Geelong Indy - 9th January 2026

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Summertime heat scorches our region Lucas Illes and Lylah Fletcher are pictured sharing an ice cream at Geelong waterfront on a lovely Tuesday 6 January before the mercury soared on Wednesday. While it was a pleasant 27 degrees on Tuesday, Wednesday was a stinker with north-westerly winds bringing the heat from central Australia and pushing the temperature to more than 40 degrees. A cool change swept through late afternoon to provide relief and Thursday was back to the mid-20s. Today (Friday 9 January) will be another hot one with the top temp pushing to 40 degrees before another cool change in the afternoon and then 24 degrees on Saturday. According to the BOM, the rest of the forecast period, in true southern Victorian fashion, will be cool with top temps struggling to reach 20 degrees. For more waterfront pictures on Tuesday, see Page 27.

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(Ivan Kemp) 526484_13

Fears of violence Geelong swimming centre lifeguard and shift supervisor Lauren is responsible for the safety of hundreds of men, women and children every day. But sometimes the very people Lauren and her staff work to protect threaten the safety of lifeguards trying to do their job. Local lifeguards are trained to enforce rules that could be the difference between life and death, such as the strict height requirement on two big waterslides at Leisurelink in Waurn Ponds. Lauren recalled a specific incident where a parent began abusing staff over the height

restriction. “There was a patron yelling at a lifeguard so I asked him to come over into a quieter area and he immediately started going at me, like in my face, waving his hands aggressively, telling me to hand over a wristband and that his child will be going on the waterslide,” she said. “He said, ‘Give me a wristband now, you have to give it to me!’ and I began to get quite shaken.” “I just felt like I couldn’t get out of it and I explained to him that it’s a manufacturing requirement; if he’s not tall enough, he’s

not safe to go on it and I want your child to go home safely. “I also don’t want to be put in a position in the Coroner’s Court justifying why I ignored the manufacturer’s instructions.” Eventually the man and his son left, leaving Lauren and other staff shaken. “Just the look in his eyes; it just felt like he wanted to become more aggressive and I had to keep stepping back and step behind the counter in order for myself to feel safe,” she said. “My whole body was shaking, and it wasn’t until I got home and I told my

partner about it, that I burst into tears.” Lauren has shared her story as part of the City’s Occupational Violence and Aggression awareness campaign. Councillor Chris Burson said summer at our pools should be fun and memorable. “Please treat our employees with respect; they’re someone’s neighbour, friend or parent,” he said. “They’re doing vital work to make sure everyone has a good time and goes home safely.”

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Mayor’s CCTV push By Matt Hewson Mayor Stretch Kontelj wants to “increase (the City’s) network presence” of CCTV cameras throughout Geelong. The City of Greater Geelong’s Safe City Network cameras have given rise to a wide range of often fiercely-held opinions in the community. Beginning with six cameras in 2004, the City has steadily increased the number of cameras around Geelong to just under 300. Part of the City’s smart city policy, the CCTV cameras are intended to provide a safer environment, deter offenders and assist in crime detection, intervention and prosecution. However, in recent years councillors have faced questions at their monthly meetings from members of the public concerned about privacy and intrusive surveillance. In a statement released this week, Mayor Kontelj said he was “working with council

and the City to increase our network presence”. “We know that the presence of CCTV provides a sense of security, enabling community members to feel more comfortable in public spaces,” he said. “Our Safe City Network acts as a deterrent but is also helping Victoria Police as a valuable tool for investigation and evidence collection.” Steven Spiranovic is the City of Greater Geelong’s CCTV project officer, spending his week monitoring, maintaining and cleaning the City’s safety cameras and providing support to Victoria Police and other external agencies. “My role as the CCTV Project Officer is critical to maintaining the safety of central Geelong, suburbs and our Safe City Network,” Mr Spiranovic said. “We’ve had multiple success stories in catching offenders using the camera network and working in conjunction with

Victoria Police.” Mr Spiranovic also monitors Eastern Beach during summer, keeping an eye out for potential incidents lifeguards may have missed. “We had a near drowning that was saved by the quick action of the lifeguards (after I alerted them) and calling Triple Zero and getting that ambulance there, ASAP,” he said. Councillor Chris Burson, chair of Safety, Graffiti and Regulation portfolio and a former police officer and army engineer, said safety in the region was a “complex issue that requires a well-rounded approach”. “We value the privacy of every individual and adhere to strict rules around data governance and cyber security,” Cr Burson said. “Footage from our Safe City Network is stored securely and all systems are up to date with firmware.”

