor information centres in Anglesea, Lorne and Torquay.

People can also grab a calendar from Anglesea and Aireys Inlet’s post offices, Deans Marsh and Winchelsea’s community houses, Anglesea Art House, Anglesea Art Space and Moriac General Store.

Surf Coast Shire Council will continue to develop new avenues for nurturing and promoting artistic activity, with the calendar’s legacy continuing through a refreshed annual community art exhibition.

Council will also launch a new Arts Initiative Program to support artists to share their work, connect with the community, and develop their creative practices.

Ladies Auxiliary; and participating in a ‘Showcase of Community Health’ at Parliament house.

The full BCH Financial and Annual Reports appears under the publications tab at bch.org.au

Bellarine Community Health board directors Rod Slattery, Fay Agterhuis, Virginia Todd, Lucy Simms, Tim Walsh, Jean Paul and Mark Harris. (Supplied)

Motoring

Navy Lieutenant Sarah Lister pictured in the MACC. (Ivan Kemp) 521464_07

Water boost for Geelong

Greater Geelong’s drinking water capacity has been boosted after a major upgrade to the Melbourne to Geelong Pipeline was completed.

Minister for Water Gayle Tierney announced the completion of the $40 million project, expanding the pipeline’s capacity from 16 billion litres to 22 billion litres every year – meaning up to 60 per cent of Geelong’s peak demand can be met through the pipeline alone.

The works included modifications at two basins, which provides for the pipeline’s watertoreachafurther28,000familiesand

businesses in the Geelong region.

The pipeline stretches for 59km underground, connecting Geelong’s storage at Lovely Banks with Melbourne’s water supply network at Cowies Hill, west of Werribee.

This pipeline helped Geelong avoid water restrictions this year during one of the driest periods on record across central and western Victoria, the state government said.

“The upgraded pipeline connection to Melbourne provides greater water security to the Geelong region, ensuring families

have access to affordable, safe and secure drinking water supplies,” Ms Tierney said.

“With our population growing and the climate getting drier, we are investing in the critical infrastructure needed to move water to where it is needed.”

Barwon Water will continue to use the pipeline this summer to replenish local storages,whichsatat36percentofcapacity at the end of winter – the lowest since 2008, during the Millennium Drought.

“The pipeline is part of a portfolio of sources that safeguards supply to customers and helps us continue to

New program promotes a better future

By Matt Hewson

Hundreds of local primary school students gained a better understanding of how to create a greener future for themselves and the region thanks to an innovative new program.

Delivered by The Brainary and funded by a $20,000 grant from City of Greater Geelong, a series of sustainable design workshops was held throughout the year at 10schoolsacrossGeelongandtheBellarine.

Using professional architectural model-building kits, students worked in small groups to design, build and present

solutions to sustainability challenges.

The Brainary’s program coordinator EmmaHardakersaidstudentsparticipating in the workshops often had a “lightbulb moment” regarding the impact they could have on the sustainability of their homes and community.

“It’s not just a tick-the-box (exercise), reading through a book on climate change; the participants get to do a fun, hands-on activity that really brings these ideas to life for them,” she said.

“The idea is to spread awareness for youth in the region, given they will find themselves in more of a climate crisis that

we are in now.

“It’s about how they can help in everyday tweaks to their environment, now and in the future.”

The Brainary director Hugh Kingsley said the importance of children’s ability to drive change should not be underestimated.

“Children can be quite influential on their parents, they come home from school and they want to implement what they’ve learnt,” he said.

“And you’ve got to keep it rolling so it becomes embedded. If you’re getting it into the kids in the early ages, you’re setting them up for success in the future.”

provide high quality, affordable and secure services,” Barwon Water chair Peta Maddy said.

Earlier this year the state government ordered 50 billion litres of water from the Victorian Desalination Plant in response to the driest summer in more than a decade with Geelong storages hitting a six-year low.

“We are securing our water supply with this upgraded water pipeline, bringing high quality water to families throughout Geelong,” Member for Lara Ella George said.

Students stand against violence

Students from 10 schools across the region came together last week to take a stand against gender-based violence.

The 2025 Barwon Respect Cup saw 150 students participate in a mixed netball competition and a series of workshops aimed at exploring gender stereotypes, affirmative consent, active bystander intervention and the differences between healthy and harmful relationships.

Run by City of Greater Geelong, the day was part of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and was supported by Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.

Thestudentsalsocreatedavarietyof media including articles, reels, videos and interviews that will be displayed in a highlight reel on Geelong Sports Museum’s Community Wall.

Councillor Melissa Cadwell, chair of the Women and Community Life portfolio, praised the young people for their participation.

“Well done to all the students at today’s 2025 Barwon Respect Cup who committed to promoting gender equity in their schools and helping to create safer, more inclusive spaces for all,” she said. “They learned how to recognise harmful behaviours, speak up and seek support for themselves or someone they know who may be in an unsafe relationship. Thanks for being open and respectful throughout the dayasotherssharedtheirexperiences and ideas. The international 16 day-long campaign calls on everyone to work together to prevent and eliminate gender-based violence.”

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The Brainary’s Hugh Kingsley and City of Greater Geelong senior sustainability officer Peter Mercouriou. (Ivan Kemp)

A more accessible Geelong

Passengers needing extra assistance can access support from caring volunteers at GeelongStation.

TravellersAidvolunteerswillbeavailable to help passengers with their luggage, provide wheelchair support, and assist people who are blind or have low vision aroundthestation.

Travellers Aid Australia chief executive Elias Lebbos said volunteers can also help passengers change between platforms, locatecoachorbusbays,andfindtaxiranks or car park drop-off zones through the free service.

“We’reproudtobeexpandingourservices to Geelong and look forward to continuing our partnership with V/Line to support the localcommunity,”hesaid.

“We’re calling for staff and volunteers to joinourteam,soifyou’dliketohelpmakea positivedifferenceinyourcommunity,we’d lovetohearfromyou.”

V/Line chief executive William Tieppo said the new service would complement existing accessibility features at the station, includingboardingassistancezonesandan accessibleoverpass.

“Travellers Aid have been helping our passengersgettotheirdestinationformany years, and we welcome their continued partnership,”hesaid.

“We are always looking for ways to improve passenger experience on the network, and Travellers Aid will enhance accessibilityatGeelongStation.”

Minister for Public and Active Transport

the

would be available to passengers of all ages and abilities at the station between 8am and 4pmfromMondaytoFriday.

“We’redeliveringamoreaccessiblepublic transport network for Victorians, including upgrading stations, delivering new trains andprovidingvitalservicesforpassengers,” shesaid.

Member for Geelong Christine Couzens saidanewmarkedTravellersAidaccessible pick-up and drop-off point for cars was also being introduced at the station for passengers. “Travellers Aid will improve the experience for passengers at Geelong Station, one of the busiest on the V/Line network,byassistingthemtotravelbetween train,coachandbusservices.”

Steve and Gaia - mates together forever

By Justin Flynn

There are many words you could use to describe Steve, but homeless was not one of them.

He chose to drift, free from mortgage, debt, the daily grind and, with every step, his best mate Gaia by his side. It was always hischoice.

OftenseeninOceanGrove,Stevebecame known to many and once you got past the rough exterior and actually talked to the man,youwererewarded.

Steve passed away early on Sunday morning, and with him to the end and the otherside,wasGaia,hisdevoted16-year-old kelpiecompanion.

He made us laugh, very rarely accepted help and lived life exactly the way they wanted - Shelley Carroll

Immediately an outpouring of grief was feltacrosstheregion.

Steve only rarely accepted help, but did what few of us actually really want - lived lifethewayhewanted.

A drifter maybe. A nomad perhaps. Certainlyafreespirit.Stevewashimself.

He would often ‘disappear’ for months only for someone to spot him on the ‘other’ peninsula or in Belmont. But he always came back to Ocean Grove. And wherever Stevewas,Gaiawasthereaswell.

Steve would often take Gaia for a surf to thedelightofthosewhogottoseeit.

He didn’t beg. Far from it. Even if he wanted, or needed, to, he always had offers ofhelpfromthemanywhogottoknowhim.

He chose the life of a wanderer and it suitedhim.

Shelley Carroll knew the man simply knownasSteveforabouttwodecades.

“He died warm, safe and pain free with his niece by his side. A true character right totheend,”shewroteonsocialmedia.

“Gaia was assessed by local vets and she too has since passed away. Steve and Gaia were a part of the Bellarine Peninsula soul,

The region is mourning the loss of Steve and his best mate Gaia. Right: Steve and Gaia in the surf. (Pictures: Facebook)

inparticularOceanGrove.

“He made us laugh, very rarely accepted help and lived life exactly the way they wanted. We will miss them wandering the streets this summerandalways.”

A memorial service for Steve is expected to be finalised soon, but Shelley said the family would love thepublictoattend.

Strong year for the Cats on and off the field

By Matt Hewson

Geelong Cats have posted a solid financial result for 2024-25, if not as profitableaslastfinancialyear.

Geelong Football Club announced a net profit of $1.7 million for the year ending 31 October 2025, down from $6.6millionin2024,withanoperating profitof$6.1million.

The club’s operational revenue increased from $74.2 million in 2024 to $76.9 million this year, while net assetsincreasedfrom$24.6millionto $26.4million.

The Cats’ drop in net profit was largely attributable to a drop in revenue from other activities, which fell from $11.2 million last year to $5.7 million in 2025; the club received nearly $2 million less in grants this year, while net asset gain dropped from$4.1milliontozero.

Chief executive Steve Hocking acknowledged this year’s solid financial position and thanked members and fans for their ongoing support.

“On behalf of everyone at the club I would like to thank our record breaking 92,379 members for their passionandcommitmentin2025,”he said. “This support assists in helping us drive continued growth on and off thefield.

“It’s important our club remains financially strong to be able to drive excellenceandchasegreatnessacross our football programs, while also remaining committed to supporting ourregionandcommunity.

“As we look forward, the club is focused on its key business activities for 2026, while investing in the strategic projects that will shape the club’sfuture.”

Festive flavour fills Geelong for the last market in Little Malop Street

The Christmas spirit will continue to gatheralongLittleMalopStreetforthelast fewGeelongCityMarketsbeforetheendof the year.

Thecitywillbefilledwithfestiveflavour, handmade gifts, summer produce and community vibes during the market’s last three Saturdays of the year.

Director Simon Toohey said the market was entering its most vibrant season, with

festive activities and demonstrations held throughout the event.

“The market is truly at its best this time of year,” he said.

“Christmas brings out the heart of Geelong through connection, generosity, great food, and community spirit, and every week offers something new.”

Masterclasses on the Nisbets Kitchen stage will feature Nicole Sanderson from

Evolve North coffee roasters at 10.30am and Mr Toohey at 12.30pm on Saturday 6 December.

The Geelong Roller Derby crew will also be gliding through the market this Saturday, adding colour, character and a bit of joyful mayhem to the morning.

GingerbreadDecoratingWorkshopswill be held during the 13 and 20 December markets, along with Summer Cocktail

Demonstrations.

The musical program will be extra special during the three markets with roaming performances throughout the morning and live music on the Forte Buskers Stage. Geelong City Market is held from 9am to 2pm on Saturdays along Little Malop Street with a variety of stallholders and activities available.

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Travellers Aid Geelong supervisor Deb King assists passenger Steve Hurd at Geelong Station. (Supplied)

Stepintoathoughtfullydesignedvillathatblendscomfort,style,and functionality.Theheartofthehome—astunningkitchenwithabutler’s pantry—flowsseamlesslyintoopen-planlivinganddiningspaces,extending toanundercoveralfrescoandwelcomingfrontveranda.

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Update for sports policy

By Matt Hewson

After more than four years, Geelong council has updated its policy governing community sport facilities.

City of Greater Geelong’s new Fair Play policy, an update of the original 2017 document, sets the fees and charges for hiring the City’s more than 400 sporting facilities and outlines what infrastructure the City is responsible for maintaining.

Council will also encourage community groups to share playing fields and other

facilities through proportional seasonal fees.

The policy was set to be updated in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the City to freeze its scheduled review.

Councillor Anthony Aitken said he was pleased to see the adoption of what was the “most significant policy for our sporting clubs in Geelong”, in particular the City’s support of sports lighting.

“The new Fair Play policy…for the first time ever, recognises that lighting is a standard (item),” he said.

Carnival is a community gift

A free community event with a focus on family activities is coming to Bell Post Hill to celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

Kardinia Family Christmas Carnival will feature carnival rides, food trucks, live entertainment, a makers market, lots of children’s activities and a family-friendly Christmas show at Kardinia Church.

Kardinia Community Services manager Karen Evans said the event would be a chance for the community to enjoy some family time from 10am to 4pm on Sunday 7 December.

“We’re really keen to provide an event wherewehavethatsenseofcommunityand of people coming together,” she said.

“We welcome anyone to come along for the day to have some fun and get involved, and we look forward to welcoming people across the community.

“This is an inaugural event for us as historically, we’ve conducted a Christmas

carol show, but this is the first time we’re heading into more of a community event, andit’stotallyfreeforeveryonewhocomes.”

StPaul’sAnglicanChurchwillalsohostits annual Christmas Tree Festival, featuring a display of Christmas trees decorated by local groups, charities and not-for-profits.

Church vicar Reverend Jennifer Furphy said the festival promised a festive atmosphere filled with music, stalls and family-friendly fun.

“This festival is a celebration of community spirit and the joy of the season,” shesaid. “We’reexcitedtowelcomefamilies, friends, and visitors to experience the warmth and creativity that make this event so special.”

The Christmas Tree Festival will be held from6pmto9pmonFriday5Decemberand from 10am to 3pm on Saturday 6 December, with entry by a gold coin donation and free for children.

“(Lighting) is a very good return on investment to expand the capacity of usage of our sporting facilities and our outdoor facilities. And who’s driving the major demand? It’s female participation in sport.

“We’ve had an absolute explosion… with females participating in organised community sport, and one of the ways we’re tryingtorespondtothatisbysayingweneed to light our facilities to give more access to females to participate in community sport.”

However, Councillor Aitken sounded the alarm on the challenges the City faced with

funding new projects.

“The golden era is over in terms of the provision of sporting infrastructure, not just in Geelong but around the whole of Victoria,” he said. “The demise of the state government’s capacity to be able to co-fund these improvements, the council’s own challenges that we have with being the fastest growing city in Australia and the demand for additional new sporting community infrastructure is something that we don’t financially have the capacity to be able to respond to.”

Kardinia Community Services’ Karen Evans, John O’Brien and Chanah Gieles with Kardinia Church’s big Christmas tree. (Ivan Kemp) 522142_04

Hub’s festive market

By Matt Hewson

The Christmas season kicks off this weekendwithaspecialcommunitymarket showcasinglocalmakersandartists.

Eastern Community Hub has invited the Geelong community to celebrate the festive season at its annual Community Christmas Market from 9am to 3pm on Saturday6December.

Landfill fills up

The Anglesea Landfill is nearing the end of its operational life, with the facility expected to close within the nextfiveyears.

The landfill’s final available cell, where rubbish can be placed, compacted, and covered, is currently filling up, with no further options to extendthefacilityonthecurrentsite.

Surf Coast Shire councillor Mike Bodsworth said current projections indicated that the landfill was expected to close around 2030 due to thelimitedremainingcapacity.

“This is a major transition for our waste services, but one that we can manage and extend by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill,” he said. “Although the Surf Coast Community achieves 70 per cent diversion of recyclables and organics, there’s still too much going into generalwastebins.

“Wearecommittedtoaresponsible, well-planned closure process, including an ongoing role for the transfer station and much-loved resaleshed.”

The Hub’s community and events coordinator Joanne Brown said the event was a celebration of both Christmas and thecommunity.

“There are 36 local stallholders, many of them people who meet here regularly, and it’sallhandmadeproducts,”shesaid.

“The Red Cross will be here, Geelong FibreArtists,GeelongFoodSwap,CWA,the East Geelong Sewing Group…community members that have been part of this place foralongtime.

“We’ve got a guy who recycles timber

The market will feature nearly 40 stalls filled with the products and crafts of local artists and artisans, activities for kids and adults of all abilities, food and drink vendorsandspecialguestsincludingSanta and Geelong Football Club mascots Half CatandClawdia.

selling chopping boards, we’ve got children’sclothes,Christmascards,plants, chutneys…it’sarealmaker’smarket.”

Ms Brown emphasised the accessible natureoftheHub.

“Everyone’s welcome, there are no barrierstocomingtotheHub,”shesaid.

“We want the local community to know this is their centre. They don’t have to spend money at the cafe, they can come in andbringtheirownfood.

“We’re trying to make it as inclusive as we can. There are a lot of really passionate people here, so we just want people to see howgooditis.”

The landfill has served the community since 1974, with the exact closure timing dependent on annual wastevolumesatthesite.

The Anglesea Transfer Station and Resale Shed will continue to operate normally when the landfill closes to ensure ongoing recycling and reuse optionsforthecommunity.

Anglesea Landfill operations will continueasnormaluntilaclosuredate is determined, with council officers continuing to monitor capacity, waste volumes,andfinancialperformance.

AFDA Member

Eastern Hub community members Gosia Reflinski, Rose O’Brien, Dylan Nygen, Santa, Jo Hudson, Jacinta Randle, Sam Chapman (rear), Rebecca Baker, Eden Witmutu, Eve Riordan and Aleena Barone (front). (Ivan Kemp) 521811_02

New OG house coordinator

City of Greater Geelong has announced the appointment of a new coordinator at Ocean Grove Neighbourhood House.

Stella Kinsella has stepped into the leadershippositionthisweek,ascouncil’s reorganisation and revitalisation of the community facility continues.

Ms Kinsella has a long history of creative production, as a comedian, author, script-writer, documentary maker, arts and culture programmer and educator and also has experience in the

conservation field.

She has led major community events such as Heritage Hobsons Bay Festival and Williamstown Literary Festival and worked with local organisations, volunteers and First Nations communities.

A recent arrival in Ocean Grove, Ms Kinsella has already set up a popular series of comedy nights at the Tin Shed in Barwon Heads.

Ms Kinsella said she was excited to

help reactivate the space.

“I know that the Ocean Grove Neighbourhood House is the heart of this township and plays an important role in keeping residents engaged, social and challenged,” Stella said.

“I’m passionate about creating inclusive, connected spaces that bring people together and strengthen community belonging.

“Make sure to say hello and introduce yourself as I settle in.”

Author Sally brings back Grouch and Groo

By Jena Carr

An Ocean Grove author is taking readers back through the humorous, vivid and musical world of the Lala Chronicles with two new books.

SallyWilsonwilllaunchthesecondand third books in her children’s book series titled The Old Grouch & Mr Groo and Just One Step at a book launch and illustration exhibition event on Saturday 6 December.

Ms Wilson said the books featured two new characters and looked at “simplifying theoverwhelmingorapparentlycomplex”

in the world.

“The Old Grouch wears the world heavily, and I find him a really delightful character who can be very relatable, but hasatendencytofeelburdened,”shesaid.

“His friend Mr Groo is the voice of wisdom, reason and love, and...has this knack of turning things around in a natural, but not forced, positive way.”

Ms Wilson said her 13-year-old niece was one of her biggest supporters behind the series and that it warmed her heart to see how much her niece loved the books.

“My niece was one of the first people

who saw and heard these characters years ago, so when she saw the Old Grouch and Mr Groo in a book, she was so excited,” she said.

“She’s certainly been one of my biggest inspirations, as she is a big-hearted and very supportive person...and it was just the most touching moment as those characters really meant something to her.”

The launch of Ms Wilson’s new books will be held at The Hive Gallery from 2pm, with book signings, a questionand-answer session, sing-alongs, and exhibition walk-throughs included.

Geelong Foodshare helping to provide food relief

AGeelongfoodrelieforganisationwillbeable toprovidemorefoodtopeopleinneedacross thestateasitincreasesitsdistributions.