Local lifesavers receive national awards By Matt Hewson Three local lifesavers have had their years of dedication and service recognised by the nation’s peak body. Surf Life Saving Australia awarded the National Medal for 15 years of service to Ocean Grove’s Amenah McDonald and Anglesea’s Jeremy Farrington, while Jan Juc’s Colin Brodie received a National Medal First Clasp for his 25 years. To receive the award, volunteer lifesavers must have served a minimum of 30 patrol hours per year. Ms McDonald, 52, began her surf lifesaving journey at age 19 and is now director of lifesaving and captain of Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club. She said since she was a child the beach had always represented both family and freedom. “I have so many fond memories of the beach and my dad, who passed away six years ago, taught me to body surf when I was very young,” she said. “There wasn’t any other place that you could go and spend all day. You’re in and out of the water, building stuff in the sand, Mum and Dad brought food for the day. “Iit was the same with my kids. And one of my proudest moments in surf lifesaving was to have my son stand beside me on the beach, on patrol.” Mr Brodie, 71, got involved with lifesaving when his children joined Nippers at Anglesea in 1990. “I put my hand up to help and ended up

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Pedestrian safety feedback Golden Plains Shire council has called for members of the community to provide feedback on a proposed pedestrian safety improvement project in Teesdale. The project would see a pedestrian refuge installed adjacent to the town’s general store and pharmacy to improve pedestrian safety on the arterial road. It would also result in a new car park opposite the general store that could accommodate larger vehicles, a right-turn lane for access to the car park for vehicles approaching from the east and a new pedestrian access path from the car park to the pedestrian crossing point. With the plan already approved by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), the council has begun engagement with the community. Community members can view the plan online at goldenplains. vic.gov.au/consultations and email communit yengagement@gplains. vic.gov.au to provide feedback. The council will also hold an information session at the Teesdale Public Hall at 6pm on Wednesday 28 January, which members of the public can register to attend by emailing their name and contact details to the above email address. Golden Plains Shire mayor Owen Sharkey said the council was committed to improving road safety for pedestrians and other road users in Teesdale. “We have listened to the community and worked with the DPT to identify a solution that will improve pedestrian safety while also improving access to Teesdale’s main shopping precinct,” he said. “We encourage (people) to have a look at the proposed plan on (the) council’s website and provide feedback on this important safety project.” Contact director of infrastructure and environment Phil Josipovic at enquiries@gplains.vic.gov.au or on 5220 7111 for more information.

Amenah McDonald received the National Award for 15 years of volunteer lifesaving. (Ivan Kemp) 527217_07

doing the bronze medallion,” he said. “I met a few people I got on really well with, we patrolled and I enjoyed it, did

some competition. “It’s a great lifestyle, I really enjoy it and I think it’s good to give back.”

The Teesdale Pedestrian Refuge Plan. (Golden Plains Shire)

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Surfing for everyone to enjoy There will be smiles on dials once again when Disabled Surfers Association (DSA) returns to Ocean Grove main beach in February and March. Ocean Grove’s DSA branch was founded in 2008 and aims to provide an inclusive experience for all people with any disability to experience the rush of riding a wave. It is one of the biggest of its kind in Australia. With two events each year on the first Sunday of February and March, DSA Ocean Grove is putting the call out for volunteers to assist in and out of the water to ensure the smooth and safe running of the event. “We had very successful events previously and are looking to build on that,” president Jeremy Swift said. “Without our wonderful volunteers we would not be able to hold our events. The days are super special to us all and such an amazing feeling being able to help others

enjoy the stoke of surfing and catch a few waves. “Putting smiles on dials is what we are all about and we need as many people as possible to help make our events happen.” The events attract about 80 participants and hundreds of volunteers. Volunteers don’t have to get into the water. There are many positions to fill, including assisting people in chairs down to the beach and back, escorting surfers down to the beach and running water to them. The first of the surf events is on Sunday February 1 with the second on Sunday March 1. Volunteers can register at events. humanitix.com/disabled-surfers-assoc-ocean-grove-2026-volunteer-registration while participants can register at events.humanitix.com/ dsa-ocean-grove2026-surfer-registration

Brodie celebrates with her team at last year’s March DSA event. (Ivan Kemp) 462581_13

Huge turn outs for iconic beach classics on the Bellarine More than 1350 swimmers took part in the 37th Rip View Swim Classic at Point Lonsdale on 29 December, raising more than $130,000 for essential surf lifesaving equipment. Swimmers of all ages and abilities took to the water across three swim distances: 3.8km, 1.4km and 600metres. Thousands of spectators, volunteers and supporters created a vibrant atmosphere. Point Lonsdale Surf Lifesaving Club

president Michael Doery said the event played an important role in supporting lifesaving services and the regional economy. “The Rip View Swim Classic is first and foremost a community event,” he said. “It brings people to Point Lonsdale from across Victoria, supports local tourism, and creates meaningful opportunities for local businesses and community groups to be involved. “The market stalls and live music along

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the main street were a huge success and helped create a real buzz throughout the town, showcasing everything this region has to offer.” “Every dollar raised goes straight back into supporting this club and the lifesaving services we provide,” club captain Jess Robinson said. Ocean Grove Surf Lifesaving Club held its Rip to River on December 27. Around 800 participants competed in the 10km, 5km and Ripper Nipper Run

events. Nathan Stoate was first past the line in the 10km run in a time of 31 minutes and 10 seconds. Seb Asher was runner-up and Harry Smithers third. Sarah James was the first woman to cross the finish line in a time of 38:24 with Melanie Townsend and Amy Fawcett the placegetters.

Floating tree disappears Geelong’s floating Christmas tree has been packed up for another year. The 25-metre tall tree at Steampacket Quay was disassembled and towed away on Thursday 8 January and packed into storage. Thousands enjoyed the spectacle of the floating Christmas tree, which appeared in Corio Bay for the 12th consecutive year. For public safety, access to the Mackey Street marina precinct in North Geelong will be restricted until Thursday 23 January. Meanwhile, Christmas in Geelong officially closed on Wednesday 7 January, with decorations and installations making way for the new year. This includes the City Hall projections, school-decorated Christmas trees and nativity scene at Geelong Botanic Gardens. The Windows of the World gallery on Yarra Street will remain on display until 27 January, as will the selfie mural at the Carousel throughout the school holidays. Feedback is being sought on the current Christmas in Geelong program. The survey is on City of Greater Geelong’s Have Your Say platform. Mayor Stretch Kontelj thanked those who embraced the holiday spirit. “Thank you to everyone who supported and took part in our Christmas in Geelong program,” he said. “We hope it brought joy and provided opportunities to spend special time with family, friends and the wider community, however you chose to celebrate.” January is a busy month locally and

Young Nate enjoyed Geelong’s floating Christmas tree. (supplied)

will feature the Vic Open Golf Tournament, Festival of Sails and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Other events are Portarlington Mussel Festival, Classic Truck and Machinery Show, Geelong Beer Festival and Geelong Outdoor Living and Caravan Expo. Geelong City Market has also returned to Little Malop Central each Saturday. Geelong Major Events committee chair councillor Andrew Katos said the 2026 calendar was bursting with major events. “Christmas is a reminder of how important community connection is, and thankfully there are opportunities to get involved year-round in Greater Geelong,” Geelong Major Events committee chair councillor Andrew Katos said. “From marquee sporting events and festivals to concerts and markets, the action doesn’t stop in our region. There’s something to see and do any time of the year.” Explore the events calendar at geelongaustralia.com.au/events

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Summer roadworks blitz Roadworks on a key Armstrong Creek intersection will accelerate through January, with multiple road closures scheduled. Workers on the intersection of Barwon Heads Road and Central Boulevard will take advantage of reduced traffic in the final fortnight of the summer school holidays to deliver a two-week blitz as part of the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade. Crews will work day and night to construct new through and turning lanes, sections of walking and cycling paths and install new traffic lights. While the works are underway the intersection’s traffic lights will be out of

action, with a temporary roundabout in place to help manage traffic flow. The works will result in unavoidable road closures, with Barwon Heads Road itself closed between Boundary Road and allMotti Road from 9pm on 12 January to 6am on 13 January. Central Boulevard, which provides access to The Village Warralily, will be closed at Barwon Heads Road for nearly two weeks, from 9pm on 12 January to 6am 25 January. Detours will be signed for both road closures, including pedestrian detours for impacted walking paths. Once Central Boulevard reopens on

25 January, construction crews will continue to work behind barriers until the intersection is completed in 2027. The works are part of Stage 2 of the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade, worth $318 million, that will see the 6km stretch from Reserve Road to Lower Duneed Road become a four-lane arterial road. Stage 1 of the project, which was completed in 2023, delivered duplicated roads between Settlement Road, Belmont and Lower Duneed Road, new shared paths, improved intersections, lighting, and a new bridge over the railway at Marshall. Big Build Roads program director Tim

Price said the works, which would make journeys safer and more reliable for motorists, would be fully completed in 2028. “Our crews will work around the clock to safely upgrade this intersection and reopen Central Boulevard as quickly as possible,” he said “We thank the community for its patience as we continue working to deliver safer, more reliable travel for all the users of Barwon Heads Road.” Visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au/roads for more information about the project, including traffic changes.