Geelong Foodshare received $250,000 through the state government’s Community Food Relief Program to enhance its food distribution across Western Victoria and supportpartnerships.

Member for Lara Ella George said the fundingwouldallowfoodrelieforganisations to continue supporting families with dignity andcare.

“Together, we can ensure that no one in Geelonghastogohungry,”shesaid.

“With this significant investment for the Geelongcommunity,we’renotjustproviding immediate relief for those who need it; we are also fostering sustainable pathways for ourcommunity.”

Member for Geelong Christine Couzens

said food security was important to families andthatshewasgladtoseetheregionbenefit fromtheinvestmentinfoodsecurity.

“This funding will assist Geelong Foodshare in their vital role to provide support and enable families to continue to puthealthymealsonthetable,”shesaid.

Other food relief groups that received funding included $97,000 for Wathaurong Booln Booln Cultural Centre and $54,500 for Norlane Community Centre for both groups toemploystaff.

The Common Ground Project also received$48,000todelivertrainingprograms, along with $19,500 for Outpost Geelong to improveitsprogramdelivery.

The $9 million Community Food Relief Program has doubled in funding this year to deliver more fresh and nutritious meals acrossthestate.

Councillor Elise Wilkinson said the appointment was an exciting step forward for the former Bellarine Training and Community Hub.

“Stella’s experience and community spirit make her the perfect person to help revitalise the Ocean Grove Neighbourhood House,” she said.

“She has a proven track record in bringing people together and delivering meaningful community programs. We can’t wait to see her in action.”

Geelong comes alive for Christmas

Geelong’s creatives are getting in the Christmasspiritthisyear.

The City’s Christmas in Geelong program includes a range of colourful and imaginative outdoor art installationsdottedaroundthecentreof townuntil7January.

City Hall will be illuminated every night from dusk until midnight with the projections by multimedia artist Georgia Pinn, who has had her work presented in Berlin, London, Lusail (Qatar)andSydney.

Featuring contributions from artist Ian De Gruchy and Multimedia Events’ Olaf Meyers, Ms Pinn said her visual creations were inspired by the Christmastraditionofgiving.

“City Hall is imagined as a gift, with eachanimatedwrappingpaperinspired by the visual languages of Geelong’s diverseculturalcommunities,”shesaid.

“This piece redefines the festive seasonasatimeofculturalconvergence, generosity,andsharedhumanity.”

The forecourt of Johnstone Park will feature a forest of 29 Christmas tree cutoutsdecoratedbylocalschoolstudents, while artist Vicki Clissold’s summery mural Catch This adorns the wall at the entrancetothewaterfront’scarousel.

The City’s Christmas Performance trail also kicked off on Friday, with musicians and street performers around Geelong on Fridays, Saturdays andSundayuntil14December.

Mayor Stretch Kontelj said the Christmas in Geelong program offered manywaystoembracetheseason.

“Whether you’re seeking the bright lights and high-energy of our Floating Christmas Tree, or prefer quiet moments appreciating our outdoor activations, there is something for everyonetoenjoy,”hesaid.

“Christmas in Geelong is about bringing people together at the most wonderfultimeoftheyear.”

Visit geelongaustralia.com.au/ christmastocheckoutthefullChristmas inGeelongprogram.

Member for Geelong Christine Couzens, (third from the left), Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence, Member for Lara Ella George, and Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant with Geelong Foodshare’s CEO Andrew Schauble (far left) and volunteers. (Supplied)

Fyans Park Primary School students Cleo McLean, Clementine Young, Alby Young, Darcy McLean and Harriet Ladgrove. (Supplied)

Sally Wilson will launch the next two books in the Lala Chronicles children’s series on Saturday.

(Ivan Kemp) 445909_11

CITYNEWS

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT

Save the date and join us for the 62nd year of the traditional Carols by Candlelight Geelong! Pack a picnic rug and enjoy the great food from our food truck vendors or pack a picnic.

Free family-friendly fun at Johnstone Park, Geelong, Tuesday 23rd December from 6.30pm.

We’re proud to partner with The Y Geelong to bring you this special event.

More info: geelong.link/Carols

COLLECT YOUR CALENDAR

Our 2026 Geelong Calendar is available for collection from the following locations:

›Our three customer service centres –Geelong, Drysdale and Corio

›Leisurelink - Waurn Ponds

›Norlane ARC - Norlane

›Splashdown - Whittington

›Bellarine Aquatic & Sports Centre - Ocean Grove

›The Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, Geelong.

More info: geelong.link/Calendar

ADVISORY COMMITTEE –APPLY NOW

Applications are now open for the Environment and Circular Economy Advisory Committee.

The committee provides strategic advice to Council on protecting and enhancing our unique natural environment while fostering a sustainable, climate-resilient and economically vibrant community.

Committee positions are voluntary. Register your expression of interest by Friday 12 December: geelong.link/ECEAC

SUPPORT AT HOME

TEMPORARY CHANGE IN BIN COLLECTION DAY

Holiday bin collection will shift by one day for some residents between Thursday 25 December 2025 – Saturday 3 January 2026.

If your usual bin collection is Thursday or Friday, your bin will be picked up one day later.

Check dates here: geelong.link/ ChristmasWaste

SAVING OUR HOODIES

The surf beaches of Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Breamlea are the home of the endangered Hooded Plover, the 'Hoodie'.

One of Australia’s most threatened birds, the Hoodie spends its whole life on the beach. They are shy, non-aggressive beach-nesting birds that do not swoop.

Help us protect them by keeping your dogs on leash where signed.

Read more and subscribe for updates: geelong.link/HoodedPlover Watch: geelong.link/Hoodie

COUNCIL MEETING

Held at Council Conference and Reception Centre, City Hall, 57 Little Malop Street, Geelong.

Tuesday 9 December at 6.00pm (doors open 5.45pm).

For agenda and to live stream the meeting, visit geelong.link/CouncilMeetings

Questions and submissions must be provided in writing by 12.00pm on Monday 8 December via the link above.

SIGN UP FOR CITY NEWS

Keep up to date by subscribing to our digital version and receive your copy straight to your inbox.

now: geelong.link/CityNews

We

Photo: Birdlife Australia

A facelift for Pako

By Cr Stretch Kontelj OAM

One of Geelong’s most bustling shopping precincts is getting a well-earned facelift in 2026.

PakingtonStreetisonthepathtoamajor refresh, with footpath renewal works set to commence next year.

The project is part of the City’s annual asset renewal program and responds directly to community concerns about the condition of these footpaths.

We’lldelivertheseworksafterPakoFesta and the Easter shopping period to ensure the project causes minimal disruption to the community.

Once complete, the renewal will deliver a more stable and accessible footpath that better supports the needs of traders, shoppers and visitors to this vibrant strip.

This investment in Pakington Street goes beyond just fixing pavers: it’s an investment in the long-term success of our local economy.

Small businesses, like those lining Pako, form the vital economic and cultural backbone of Geelong. They employ local residents, sponsor community groups, and provide unique goods and services that big chain stores simply cannot match.

Pakington Street thrives because of its diverse collection of independent boutiques, cafes and grocers. These local traders create a unique sense of place and community connection that reverberates well beyond Geelong West.

The City’s commitment to maintaining

YOUR SAY

Things have changed

In my youth the local policeman was looked up to and respected, armed only with his baton, handcuffs and the gift of the gab, or bluff.

As society progressed, pistols were issued for mobile patrols and kept out of sight so not to alarm the public.

Everybody knew the ’local copper’ and community policing was at its best and issues were dealt within the neighbourhood. Then demonstrations arrived but they were policed with the Mounted Branch and members armed with good humour, even in the anti-Vietnam marches and later, with agitators and more demanding protests which were successfully dealt with greater patience.

Times have changed and the local ’police officer’ now has a dark uniform with a ’bat belt’ complete with exposed guns, tasers, mace, as well as batons and handcuffs. They seem to have forgotten how to talk to people never mind following up and investigating crime.

You are given an insurance number instead. The Inspectorate now concentrates on traffic and imitating Hollywood versions of police as personnel are literally dressed to kill, anathema to me, an older retired ex-member.

I was uneasy with tear gas and baton rounds of the 70s and 80s, but am appalled at the ready use, not only of tear gas, but mace, stinger grenades and other armoured imports. Are we soon to use armoured cars like they do in the US?

I also cut up rough over the word use of ’cookies’ for our biscuits, especially our ANZAC ‘bickies’.

Derek Costello, Belmont

and enhancing this area is crucial for keeping these businesses competitive and ensuringthatourresidentshaveaccessible, attractive local shopping options.

The current footpath was built 30 years ago with brick pavers and needs a renewal to meet community expectations and the standard of service we strive for as a local government.

It will be replaced with an asphalt surface, featuring brick-edged segments measuring three metres by three metres.

We completed a very similar project earlier this year at Highton Village’s Belle Vue Avenue, where we used the existing pavers to preserve the unique character of the shopping hub.

Therenewalusedasphalt,whichisusable by the community shortly after placement, enabling our team to reopen sections of the path within hours, rather than days. This significantly minimised disruption to businesses and pedestrians.

We tailored this work around the needs ofeachbusinessandourteamworkedwith individualtraderstoadapttheconstruction schedule for each section of path.

This is one of the main benefits of having our own City Works teams completing these projects – it enables us tobe agile and collaborate closely with stakeholders.

We will keep the community informed of the Pakington Street project’s scope and timeline, and install on-site signage prior to construction.

While the project will cause some minor disruption to pedestrians, it is essential to ensure the safety and quality of one of our region’s most loved shopping strips.

I’m grateful to local traders and residents fortheirongoingfeedbackandcooperation as we work to improve the safety and usability of our public spaces.

We are working closely with the Geelong West Business Association to ensure these works cause as little disruption to our traders as possible and we recently hosted anopenforumfortradersandstakeholders to raise any questions and concerns.

We will continue to engage with all stakeholders to ensure we are on a shared path to a renewed and revitalised Pakington Street.

Do better for animals Australia fails miserably in its accountability for animal welfare on the Animal Protection Index (API) and rates a D overall.

Animal sentience is not recognised on a national scale.

Victoria’s animal welfare legislation is almost 40 years old.

Caged hens won’t see a reprieve until 2036. Just to get a proper perspective.. their lives exist in a space the size of a sheet of A4 paper.

For a country that widely utilises animals for profit in industry, it is unacceptable and shameful that in this day and age (when community expectations and awareness of animal welfare have increased) there is no Department or Independent Office for

animal welfare.

Jumps racing and greyhound racing still exist – countless animals continue to die or sustain serious injuries in these high risk and dangerous sports propped up by state government funds.

As for farm animals, forget any sentiments there. Pigs continue to suffer in cramped conditions in factory settings and, in some cases, reportedly endure inhumane and unacceptable killing techniques.

Primates are among the millions of animals experimented upon in Australian laboratories. So much for our country striving to be progressive and applying replacement, reduction and refinement (the three Rs framework).

There is an end date in sight for the live export of sheep in 2028 (Labor pledged

an end in 2022), but what about cattle that will still have to endure prolonged journeys in cramped conditions and uncertain treatment at the other end?

Australia needs to move into the modern era in its approach to animal welfare. We have to do better.

D. Moss, Grovedale

HAVE YOUR SAY

GeelongIndependentwelcomes letters to the editor as well as comments and story tips on our website and Facebook page. Letters should be concise and no more than 250 words. Letters should be on local topics and may be edited for clarity or brevity.

Post: 1/47 Pakington St, Geelong West, 3218

Email: editorial@geelongindependent.com.au Web: geelongindy.com.au facebook.com/GeelongIndependent

City of Greater Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj. (Supplied)

Engines roar for Revival

Independent photographer Ivan Kemp went to the waterfront on Saturday for the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival.

1955 FJ panel van. 518033_01

Ross Hutton in his replica 1955 Clubman. 518033_02

Mitchell Gill and Kirstie Veljanovska. 518033_03

Graeme Gilliland gets out of his Mazda RX7 20B after his sprint heat. 518033_04

Mark Sycamnias with John Kessner and his 1928 Austen 7 Chummy. 518033_05

Left: Fans watch on as cars line up for their sprint. 518033_06 Centre: Rob Nethercote in his 2002 Alpine Clubman. 518033_10 Left: Andrew Hanna with Jan and Kathy Kirby. 518033_11

Zac Soutar with his Audi RS3

Paul Doherty with his 1938 Dodge Special. 518033_08

Leonard Wilkinson brings his 2008 RS3 back to the pits after his sprint. 518033_09

Trevor Allan, Tatiana Kempton, Brendonn and Saxon Stray. 518033_12

Ross McCulloch with his son Minh. 518033_13

MG returns to the pits after a sprint heat. 518033_14

Race to save the hoodie begins

The quest to protect one of the state’s most endangered birds has begun for another year.

BirdLifeAustraliavolunteersarebackon our beaches to protect the hooded plover.

Only about 750 ‘hoodies’ remain in Victoria and they only have a 2 per cent chance of fledgling.

The small birds are vulnerable as they nest on the sand during busy summer months, making them easily disturbed by people, dogs and the weather.

Last year one tiny chick successfully fledgedatOceanGrovebeach.Thesurvival rate can rise to 50 per cent with help from volunteers, protective fencing, signage and community support.

Friends of the Hooded Plover volunteer regional coordinator Tash Verspeek said most nesting sites will have prominent

signage and fencing around the nest area.

“The main way that we can all help the hooded plover have success is when you’re approaching the beach, take a look around and see if there’s any messaging or signage that might indicate a nest up ahead,” she said.

“Keep your dog on a lead and walk by the water’s edge until you’re past the nesting area.”

Birdlife Australia’s hooded plover recovery program began in 2006, when only about 500 hoodies were left in Victoria and their numbers were falling fast.

There are several ways you can help: walkdogsonalead;followbeachsignsand fencing; walk by the water’s edge to avoid nests; and give space to breeding pairs and chicks.

Happy 40th birthday to Geelong West Community Garden

Help celebrate Geelong West Community Garden’s 40th birthday with an open day where visitors will be able to share memories, stroll around the garden and chat to members.

President Matt Lane is keen to see former members, families and others from the wider community.

“We’re thrilled to have reached this milestone and we’ll definitely build on the strong foundations of those who started the garden by caring for and developing this facility and connecting people wanting to grow veggies together as it’s so good for their health and

wellbeing,” he said.

Geelong West Community Garden has been an active participant in the community since 1985.

When it was established, community gardens were rare, and so Geelong West was ahead of its time. With support from the former Geelong West City Council, six keen gardeners started removing rubble and growing food together on council land in Autumn Street.

One of the original members, Mike Ostojic, remains an active member. He enjoys being with others and is always

willing to share his gardening knowledge and produce.

“This is like a second home for me because I have made so many friends and grown heaps of vegetables over the years,” he said.

“I can’t believe it’s our 40th birthday,” garden member for 35 years Rosemary Nugent OAM said.

“We are grateful to our fabulous community and to council for their ongoing support and encouragement.”

The open day is at 129 Autumn Street, Geelong West on Sunday 14 December from 3pm to 4pm.

The race to save the area’s hooded plover is on. (Tash Verspeek)

Rosemary Nugent OAM at Geelong West Community Garden. (Ivan Kemp) 285185_05

The boozy and the beautiful

Party-folk band the Drunken Poachers never struggle to bring the good time vibes.

With seven musicians on stage making it easytobuildtheenergyanddrawthecrowd into the action, the Melbourne-based outfit leads by example when it comes to beer-swilling, moving with the music and singing along.

But what has become a mainstay in the Victorian pub music scene had far humbler beginnings a decade and a half ago when brothers Scott and Corey Bakker decided to explore new musical instruments.

learn the mandolin, and we’ll start a band. So we did. The whole idea was to be a party band, two parts folk, two parts Irish, two parts bluegrass.”

The Bakker brothers began playing as a duo, but their infectious love of a good time soon drew other musicians into their orbit.

“We’d be out somewhere playing and someone would say hey, I’d love to play with you guys,” Bakker said.

and rowdy, the Drunken Poachers come across as an eminently Australian version of newgrass superstars the Punch Brothers.

“Bands like (the Punch Brothers) absolutely influenced us, but Old Crow Medicine Show is one we really looked towards in the early stages, especially for that sort of party vibe,” Bakker said.

“Our gigs revolve around getting suitably drunkandthenmakingsurethecrowdgets suitably drunk as well. Getting the whole room involved, making sure everyone has the best time they can.”

“My brother and I had always played instruments growing up,” Scott Bakker said. “Going back 15 years or so…a couple of bands I was in had just wrapped up. And Corey, who had always been a musician but had never really played in a band, mentioned that he wanted to learn banjo.

“We’d say great, come play, and we just kept meeting people along the journey. So that’s how we became a seven-piece, because we just liked everyone.”

“I said, well, if you learn the banjo I’ll

With layered harmonies, multiple instrumentalists to feature in solo spots and the ability to move musically from the sensitive and beautiful to the raucous

The Drunken Poachers are at The Barwon Club on Friday 5 December as part of Stars & Bars: Down by the River. Visit barwonclub.com.au for tickets and more information.

Special performance celebrates three years of singing

A Point Lonsdale choir that does things a little differently is going from strength to strength.

The New Swell Choir, organised and run by opera singer and educator Tess Duddy and singer-songwriter-composer Ben Talbot-Dunn, has grown steadily and significantly since its launch in early 2023.

The choir now has more than 120 members spread across two ensemblesthe original group in Point Lonsdale and a recently established branch in Torquay.

The point of difference that has drawn so muchinterestisthelackofformaltrappings - sheet music, hymns, a baton-tapping conductor - often associated with choirs.

But the sense of community and inclusion is what keeps people coming back.

“One of the guys in the choir came up to me on Monday night and said the music wasn’t necessarily his cup of tea, but that he loved getting to know the community he was in,” Duddy said.

“There’s a big age range; many of the older people say they love being with the younger people, and the young people like being with the elders in the community as well. You don’t find many instances like that.

“And it’s the biggest generalisation, but people who join community choirs are just

so nice…they like wholesome activities, drinking tea and eating bickies, so it’s the sort of atmosphere where you can make new friends pretty easily.”

New Swell Choir will welcome the broader community when they hold their third annual concert on 13 December at Queenscliff Town Hall.

In addition to delivering specially arranged versions of songs from Laura Jean, Chappell Roan, Gillian Welch and CraneLiketheBird,thechoirwillbejoined by Melbourne singer-songwriter Merpire and local artist Ella Joan.

Visit geelongaustralia.com.au/events for tickets and more information.

Story of self-worth

A Belmont writer has teamed up with a Castlemaine artist to release their debut children’s picture book just in time for Christmas.

Writer Terri Walls and artist Miranda Scherger launched Margo the Magpie’s Wish on 29 November, featuring a story of self-acceptance and uniqueness.

Ms Walls said she started writing the booksoherdaughtercouldhavesomething to keep and potentially “pass down to her own children one day”.

“I’ve always loved writing, but as life got busy, I stopped doing it for myself,” she said.

“It’s a message adults connect with just as much as kids, and, as creatives, it’s easy to compare your art or writing with others and feel like it isn’t good enough to share.

“But one of the best things about getting older is becoming more comfortable in your own skin and actually appreciating the things that make you different.”

Ms Scherger painted each double-page spread by hand, with the book taking almost a year to complete, and said she hopedthatreaderslovedMargotheMagpie as much as she did.

“It feels surreal to hold the finished copy and...I wanted the illustrations to feel warm, textured and distinctly Australian,” she said.

“In a world where AI can create images instantly, it’s important to acknowledge the time and care that goes into creating traditional art.”

Ms Walls and Ms Scherger are longtime friends who first met as teenagers in Ararat and have lived abroad together before settling back in Victoria while remaining close throughout the years.