Mussels back on the menu at seafood culinary festival By Matt Hewson The region’s favourite culinary-themed festival is back this weekend, drawing thousands of foodies to the region for a celebration of seafood and community. The Portarlington Mussel Festival returns this Saturday 10 January, with mussels cooked in every way imaginable, cooking demonstrations, local beer and wine tastings, art and photography exhibitions and kids activities running from 9.30am to 5pm. The festival also features more than 200 market stalls, featuring makers and producers from around the wider region proffering their wares, and a full program of live music over three stages headlined by world-renowned Elton John tribute artist Elton Jack. Running since 2007, the Mussel Festival

Elsa with two plates of delicious mussels at last year’s Portarlington Mussel Festival.

regularly draws more than 30,000 visitors to the Bellarine each year. Festival director Ian Favarger said

the festival “simply wouldn’t eventuate” without the extensive support of the more than 200 volunteers who went “above and

beyond” each year. “Naturally, the focus is on the mussels themselves, which come in various recipes throughout the day, but there’s multiple stages with bands, the jumping castle and roaming entertainers for the kids,” he said “It’s a great day of family fun, and I get the greatest pleasure seeing families doing something together and connecting. “But seeing all the behind-the-scenes work from the volunteer network that supports us is a real highlight. “We had one volunteer here on Monday night who has been involved for all but one of the 19 festivals, that’s how dedicated some of our volunteers are. Seeing that community support is why I do this type of stuff.” Visit portmusselfestival.com for the full program.

NO ONE’S UNSINKABLE To all those Unsinkable Guys out there – You might think it’s safe to have a few drinks around water, skip the life jacket when you’re out on the boat or go for a swim without checking the conditions. But statistics prove that 4 out of 5 drownings are men. Just remember that no one’s unsinkable.

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Lots of love for Sunset Run The Flying Brick Bellarine Sunset Run returns on Valentine’s Day and organisers are dubbing it the ‘Love Edition’. Grab your partner, your mates, or just your love for running on Saturday 14 February for an evening run on the stunning Bellarine coastline. After a record-breaking 1800 participants in 2025, the Sunset Run has become a true community celebration. Whether you’re chasing a PB, walking with friends, or soaking up the sunset vibes, the event is all about inclusiveness, connection and fun. “Every year, we see more people come together to celebrate health, happiness, and community,” event founder Dion Milne said. “The Bellarine Sunset Run is about moving your body, enjoying the outdoors, and sharing the experience with people you care about. It’s taken 11 years

and now we finally fall on Valentine’s Day.” Running distances are 21km (half-marathon), 10km and a 4km kids run. Spots fill up fast, so register or find more information at bellarinesunsetrun. com Kids are encouraged to join the 4km McColl’s Transport Belly Buster, aimed at promoting kindness, confidence, and resilience among young people. Since its inception it has provided free participation for more than 1000 youngsters, ensuring they can enjoy the event in a safe and supportive environment. More than $40,000 has been raised for Bellarine Community Health to help fund programs that make a difference in the community. Children 12 and under can sign up free until 12 January or until spaces are booked out.

Lettie and Lucky do their stretches before last year’s Belly Blasters run. (Ivan Kemp) 458195_01

Engineers called in as Pollocksford bridge saga continues to the heritage bluestone piers that support the bridge. The shire will engage specialist bridge engineers to undertake a detailed risk assessment to ensure the works can be completed safely and the structural and heritage integrity of the bridge is maintained. Acting chief executive Chris Pike thanked the community for their patience and apologised that the closure and subsequent repair works were taking

much longer than expected. “We understand the ongoing closure is frustrating for locals, but we want to make sure we deliver a safe, long-term solution,” he said. “We know it may appear that little has been happening on site, but a significant amount of work is taking place behind the scenes to make sure this is done thoroughly and properly. “Based on the current scope of works and the design work required, the bridge

is expected to remain closed throughout 2026. We’re sorry for the extended closure and appreciate the community’s understanding while we take the time to get this right.” “We are carefully working through the complexities of this project to make sure we deliver a durable long-term solution that will see the upgraded bridge serve the community for decades.”

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The ongoing Pollocksford Road Bridge saga is moving to a new stage, with Surf Coast Shire council set to engage external specialists to guide the process moving forward. The council has received a concept design for a replacement of the Gnarwarre bridge, which has been closed since April 2024 amid much frustration from the local community. The design proposes a heavier replacement deck, which could pose a risk