Main streets get a makeover

Municipal crews have been out in force across the Bellarine ahead of the busy Christmas holiday season.

The City of Greater Geelong crews focused their efforts on main streets around the peninsula, including High Street in Drysdale, The Terrace in Ocean Grove, Newcombe Street in Portarlington and Murradoc Road in St Leonards.

City Works crews and the Parks and Natural Assets team worked together to tackle weed control and pruning, resheet unsealed roads, scrub footpaths and remove graffiti and trim trees in a concentrated effort to beautify the region.

Murradoc Ward councillor Rowan Story said the planned approach would make the Bellarine towns shine.

“I have witnessed firsthand just how hard our crews have been working in St Leonards. It’s great to have many hands on deck; it’s about going the extra mile so that people are impressed when they arrive,” he said.

“We want everyone to enjoy a safe and pleasant experience here.”

Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said “Clean, safe, and welcoming streets set the scene for locals, visitors, and businesses to enjoy the Bellarine at its best this summer..”

“By working together across departments, we’re ensuring the region is ready to welcome the many people who come here during the busy tourist season.”

Castlemaine artist Miranda Scherger and Belmont writer Terri Walls with their debut book Margo the Magpie’s Wish. (Supplied)

New Swell Choir organisers Tess Duddy and Ben Talbot-Dunn. (Louisa Jones) 409450_15

The Drunken Poachers will perform at the Barwon Club as part of Stars & Bars: Down by the River. (Supplied)

BUSINESS IN F CUS

Tanya loves helping people find a place to call home

When it comes to finding safe, accessible, and genuinely caring disability housing in the Geelong region, few know the local community better than Empowered Liveability’s regional tenancy manager TanyaSexton.

For the past two years, Tanya has been the compassionate force behind many families’ success stories helping people with disabilities not just find a house, but ahome.

Her role with Empowered Liveability goes far beyond tenancy management; it’s about trust, connection, and ensuring participants and their families feel supportedeverystepoftheway.

Tanya’s journey into this space wasn’t a straight line – it’s a story built on empathy, hard work, and an unshakeable passion for people. Starting out in retail, she discovered early on how powerful human connection could be. “Some customers told me I was the only person they had spokentothatday,”sherecalls.

Thatsimpletruthbecamethefoundation ofhercareer,areminderthatkindnessand compassioncanchangelives.

After moving into recruitment, Tanya found joy in helping people overcome employment barriers, particularly those who faced the greatest challenges. Wanting to make an even greater impact, she completed a Diploma in Community Services, initially hoping to work with victims of family violence. This led her to genU,whereshequicklybecameknownas ‘thehousingperson.’

It was in the housing space that Tanya found her true calling, solving complex problems, listening deeply and finding

pathwaysforpeoplewhooftenfeltunseen.

When Tanya joined Empowered Liveability, it was the perfect match.

The organisation’s purpose – providing Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) that gives people choice, safety and dignity aligned beautifully with her own values.

Tanya has been instrumental in helping participants transition into homes that truly meet their needs and through Appendix H, which is an addition to

Specialist Disability Accommodation

funding, she’s helped ensure that families living with disability can stay together underoneroof.

Rather than people entering traditional care settings and leaving the family home, the entire family can move into a new purpose-builthometogether.

For Tanya, the greatest reward is seeing livestransformed.

“It’sthatmomentwhenahousebecomes a home – when families visit, when

housemates become friends and when a real sense of community begins to grow,” shesays.

Empowered Liveability’s commitment to inclusivity and genuine care is reflected through Tanya’s work every day. Her local insight and heartfelt dedication remind us all that good housing is about more than bricksandmortar,it’saboutbelonging. Because at Empowered Liveability, and inTanya’sownwords,“It’snotjusthousing –it’shome.”

Left: Tanya Sexton (right) with Empowered Liveability chief executive Nicole Doherty and Christine Couzens MP at an SDA property in Geelong.

Right: Tanya and some of her team at the SDA conference in Brisbane (top), and with a participant at the Friend In Me gala dinner. (Pictures: Supplied)

The Guide

MAIGRET

ABC TV, Friday, 8.30pm

The star of 75 novels that have sold more than 500 million copies, Inspector Jules Maigret is second only to Sherlock Holmes in the bestselling literary detective stakes. This adaptation features Benjamin Wainwright (pictured, Belgravia:TheNextChapter) as a thoroughly modern Maigret – gone are the character’s iconic pipe, bowler hat and imposing long overcoat, in favour of a five-o’clock shadow and a chic Parisian wardrobe. Maigret and wife Louise (Stefanie Martini) are first on the scene when a student is stabbed in Friday’s penultimate chapter. When the investigation uncovers links to Countess Sophie (Rachel Shelley), Maigret is forced to choose between professional and personal priorities.

ALPINE TRAIN AT CHRISTMAS SBS, Saturday, 7.30pm

It certainly looks a bit different to Christmas in this part of the world, but there’s no denying the magic of a snow-covered landscape at this time of year. Santa’s workshop could be just out of frame at almost any point during this picturesque documentary special. Narrated by DowntonAbbey’s Hugh Bonneville, it follows the luxurious Bernina Express as it winds its way from charming Chur, Switzerland’s oldest city, through stunning alpine landscapes on its way to Tirano, Italy, in its most enchanting season. A bucket list ride for many, this charming journey aboard the crimson cars of the iconic train also meets the conductors, engineers and drivers who make the magic happen.

Friday, December 5

ABC TV (2) SBS (3)

6am Morning Programs. 9.15 Outta Town Adventures. (PG, R) 10.15 Leave No Trace. 11.10 Who Do You Think You Are? (PG, R) 12.00 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News. 2.00 MOVIE: Rewards For The Tribe. (2023) 3.35 The Cook Up. (R) 4.05 Unwheel Adventures. (PGal, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

Live and kicking: Mel Tracina takes the stage for BigBrother Australia’s finale.

PICK OF THE WEEK

BIG BROTHER AUSTRALIA

Just long enough to prove that the reality format still works, but fleeting enough to leave viewers wanting more, 10’s short-and-sweet reboot of the ultimate social experiment arrives at its conclusion on Monday. This nostalgic treat combined

things fans missed most – a house at Dreamworld, Mike Goldman’s narration and live streaming – with new and exciting elements: chiefly, host Mel Tracina. Taking the unpredictable nature of live TV (that is, torrential rain) in her stride, the Cheap favourite has proven herself one of the most capable presenters around. The public has more say than ever when it comes to choosing tonight’s winner, but it’s no doubt Tracina who’s come

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? SBS, Tuesday, 8.30pm

It’s only taken 20 years, but this ancestry-based anthology that shares its name with a 1997 Spice Girls hit has finally landed a member of the Fab Five. Melanie Chisholm (pictured), aka Sporty Spice, has always been a loud and proud Northerner and is keen to learn exactly how far back her roots go in Liverpool, and what brought her family to the city in the first place. The singer describes her grandmother and great-grandmother as “stoic and strong and resilient”, but is unaware of the hardships and tragedy that made them that way. From her four-times greatgrandfather’s run-ins with the law to a scandalous extramarital affair, what researchers uncover leaves Chisholm speechless.

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9) 6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 Portrait Artist Of The Year. (PG, R) 11.05 The Forsytes. (PG, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 The Newsreader. (Madl, R) 2.00 Grand Designs Australia. (PG, R) 3.00 QI. (PG, R) 3.30 Forever Summer With Nigella. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (R) 5.25 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6.25 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

7.00 ABC News.

7.30 Gardening Australia. (Final) Sophie Thomson strolls through a garden symphony.

8.30 Maigret. (Mv) Maigret is hunting the killer of an innocent student when Countess Sophie begs him for help.

9.25 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) Hosted by Tom Gleeson.

9.55 Crime Night! (PG, R) Hosted by Julia Zemiro.

10.25 Spicks And Specks. (PG, R)

10.55 ABC Late News.

11.10 Silent Witness. (MA15+, R)

12.15 Rage New Music. (MA15+adhlnsv) 5.00 Rage. (PG)

ABC FAMILY (22)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG, R)

6.30 SBS World News.

7.30 MOVIE: Strange Journey: Story Of Rocky Horror. (2025) Charts the history of TheRocky HorrorShow. Tim Curry.

9.05 Discovering Film: Diane Keaton. A tribute to the late Diane Keaton.

10.00 Rock Legends: Chicago. (PGa)

10.30 SBS World News Late.

11.00 Sisi. (MA15+s, R)

12.00 Tokyo Vice. (MA15+s, R) 2.15 Soldiers. (MA15+av, R) 3.00 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (PG, R) 4.00 FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw. 5.40 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Children’s Programs. 10.10 Daniel Tiger’s. 10.35 Mini Kids. 11.10 Mister Maker Around The World. 11.30 Wiggle And Learn. 12.35pm Millie Magnificent. 1.10 Octonauts. 2.45 TBA. 3.00 Play School. 3.40 Fizzy And Suds. 4.10 Andy’s Safari Adventures. 4.25 Super Monsters. 5.30 Peter Rabbit. 6.05 PJ Masks. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 7.35 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. 8.00 Scooby-Doo And Guess Who? 8.30 Hard Quiz Kids. 9.00 Robot Wars. 10.00 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 10.30 Cricket. Women’s Big Bash League. Match 36. Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Sixers. 2.00 The Ashes: Pre-Game Show. 3.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 2. Afternoon session. 5.00 The Ashes: Tea Break. 5.40 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 2. Evening session.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 2. Evening session. 7.40 The Ashes: Dinner Break. Takes a look at the day’s play so far. 8.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 2. Late evening session.

10.30 Unfiltered: Cricket. (PG) 11.00 Why Ships Crash. (PGa, R) 12.10 Miniseries: Any Human Heart. (Premiere, Malns) 1.10 Travel Oz. (PG, R)

2.00 Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 Million Dollar Minute. (R) 5.00 NBC Today.

7TWO (62, 72)

6am Morning Programs. 8.10 NHK Newsline. 8.40 CBC The National. 9.30 BBC News At Six. 10.00 Mastermind Aust. Noon DW The Day. 12.30 Deep Fake Neighbour Wars. 1.20 History’s Greatest Of All-Time With Peyton Manning. 2.10 The Bee Whisperer. 3.00 Bamay. 3.35 WorldWatch. 5.35 If You Are The One. 6.35 Jeopardy! 7.30 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Virgin Island. 10.20 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. 11.15 What It Feels Like For A Girl. 1.15am Letterkenny. 2.30 NHK World English News. 5.00 Al Jazeera. 6am Morning Programs. 9.00 Animal Rescue. 9.30 NBC Today. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 DVine Living. 1.30 Escape To The Country. 2.30 The Zoo. 3.00 The Great Australian Doorstep. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Better Homes. 5.00 Escape To The Country. 6.00 Bargain Hunt. 7.00 Better Homes And Gardens Summer. 8.30 Escape To The Country. 11.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 12.30am Escape To The Country. 1.30 The Great Australian Doorstep. 2.00 Harry’s Practice. 2.30 Animal Rescue. 3.00 Better Homes. 5.30 The Great Australian Doorstep.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am Morning Programs.

11.00 Going Places. Noon MOVIE: Born To Dance. (2015, PG) 1.40 Turn Up Respect. 2.00 On Country Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters.

5.30 Nula. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 The Big Dry. 7.30 MOVIE: BMX Bandits. (1983, PG) 9.15 MOVIE: Uncle P. (2007) 10.55 Nula. 11.25 Sammy Butcher: Out Of The Shadows. Midnight Supreme Team. 1.00 Big Backyard Quiz. 2.00 Going Places. 3.00 NITV On The Road: Mbantua. 5.00 Bamay. 5.30 Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73)

6am Paris Can Wait. (2016, PG) 7.25 Delfin. (2019, Spanish) 9.10 Another Mother’s Son. (2017, PGalsv) 11.05 Begin Again. (2013, Mls) 1pm Best Sellers. (2021, Mals) 2.55 The Movie Show. 4.05 Sidonie In Japan. (2023, PGans, French, Japanese, English) 5.55 Clockwatchers. (1997, PGl) 7.40 Bring It On. (2000, PGals) 9.30 Gremlins. (1984, Ml) 11.30 All The Old Knives. (2022, MA15+als) 1.25am Everybody’s Fine. (2009) 3.15 Last Cab To Darwin. (2015, Mal) 5.30 Clockwatchers. (1997, PGl)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 Golf. PGA Tour of Australasia. Australian Open. Second round. 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.00[MELB] TippingPoint Australia.(PG,R) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 9News.

7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Find My Beach House Australia. Hosted by Shelley Craft.

8.30 MOVIE: Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom. (2023, Mav) Aquaman must forge an alliance with his imprisoned brother to save Atlantis. Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson. 11.00 Law & Order: Organized Crime. (MA15+av, R) 11.50 MOVIE: Sons Of Summer. (2023, MA15+alv, R) Isabel Lucas, Temuera Morrison, Joe Davidson. 1.30am Home Shopping. 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 4.30 Home Shopping.

5.30 Postcards Summer. (PG, R)

9GEM (81, 92)

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon MOVIE: Now And Forever. (1956, PG) 2.00 Find My Country House NZ. 2.30 GolfBarons. 3.00 Golf. PGA Tour of Australasia. Aust Open. 5.00 Antiques Roadshow. 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Antiques Downunder. 8.30 MOVIE: U.S. Marshals. (1998, M) 11.10 The Equalizer. 12.10am Find My Country House NZ. 12.40 GolfBarons. 1.05 Creflo. 1.35 MOVIE: Now And Forever. (1956, PG) 3.30 Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93)

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 The West Wing. Noon Pretty Little Liars. 2.00 Golden Girls. 2.30 Nanny. 3.30 Seinfeld. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 Jeannie. 6.00 Golden Girls. 6.30 Nanny. 7.30 MOVIE: The Wizard Of Oz. (1939) 9.35 MOVIE: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. (1971) 11.45 Ghost Hunters. 12.45am The Vampire Diaries. 2.35 Supernatural. 3.30 LEGO Friends:

6.00 10 News+. 7.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 7.30 Big Brother Australia. (Malns) Hosted by Mel Tracina. 8.30 Sam Pang Tonight. (Mals, R) A weekly tonight show hosted by Sam Pang, featuring a monologue roasting the news of the week. 9.30 The Graham Norton Show. (PGls, R) Celebrity guests include Timothée Chalamet. 10.40 10’s Late News. 11.05 10 News+. (R) 12.00 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 1.00 Home Shopping. (R)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

Morning Programs. 11.00 NFL Tailgate. Noon NFL. NFL. Week 14. Detroit Lions v Dallas Cowboys. 3.30 Swamp People: Serpent Invasion. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 American Pickers. 6.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Aust v England. Evening session. 7.00 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Road Wars. (Premiere) 8.30 MOVIE: Blade Runner 2049. (2017, MA15+) 11.45 Pawn Stars. 12.15am American Pickers. 1.30 American Resto. 2.00 Road Wars. 3.00 NFL. NFL. Week 13. Seattle Seahawks v Minnesota Vikings. Replay. 6am Morning Programs. 7.00 Ridiculousness. 8.00 The Brighter Side. 8.30 Ent. Tonight. 9.00 Neighbours. 9.30 Bold. 10.00 Family Feud. 10.30 Ridiculousness. 11.30 Deal Or No Deal.

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

Saturday, December 6

ABC TV (2) SBS (3)

6.00 Rage Charts. (PG) 7.00 Weekend Breakfast. 9.00 Rage. (PG) 12.00

ABC News At Noon. 12.30 Return To Paradise. (PGa, R) 1.25 Maigret. (Mv, R) 2.40 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. 4.50 Spicks And Specks. (PG, R) 5.20 Landline. (Final, R) 5.50 Australian Story: On The Brink – Bon Scott. (R)

6.30 When The War Is Over: Vietnam. (PGa, R) Rachel Griffiths heads to Vietnam.

7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day.

7.30 Return To Paradise. (Mdv)

A stranger’s body is found in a locked motel room, with no sign of how the killer got out.

8.30 Vera. (Mav, R) Vera investigates the mysterious death of a fisherman. The case takes an unexpected twist when it is revealed the victim had been missing for weeks, but only dead for a day.

10.00 The Forsytes. (PG, R) Jolyon recommits to his family.

10.55 Bergerac. (Ml, R) The battle intensifies between Bergerac and Arthur. 11.40 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)

ABC FAMILY (22)

6am Children’s Programs. 4.20pm Millie Magnificent. 4.45 Gardening Australia Junior. 5.10 Fireman Sam. 5.30 Peter Rabbit. 6.05 PJ Masks. 6.25 Paddington. 6.50 Andy And The Band. 7.05 Piripenguins. 7.30 Hard Quiz Kids. (Final) 8.00 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament Of Houses. (Final) 8.40 Chopped Jnr. 9.25 Fresh Off The Boat. 10.05 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

6.00 DW English News. 6.30 Al Jazeera News. 7.00 BBC News At Six. 7.30

France 24 English News. 8.00 DD India News Hour. 9.00 Peer To Peer. (R) 9.30

Matched. (PG, R) 10.20 The Bridges

That Built London. (PGav, R) 12.00 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw. (R) 2.30 Soccer. Australian Championship. Final.

6.30 SBS World News.

7.30 Alpine Train At Christmas. (PGa)

A journey aboard the Bernina Express. 8.25 Christmas At Graceland. (PG, R)

A celebration of Christmas at Elvis Presley’s family home, Graceland. 9.15 Rock Legends: Marvin Gaye. (PGa) Charts the life and tragic death of Marvin Gaye, chronicling his iconic career. 9.45 Living Black. (R) Karla Grant interviews actor Tasma Walton. 10.15 Reckless. (Final, MA15+l, R) 11.20 Homicide: Life On The Street. (Ma, R) 2.40 Being Beethoven. (PGa, R) 3.45 Home Of The Year: Scotland. (R) 4.55 Destination Flavour: Japan Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

SBS VICELAND (31)

6am Morning

Programs. Noon Tiny Beautiful Things. 1.10 Curse Of Oak Island. 3.40 WorldWatch. 5.40 Mastermind Aust. 6.40 Inside Legoland: A World Of Wonder. (Premiere) 7.35 Impossible Engineering. 8.30 Cult Massacre: One Day In Jonestown. 9.25 Shenzong Tunnel Bridge. 10.25 Snowpiercer. 12.20am Letterkenny. 1.40 Late Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am Morning Programs. 11.40 MOVIE: The Goonies. (1985, PG)

1.40pm The Big Dry. 2.30 Nula. 3.00 Etched In Bone. 4.30 Faboriginal. 5.00 Pacific Island Food Revolution. 6.00 The Barber. 6.40 The Other Side. 7.30 Alone Australia: The Reunion. 8.30 MOVIE: End Of Days. (1999) 10.40 Australian Music Vault: Paul Kelly. 12.30am Late Programs.

7.20am Morning Programs. 10.50 Everybody’s Fine. (2009) 12.45pm Last Cab To Darwin. (2015, Mal) 3.00 Paris Can Wait. (2016, PG) 4.45 Selkie. (2000, PG) 6.25 Local Hero. (1983, als) 8.30 Mystic River. (2003, MA15+av) 11.00 Erotic Stories. 1.20am Gremlins. (1984, Ml) 3.10 All The Old Knives. (2022, MA15+als)

SEVEN (6, 7)

6am Morning Programs. 12.00 Christmas With The Salvos. (PG) 12.30 Behind Behani. (PGal, R) 1.30 Surf Patrol. (R) 2.00 The Ashes: Pre-Game Show. 3.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Aust v England. Afternoon. 5.00 The Ashes: Tea Break. 5.40 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 3. Evening session.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 3. Evening session.

7.40 The Ashes: Dinner Break. Takes a look at the day’s play so far in the Test match between Australia and England.

8.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 3. Late evening session. From the Gabba, Brisbane.