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Tribute to metal kings Australia’s premier Black Sabbath tribute band comes to town next weekend. Sydney band Sabbath Bloody Sabbath will bring all the iconic hits, sludgy riffs and shredding solos of the preeminent pioneers of metal to the Barwon Club on Friday 16 January. Guitarist Johnny Iommi, filling the role of Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, said the band formed about eight years ago out of a deep love for the source material. “We wanted to put together a show that we really believed in, something we would love to tour and play and put a lot of energy behind,” he said. “When I was learning guitar the grunge period was in full swing, so like a lot of guys my age I was listening to Metallica, Soundgarden…Australian bands like Tumbleweed were a huge influence. “I would listen to interviews these bands were giving and they would always reference Black Sabbath. So it was like, okay, what’s this all about? “So I listened to them and over the years I realised how many genres have been spawned from their music, from stoner metal, to heavy metal, to thrash metal. “The architecture and foundations for a lot of genres that have come out in the last 20 years were all from exploring what these guys did back in the 60s and 70s…People would go, what’s with that song, and then tease a whole genre out of it.” One of the keys to the show’s success is its authenticity, particularly in their

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath hit the Barwon Club bandroom next Friday night. (Supplied)

faithful reproduction of each instrument’s tonal qualities. Like the original Iommi, Johnny uses Laney amps, light-gauge strings and detuned Gibson guitars. He even emulates Iommi’s use of his first and fourth fingers, a result of the Sabbath guitarist losing the tips of his middle and ring finger hands on his right (fretting) hand. “These songs sound fantastic on record, but when you hear it live and feel how powerful it is, that’s when the music really comes alive,” he said. “When you finish something like Children of the Grave and you’ve done a good job, it’s like you’ve taken a Ferrari out for a spin. It’s the most satisfying feeling.” Visit barwonclub.com.au/gig-guide for tickets.

Funny and fabulous story of female empowerment The stage will turn pink when Footlight Productions presents one of the most energetic, funny and heartfelt musicals to come to Geelong this year. Legally Blonde follows young Elle Woods’ transformation from sorority girl to successful law student, as she chases her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law school. However, what begins as a quest for love soon becomes a tale of self-discovery, with Elle demonstrating the folly of judging a book by its pink, fluffy cover. With a cast of nearly 40 actors delivering witty dialogue, big song-and-dance numbers and touching emotional moments, Footlight Productions co-founder Peter Wills said Legally Blonde was “very different to some of the other shows” the company had recently produced. “It’s very bright and colourful, lots of pink, and it’s a great show for all ages. People will come along and be excited by the energy, I think,” he said. “Some of the cast do not stop from the time the show starts until the time it finishes. It’s absolutely amazing, their energy, and the choreographer is working them very hard.” Wills said lead actor Morgan Dooley-Axup, in the role of Elle, was front and centre when it came to providing that spark on stage. “She’s got undeniable energy on stage, whether it’s singing, dancing or

Morgan Dooley-Axup stars as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. (Supplied)

performing dialogue with the other cast members,” he said. “And she brings that energy out in her co-workers as well, which is fantastic to watch.” Footlight Productions presents Legally Blonde at Geelong Arts Centre from 16-31 January. Visit geelongartscentre.org.au/whats-on/ all-events/legally-blonde for tickets and more information.

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It’s all happening By Cr Elise Wilkinson We are spoiled for choice when it comes to cultural and community events taking place across the Bellarine these school holidays. If you’re looking for inspiration to get outdoors or escape the heat this summer, there are plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in arts and culture over the break. This holidays, Barwon Heads’ Lahey Square Park will be transformed into a vibrant hub boasting live music, food trucks and carnival rides as the Wonderland Summer Festival takes over Barwon Heads. Main stage performances include tribute bands playing hits from INXS, ABBA and Fleetwood Mac, so lace up your dancing shoes. Or settle in for a screening at the open-air cinema, with classics like Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia, Footloose, The Wizard of Oz and The Greatest Showman on the program. The Blues Brews & Smokin BBQ will take over the festival this Sunday, with an allAustralian blues lineup gracing the stage from 4pm. The Wonderland Summer Festival runs daily until 27 January. To view the full lineup, visit universe.com/users/ wonderland-presents-CVYKMX It really is a summer of live music, with acts popping up across the peninsula. Hopefully the weather will be clear – rather than four seasons in one day – for the Pineapplehead - Crowded House Unplugged event at Oakdene on 24 January. Experience these timeless songs in an

Connewarre ward councillor Elise Wilkinson. (Supplied)

intimate, stripped-back setting at Manor Suite Wine Bar. It’s only natural that you’ll want to nab tickets before it sells out. If you’re looking to escape the heat this summer, our regional galleries have a diverse range of engaging exhibits to entice guests indoors. Ocean Grove’s Hive Gallery is displaying the work of local artist Kaz Shirley in Dreaming in Colour until 1 February.