10.30 Heroes And Legends: Hall Of Fame. The Sport Australia Hall of Fame special.

12.30 Miniseries: Any Human Heart. (Malns)

1.30 Travel Oz. (PG, R)

2.00 Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 It’s Academic. (R)

5.00 Million Dollar Minute. (R)

7TWO (62, 72)

6am Morning

Programs. Noon Horse Racing. Country Classic Day and Ballarat Cup. 6.00 Dog Patrol. 6.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 8.30 Escape To The Country. 11.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 1.30am The Great Australian Doorstep. 2.00 Animal Rescue. 2.30 Creek To Coast. 3.00 Weekender. 3.30 The Zoo. 4.00 Harry’s Practice. 4.30 Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73)

6am Morning Programs. 2pm Rides Down Under: Workshop Wars. 3.00 Motor Racing. NDRC Nitro Funny Cars. Riverbend Nationals. 4.00 Desert Collectors. 5.00 Counting Cars. 6.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Aust v England. Evening session. 7.00 Storage Wars. 7.30 MOVIE: The 6th Day. (2000, M) 10.00 Late Programs.

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 Getaway. (PG, R) 6.30 A Current Affair. (R) 7.00 Weekend Today. 10.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 12.00 Golf. PGA Tour of Australasia. Australian Open. Third round. 5.00 9News First At Five. 5.30 Find My Country House Australia. (R) Hosted by Catriona Rowntree. 6am Morning Programs. 10.00 My Market Kitchen. (R) 10.30 GCBC. (R) 11.00

6.00 9News Saturday. 7.00 A Current Affair.

7.30 MOVIE: Mrs Doubtfire. (1993, PGal, R) A man resorts to posing as a devoted female housekeeper to keep in touch with his three children. Robin Williams, Sally Field.

10.00 MOVIE: Bad Moms. (2016, MA15+lns, R) Three exhausted mothers decide to have fun. Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn.

11.55 MOVIE: The Founder. (2016, Ml, R) A salesman starts a chain restaurant. Michael Keaton.

2.00 The Incredible Journey Presents. (PG)

2.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

4.30 Global Shop. (R)

5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

5.30 Helping Hands. (PG, R)

9GEM (81, 92)

6am Morning Programs.

12.10pm MOVIE: The Courtneys Of Curzon Street. (1947) 2.30 MOVIE: Birdman Of Alcatraz. (1962, PG) 5.30 MOVIE: Crossplot. (1969, PG) 7.30 Death In Paradise. 8.30 MOVIE: Dr No. (1962, PG) 10.45 MOVIE: Death Wish V. (1994, MA15+) 12.45am MOVIE: The Night Has Eyes. (1942, M) 2.20 Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93)

6am Morning Programs. 1.50pm Soccer. Premier League. Crystal Palace v Manchester United. Replay. 3.50 World Endurance Championship: Season Review. 5.00 Young Sheldon. 5.30 MOVIE: Agent Cody Banks. (2003, PG) 7.30 MOVIE: The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. (2003, M) 11.30 The Winter King. 12.40am Late Programs.

6.30 The Dog House Australia. (PGa, R) Narrated by Mark Coles Smith. 7.30 Selling Houses Australia. (PGa) The team helps a man sell his house in Terrigal, within an hour’s drive of the Sydney CBD. 8.30 Location, Location, Location Australia. (R) Property experts Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie attempt to help two couples find their forever homes in north and south Brisbane. 9.45 FBI: Most Wanted. (Mv, R) Hana puts out an SOS to the team when she is among those taken hostage by an enraged veteran. 11.40 FBI. (Mv, R) Jubal’s informant brings intel to the team. 12.30 Home Shopping. (R) 5.00 Hour Of Power.

Sunday, December 7

ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

(8, 9) 6am Morning Programs. 10.00 Eat The Invaders. (PG, R) 10.30 World This Week. (R) 11.00 Compass. (PG, R) 11.30 Praise. (R) 12.00 News. 12.30 A Dog’s World With Tony Armstrong. (R) 1.25 Gardening Aust. (Final, R) 2.25 Simply Nigella. (R) 3.25 Long Lost Family. (R) 4.10 Extraordinary Escapes. (PG, R) 5.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6.00 Grand Designs Australia. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News.

7.30 Spicks And Specks. (PG) Hosted by comedian Adam Hills.

8.00 Portrait Artist Of The Year. (PG) Heat six features an array of unique talent.

8.50 The Forsytes. Soames ends Irene’s Parisian dreams.

9.45 Return To Paradise. (Mdv, R) A stranger’s body is found in a motel room.

10.45 When The War Is Over. (PGa, R) 11.15 Anh’s Brush With Fame. (PG, R) 11.45 Simply Nigella. (R) 12.45 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 2.30 Dream Gardens. (R) 3.00 The Art Of. (Mns, R) 3.30 Gardening Australia. (R)

5.00 Insiders. (Final, R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

6am Children’s Programs. 3.30pm PJ Masks Power Heroes. 4.00 Knee High Spies. 4.20 Millie Magnificent. 5.10 Super Monsters And The Wish Star. 5.35 Peter Rabbit. 6.10 PJ Masks. 6.30 Paddington. 6.50 Andy And The Band. 7.05 Piripenguins. 7.35 Shaun The Sheep. 8.10 Crongton. 8.55 Fresh Off The Boat. 9.40 Abbott Elementary. 10.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.00 APAC Weekly. 12.30 PBS Washington Week. 12.55 The Point: Road To Referendum History Bites. (R) 1.00 Speedweek. 3.00 Sailing. Sail Grand Prix. Round 12. Abu Dhabi. Highlights. 4.00 When The World Watched. 5.25 The Granny Grommets. 5.35 Blood Money: Inside The Nazi Economy. (PGav, R)

6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Cleopatra: Cracking The Enigma. (Premiere) 8.30 Ken Burns’ The American Revolution. (Premiere) A chronicle of the American Revolution. 10.35 Mayhem: Secret Lives Of Georgian Kings. (PGav, R) 11.30 Australian Fashion Past, Present, Future. (R) 12.45 Sue Perkins: Along the US-Mexico Border. (PGadlv, R) 2.55 Billy Connolly: Made In Scotland. (Mal, R) 4.45 Destination Flavour: Japan Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 APAC Weekly.

SBS VICELAND (31)

6am Morning Programs. 1.45pm WWE Rivals. 2.45 Jeopardy! 4.50 WorldWatch. 5.50 History’s Greatest Heists With Pierce Brosnan. 6.40 Abandoned Engineering. 8.30 Electric Cars: What They Don’t Want You To Know. 9.25 Electric Cars: How Safe Are They? 10.20 Liaison. 11.20 Myths: The Greatest Mysteries Of Humanity. 12.20am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 2.00 The Ashes: Pre-Game Show. 3.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Aust v England. Afternoon. (Alt schedule may be shown). 5.00 The Ashes: Tea Break. 5.40 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 4. Evening session.

6.00 Seven News.

7.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 4. Evening session.

7.40 The Ashes: Dinner Break. Takes a look at the day’s play so far.

8.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 4. Late evening session.

10.30 7NEWS Spotlight.

11.30 Crime Investigation Australia: Most Infamous: The Greenough Family Massacre. (MA15+adv, R) 12.45 MOVIE: My Husband, The Narcissist. (2023, Mav, R)

3.00 Home Shopping. (R)

3.30 Million Dollar Minute. (R)

4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

7TWO (62, 72)

6am Morning

TEN

6.00 Hello SA. (PG, R) 6.30 A Current Affair. (R) 7.00 Weekend Today. 10.00 Cross Court. 10.30 GolfBarons. (PG, R) 11.00 Drive TV: Launch Pad. 11.30 Explore TV. (R) 12.00 Golf. PGA Tour of Australasia. Australian Open. Final round. 5.00 9News First At Five. 5.30 Postcards Summer. (PG) 6am Morning Programs. 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 10 Minute Kitchen. (R) 11.00 Charming China. (R) 11.30 Pooches At Play. (R) 12.00 The Dog Academy. (PGa) 1.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 1.30 Lingo. (R) 2.30 Basketball. NBL. Round 11. South

6.00 9News Sunday.

7.00 2025: The Year That Was.

8.30 Events That Changed Australia: The Cronulla Riots. (Premiere, MA15+alv) Takes a look at Sydney’s Cronulla Beach, which became the site of an organised, race-driven riot in December, 2005.

9.40 Revealed: Death Cap Murders. (Mal) Looks at the death of three people. 10.55 World’s Most Dangerous Prisoners. (Mv, R) 11.45 Wild Cards. (Mv, R) 12.35 Australia’s Top Ten Of Everything. (Msv, R) 1.30 Home Shopping. 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 The Garden Gurus. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

9GEM (81, 92)

Programs. 1pm The Surgery Ship. 2.00 Harry’s Practice. 2.30 Animal Rescue. 3.00 Hornby: A Model Empire. 4.00 Escape To The Country. 7.00 Greatest Escapes To The Country. 7.45 Mrs Brown’s Boys. 8.30 Vera. 10.30 Murdoch Mysteries. 12.30am Harry’s Practice. 1.00 Better Homes. 2.00 Vera. 4.00 Million Dollar Minute. 5.00 Late Programs. 6am Morning Programs. 12.20pm MOVIE: The Kentuckian. (1955, PG) 2.30 MOVIE: The Way West. (1967, PG) 5.00 Customs. 6.00 M*A*S*H. 8.30 MOVIE: From Russia With Love. (1963, PG) 10.55 Major Crimes. 11.55 MOVIE: Cry, The Beloved Country. (1951, M) 2.05am MOVIE: Mine Own Executioner. (1947, PG) 4.20 Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73) SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am Morning Programs. 1.45pm Rugby League. Murri Carnival. Replay. 2.55 Like My Brother. 4.40 Australian Music Vault: Paul Kelly. 6.40 The Big Dry. 7.30 The American Buffalo. 8.30 Troy Cassar-Daley:

6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 7.00 Big Brother Australia. (Malns) Hosted by Mel Tracina. 8.30 Ghosts Australia. (Ms) Lindy discovers the ghost of Ned Kelly haunting the grounds of Ramshead Manor. 9.30 FBI. (Masv, R) The team races to find a human trafficking victim after their sting operation goes sideways. Maggie makes a connection with a 911 operator. 11.30 10 News+. (R) Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 12.30 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

6am Morning Programs. 2pm Tackling Australia. 2.30 Merv Hughes Fishing. 3.00 Duck Dynasty. 4.00 Mt Hutt Rescue. 5.00 Counting Cars. 6.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Aust v England. Evening session. 7.00 Border Security. 8.30 MOVIE: Venom: Let There Be Carnage. (2021, M) 10.30 MOVIE: Priest. (2011, M) 12.30am Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm A Most Wanted Man. (2014, Malsv) 2.40 Clockwatchers. (1997, PGl) 4.30 Finding Altamira. (2016, PGa) 6.15 Lucky You. (2007, PGav) 8.30 The Mask Of Zorro. (1998, Mv) 11.05 The Hateful Eight. (2015, MA15+ansv) 2.10am Mystic River. (2003, MA15+av) 4.40 The Movie Show. 5.50 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Basketball. WNBL. Geelong Venom v University of Canberra Capitals. 2.30 Soccer. English Premier League. Chelsea v Arsenal. Replay. 4.30 Dinner With The Parents. 5.00 MOVIE: Superman III. (1983, PG) 7.30 MOVIE: The Dark Knight. (2008, M) 10.35 Gotham. 12.30am Arrow. 2.10 Late Programs.

Monday, December 8

ABC TV (2) SBS (3)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Take 5 With Zan Rowe. (PGl, R) 10.30 Vera. (Mav, R) 12.00 ABC News

At Noon. 1.00 Ningaloo Nyinggulu. (R)

1.55 Death In Paradise. (PGa, R) 2.55

QI. (Ms, R) 3.25 Forever Summer With Nigella. (R) 3.50 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R) 4.35 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

7.00 ABC News.

7.30 7.30. Presented by Sarah Ferguson.

8.00 Louis Theroux: The Settlers. (Mav, R) Presented by Louis Theroux. 9.00 MOVIE: Paul Kelly: Stories Of Me. (2012, MA15+dl, R) Charts the remarkable life of Paul Kelly. Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers. 10.35 ABC Late News.

10.50 The Business. (R)

11.10 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli. (Ml, R)

11.40 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R)

12.25 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 1.15 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.25 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 4.30 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

6am Morning Programs. 12.10 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News Weekend. 1.30 Al Jazeera News Hour. 2.00 South America With Simon Reeve. (PG, R) 3.10 Going Places. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Britain By Beach. (PG, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News.

7.30 Bill Bailey’s Vietnam Adventure. (PG) Bill Bailey arrives in Sa Pa.

8.25 Never Mind The Buzzcocks Christmas. (Mals, R) Greg Davies is joined by celebrity guests Claire Richards, Tom Allen, Pete Doherty and Jamali Maddix. 9.20 Jimmy Carr’s I Literally Just Told You. (M) Comedic game show.

10.15 SBS World News Late.

10.45 The Man Who Died. (Ma)

11.35 A Criminal Affair. (Mal, R) 1.15 Pagan Peak. (Mas, R) 3.00 Home Of The Year: Scotland. (PG, R) 4.10 Growing A Greener World. (R) 4.40 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.40pm Fizzy And Suds. 4.00 Ginger And The Vegesaurs. 4.15 Andy’s Safari Adventures. 5.30 Peter Rabbit. 6.05 PJ Masks. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago: Dragons Rising. 8.00 Operation Ouch! 8.30 Gladiators UK. (Final) 9.30 The Crystal Maze. 10.15 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

6am Morning

Programs. Noon France 24 English News. 12.30 Rex In Rome. 3.00 Bamay. 3.20 In The Box. 3.50 WorldWatch. 5.45 Mysteries From Above. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Ozzy Osbourne: The Final Encore. 9.30 MOVIE: Daytime Revolution. (2024) 11.30 Question Team. 12.25am Django. 1.30 Creamerie. 2.40 Late Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am Morning Programs. 1.35pm Shepherdess. 2.00 On Country Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 The 77 Percent. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Colombia’s Wild Coast. 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? 8.30 Karla Grant Presents. 9.00 Bob Marley: Catch A Fire. 10.00 MOVIE: Bring It On. (2000, PG) 11.40 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm The Mask Of Zorro. (1998, Mv) 3.00 The Movie Show. 3.35 Local Hero. (1983, PGals) 5.40 A Handful Of Dust. (1988, PG) 7.55 Bran Nue Dae. (2009, PGlsv) 9.30 A Brighter Tomorrow. (2021, Mal, French) 11.15 Emily. (2022, Mas) 1.35am The Hateful Eight. (2015, MA15+ansv) 4.35 Late Programs.

SEVEN (6, 7)

6am Morning Programs. 12.00 MOVIE: Trouble In Suburbia. (2021, Madv, R) 2.00 The Ashes: Pre-Game Show. 3.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Aust v England. Afternoon. (Alt schedule may be shown). 5.00 The Ashes: Tea Break. 5.40 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 5. Evening session.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 5. Evening session.

7.40 The Ashes: Dinner Break. Takes a look at the day’s play so far in the Test match between Australia and England.

8.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Australia v England. Day 5. Late evening session.

10.30 Chicago Fire. (Mav) Violet catches Carver in a lie.

11.30 Autopsy USA: Dean Martin. (Mal, R)

12.30 Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce. (MA15+s)

1.30 Harry’s Practice. (R)

2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

7TWO (62, 72)

6am Morning

Programs. 1pm Hornby: A Model Empire. 2.00 Weekender. 2.30 Hornby: A Model Empire. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Doc Martin. 8.30 Endeavour. 10.30 Air Crash Inv: Accident Files. 11.30 Doc Martin. 12.30am Bargain Hunt. 1.30 Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73)

6am Morning Programs. 2.30pm Motor Racing. Supercars Supports. Dunlop Super2 Series. 3.30 Motor Racing. Supercars Supports. Carrera Cup. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 American Pickers. 6.00 Cricket. The Ashes. Second Test. Aust v England. Evening session. 7.00 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Outback Opal Hunters. 9.30 Aussie Salvage Squad. 10.30 Late Programs.

Tuesday, December 9

ABC TV (2)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 The Art Of... (Ml, R) 10.30 Death In Paradise. (Ma, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 The Forsytes. (R) 2.00 Death In Paradise. (Ma, R) 3.00 QI. (PGls, R) 3.30 Nigella Bites. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R) 4.40 Long Lost Family: What Happened Next. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

at The Royal Festival. 9.25 The Art Of. (Ml) Guest host is Namila

The Assembly. (PG, R)

News. 11.00 The

(R) 11.15 Louis Theroux: The Settlers. (Mav, R) 12.15 A Country Road: The Nationals. (R) 1.15 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R) 2.00 Long Lost Family: What Happened Next. (PG, R) 2.50 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.20 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 4.30 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

SBS (3)

6am Morning Programs. 10.10 Leave No Trace. (PG) 11.10 Who Do You Think You Are? (PG, R) 12.00 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News. 2.00 South America With Simon Reeve. (PGaw, R) 3.10 Going Places. (PGaw, R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Britain By Beach. (PGa, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R)

6.30 SBS World News.

7.30 Great British Railway Journeys: Wokingham To Heathrow. (PG, R)

8.30 Who Do You Think You Are?

Melanie Chisholm. (PG) Singer

Melanie Chisholm explores her roots.

9.35 Australia In Colour: Family. (PGa, R) Documents the story of Australia.

10.35 SBS World News Late.

11.05 Families Like Ours. (Ma)

12.05 De Gaulle. (Ma, R) 2.00 Charles I: Downfall Of A King. (R) 3.05 Home Of The Year: Scotland. (R) 4.50 Destination Flavour: Singapore Bitesize. (R) 5.00

NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: Steppin’ Into The Holiday. (2022, PGa, R) Mario Lopez. 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. 3.00 Beat The Chasers UK. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia. Hosted by Larry Emdur.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Border Patrol. (PGa) A New Zealand national loses her cool. 7.30 Highway Patrol. (PGal, R) A tradie crashes into a parked car.

8.30 Murder In A Small Town. (Mav)

9.30 Homicide: With Ron Iddles: Gary Adams. (Mav, R) After a 17-year-old goes missing, his mother asks former detective Ron Iddles to investigate the case.

10.30 Inside Cyprus. (PGav, R) Ben Fogle heads to Cyprus.

12.00 Miniseries: London Spy. (Premiere, MA15+ds)

1.30 Harry’s Practice. (R)

2.00 Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 MOVIE: A Christmas Break. (2020, G, R) Cindy Sampson, Steve Byers. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News. 6am Morning

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Travel Guides. (PGl, R) Ordinary Australians become travel critics.

8.40 MOVIE: The Dish. (2000, Ml, R) A power cut threatens success for a team of Australian engineers working under NASA supervision. Sam Neill, Kevin Harrington, Tom Long.

10.45 The Equalizer. (Mav) A girl is the victim of a shootout.

11.35 Transplant. (MA15+am, R)

12.25 Tipping Point. (PG, R)

1.20 Talking Honey. (PG, R)

1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

2.30 Global Shop. (R)

3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa)

4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

9GEM (81, 92)

6am Morning Programs. Noon New Tricks. 1.00 Wild Moments. 2.00 Tycoons Down Under. (Premiere) 3.10 Antiques Roadshow. 3.40 MOVIE: The Loves Of Joanna Godden. (1947, PG) 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Death In Paradise. 8.40 MOVIE: Goldfinger. (1964, M) 10.55 Major Crimes. 11.55 Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93)

6am Morning Programs.

Noon Pretty Little Liars. 2.00 Golden Girls. 2.30 Nanny. 3.30 Seinfeld. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 Jeannie. 6.00 Golden Girls. 6.30 Nanny. 7.30 Seinfeld. 8.30 Love Island Australia. 9.45 MOVIE: The Hot Chick. (2002, M) 11.50 Seinfeld. 12.50am The Vampire Diaries. 2.35 Love After Lockup. 3.30 Late Programs.