Kaz is the force behind the much-loved Bellarine Arts Trail, and this exhibit is a fantastic demonstration of her exuberant and joyful work. If you’re looking to support our local artisans and creatives this holidays, you may find something of interest at the Barwon Heads Makers Market. The market has been relocated to the riverbank on Jetty Road opposite Barwon Heads Hotel, and is expected to attract more makers, artists, and producers from across the region. The market is scheduled for every Saturday in January, so if you’re in the area, be sure to head over and check out the wonderful range of goods on offer. And to round out a summer break, venture over to the Ocean Grove Summer Market on 1 February. Rotary Club of Ocean Grove does a brilliant job organising the market, and it’s always great to see the broad range of stalls each month at Ocean Grove Park. Whether you’re after bahn mi or momos, garden decorations or hand sewn creations, there’s certainly something at the Ocean Grove Summer Market for you. If you’re a music lover, an art enthusiast, or simply looking for a family day out, the Bellarine truly shines during the summer months. These events do a wonderful job highlighting the local talent and community spirit in our region. Regardless of whether you’re a local to the peninsula, or you’re just here for the summer, I hope you take the opportunity to get out and explore these events that help make our part of the world so uniquely special.

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BUSINESS IN F Queenscliff is leading the way Queenscliff is showing how a small coastal town can make a big difference, one drink container at a time. Thanks to local resident Mark Gingell, Borough of Queenscliff and CDS Vic network operator TOMRA Cleanaway, a new recycling drive is turning empty bottles and cans into vital funds for Cottage by the Sea. Special Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic) bins at Queenscliff Caravan Park and Ocean View Kiosk offer an easy way to recycle and support children in need. Every eligible drink container earns a 10-cent refund, with 100 per cent of proceeds donated to the Cottage’s programs for disadvantaged children. “This is such a simple, practical way for everyone to get involved,” Cottage by the Sea chief executive Adam Wake said. “Every container means another opportunity for a child to laugh, learn and grow. We’re grateful to Mark, the Borough of Queenscliff and TOMRA Cleanaway for championing this cause.” Driving the project is local Mark Gingell, who personally oversees the collection of the bins to the local TOMRA Cleanaway Reverse Vending Machine. “I’m proud to be part of something that’s good for the environment and great for the kids who need our support the most,” he said. “Every can, every bottle adds up.”

Borough of Queenscliff deputy mayor Cr Brendan Monahan said the initiative is making a difference. “It’s a perfect example of how small actions can deliver big results, cleaner public spaces and stronger community connections, all while supporting a local charity,” he said. “If the trial goes well, we’d love to see it rolled out more widely.” TOMRA Cleanaway chief executive James Dorney said the partnership shows CDS Vic at its best. “This is what the scheme is all about, putting the power of recycling in community hands to create positive change,” he said. Locals and visitors can support the initiative by using the CDS Vic bins and helping turn trash into treasure for children who need it most. Find your nearest return location at cdsvic.org.au/locations

Driving the project is local Mark Gingell. (supplied)

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CELEBRATING SENIORS

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The new shape of life for Aussies who are over 55 Australia’s understanding of life after 55 is shifting – fast. The idea of slowing down, retiring early and retreating from work or community has been quietly rewritten by the generation now moving through it. Australians in their late 40s, 50s and 60s are not only more active and engaged – according to SEEK’s Workplace Happiness Index, they are among the most satisfied workers in the country. The data reflects what many are already living. Australia now has the widest generational crossover in workforce history, with five generations working side by side. The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey shows retirement between ages 60 and 64 is becoming increasingly uncommon. Two decades ago, 70 per cent of women and nearly half of men had stepped back from work by this age. Today, those figures have more than halved. In other words, Australians are not exiting life – they are redesigning it. This shift has implications for how communities are planned, how homes function, and where people choose to live. Increasingly, Australians in their late 50s and beyond are seeking environments that remove friction while supporting connection, purpose and autonomy. Homes that feel modern. Neighbourhoods that invite participation. And more time for the things that matter. This evolution sits at the heart of ReGen Living, a new over-55s residential brand by Oliver Hume, shaped by more than 70 years of experience creating communities across Australia. Its flagship community, ReGen

Living Waurn Ponds, reflects a very different

Flexible layouts include spaces such

For many Australians, life after 55 is

ReGen Living Waurn Ponds reflects a very different interpretation of what downsizing can mean. (pictures supplied)

interpretation of what downsizing can mean, with the first homes being prepared for release in April 2026 alongside the opening of a four-home display village. Homeowners can own their brand-new, architect-designed home while leasing the land beneath it – a model that removes stamp duty and council rates, while reducing the burden of large-scale maintenance. Homes are priced to allow many residents to downsize without compromise, freeing up equity to put money back in the bank for lifestyle, travel or peace of mind.

as studies and hobby rooms that support part-time work, creative pursuits or a more adaptable way of living. Beyond the home, the community has been intentionally designed to support active, connected living. A private clubhouse with business facilities, a pool, gym, pickleball courts and workshop spaces create opportunities for movement and engagement, while more than three hectares of landscaped open space adjoining the community encourages daily outdoor activity.

no longer about stepping back. It’s about choosing better. ReGen Living Waurn Ponds is being built for exactly that. Registrations are now open for early bird discounts up to $20,000*. Visit regenliving.com.au * Discounts vary by design and are available to registered buyers purchasing within the 30-day VIP period. After this period, retail pricing applies.

Home Care Package Provider Just Better Care supports older Australians to live independently and confidently within their home and local community. Just Better Care clients Les and Rosalie Endrei. (Ivan Kemp) 402348_17

The ‘angels’ in healthcare Trust the “angels” of healthcare to live the way you want with Just Better Care. Rosalie Endrei said the specialist home-aged and disability care support service provided many services to help her and her husband, Les, age gracefully in the comfort of their home. “We have been able to get lots of support for Les through Vision Australia via Les’s Home Care Package,” she said. “Les has macular degeneration (an eye disease that causes vision loss). Just Better Care paid for this little gadget called a MyEye Pro and it works very well. “We found that everyone here is just lovely. Everyone that we’ve been in contact

with have that special care for us and I hate to think about where we’d be without them.” Les said Just Better Care was an excellent resource and helped him with his mental and physical health. “You’ve got the charm of a new organisation, and they have people looking to make things better...and I think that it is wonderful to have so many angels working here,” he said. 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

Whether it’s assistance with everyday tasks, or more intensive support, Just Better Care can deliver a solution that’s just for you.

Community participation

Personal care

Travel & transport

Domestic assistance

Overnight support

Meal preparation HCP

Dementia support

In-home nursing

Respite for carers

Post-hospital Palliative support care support

Home Care Packages

Speak to your friendly, local team today. (03) 5222 1518 mailge@justbettercare.com Visit justbettercare.com/geelong 12685339-JV49-24

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 11

NEWS

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2025: January to June The Independent takes a look through the year that was in 2025. JANUARY

The latest and greatest outdoor vehicles and equipment were displayed at Geelong Showgrounds during the Geelong Outdoor Living and Caravan Expo. There were plenty of smiles and great drinks as the Geelong Beer Festival returned with exclusive craft offerings on 18 January. The Festival of Sails docked at the Geelong Waterfront during the three-day sailing event which celebrated its 182nd year. Armstrong Creek’s Geoffrey McFarlane was acknowledged for his work in the community, environment conversation spaces with a Medal of the Order of Australia during Australia Day Honours. A huge crowd turned out at Barwon Heads’ RT Fuller Oval for the annual cricketers vs footballers day on 26 January. FEBRUARY

World-class cycling came to Geelong for the 10th Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, with many cyclists taking to the streets for the five-day event. NFL fans across Geelong showed their team colours and support during the Super Bowl on 10 February, when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40 to 22. The annual Pako Festa was as colourful as always with many cultures coming together along the Geelong West Street despite the over 30-degree weather. Trucks took over Beckley Park on 23 February to raise money for kids battling cancer and their families during Camp Quality’s Convoy Geelong. The Vic Open kicked off with an all-abilities golf clinic before returning for its 12th year at the 13th Beach Golf Links. AFL Barwon’s Inclusion Round kicked off from 10 to 15 June to highlight an ongoing commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and welcoming sporting environment for all individuals. MARCH

Deakin University celebrated 50 years of education, research and community engagement with events and its Geelong and Waurn Ponds campuses. High-flying aircrafts took to the skies for the biannual Avalon Australian Internation Airshow to showcase military and civilian aircrafts, aerobatic displays and the newest innovations in aviation technology. The Geelong community came together in a competition of fitness while swimming, cycling and running during the Ironman 70.3 event. The Geelong Cats thrashed Fremantle at GMHBA Stadium on 15 March when footy returned for the year. James Sood and Billy Gravett shared an unbroken 255-run partnership during the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A2 Grade round, breaking a club record that had spanned more than three decades. APRIL

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Drysdale Recreation Reserve as part of an election promise to upgrade the reserve’s netball courts. Many classic vehicles rolled out to Eastern Park on 6 April for All Ford Day, with people flocking to the region for a festival of all things Ford. Leopold Fire Brigade’s Kate Conway received a National Emergency Medal for her service to the community during the

Paul Buchholz (Commodore of Royal Geelong Yacht Club) and Phillip Francis (Vice Commodore, Chairman of the Festival of Sails) with a club trophy.