6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 7.00 Deal Or No Deal. Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 Big Brother Australia. (Final, Malns) Hosted by Mel Tracina. 8.40 NCIS. (Mad, R) As NCIS mourns the loss of Ducky, the agents find comfort in working on one of his unfinished cases. 10.40 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 11.05 10 News+. (R) Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 12.05 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 1.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 MOVIE: Christmas At The Chalet. (2023, PGa, R) Teri Hatcher, William deVry. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 9News.

7.00 A Current Affair.

7.30 Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo: Red Panda-Monium. (PGm)

8.30 Jamie Durie’s Future House. (PG) Hosted by Jamie Durie.

9.35 Beyond The Build. (PG) Bec and George create their dream home.

10.35 Wild Cards. (Mav)

11.30 La Brea. (Mav, R) 12.20 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.10 Cross Court. (R) 1.30 Home Shopping. 2.30 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 3.00 Home Shopping. 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

6am Morning Programs. 8.30

6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 7.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 Jamie’s Cook Ahead Christmas. Jamie Oliver shows off festive dishes. 8.30 FBI: Most Wanted. (Mv) The Fugitive Task force is called in to connect a series of random poisonings before more lives are lost. 10.30 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 10.55 10 News+. (R) Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 11.55 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 1.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

7TWO (62, 72) SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.40pm Fizzy And Suds. 4.10 Andy’s Safari Adventures. 4.25 Mojo Swoptops. 5.30 Peter Rabbit. 6.05 PJ Masks. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago: Dragons Rising. 8.00 Operation Ouch! 8.30 Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory. 9.10 Super Shark Highway. 10.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon DW The Day. 12.30 Homicide. 2.10 Dreaming Whilst Black. 2.35 Heroines. 3.45 WorldWatch. 5.45 Mysteries From Above. 6.35 Jeopardy! 7.30 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Tribe With Bruce Parry. 9.40 Hoarders. 11.25 Dark Side Of The Ring. 12.20am Stone Cold Takes On America. 1.05 Count Abdulla. 2.00 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Morning Programs. Noon Pretty Little Liars. 2.00 Golden Girls. 2.30 Nanny. 3.30 Seinfeld. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 Jeannie. 6.00 Golden Girls. 6.30 Nanny. 7.30 Seinfeld. 8.30 Love Island Australia. 9.45 MOVIE: Sex And The City 2. (2010, MA15+) 12.45am The Vampire Diaries. 2.35 Love After Lockup. 3.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 Creek To Coast. 2.30 Air Crash Inv: Accident Files. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Call The Midwife. 8.45 Judge John Deed. 10.45 Autopsy USA. 11.45 Late Programs. 6am Morning Programs. Noon New Tricks. 1.00 Death In Paradise. 2.00 Tycoons Down Under. 3.10 Antiques Roadshow. 3.40 MOVIE: The Long Dark Hall. (1951, PG) 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 New Tricks. 8.40 MOVIE: Thunderball. (1965, PG) 11.20 New Tricks. 12.30am Late Programs.

Wednesday, December 10

ABC TV (2) SBS (3)

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen. (R) 12.00 News. 12.30 Press Club. (Final) 1.35 You Can’t Ask That. (Mal, R) 1.55 Death In Paradise. (Mv, R) 3.00 QI. (PGls, R) 3.30 Nigella Bites. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs NZ. (R) 4.45 Long Lost Family: What Happened Next. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

7.00 ABC News.

7.30 7.30.

8.00 Hard Quiz. (Final, PG) Hosted by Tom Gleeson.

8.30 Crime Night! (Final) Hosted by Julia Zemiro.

9.00 Spicks And Specks. (PG, R) Hosted by comedian Adam Hills. 9.30 Utopia. (PG, R) The staff undergoes respect training. 10.25 If You’re Listening. (R)

10.50 ABC Late News.

11.05 The Business. (R)

11.20 You Can’t Ask That. (Ml, R)

12.30 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R) 1.15 Long Lost Family: What Happened Next. (PG, R) 2.05 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.20 Parkinson In Australia. (PG, R) 4.30 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 11.10 Who Do You Think You Are? (PG, R) 12.00

BBC News At Ten. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News. 1.55 South America With Simon Reeve. (Ml, R) 3.00 Going Places. (PGaw, R) 3.30 Plat Du Tour. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Britain By Beach. (PGav, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R)

6.30 SBS World News.

7.35 Michael Palin In North Korea. (R) Michael Palin concludes his tour of North Korea.

8.25 Terror On The Space Station: High-Risk Build. (Premiere) Looks at the creation of the International Space Station. 9.25 Crime. (Return) DI Ray Lennox is determined to be a normal cop.

10.25 SBS World News Late.

10.55 Elvira. (Malv, R) 2.05 Charles I: Downfall Of A King. (PGav, R) 3.10 Home Of The Year: Scotland. (R) 4.15 Growing A Greener World. (R) 4.45 Destination Flavour: Singapore Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6am Morning

SEVEN (6, 7)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: Christmas In My Heart. (2021, PGa, R) Heather Hemmens. 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. 3.00 Beat The Chasers UK. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia. Hosted by Larry Emdur.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Border Patrol. (PGa) Customs uncovers suspicious paperwork.

7.30 The 1% Club UK. (PG, R) Hosted by Lee Mack.

8.30 MOVIE: Pitch Perfect. (2012, Mls, R) A university freshman is coaxed into joining an all-girl a cappella group. Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson.

10.50 Chicago Fire. (Ma) Kidd and Severide eagerly await big news.

11.50 Motorway Patrol. (PGa, R) 12.20 MOVIE: Secrets Exposed. (2022, Mav, R) Rachel Thundat. 2.30 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

7TWO (62, 72) SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Children’s Programs. 4.10pm Andy’s Safari Adventures. 4.25 Mojo Swoptops. 5.30 Peter Rabbit. 6.05 PJ Masks. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago: Dragons Rising. 8.00 Dragons: Gift Of The Night Fury. 8.20 Steven Universe. 9.30 We Bare Bears. 9.45 Pokémon: Diamond And Pearl. 10.05 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

Programs. Noon DW The Day. 12.30 Hong Kong’s Fight For Freedom. 1.30 If You Are The One. 3.45 WorldWatch. 5.45 Mysteries From Above. 6.35 Jeopardy! 7.30 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. 9.20 MOVIE: Mad Max. (1979, M) 11.05 MOVIE: The Vault. (2021, M) 1.15am Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USA. 2.05 Late Programs.

6am Morning

Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 TBA. 2.30 Our Town. 3.00 The Zoo. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Animal Rescue. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Heartbeat. 8.45 Inspector George Gently. 10.45 Autopsy USA. 11.45 Bargain Hunt. 12.45am Late Programs.

NINE (8, 9)

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00

Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo. (PGm, R) 1.00 Holidays In The Sun. (PG, R) 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 9News.

7.00 A Current Affair.

7.30 RBT. (Ml, R) A look at police random breath test patrols.

8.30 Paramedics. (Mam, R) A flight  paramedic responds to a crash where a single mum has gone off a bridge and into water.

9.30 American Crime Story. (Madlsv) Robert Shapiro seeks advice from F. Lee Bailey and comes up with a provocative strategy.

11.35 Resident Alien. (Mlv)

12.20 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.10 Hello SA. (PG) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 2.30 Global Shop. (R)

3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

9GEM (81, 92)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 7.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service. (PGal) Gordon Ramsay helps three sisters. 8.30 FBI: Most Wanted. (Mav) The Fugitive Task Force is thrown into the world of the wealthy after a socialite is murdered in her own mansion. 10.30 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 10.55 10 News+. (R) Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 11.55 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 1.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 CBS Mornings.

6am Morning Programs.

11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon New Tricks. 2.00 Tycoons Down Under. 3.10 Antiques Roadshow. 3.40 MOVIE: Loser Takes All. (1956, PG) 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Good Karma Hospital. 8.30 MOVIE: You Only Live Twice. (1967, PG) 10.55 Major Crimes. 11.55 New Tricks. 1am Creflo. 1.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Unleash The Beast. 1.30 Talking Language. 2.00 On Country Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Tales From Zambia. 7.30 Ocean Warriors: Mission Ready. 8.30 Songrites. (Premiere) 10.10 Karen Dalton: In My Own Time. 11.40 Late Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Morning Programs. Noon Pretty Little Liars. 2.00 Golden Girls. 2.30 Nanny. 3.30 Seinfeld. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 Jeannie. 6.00 Golden Girls. 6.30 Nanny. 7.30 Seinfeld. 8.30 Love Island Australia. 9.45 MOVIE: Promising Young Woman. (2020, MA15+) Midnight Seinfeld. 1.00 The Vampire Diaries. 2.40 Love After Lockup. 3.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.45pm A Brighter Tomorrow. (2021, Mal, French) 2.30 Princess Caraboo. (1994, PGa) 4.15 Born To Dance. (2015, PGa) 6.05 Arthur’s Hallowed Ground. (1984, PGl) 7.30 Breath. (2017, Mals) 9.40 The Eight Mountains. (2022, Mals) 12.25am Vampire’s Kiss. (1988, MA15+lv) 2.20 Late Programs.

Winnie

7MATE (64, 73)

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Pawn Stars. 1.30 Outback Truckers. 2.30 Outback Farm. 3.30 Billy The Exterminator. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Highway Patrol. 8.30 The Force: BTL. 9.30 Caught On Dashcam Holiday Specials. 10.30 World’s Wildest Police Videos. 11.30 Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93)

Thursday, December 11

ABC TV (2)

6am Morning Programs. 10.25 The Piano UK. (PG, R) 11.30 Crime Night! (Final, R) 12.00 News. 1.00 Silent Witness. (Madl, R) 2.00 Death In Paradise. (Ma, R) 3.00 QI. (PG, R) 3.30 Nigella Bites. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs NZ. (R) 4.40 Long Lost Family: What Happened Next. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R)

7.00 ABC News.

7.30 7.30.

8.00 Grand Designs Australia: Hunter Valley. A couple want to self-build an off-grid home.

9.00 Long Lost Family. Hosted by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell.

9.45 Portrait Artist Of The Year. (PG, R)

10.35 ABC Late News.

10.50 The Business. (Final, R)

11.10 The Art Of. (PG, R) 11.40 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R) 12.25 Long Lost Family: What Happened Next. (PG, R) 1.15 Rage. (MA15+dhlnsv) 3.20 Parkinson In Australia. (PGs, R) 4.30 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

SBS (3)

6am Morning Programs. 10.15 Leave No Trace. (PG) 11.10 Who Do You Think You Are? (PGa, R) 12.00 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News. 2.00 South America With Simon Reeve. (PGaw, R) 3.10 Going Places. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Britain By Beach. (R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R)

6.30 SBS World News.

7.35 Eva Longoria: Searching For Spain: Spain’s Big Bang. (PGaw) Eva Longoria explores the cuisine of Spain.

8.25 Niagara Falls. (R) Explores the Niagara Falls, the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth.

9.25 Vigil. (MA15+v) Amy and Eliza are taken hostage.

10.30 SBS World News Late. 11.00 Vienna Blood. (Mav, R) 12.50 House Of Promises. (Ma, R) 3.30 Charles I: Downfall Of A King. (PGalv, R) 4.40 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.40pm Fizzy And Suds. 4.10 Andy’s Safari Adventures. 4.25 Mojo Swoptops. 5.30 Peter Rabbit. 6.05 PJ Masks. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago: Dragons Rising. 8.00 Operation Ouch! 8.30 Secrets Of The Zoo. 9.10 Secret Life Of The Kangaroo. 10.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon DW The Day. 12.30 Australia’s Sleep Revolution. 1.35 Birdsville Or Bust: Untold Australia. 2.45 Insight. 3.45 WorldWatch. 5.45 Mysteries From Above. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 History’s Greatest Mysteries. 10.10 The UnXplained. 11.00 Homicide. 12.45am Normal People. 2.25 Late Programs.

SEVEN (6, 7)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: A Christmas Spark. (2022, PGa, R) Jane Seymour. 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. 3.00 Beat The Chasers UK. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia. Hosted by Larry Emdur.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 7NEWS: 2025 Year In Review. A look back at the stories that shaped 2025.

8.00 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly. (PGa) Graeme Hall helps a couple whose St Bernard keeps them prisoner in their own house.

9.00 MOVIE: Robin Hood. (2010, Msv, R) An archer returns home to England, only to find the country  suffering under the yoke of devious noblemen. Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen.

12.00 The Amazing Race. (PG, R)

1.30 Life. (Malsv, R)

2.30 Home Shopping. (R)

4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

7TWO (62, 72)

6am Morning

Programs. 2pm The Great Australian Doorstep. 2.30 Our Town. 3.00 The Zoo. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Medical Emergency. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Father Brown. 8.30 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. 10.30 Murdoch Mysteries. 11.30 Late Programs.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 MOVIE: Sincerely Truly Christmas. (2023, PGa, R) Jake Epstein, Paula Brancati. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News.

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair.

7.30 Great Getaways. (Return, PG) The team heads to Greenland.

8.30 Topknotz: Wild On Water. The crew blasts off on a thrilling Jet Sprint boat ride. Tom Williams teaches Rob Palmer surfboat rowing.

9.30 Limitless With Chris Hemsworth: Fasting. (PGa, R) Chris Hemsworth learns about fasting. 10.30 Chicago Med. (Mam) 11.20 Next Stop. 11.50 Tipping Point. (PG, R)

12.40 Pointless. (PG, R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 2.30 Home Shopping. 4.00 Believer’s Voice Of Victory. (PGa) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

9GEM (81, 92)

6am Morning Programs. 8.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 9.00 Lingo. (R) 10.00 Ent. Tonight. (R) 10.30 Jamie’s 5 Ingredient Mediterranean. (R) 11.30 My Market Kitchen. (R) 12.00 Farm

6.00 10 News+. 7.00 Deal Or No Deal. Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 The Graham Norton Show. (l) Graham Norton is joined by Jacinda Ardern. 8.40 Neighbours. (Final, PGa) Jane and Clint wonder if they should be together. Familiar faces come home. The fate of Ramsay Street remains uncertain. 9.40 Law & Order: SVU. (Mv, R) Agent Sykes struggles to cope. 10.40 10’s Late News. 11.05 Law & Order: SVU. (Mv, R) 12.05 10 News+. (R) 1.05

6am Morning Programs. Noon New Tricks. 1.00 Good Karma Hospital. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: School For Scoundrels. (1960) 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Clarkson’s Farm. 8.30 MOVIE: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. (1969, PG) 11.30 Major Crimes. 12.30am Late Programs.

7MATE (64, 73) SBS WORLD MOVIES (32) 6am Morning Programs. 1.40pm Bread And Dripping. 2.00 On Country Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 Te Ao With Moana. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Tales From Zambia. 7.30 Going Places. 8.30 Reservation Dogs. 9.35 MOVIE: Rumble In The Bronx. (1995, M) 11.10 Vote Yes For Aborigines. 12.05am Late Programs. NITV (34)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Morning Programs. Noon Pretty Little Liars. 2.00 Golden Girls. 2.30 Nanny. 3.30 Seinfeld. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 5.30 Jeannie. 6.00 Golden Girls. 6.30 Nanny. 7.30 Survivor 49. 9.00 Love Island Australia. 10.15 MOVIE: The Emu War. (2023, MA15+) 11.50 Seinfeld. 12.50am The Vampire Diaries. 2.35 Love After Lockup. 3.30 Late Programs. 6am Morning Programs. 11.30 American Pickers. 12.30pm Pawn Stars. 1.30 Highway Patrol. 2.30 The Force: BTL. 3.30 Billy The Exterminator. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.00 Cricket. WBBL. Finals. The Challenger. 10.30 Seven’s Cricket: The Spin. 11.15 MOVIE: 65. (2023, M) 1.15am Late Programs.

(82, 93) 6am Morning Programs. 1pm Down With Love. (2003, Mas) 2.55 The Movie Show. 3.30 The Assassin. (2015, PGv, Mandarin) 5.30 A United Kingdom. (2016, PGa) 7.35 Living. (2022, PGals) 9.30 There’s Still Tomorrow. (2023, Italian, English) 11.45 Radioactive. (2019, Mavw) 1.45am The Eight Mountains. (2022, Mals) 4.25 Late Programs.

It’s Christmas in the Grove

Ocean Grove’s annual street Christmas party Christmas in the Grove was enjoyed by all with the weather cooperating on Wednesday evening. Independent photographer Ivan Kemp was there.

Pippa, Sienna, Mahli and Huddy with Pip the Apple (aka Florence Diery). 520851_14

Ben Hanson with daughter Summer. 520851_15 Right: Sage and Harper. 520851_09

Samantha Delmenico with daughter Scottie. 520851_16

Left: Occy and Ziggy loved making bubbles. 520851_02 Centre: Grace, Kate and Paul. 520851_01 Right: Bianca King and Jesse Creece with their daughter Zara (pram) and Knox, G Houston and Kara Monterosso with their daughter Winnter. 520851_10

Santa arrives at Ocean Grove. 520851_05

The Salties - Troy Stibbard and Lara Forward performing live. 520851_11

Willie and Charlotte with Tamsyn Staehr. 520851_12

Kristian Millar and Amie Dusting with their children Alfie and Bailey sitting with Santa. 520851_13

Nathan Merriman with his children Ben and Izzy. 520851_17

CELEBRATING SENIORS

Just Better Care at home

Age gracefully in the comfort of your own homethankstoJustBetterCare.

Megan Sacks said the specialist home aged care support provider was “excellent at what they do” and had a “fabulous attitude” to their clients.

“I’ve got arthritis from my head to my toes, I’ve got metal joints everywhere and one thing I cannot do is raise my arms, I certainly can’t hangoutwashing,”shesaid.“Thebiggestthing for me is keeping the house clean and having my little garden. It is small but exceedingly important to me and my entire psyche.”

Just Better Care provides services like personal care, cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, respite and overnight support, with the experienced team working with you on a tailored care plan.

To start your Just Better Care journey, call 03 5222 1518, email mailge@ justbettercare.com or visit the caring team at their office at Level 1 114a Mt Pleasant Road in Belmont. Visit justbettercare.com/Geelong for more information.

Importance of nutrition

As we age, maintaining good nutrition becomesevenmorecrucialforourhealth andwellbeing.

While our energy requirements may decrease due to reduced activity, our needforessentialnutrientsoftenremains thesameorevenincreases.

Tosupporthealthyageing,it’simportant to make every meal as nutrient dense as possible. Following dietary guidelines and including a variety of foods from all five food groups helps ensure we get the vitaminsandmineralsweneed.Limiting foods high in saturated fat, sugar, salt, and alcohol, while increasing fibre and water intake, can help prevent common issues like constipation and support overallhealth.

Specificconditionssuchasosteoporosis andarthritisbenefitfromabalanceddiet rich in calcium, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. For those with dental issues,

softer foods like cooked vegetables and mincedmeats.

Shopping and cooking can be difficult for some older adults, particularly those living alone or with mobility challenges. Stock up on long-lasting pantry staples, such as canned fish, beans, pasta, and cereals, can make it easier to prepare nutritious meals withoutwaste.

Homestyle Aged Care has provided qualityagedcareinasafeandsupportive environment that feels like home for residents for almost 40 years. If you or your loved one are looking for care in Ocean Grove, Leopold or Grovedale, our admissions team can discuss your individual situation and advise on the manyoptionsavailable.

Call us on 1300 104 663 or visit homestyleagedcare.com.au

If you or your loved one are looking for care in Ocean Grove, Leopold or Grovedale, Homestyle Aged Care can help. (Supplied)

CELEBRATING SENIORS

Smile brighter with Affordable Denture Clinic in East Geelong

Achieve a confident, radiant smile with the expert care of the team at Affordable DentureClinic,nowwelcomingpatientsat theirnewlocationinEastGeelong.

With more than a decade of dedicated service, the clinic offers a comprehensive range of dental solutions, including full andpartialdentures,custommouthguards andimplant-retaineddentures.

Led by owner and seasoned dental prosthetistJasonDemko,whobringsmore than30yearsofexperiencetothefield,the clinic has recently opened its doors at 306 MyersStreet,EastGeelong.

Jasonandhisskilledteamarecommitted to helping you discover the best options to achieveyouridealsmile.

Staying abreast of the latest advancements in dental prosthetics, Jason integratesmoderntechniquesandsystems intoeveryaspectofhiswork.

Notably, Affordable Denture Clinic is the only practice in Geelong and the surroundingdistrictauthorizedtoprovide and manufacture Valplast denturesflexible, metal-free options that come with anunbreakablelifetimeguarantee.

Jason and his team pride themselves on delivering personalised care in a welcomingenvironment.

“We are a family-owned business committed to providing highly personalised services to each individual,” Jasonsays.

The new East Geelong clinic stands as a testament to years of dedication, aiming to offer clients the very best in denture care.

Jason acknowledges that this achievement wouldn’t have been possible

without the unwavering support of his loyalclientsandthebroadercommunity. To make denture care more accessible,

Affordable Denture Clinic offers flexible payment options through Afterpay and DentiCare.

Jason Demko with patient Eddie Fraser.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The Geelong Independent looks back through the pages of our archives

18 years ago

7 December, 2007

Building approvals dropped almost 20 per cent in City of Greater Geelong last year amid housing industry concerns that limited land supply was hitting affordability.

City of Greater Geelong issued 1117 approvals valued at $246.9 million in the 12 months to June, 2007, for a 19.9 per cent drop on the previous year, according to the City’s Economic Indicators Bulletin released this week.

13 years ago

7 December, 2012

A $2 billion, 200-turbine Bass Strait wind farm could power Geelong within the next six years, according to a city MP.

Member for Corio Richard Marles said Hydro Tasmania’s 600-megawatt King Island proposal was “aimed specifically at Geelong”.

8 years ago

1 December, 2017

Former mayor Darryn Lyons has urged the State Government to make Geelong’s floating Christmas tree the world’s biggest after City Hall touted its recent success. “We have to keep building it bigger and better each year,” he said.

3 years ago

2 December, 2022

ANewtowncoupleisinlimboaftermissing Epworth Hospital’s maternity department closure cut-off date by days. The hospital announced this week that it would stop taking new maternity bookings due to staff shortages and there are fears the department could close its doors altogether on March 1 next year.

PUZZLES

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

14 Point above focus of an earthquake (9)

15 Distressing (9)

17 Dissect (7)

18 Directories (7)

21 Bottles, windows, etc. (5) 23 Furniture item (5) 24 Laundry appliance (5)

Using the nine letters in

four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural nouns ending in “s”.

1 TheVirginSuicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003) and Marie Antoinette (2006) are all films by which American filmmaker?

2 Stretching roughly 30,000km from Alaska to Argentina, what is the name of the longest motorway in the world?

3 Published posthumously, Ariel is a 1965 collection of poetry by which American writer?

4 Paccheri, garganelli and bucatini are all kinds of what?

5 Which animal has the largest eyes of any land animal?

6 True or false: monocytes are a type of red blood cell?

7 SpicksandSpecks is a 1966 song by which band?

8 Corsica is an island belonging to which nation?

9 Which Greek god was the twin brother of Artemis?

10 Emma Thompson (pictured) plays which character in the Harry Potter film series?

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED? Community Calendar is made available free of charge to not-for-profit organisations to keep the public informed of special events and activities. Send item details to Geelong Independent Community Calendar, 1/47 Pakington Street, Geelong West, 3218, or email to editorial@geelongindependent.com.au. Deadline for copy and announcements is 5pm Tuesday.

Christmas market

Eastern Hub community Christmas market. Stalls, holiday treats and activities for all. Special guests Santa, Half Cat, and Clawdia Cat, Eastern Hub, Saturday 6 December, 9am-3pm.

Art & book sale

Book sale and local artist Helen Sandwith to host an art clearance sale, St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church Hall, 83 Heyers Road, Grovedale, Friday 5 & Saturday 6 December 10am-4pm, Sunday 7 December 10am-2pm.

 Cynthia, 0402 364 486

Book sale

Uniting Grovedale book sale. All books $1, children’s books 50 cents. 272 Torquay Road, corner Reserve & Torquay Roads, Friday 5 & Saturday 6 December, 10am-2pm.

Christmas market

Christ Church Geelong market to raise funds for Christ Church Meals Program and church projects. Crafts, gifts, baked goods, plants, preserves, cakes, and decorations. Corner Moorabool & McKillop Streets, Saturday 6 December, 9.30am-1pm.

 office@christchurchgeelong.org

Meditation & discussion

All welcome to a secular nonreligious group getting together for peace. Belmont Library, Saturday 13 December, 11am-12.30pm.

 0438 785 512 or 0415 344 756

Austrian Club Geelong

Afternoon Christmas dance, celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season, food, drink, music and dance and visits from St Nicholas and Krampus, 240 Plantation Road, Corio, Sunday December 7, noon-5pm, music Ben Constanzo.

 Karl, 0412 205 714

Ballroom dance

Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Highway, Saturday 6 December, 7.30-10.30pm, $10 includes supper, music Ben.

 0400 500 402

Newcomb Probus

Third Wednesday of each month, 10am, East Geelong Uniting Church, corner Boundary and Ormond Roads.

 Gary, 0407 320 735

Music for preschoolers

Mainly Music is a music and movement program for babies to preschoolers at St Albans-St Andrews Uniting Church, 276 Wilsons Road, Whittington, Tuesdays 10am during school terms.

 Rhonda, 0437 241 345

Rostrum meets

Geelong Rostrum Public Speaking Club Inc meets each Monday.

 Andrew, 0408 369 446, or Jan, 0407 296 958

Highton Seniors

Carpet bowls, bingo, cards, taichi, line dancing, mahjong. Community Centre, 84 Barrabool Road, Highton.

 Elma, 0411 065 524

Australian Multicultural Support Services Social Support Groups for communities from different multicultural backgrounds for seniors over 65. Meals, activities and fun. White Eagle House, Breakwater. 10am-2.30pm Fridays.

 9689 9170, amcservices.org.au, or info@amcservices.org.au

Cards

Wanted: card sharp partners to play the game of Bolivia on Thursday evenings.

Market

Royal Children’s Hospital Geelong Auxiliary annual Christmas stall & bake sale, Highton Village, Bellevue Avenue, 9am-1pm, Saturday 13 December.

 Jan, 0421 772 000

For venue email Ingrid.

 griddlepop@hotmail.com

Geelong Historical Society Inc.

Guest speaker first Wednesday of each month, 7.30pm, Virginia Todd Hall, 9 Clarence Street, Geelong West.

 Harry, 0473 807 944, or geelonghistoricalsociety.org.au

Stamps

Geelong Philatelic Society Inc meets 7pm

first Saturday of the month at Virginia Todd Community Hall, 9-15 Clarence Street, Geelong West and 1pm third Monday of the month at Belmont Library, 163 High Street, Belmont.

 Julie, 0438 270 549

Scrabble club

Christ Church hall, corner Moorabool & McKillop Streets, 1pm Saturdays.

Beginners to experts welcome.

 Pauline, 0429 829 773, or John, 0434 142 282

Games

Scrabble, chess, board games or cards. Tuesdays 2-5pm, All Saints’ Parish Hall, Newtown. Afternoon tea provided.

 Dinah, 0418 547 753

Book club

Leopold CAE book club meets second Tuesday of each month 6.30pm.

 Shirley, 0488 055 969

Sing Australia Geelong Choir

Wednesdays 7.30-9.30pm at Senior Citizens Centre, 52 Thomson Street, Belmont. No auditions needed.

 Mary, 0419 278 456

Mindfulness & meditation U3A

9.30am and 12.30pm Wednesdays, Cobbin Farm, Grove Road, Grovedale.

 Jean, 5264 7484

Geelong Breakfast Lions

Morning club for those who want to help others, first Tuesday of each month at 8am, Eastern Hub (formerly Karingal) in East Geelong. Dinner somewhere in Geelong each month to suit members.

 ajd53m@yahoo.com

Ballroom dancing

Belmont Park Pavilion, Thursdays 2-4pm.

 Val, 5251 3529

Kids’ church Group lessons for children aged three to six years; 7-10 years; and 10+ years at St

evening, Newcomb Hall, Wilsons Road.  adfas.org.au, or geelong@adfas.org.au

Geelong ballroom dancing Saturdays 7.30-10.15pm, corner Bayview Parade and Carey Street, Hamlyn Heights. Entry: $10. BYO drinks and a plate.  5278 9740, or geelongballroomdc.com.au

Children’s play group

For babies, toddlers, and preschoolers with parent/carer. Free play, story time, and music. Wednesdays 10-11.30am in school term, St John’s Highton, 269 Roslyn Road, Highton. $20 registration per family.  office@stjohnshighton.org.au, or 0433 191 890

Western Heights Uniting Tennis Club

Hot Shots for beginners, Creamery Road, Bell Post Hill, Monday afternoons September, 4.15pm or 4.45pm sessions.

 Bruce, 0402 135 313

Belmont Seniors

Paul’s Anglican Church Hall, 171a Latrobe Terrace, Geelong, first Sunday of the month during school term, 10.30-11.30am.

 Suzie, 0402 963 855, or Althea, 0403 005 449

Scribes Writers Group South Barwon Community Centre, Mondays 9.30am-noon. Welcoming new members who wish to refine their skills.

 geelongscribeswriters@gmail.com, or 5243 8388

Geelong Dragon Boat Club Paddle at Barwon River. Training Wednesdays 5pm, Saturdays 9am. Free one-month trial.

 revolutionise.com.au/geelongdragons

Mainly Music for Preschoolers Sessions of music and movement for preschoolers, St Barnabas and St Paul’s Church, 105 Wilsons Road, Newcomb. Every Thursday during term time 10-11.30am.

 Wendy, 0461 582 618

Combined Probus Club of Highton Meets third Thursday of each month, South Barwon Football & Netball clubrooms, McDonald Reserve, Reynolds Road, Belmont, 10am.

 Sandra, 0427 348 260

Zonta Club of Geelong Meets monthly for dinner first Wednesday of the month between February and December at 6.30pm for a 6.45pm start. RSVP essential.

 zontageelong.org.au or zontaclubgeelong@yahoo.com.au

Geelong Prostate Support Group Meets last Friday of the month (except December), 10am-noon, Belmont Park Pavilion, 162 Barrabool Road, Belmont.  Bill, 0414 524 155, or info@geelongpsg.net

Corio Bay Lions Club Meetings

First and third Thursday of each month at 6.30pm.

 geelongcoriobay.vic@lions.org.au

Alcoholics (and other addicts) For Christ 12 Steps Group Meets Thursdays 7.30pm at Belmont-Highton Baptist Church, 43 Mt Pleasant Road, Belmont.

 0420 910 763

Adfas Geelong lectures

Art lectures each month, morning and

Players wanted to play 500 each Monday 12.30pm. Belmont Senior Centre, 52 Thomson Street, Belmont.

 5241 1776

Geelong Vietnam Veterans

Coffee and a chat at 31 Mt Pleasant Road, Belmont. Open Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10am-3pm. Fortnightly lunch at various locations. Meetings second Monday of each month.

 Gary, 0400 862 727

Welcome mat

Belmont Uniting Church every Friday from 10am-1pm. Games, lunch and friendship.

 Fay, 0409 361 414

OMNI

Older Men New Ideas men’s friendly informal chat group, South Barwon Community Centre, 33 Mt Pleasant Road, Belmont, 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, 10.30am.

 Allan, 0409 665 608

Bike riding

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Belmont. Rides to suit all levels of fitness; e-bikes welcome.

 Rob, 0412 308 166

Lara Community Market

Run by Rotary Club of Lara District every second Sunday of the month at Lara RSL 9am-1pm.

Geelong Amateur Radio Club Storrer Street Clubhouse, Geelong, Wednesdays 1.30-4pm and Fridays 6.30pm.

 Robert, 0438 409 979, or vk3atl.org

Choir

St Paul’s Choir rehearses Wednesdays from 7.45-8.45pm and 9.30am Sunday for 10.30am service. Choral scholarships available. Occasional choir for those unable to make commitment to main choir.

 Tom Healey, 0451 960 768, or healeytf@gmail.com

Bellydance classes

Beginner level, new term commencing. New students welcome. Tuesdays 1.30pm, Life Activities Club, Belmont Park Pavillion, Belmont.

 Glenys, 0400 214 897

Geelong’s Soroptimist International Service club for women and girls, every second Tuesday of the month from 6pm at Belmont RSL.

 0455 835 691, or geelong@siswp.com

Music fest bigger than ever

Damp and cool conditions couldn’t break the spirits of those who attended, volunteered for and performed in the Queenscliff Music Festival. Independent photographer Ivan Kemp went along on Sunday for these pics.

Travis Davidge and his son Ruben playing tic-tac-toe while listening to the music. 518041_05

Twins, Freya and Neave seem happier than Harry after been caught in a shower. 518041_06

Debbie Gilchrist and Colette Blanch enjoy a wine in the sun. 518041_07

Josh and Lauren Bechwith with their children Ernest and Bobbie. 518041_08

Maria Frangiadakis with daughter Yukon-Rose. 518041_09

Holly and Alexei Hart with Marley. 518041_12

Anthea Dickens and Edwina Netto strutting their stuff. 518041_13

The Pierce Brothers, Jack and Patrick. 518041_18

Ella Hooper. 518041_20

Fans of all ages enjoy the Pierce Brothers. 518041_23

Ella Hooper and her band. 518041_10

Delighted fans at the Pierce Brothers performance. 518041_03

Flawed but impressive MG

By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring

Wow. MG’s Cyberster is a knockout.

You can see why the company lavished so much time and money developing a car that realistically few people will buy.

The Cyberster (great name) provides a direct link between the modern Chinese company and the storied British manufacturer from which it takes its name. It’s a modern interpretation of a very old idea, based on such classics from the company’s past as the famous MGB sports car from the 1960s.

MG says Cyberster isn’t just here to be another car, it’s here to make a statement and continue to propel the legacy of MG into the modern era, with discrete badges that celebrate its 100th anniversary.

As impressive as it is, however, the fully electric roadster is not without its flaws.

Styling

Believe it or not there’s actually two versions of the car, although they both look exactly the same. In April this year MG added a cheaper, less powerful, rear wheel drive version, presumably for those who like the style but who don’t feel the need to compete with Ferrari.

Cyberster RWD is priced from $115,000; Cyberster AWD from $129,000 – both prices before on-road costs.

Our test vehicle was the top-of-the-line twin-motor, high performance all-wheel drive model finished in Diamond Red Metallic.

StandardkitintheAWDincludes20-inch alloys, Alcantara leather trim, two-zone climate air, heated power-adjust seats (but not cooled), a heated steering wheel, sporty metal pedals, ambient lighting and sun visors with a mirror and illumination.

There’s also LED lights front and back, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, auto high beam, and front and rear parking sensors.

There are six colours from which to choose: English White, Sterling Silver Metallic, Camden Grey Metallic, Mayfair Blue Metallic, Royal Yellow Premium and Diamond Red Metallic. They can be teamed with a red or black cloth roof.

English White is the only colour that does not incur a charge. Sterling Silver Metallic, Camden Grey Metallic, and Mayfair Blue Metallic add $1000 to the price.RoyalYellowPremiumandDiamond Red Metallic $1200.

There are also two interior colour options: Century Red is standard; Victory Grey adds $1000.

Cyberster is covered by a 10-year/250,000km warranty and that includes the battery.

However, the convertible roof is only warranted for five years.

Infotainment

Infotainment comes in the form of two 7.0-inchtouchscreenswhichflankacentral driver 10.25-inch centre screen. The two smaller screens are partially obscured by the steering wheel most of the time and being small are difficult to operate on the move.However,theycanalsobecontrolled from the two unlabelled buttons on the wheel. It’s a learning experience. Dark mode works best, especially in bright sunlight which makes them hard to see.

There’s Bluetooth, voice control, FM and DAB+ digital radio (but no AM), satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and eight speaker Bose audio for both grades. Access to connected services is free for 12 months.

USB-A and -C ports are provided as well as a 12-volt outlet in the boot (Not sure why – the car fridge isn’t going to fit).

Safety

Cyberster remains unrated for crash safety. It is fitted with four airbags and a 360-degree camera, blind spot monitor, as well as Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On).

There’s also a lane support system with lane keep assist, with lane departure warning, emergency lane keeping and rear cross-traffic alert with braking, plus an advanced speed assistance system with a speed sign recognition system.

And get this, door open warning prevents the doors from being opened into the path of an oncoming vehicle or cyclist. Firstly, they’re too slow and secondly, they go up, not out? LOL.

Engines/transmissions

The two electric motors in the AWD model generate a total 375kW of power and 725Nm of torque, propelling the car from 0 to 100km/h in a supercar 3.2 seconds, with a top speed that is limited to 208km/h.

RWD is rated at 250kW and 475Nm, with 0-100km/htaking5.2seconds(199km/htop speed). Not to be sneezed at.

Driving

Built on the same platform as the MG4, Cyberster is 4.5 metres long and weighs in at 1985kg.

One of the more eye-catching features of this two-seater is its electric, scissor-style doors.

Theyarewhatturnitfromasportscarinto a fully-fledged, electric supercar. It just had to have them (red upholstery too).

Unfortunately, the doors are also Cyberster’s main weak point. Although they looksensational,theyaretotallyimpractical when it comes to day-to-day use.

Getting in and out is laborious, especially ifyouforgetsomethingandhavetoopenthe car again.

What’s more, as we discovered, they don’t actually work if the car is parked on a slope. Yep. They open a few centimetres, but that’s as far as they go.

Cybester is a lot of car and inexperienced drivers could easily get themselves into trouble.

There’s plenty of examples of drivers putting the boot into their new Ferrari and Lamborghini, only to wrap the car around the nearest power pole, stunned by the sudden response of the accelerator.

Just saying.

The seats are comfortable and supportive once you’re in, but the dash feels a little cramped and busy. The right screen is wasted.

RATINGS

Looks: 8

Performance: 8.5

Safety: 7

Thirst: 7

Practicality: 5

Comfort: 7

7.5

9

7.4

WTF? The first time it happened we were perplexed. What to do? How to get out?

Should we call for help?

Some deep breaths later, we decided that brute force was called for and using both hands we were able to push the doors far enough upwards to get out. However, it required force to close them again and we were concerned this operation could damage them, although this time we had the advantage of leverage.

Older or infirm folk might find this task beyond them. How come this anomaly wasn’t picked up in the research and development phase?

We’ve been to factories where robotic arms open and close doors 24/7, thousands of times a day for weeks to ensure reliability. The doors don’t always respond to the key fob either.

Also of note, your seatbelt must be fastened or the car will not move off when you put it in Drive. Great idea, but highly impractical in execution.

This combined with the clumsy doors made positioning the car for our photo shoot extremely difficult.

Still, Cyberster is a head turner and heaps of fun to drive – easy or flat out.

The roof is made of cloth and takes 15 seconds to raise or lower and this can be accomplished at speeds of up to 50km/h. When dropped it does not impinge on boot space which at 249 litres is surprisingly large.

There’s also a bit of storage behind the seats.

A puncture repair kit is provided.

Convertibles are great fun, especially in Spring or Autumn, but you can forget dropping the roof in summer because it’s too damn hot.

In case things are a little library-like with the top up, you can tell the sound system to generate a traditional engine note or a more futuristic electric sound.

Of course, there’s always music to fall back on and the car is equipped with eight-speaker Bose audio, but sadly we couldn’t get any sound out of the system.

Unlike other MGs, the blinkers are on the left which is kind of understandable, given that it is probably targeted at the American market.

Over the shoulder vision is terrible with the roof up and it is also difficult to see the extremities of the car, but cameras are provided to compensate for this.

Disconcertingly, the reverse camera displays to the right of the steering wheel, instead of centre of dash.

The 360-degree camera is so tiny however that it is almost useless – day or night. Ride quality is quite good overall, but can become a bit unsettled on back roads.

A low centre of gravity and sticky Pirelli rubber sees the car corner flat with plenty of mid-corner grip.

However, undulations in the road can really unsettle the suspension (the driver too), suddenly snapping the car sideways. The regenerative brakes are discs all round, with Brembo calipers up front, but braking could be stronger. They don’t quite give the driver the confidence to go really hard into corners. That said the car more than makes up for this on the way out.

The driver-assist systems work okay, with the usual caveats, but the car slows unnecessarily on bends with cruise active.

Range for the AWD is 443km; the RWD 507km, under the widely accepted WLTP test procedure.

With energy consumption rated at 19.1 kWh/100km, we were getting 19.4 kWh/100km after about 300km of driving, some of them pretty quick.

During this period the car reportedly recovered 21.6 kWh of energy from regenerative braking, believe it or not?

The button on the left of the steering wheel labelled KERS can be used to modulate the level of braking, right down to one-pedal driving where it is not necessary to physically apply the brakes.

The red button on the right selects drive mode: Comfort, Sport, or Custom, or Super Sport. Comfort mode is fine and the one in which we spent most time. Be careful with the latter.

There’s Launch mode too for impressing the neighbours, in case they aren’t impressed already.

Both models are fitted with a 77kWh ternary lithium-ion battery.

Recharging can be performed in as little as34minuteswiththerightDCfastcharger. But this is from 30-80 per cent which leaves you 50 percent out of pocket.

Three phase AC power takes nine hours –that’s to 100 per cent. The supplied granny charger is good for 144 hours.

Summing up

Bravo. What a great effort.

The price is a bargain for this type of car too and it could well become a collectable item in years to come.

Butthetechalreadyfeelsalittledatedand those scissor doors need some work. Whoever signed off on them has rocks in their head, or doesn’t have a job anymore.

The Cyberster is here to make a statement. (Pictures: Supplied)

Late rally gives Titans hope

By Justin Flynn

An unbroken 60-run partnership between brothers Daniel and Jack Maclean has given Armstrong Creek’s bowlers something to defend against Barwon Heads.

On day one of Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A1 Grade round 7, the Titans eventuallymadeacompetitive6/189against the ladder leaders with Ben Norgrove top scoring with 62 while Ben Robertson made 27.

At 6/129, the Heads were well on top, but the Macleans - Daniel (37 not out off 49 balls) and Jack (22 not out from 50) - pushed the total up to 189.

Paceman Sema Kamea took two wickets as did leg-spinners Daniel Donaldson and Angus Mackie.

INVERLEIGHgunLachiePlattmade76in a final total of 165 all out against Anglesea. Platt’s runs came from 100 deliveries and he shared a 76-run opening stand with Will Collins.

But the Seas fought back with leg-spinner Jarryd McGuane bowling superbly to take 4/29 from 17.4 overs and Ky Eskrigge took two wickets in his second spell. Angleseahad14overstobatbeforestumps

and will resume at 0/19. Ash Poulton took a wicketandwillbehungryforrunsthisweek in his 200th club game for the Seas.

AFTER being 4/41 against Barrabool, Queenscliff’s 177 all out doesn’t look too bad.

Lachie Stott remained calm with a counterpunching 57 from 78 balls and Tom Bakker made 29. A 10th-wicket stand of 25 pushed the total up to 177.

New-ball bowlers James Jirik (5/50) and Archer Jaques (3/29) were Barrabool’s best.

The Bulls had to bat for one over before stumps,butShaneStevenssafelynegotiated it.

JAN Juc continued the trend of midrange totals,beingalloutfor159againstDrysdale.

Once again Nick Hyden showed composureinthemiddleorderwith61from 130 deliveries while Peter Buszard (31) and Tom Kearney (27) got starts.

Wily veteran David Sykes took 4/33 from 20 overs while paceman Blake Dobbin (3/41 from18.2overs)andTallanBurns(2/10)had success.

BELL Park is on top of the Geelong Cricket Association Division 2 ladder after successfully defending its day one total of 241 against Bell Post Hill, which suffered a monumental batting collapse.

Despite a magnificent 114 off 160 deliveries from Rhys Burke for Bell Post Hill and a patient 49 from 121 from Will Iles, Matthew Reid (20) was the only other batter to reach double figures.

At one stage the Panthers were 2/193 and cruising to victory, but Mitch Trask (4/37) and Bailey Kelly (4/25) stepped in for Bell Park to take an astonishing eight wickets for eight runs. Bell Post Hill was all out for 201 inoneofthemostremarkablecomebacksin

recent history. LEOPOLD had a crack at an outright win against Torquay, but the Tigers dug in to be 4/136 at stumps in their second innings with Finlay Carter getting 78 from 156 balls. Leopold declared at 7/222 with a lead of 100 with Hayden Butterworth (69) and Joseph Vallelonga (43) getting runs, but Torquay was determined to avoid handing over 10 points.

HIGHTON claimed a 109-run win against Geelong City.

The Heat declared at 9/314 and bowled City out for 205 with Nathan McCoach sending down 20 overs and grabbing 4/32. James Leather top scored for City with 45 at No 9 and Jack Driver made 39.

GEELONG West’s 256 proved enough against Alexander Thomson.

Four wickets to Charlie George-Eldridge and three each to Tommi Wesley and Sam Kelly had Alexander Thomson back in the sheds for 138 despite a gritty 43 from opener Charlie Larsen.

The Rams enforced the follow-on, but the Vikingswere0/57atstumpswithLarsenstill there on 21 and Jesse Thornton getting the chance to make amends for his first-innings duck, unbeaten on 29.

Teenager shines with a stunning maiden ton for Seagulls

While there were many standout performances on Saturday, none shone brighter than 14-year-old Barwon Heads prodigy Elliott Gill.

The right-hand batter made a stunning 110 not out after coming in at 2/35 in C Grade against Anglesea.

Showing a temperament beyond his years, Gill brought up his maiden century with a leg-side pull to backward square amid joyous scenes from his teammates and some classy congratulations from the opposition.

GEELONG CRICKET ASSOCIATION

DIVISION 1

Round 6, day 2, Saturday 29 November St Peters 9/292 (O. Trewin 77, L. Ford 64, B. McMaster 43, K. Marum 4/42) def Lara 113

St Joseph’s 7/292 def Grovedale 237 (B. Engelen-Baker 58, M. McNeel 52, J. Windus 40, N. Berry 36, A. Humphrey 5/58)

East Belmont 5/303 (J. Lidgett 85, Luke Inglis 57, D. Winsall 38no, H. McMahon 32) def Newtown & Chilwell 215 North Geelong 266 (P. Visser 62, N. Cooper 47, A. McCann 45, S. Ellis 3/75) def South Barwon 117

DIVISION 2

Bell Park 241 def Bell Post Hill 201 (R. Burke 114, W. Iles 49, B. Kelly 4/25, M. Trask 4/37)

Leopold 7/222 declared (H. Butterworth 69, J. Vallelonga 43, D. O’Brien 4/54) def Torquay 122 & 4/136 (F. Carter 78)

Highton 9/314 declared def Geelong City 205 (J. Leather 45, J. Driver 39, D. Pearson 37, D. Mugavin 34, N. McCoach 4/32) Geelong West 256 def Alexander Thomson 138 (C. Larsen 43, C. George-Eldridge 4/12, T. Wesley 3/42, S. Kelly 3/52) & 0/57

DIVISION 3

Lethbridge 241 def Thomson 195 (J. McDonald 52, S. Dew 32, Z. Smith 32no, H. Spiller 6/44)

Bannockburn 238 drew with Waurn Ponds Deakin 9/209 (E. Rogers 38, T. Hay 3/71)

Modewarre 5/223 (B. Clarke 104no, B. Ross 40) def Marshall 218 Murgheboluc 204 drew with Corio 3/26

DIVISION 4

Newcomb & District 5/108 (A. Quarrell 36) def Little River 106 (B. Kelly 31, A. Quarrell 3/10, J. Robertson 3/18)

Manifold Heights 3/223 (L. Bartlett 92no, M. Bartlett 78no, S. Keenan 35) def Teesdale 222 (C. Meehan 109, D. Warnock 85, M. Pratt 3/31)

Meredith drew with St Albans/ Breakwater - no play due to rain

BELLARINE PENINSULA CRICKET

ASSOCIATION

Round 7, day 1, Saturday 29 November

A1 GRADE

Jan Juc 159 (N. Hyden 61, P. Buszard 31, D. Sykes 4/33, B. Dobbin 3/41) vs Drysdale Armstrong Creek 6/189 (B. Norgrove 62, D. Maclean 37no) vs Barwon Heads

Queenscliff 177 (L. Stott 57, J. Jirik 5/50, A. Jaques 3/29) vs Barrabool 0/4

Inverleigh 165 (L. Platt 76, J. McGuane 4/29) vs Anglesea 0/29

A2 GRADE

Collendina 73 (R. Sauni 4/25) vs Winchelsea 2/63 (J. Groves 49no)

Portarlington 202 (P. McGrath 70, J. Baldi 45, B. Robinson 4/45) vs Surf Coast

Ocean Grove 107 (D. Wise-Graham 4/16) vs Wallington 3/9

Newcomb vs St Leonards - no play due to rain

GEELONG WOMEN’S CRICKET

Round 7, Sunday 30 November

A GRADE

North Geelong 1/58 (S. Law 23) def Barwon Heads 6/57 (I. De Graaff 2/6)

Bell Park 3/70 (C. Mittermair 24) drew with Geelong City

Lethbridge 2/156 (M. Waddington 75no, C. Smith 46, S. Ljubojevic 26) def South Barwon 9/95 (A. Seddon 49, C. Smith 2/3, S. Meyer 2/9, M. Waddington 2/19) East Belmont 3/82 (L. Tubb 28no, B. Farey 25, T. Smith 2/14) def St Joseph’s 4/80 (A. Haase 29no, T. Smith 21)

B GRADE

North Geelong 3/116 (N. Murphy 30no, B. Mitchell 29, S. Birrell 2/20) def Queenscliff 9/70 (J. Fletcher 22, S. Ingle 3/15, A. Beach 3/17, G. Whitford-Price 2/20)

Highton 1/110 (M. Virajani 62no, E. Castle 29no) def Lara 8/108 (B. Smith 46, E. Castle

2/16, J. Newton 2/19)

Anglesea 4/113 (R. McCue 30, H. Donoghue 26no, J. Stewart 2/8) def Marshall 6/76 (M. McGaw 24) Barrabool 5/66 (K. Jirik 30, G.McMahon 2/5, E. Allen 2/12) def Portarlington 3/65 (M. McKenna 2/17)

C GRADE

Bannockburn 4/136 (B. Gorman 50ret, B. Mitchell 24, A. Richardson 23, R. Foran 2/21) def Drysdale 5/71 (I. Oliver 25no, B. Mitchell 2/2)

Torquay 5/121 (E. French 39, C. O’Loughin 30no, A. Oliver 27, P. Davies 2/6) def Wallington 1/119 (S. Kelsall 50ret, T. Smith 30no)

East Belmont 1/83 (M. Marcola 37, K. Williams 28no) def Teesdale 4/79 (T. Backer 44no)

Waurn Ponds Deakin 2/90 (D. Cashin 25, J. Bonanno 21) def St Leonards 4/89 (K. Pepyat 27, D. Cashin 2/19)

D GRADE

St Joseph’s 3/97 (C. Wuite 33ret, S. Watson 23) def Grovedale 5/80 (Z. Peters 2/8) Geelong West 4/55 (K. Horne 30ret, G. Cameron 2/11) def Modewarre 8/54 (P. Suter 2/5)

Thomson 0/61 (C. Anderson 29ret, CJ Mulligan 25no) def Newtown & Chilwell 1/60

Armstrong Creek 4/125 (C. Burnett 30ret, J. Vansomeren 26ret, B. Collins 2/19) def Bell Post Hill 4/87 (P. Tarleton 28, C. Burnett 2/10)

E GRADE Alexander Thomson 4/74 (S. Earls 20no, E. King 3/10) drew with Murgheboluc Little River 1/65 def Barwon Heads 8/64 (J. Johnston 31, S. Anderson 4/10) North Geelong 3/99 (J. Hastings 30ret, L. Bubb 2/26) def Lethbridge 8/85 (K. Bourke 32no, S. Caruana 2/16) St Peters 0/97 (A. Huston 32ret, C. Briers 30ret) def Newcomb & District 6/96 (E. Maddison 30ret, T. Sorgiavanni 2/15)

F GRADE

Bannockburn 7/96 (W. Wyatt 3/10) def Thomson 4/91 (R. Sleep 29no, M. Brennan 2/13)

Bell Park 1/72 (L. Neville 30ret, A. Aldridge 24no) def South Barwon 5/70 (E. Read 24, E. Bradley 2/12) Manifold Heights 4/55 (W. Thompson 22ret) drew with Corio Jan Juc vs Wallington - no play

G GRADE

Armstrong Creek 2/155 (J. Henriques 30ret, S. Missen 26no) def Lara 6/92 (A. Reeves 28, S. Missen 2/7, J. Henriques 2/19)

Geelong City 2/60 K. Lambert 22no) drew with Bell Park East Belmont 0/134 (S. Kennedy 31ret, J. Learey 20ret) def Meredith 3/91 (E. Thompson 29ret, J. Gebbie 21, K. Trickett 2/18)

Queenscliff/St Leonards vs Little Riverno play

Elliott Gill with his Barwon Heads teammates after the 14-year-old made 110 not out in C Grade. (Barwon Heads CC)

Armstrong Creek’s Daniel Maclean in last season’s grand final.

Cromie is the new Aus champ

By Justin Flynn

Newly crowned Australian men’s bowls champion Tyson Cromie was thankful that his father Tim was there to witness his gold medal performance in Devonport on 27 November.

The 23-year-old Ocean Grove bowls maestro defeated Western Australian Ben Leggett in the gold medal playoff at the 2025 Nationals and said the enormity of the achievement “really hasn’t sunk in”.

“Mainly for me, it was just my old man who went across (to Devonport),” he said.

“It was fantastic to have him there by my side. He’s gone through the ups and downs of my career with me over the past 14, 15 years.

“So to have him there was pretty special. We had an embrace pretty much straight afterthegameanditwasprettyemotional.”

Scores were 11-apiece in the final, but a two took Cromie to a 19-14 lead and it proved crucial as he ran away with two threes to win the gold medal 25-16.

“It was a funny sort of match,” Cromie said.

“He (Leggett) won the first couple of ends and I think he had me about five-one or something and then we got back to about six-all and from then on it was shot for shot and pretty even right through until I think it was about 11-all.

“And then I got a small gap out to 19-14, something like that. It pushed a bit of a gap on him and put a bit of pressure on him and then he was trying to catch me where I was able to still just play freely and play the game. And was lucky enough that I won the next couple of ends.”

Cromie said his tactics didn’t change once he built a handy lead.

“There’s a couple of different ways to look at it,” he said.

“I was pretty happy with how I was going, so I was just trying to keep doing what I was doing for starters. But you do try and take a little bit of the risk out of it, just try and get second shot when he’s got shot and don’t take any big risks, I guess.

“You get yourself into a position with a five- or six-shot lead because what you’re doing is obviously working. So my theory is just to try and keep that going.”

Cromie had no time to rest and was back in Ocean Grove for the club’s Premier Pennant win on Saturday. He said the reception he received from the club was overwhelming.

“Our teammates are fantastic at Ocean Grove,” he said.

“They’rejustlikeabigfamily,really,sothe support I received from all our members, and to get a nice standing ovation Saturday night when we read out our results for the day was pretty cool.”

Cromie doesn’t want the big wins to stop here, though.

“Oh, there’s still plenty to achieve,” he said.

“I’dliketobreakintothemainAustralian squad.AtthemomentI’minthesecondtier squad.

“So probably the first step is to try and break into the main squad and then from that play a capped game for Australia. That’s the main goal.

“But I don’t want to stop at one. I want to try and get as many titles as I can between now and whenever that time comes to an end in 20, 30 years.”

Ocean Grove pulls off upset to win Section 1 premiership

LOCAL TENNIS

Donna Schoenmaekers

It was 2nd against 4th in the Tuesday Women’s Winter Pennant Section 1 grand final with Ocean Grove the underdogs to Moriac.

Alison Lugg and Kate Lockhart got Ocean Grove an early break to go 2-0 in the first set, but Bridget Laird and Fiona Blood clawed their way back for Moriac to a 7-1 win in a tie-break while on the other courtMelKeatingandJudiBroadcontinued their winning form getting up 6-2 for the Grove.

Moriac got out to a three-1 lead with Laird and Charlotte Wilson taking a 7-5 win against in-form Lockhart and Susan Bissett whileBloodandSueMaibaumhadaneasier time winning 6-1.

Broad and Lockhart were determined not to let the match get away with Broad labouring in the first game, but with steely resolve, the Ocean Grove pair moved out to a 3-0 lead, continuing to apply pressure, running down shots and being assertive with their overheads, eventual winners 6-1, leaving Keating and Bissett to win the final set to win the match.

The teams went game for game to 3-all before Laird and Maibaum broke to go up 4-3, but with the set finishing on the other court,KeatingandBissettsteppeduptowin the next three games to take the set and the premiership.

Point Lonsdale was favourite going into the match against Surfcoast Torquay in Section 2, however, Torquay came to play, and play they did.

The teams split the first two sets, but Winsome Batchelor and Jenni Aitken won 6-3 and Josephine Long and Joanne Forde 6-2 put Torquay ahead 3-1. Anne HainsworthandLindaMuratorikeptLonny in the match, winning the sixth 6-3, but Forde, and Batchelor winning her third set for the day, put Surfcoast over the line.

In Section 3, Clifton Springs hosted Highton and each took a set at the start with Highton four games ahead before taking took a 3-1 lead thanks to Pauline Edmunds and Anna Goli, and Liz Worpel and Lousie Mayall winning 6-3, 6-2.

The Springs fought back with Kristine Mortimer and Denise McGennisken and Debbie McLennan and Julie Bolton winning6-4,6-4,butHightonheldthegame advantage while tied at three sets all to take the win.

Teesdale took on Drysdale in Section 4 and Jan Schefferle and Lynette Wood kicked off the day with a 6-3 win in the first, but Helen Glavocih and Deborah Peacock kept Drysdale in touch winning 7-5.

Teesdaletooktheleadthroughthemiddle with Schefferle and Judi Evans winning 7-5 and Wood with Annette Connors 6-3. The final two sets were split 6-3 and with Schefferle winning her third set for the day, in a match featuring long rallies and great sportsmanship, Teesdale took the win 4-2. It was a guaranteed win to Grovedale in Section 5 with its Yellow and Black teams facing off.

Yellow’s Tina Thorburn, Stacey Jensen, Jenny Finch, Jinara Schmidt and Dora Abdullah powered through the first three

sets before Kerrie’s Grinter and Carlin put the brakes on, winning the fourth 6-4 for Black.

Grinter followed up in the sixth with Vicki Castven to win 6-3, but Thorburn and Schmidt sealed the win 4-2 with a 6-1 win in the fifth.

Barwon Heads hosted Wandana Heights Green in Section 6. Katie Hedley and Dallas Cronwright took the first set for the hosts 6-4 while Wendy Coleman and Cheryl Fox tied it for Wandana 7-5. Hedley and Maura Sweet took a comfortable 6-1 in the third, but Coleman and Adrienne Minchinton reduced the Heads to a one-game lead, winning 6-2.

Fox and Sue Gear put Wandana in the box seat, winning 6-1 leaving Barwon Heads

needing to win the final set 6-1 to clinch victory, and while Cronwright and Margie Sanders did get up, Coleman and Glenys Robertson pushed them to 6-4, leaving Wandana with the game advantage to take the flag.

Minor premiers Grovedale took a commanding lead winning the first three sets in Section 7, but St Mary’s was not done with Christie Moores and Maria Kitjapanon taking the fourth 6-2.

Kitjapanon followed up in the fifth with PaulineCollierwinning6-2togiveherteam a chance of a come from behind win, but Heather Graham and Robyn Elliott were not having any of that, taking the final set 7-5, helping teammates Justine Rice, Steph Thomas and Anne Waldron to victory.

Tuesday Women’s Section 1 premiers Ocean Grove: Mel Keating, Susan Bissett, Judi Broad, Kate Lockhart, Di Payne, Alison Lugg. (Pictures: Supplied)

Tuesday Women’s Section 3 premiers Highton: Liz Worpel, Anna Goli, Pauline Edmunds, Leanne Baxter, Louise Mayall.

Tuesday Women’s Section 2 premiers Surfcoast Torquay: Josephine Long, Joanne Forde, Jenny Aitken, Winsome Batchelor.

2025 Australian Champion Tyson Cromie. (Bowls Victoria)

Highton takes the points

Independent photographer Ivan Kemp saw Highton defeat Drysdale in Geelong Region Bowls Premier Pennant at Highton on Saturday.

Robert Priddle leads off for Highton. 518067_01

Mathew Hommelhoff leads off on the backhand for Drysdale. 518067_02

Luke Benson looks for position. 518067_03

Craig Elliott watches his bowl closely. 518067_04

Ashley Rees in action. 518067_08

Paul Lucas leads off for Drysdale. 518067_09

Robin Chambers rides this bowl all the way to the head. 518067_10

Maya Rees plays for position. 518067_11

Ray Wilkinson plays the backhand. 518067_12

John Fry plays to gain position on the forehand side of the kitty. 518067_13

Jeremy Fitzgerald plays to consolidate the head. 518067_14

Dan Priddle wins this end. 518067_16

Aidan Keranen attacks from the forehand. 518067_05

Highton sends a warning

By Justin Flynn

Highton’s 37-shot win against Drysdale on Saturday sent a warning to Geelong Bowls Region’s Premier Pennant competition - the perennial premiership contender will be thereabouts again this season.

While Queenscliff and Ocean Grove have startedtheseasonwell,Hightonhasperhaps been flying under the radar somewhat, but that all changed with a 96 to 69 win against a good Drysdale side.

David Priddle skipped his rink of lead Robert Priddle, second Craig Elliott and third Craig Polwarth to a huge 32-7 win to keep Highton in command for most of the match.

“They were fantastic,” Highton skip Scott McLachlan said.

“They’ve been pretty good all year. It’s a relatively newly put together rink and it’s been performing very well of late so that’s been really good for the club.”

McLachlan’s rink of Josh Kiss, Terry Hickey and Dallan Klemke got out to a big lead early, but Bryant Howie, Julie Candy, Tony Villani and Mark Johnson pegged them back.

“We were up 15 to 3 early, or something like that, and they came back towards the middle of the game and actually hit the lead by two on the second-last end,” McLachlan said.

“And then we won the last two ends to have a win. The guys played good positional bowls and I just played a conversion shot on the second-last end to make four.”

McLachlan said his rink would likely stay together for the remainder of the season.

“Josh is only a relatively new bowler,” he said. “He’s only been playing, maybe (for) a year-and-a-half, two years. The youth of my third Dallan and my lead Josh, they bring a lot of energy to the team, which is pretty invigorating.

“And Terry’s new to the top side. He’s improved a lot lately and he’s made his way intothetopsideandjusthisattitudetowards being in the top side has been great.”

McLachlansaidthevictorywasespecially pleasing because Drysdale had been tough opposition for Highton recently.

“They’re always tough, Drysdale,” he said. “They’ve given us a few problems in the last few years, but we’ve been playing well as a team, so it’s good to come away with a good win.”

McLachlan said to win the rink after getting out to a big lead and then being challenged showed character. He also said it had been a good start to the season by the club.

“Sometimes it’s a bit hard when you give up a big lead to pull it back, but it was pretty impressive to see from the younger guys,” he said.

“In previous years, although we’ve been there at the end, we have a bit of a slower start generally and work our way into the season. This year’s been a lot better.

“We’ve come out and we’ve won some games by a lot and been a little bit more dominant. We’ve got a lot more youth in the side this year, which has been really good to see and it’s definitely feeling like a pretty close group.”

GEELONG BOWLS REGION

Round 7, Saturday 29 November Rinks listed by skip, lead, second, third.

Premier Pennant

Queenscliff 68 (14) def Eastern Park 64 (4): Steve Sullivan, David Saunders, Richie McGovern, Adam Green 16 def by Adam Martin, Stewart Webb, Gary Connolly, Stephen Field 17; Benjamin Russell, Matthew Speed, Wayne Macleod, Nathan Dixon 20 def Nick Bell, Rod Sherwell, Dean Jackman, Peppe Scorpo 13; Mitchell Hocking, Craig Heard, Barry Gladman,

Jackson Reilly 18 def Scott McDonald, Matt Sherwell, Darryl Washington, Mark Coleman 17; Seb Monahan, Riley Cameron, Wayne Visser, Jackson Mahoney 14 def by Andrew Munro, Tom Scorpo, Peter Hawkins, Tad Balchan 17.

Ocean Grove 111 (16) def Torquay 69 (2): Matthew Flapper, Hayley O’Reilly, Jason Bertrand, Zak Abro 31 def Joe Issell, Kevin Hazelhurst, Robert Grubb, Paul French 23; Tyson Cromie, Casper John, Wayne Frith, Max Rowley 34 def Gary Banks, Timothy Jenkinson, Brian Calthorpe, Jeff Howarth 13; Peter Loe, Craig Rippon, Andrew Forster, Tony Joel 17 def by David Cairns, Robert Milesi, Wayne Roberts, Brad Ott 23; Bradley Pavey, Robyn Hunt, Chris Burrell, Josh Rudd 29 def Alan Sampson, Robert Aitken, Peter Forbes, Zane Lugg 10.

Highton 96 (16) def Drysdale 59 (2): David Priddle, Robert Priddle, Craig Elliott, Craig Polwarth 32 def Ashley Rees, Mathew Hommelhoff, Luke Benson, Aidan Keranen 7; Dan Priddle, Robin Chambers, Ray Wilkinson, Jeremy Fitzgerald 19 def by Mark Godbolt, Paul Lucas, Maya Rees, John Fry 21; Scott McLachlan, Josh Kiss, Terry Hickey, Dallan Klemke 23 def Bryant Howie, Julie Candy, Tony Villani, Mark Johnson 18; Adam Lee, Mark Coulter, Bradley Prior, Stewart Shuttleworth 22 def John Monahan, Mark Neicho, Caleb Cox, Aaron James 13.

Lara 96 (18) def Bell Post Hill 70 (0):

Michael James Kelly, Joseph Van Baar,

Heinz Tump, Stu Hedger 20 def Ben Toner, Bob Mayne, Alan Lewis, Andrew Pratt 18; Ian Polwarth Jnr, Jane Macgavin, Scott Emond, Jimmy Moloney 19 def Darren Gillett, Gary Logue, Michael Couzens, John Toner 18; Don Grellet, Sherilyn Tump, Colin McPherson, Tony Ansett 35 def Keith Matthews, Brian Richards, Alan Firth, Ben Seaton 13; Karl Weil, Garry Hinch, Brendon Emond, Mick Fedyk 22 def Dieter Gercke, Fred Clayson, Ryan Couzens, Brian Bottrell 21.

Division 1

Ocean Grove 100 (18) def City of Geelong 52 (0): Alan Drury, Thomas Warren, Paul Entwhistle, Cheyne Verrier 25 def Mathew Nitchie, Hayden Wood, David Wombell, Sarah Ashby 14; Hugh O’Reilly, Jen Le Cerf, Daniel Henery, Simon Avery 25 def John Shell, Liz Simpson, Lance Kelly, Russell Symons 8; Michael West, Terry Thomas, Terence Brady, Owen Clark 24 def Sandra Tillson, Ronald Sutherland, Stephen Somerton, Nicholas Craven 15; Rod Brehaut, Mia O’Reilly, Brian Boyle, Alan Callow 26 def David Vogele, Ned Trease-Gordon, Kerry Gooley, Gavin Lane 15.

St Leonards 96 (16) def Leopold 71 (2): Andy Hills, John Doyle, Billy Auld, Barry Culph 21 def Charlie Sproal, Bruce Mathieson, Phillip Shuttleworth, David Seear 18; Tony Long, Michael Maddox, Barry Padgham, Graham Lund 28 def Nicholas Lazic, Lachlan Humphries, Marcus Gregg, Tony Kelly 13; Henry

Dahler, Liam Connors, Don Barnett, Robyn Michael 21 def by Michael Willis, Terry Halliday, David Rudge, David Alderuccio 25; Michael Kennedy, Fred Aston, Peter Garlick, Antonia Doyle 26 def Lucas Cameron, Terri Rudge, Travis Salisbury, Lachlan Seear 15.

Highton 84 (14) def Portarlington 81 (4): Mark Cavanagh, Max Staggard, Douglas Cameron, Doug McGregor 19 def by Barry Hirth, Dianne Roberts, Wilma Atkins, Peter Fisk 20; Owen Landry, Phillip Jones, Sue Kerr, Russell Kerr 24 def Tony Demaria, Phillip Schmidt, Malcolm Weales, Michael Dennis 20; Nick Oakes, Daniel Tudor, Helene Gilmore, Peter Monk 21 def by David Dunlop, Ian Wiffen, Ray Malcomson, John Baker 28; Ron Imanse, Yanek Olsen, Ian Anderson, Kayde Madden 20 def Gerard Reed, Tori McNamara, Adrian Marston, Terry Freeman 13.

Belmont 93 (15) def Geelong 77 (3): Steve Davies, Beverly Clark, Manuel Koulkoudinas, Wayne Hovey 23 def Bryan Wilson, Bob Armitage, Jill Fry 14; John Harris, Shane Grainger, Samuel Rundell, David Ross 20 tied with Troy Thompson, David Jarman, Laurie Formosa, Frank Wheat 20; Robin Hayes, Geoffrey Davies, Paul Newton, Leigh Butcher 22 def by Graham Harrison, Rowan Kent, Ross Petterwood, Tony Earp 28; Robert Agg, John Clark, Craig Bassett, Graham Smith 28 def Arthur Crooke, Neville Coots, Sue Martin, Ken

15.

Petzierides

David Priddle’s team drops a shot on this end but wins the game convincingly 32 shots to 7. 518067_07 Right: Drysdale players ride the orange bowl home. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 518067_18

Craig Polwarth concentrates on his line for Highton. 518067_06

Mark Godbolt skipped Drysdale to its only win of the day. 518067_15

St Peters respond in style

Independent photographer Ivan Kemp was at Herne Hill Reserve’s Walker Oval on Saturday to see St Peters defeat Lara on a cold and windy day in round 6 of Geelong Cricket Association Division 1.

Above: Luke Wilson toiled hard for Lara taking 2 for 91 off 25 overs. 518075_02 Below: George Blatherwick bowled economically without taking a wicket. 518075_10

Oliver Trewin is bowled by Luke Wilson for 77. 518075_03

George Blatherwick turns at the top of his mark. 518075_05

Luke Ford makes his ground and then picks up a bonus overthrow as the ball deflects off the stumps. 518075_09

Luke Ford drives through cover for St Peters. 518075_11

Brad McMaster made 43 for St Peters. 518075_14

Left: Rhyce Nolan took 2 for 66 off 14 overs for Lara. 518075_15 Centre: Will Ford jumps as he plays this ball to leg. 518075_12 Right: Will Ford lofts the ball to the boundary. 518075_16 Far right: Will Ford lofts the ball to the boundary. 518075_16 Luke Wilson steamed in all day for Lara. 518075_08

St Peters rebounds with big win

By Justin Flynn

After being bowled out for 82 against North Geelong, St Peters captain and coach Luke Ford needed a response from his young team in the Geelong Cricket Association Division 1 round 6 clash against Lara.

And that response came in the form of paceman James Stokes on day one.

Stokes took 7/42 from 19 overs to help dismiss Lara for 113 and at stumps the Saints were cruising at 1/96 before going on to bat all afternoon on day two to finish on 9/292.

Ford said Stokes’ effort on the opening day set the tone for a huge rebound win.

“He’s in the form of his life at the minute, Jim,” he said.

“He’s worked hard, he’s worked his bum off to reap the rewards, but we’re all pretty keen to sit behind him at the blackjack table, I think, in the next week or so. He just couldn’t miss his lines, he couldn’t miss his lengths.

“He’s taken on a new role this year, takingthenewballandcredittohim.Heworks hard, so he deserves everything he gets at the minute.”

Ford said the response after being mostly dominated by North Geelong in round 5 was pleasing.

“We spoke about it straight after the North Geelong game that we wanted to have a goldfish memory - just forget about it,” he said.

“Those games happen, albeit it’s happened twice now against North Geelong, but it’s still early in the season and we had to bounce back. “We’ve got a bunch of guys whoknowhowtowinaswellandwininbig moments.

“So to bounce back and bounce back straight away, it’s promising for us.”

Ford said he never contemplated attempting an outright victory on day two.

Instead he opted to give his batting order some much-needed practice in the middle.

Oliver Trewin took his overnight score from 56 to 77 from 186 deliveries while Ford himselfmade64from104andBradMcMaster scored 43 from 74 in the middle order.

But it was the opportunity given to the likes of Jack Trewin (27 off 43 balls) and Stokes (23 not out from 26) down the order that made the decision not to pursue an unlikely outright pretty easy.

“Wheneverasidegetsbowledoutcheaply the first time, nine times out of ten they comeoutintheseconddigandthey’renone for eighty and you go ‘well, that was a waste of time’,” Ford said.

“We still had to get 17 runs, that was our

main priority. We have guys at six, seven, eight that needed a hit. We want these guys in form as well.

“So we made it clear from the start that we’re going to bat deep and bat all day, like we’re batting first on day one.

“Jack Trewin is batting lower than what he should be as well. And credit to Jack, he’s an all-rounder who could bat five and six and to get 20 or 30 was promising.

“That’s the perfect way to go about it to get these guys a bat because we might need them come the back end of the year to get another score like that for us.”

PACEMAN Austin Humphrey delivered a devastating five-wicket haul to help St Joseph’s to a win against Grovedale and

climbed to third on the ladder. Humphrey took 5/58 from 23.4 overs to have the Tigers all out for 237 in reply to Joeys’ 7/292. Brayden Engelen-Baker (58) and Michael McNeel (52) made half-centuries for Grovedale, but it was Humphrey’s day and the quick now has 10 wickets for the season.

NEEDING 45 to win with nine wickets in hand, North Geelong strolled past South Barwon’s day-one score of 117 with ease. Phil Visser (61) added 18 to his overnight score of 43 while Ned Cooper (47) made a further 26 runs. The Magpies opted for batting practice after passing the total three wickets down with Alistair McCann (45) and Tom Mathieson (27) spending time at the crease while pace bowler Sam Ellis was lion-hearted for South Barwon with 3/75 from 25 overs.

EAST Belmont resumed at 2/96 chasing Newtown & Chilwell’s 215 all out and took full command of the game, finishing on 5/303.

James Lidgett made 85 and Luke Inglis scored 57 while Devon Winsall (38 not out), Hayden McMahon (32) and Lachlan Inglis (24 not out) enjoyed some time in the middle.

Winchelsea sets up win on day one as bowlers dominate

By Justin Flynn

Winchelsea needs just 11 runs for victory with eight wickets in hand when play resumes against Collendina on Saturday, but captain Shane Murdoch is not eyeing off a potential outright win.

WiththeballswingingaroundatEastern Reserve, Murdoch used only four bowlers on day one to dismiss the Cobras for 73.

The seam attack of Ricci Sauni (4/25), Jarrod Groves (2/25), Cameron Primmer (2/11) and Shane Currie (2/12) had the Cobras back in the sheds in the 44th over.

“I think seven of the ten wickets were caught behind the wicket, so it was pleasing to have one of those days when you do get a few catches behind the wicket and you stack the slips,” Murdoch said.

Corey Walter dug in for 21 from 68 deliveries and Murdoch said he was relieved when he saw the back of the Collendina champion.

“Earlier in the season we dropped him on about fifty and he went on to nearly get a hundred,” he said.

“We sort of dropped a half chance off him and we were able to get another one. He’s been a pivotal player in the Bellarine A2.”

Sauni’s haul came after taking four wickets in the opening six rounds.

“Ricci played at Winch early doors and went to St Peters,” Murdoch said.

“He’s got family ties there through his girlfriend and he’s played twos and ones there and been a consistent bowler for a few years. Obviously I wanted him to come back and we were pretty pleased to get him.

“He’s a really good bowling all-rounder. He can whack the ball when he needs to and played a pretty pivotal role in our win against Newcomb.”

Winchelsea had 28 overs to bat before stumps and ended on 2/63 with Groves still there on 49 and Murdoch on three. While wrapping up first-innings points on day one would have been nice, Murdoch said the Cobras’ bowlers made things difficult.

“Look, it’s always nice to wrap it up on day one,” he said.

“But looking at the long-range forecast, it doesn’t look too bad. And to be fair, Jude

de Jong bowled bloody fantastic and Stan (Grazotis)cameontobowltightattheend.

“So there’s no point to take a risk and try and make the runs and lose two or three wickets and give that little bit of a sniff when we’ve got 10 runs to get.”

Murdoch said the pursuit of an outright win wasn’t high on the agenda, given that the likes of Walter, Grazotis, Nathan Frye and Harrisyn Wingrave are unlikely to fail twice in the same game.

“I’ve been on the end of some of Stan’s knocks and it’s not pleasant to be chasing the ball around the ground,” he said.

“Our mindset is to tick off the runs. There’s a few guys that haven’t really had a

hit at the end of the order, so it’d be nice to get them in for a bit of a hit.

“There’s some quality in Collendina’s side, so they could make your life hard on day two. So we’ll try and finish on a positive and knock off the runs when we can and see where we go from there.”

THIRTEEN wickets fell in the Ocean Grove vs Wallington game with a late twist that will make day two very interesting. Grove was all out for 107 with a 49-run stand between Zac Jones (24) and Campbell Snookes (21) the only real resistance. Dane Wise-Graham followed up his sixfor last week with 4/16 from 18 overs. The Grubbers gave themselves a chance late in the day, leaving Wallington 3/9 with Jones snaring two wickets.

PAUL McGrath showed that he has lost none of his class with a polished 70 while Jack Baldi contributed 45 in Portarlington’s 202 all out against Surf Coast. Blake Robinson(4/45)wastheSuns’bestbowler. NO play was possible between Newcomb and St Leonards after rain fell before play. The game will revert to a one-day clash this Saturday.

Luke Ford drives square of the wicket during his innings of 64 for St Peters while Lara’s Vishesh Malhotra is behind the stumps. (pictures Ivan Kemp) 518075_07

Will Ford fends off a short delivery from Luke Wilson. 518075_04

Ocean Grove’s Tom Kent edges and is caught by Jack Davies off the bowling of Wallington’s Dane Wise-Graham. (pictures Ivan Kemp) 518080_16

Billy Gravett puts in a slide. 518080_13