2019-2020 bushfires. People gathered for marches and services across the Greater Geelong region for Anzac Day, with a special mention of WWII veteran Roy Porter who turned 100 earlier in the month. Ten local athletes travelled to Perth for the Australian Athletics National Championships from April 5 to 13. MAY

A Leopold mother spoke out about her journey with cancer while pregnant ahead of the Mother’s Day Classic in Geelong on 11 May. Six councils, including City of Greater Geelong and Borough of Queenscliffe, united together to oppose the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy followed by a protest by firefighters across the region. Hundreds of dogs and their owners took over Geelong’s Eastern Park Ovals during the last-ever RSPCA Geelong Million Paws Walk on 25 May. City of Greater Geelong Council decided to listen and respond to community anger over its proposal to exit aged home care services and will continue to provide the services to more than 3000 residents. A world relay record was attempted by Victorian Masters Athletics Geelong’s Men’s 75+ 4x800 metre relay team but was unsuccessful while the 40+ 4x800 metre women’s relay team broke the state’s record for their category.

Kardinia International College during Pako Festa.

JUNE

Greater Geelong community members braved the cold for a good cause as they slid into icy water during another successful Big Freeze Geelong to raise money and awareness for MND. Geelong West lit up during the return of Winter Solstice to celebrate the longest might of the year on 21 June. Six Greater Geelong men have been recognised with Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM) while two men were awarded with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) as part of this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. AFL Barwon’s Inclusion Round kicked off from 10 to 15 June to highlight an ongoing commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and welcoming sporting environment for all individuals. Joeys’ football and netball clubs hopped towards victory with wins against St Mary’s during the Geelong Netball

12 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

Andre and Evie at All Ford Day.

League Clash and the Geelong Football League classic games.

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NEWS

St Mary’s celebrates the Geelong Football League premiership.

Geelong’s Will Farnell named Victoria’s Youth Sailor of the Year.

Geelong council hailed ROAM Geelong as a runaway success.

2025: July to December The Independent takes a look through the year that was in 2025. JULY

Maximum security prison the Western Plains Correctional Centre opened in Lara, with more than 900 people expected to be located in the prison by the end of the year. Jeremy Cameron kicked his 700th goal and Chris Scott celebrated his 350th game as Geelong coach as the Cats defeated Richmond by 72 points at Kardinia Park. New research showed Greater Geelong was a regional hotspot for ambulance attendances related to gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) between 2015 and 2024. Two teenage boys terrorised an Indian family living in Grovedale, verbally abusing the family at their home and brandishing a knife before fleeing, only to return and throw a rock through their window. Local sailor Will Farnell, 16, was crowned Ocean Racing Club Victoria’s 2025 Youth Sailor of the Year for his list of achievements including competing in two World Championships and sailing to Sydney twice. AUGUST

City of Greater Geelong closed its truck wash facilities three weeks earlier than first announced due to the theft of a significant amount of copper piping. Two people were arrested and charged after allegedly carjacking a 56-year-old woman’s vehicle in Lara, while two teenagers smashed a car window and dragged out the driver before stealing the car in Norlane.

Geelong Cougars were valiant in their loss in the Under 23 Victorian Netball League grand final, going down 42-54 to Melbourne University Lightning. The Lara incinerator was stymied for the foreseeable future, with Prospect Hill International’s proposed facility absent from Recycling Victoria announcement of successful applicants to Victoria’s waste-to-energy scheme. Geelong Bank announced it would explore a merger with Hume Bank, which would potentially create one of the largest regional customer-owned banks in Australia with $2.4b in assets, 16 branches and more than 60,000 customers. SEPTEMBER

A new report from independent drug policy research non-profit Penington Institute revealed unintentional overdose deaths in Geelong had increased by 94 per cent in a decade, a much higher rate than the average increase of 69 per cent. The Archibald Prize exhibition, including all 57 of the finalist works, opened at Geelong Gallery, the first stop on its regional tour of the country. In a boost to local health care, a new medical day hub opened at Barwon Health’s University Hospital, aiming to improve patient flow throughout the hospital so people can get easier access to services. Belmont Lions held out against a determined Thomson side to win the Geelong & District Netball League A Grade premiership by two goals. Sam Bourke kicked four goals in wet conditions to help propel St Mary’s to a 13-point

win over St Joseph’s in the Geelong Football League grand final.

return to international flights as well as improved public transportation connections.

OCTOBER

DECEMBER

Local police conducted Operation Plymouth in Geelong’s CBD throughout the school holidays, making 42 arrests for theft and 14 arrests for other offences including drug possession and resisting police. Cats midfielder Georgie Prespakis had 23 disposals in her 50th AFLW game, proving instrumental in Geelong’s 27-point win over GWS at GMHBA Stadium. Geelong councillor Trent Sullivan and City chief executive Ali Wastie met virtually with Victoria Police chief commissioner Mike Bush to discuss a range of priority issues including the rise in youth crime and anti-social behaviour in public spaces. The Geelong Cup was abandoned after three races due to strong winds of more than 80km/h, with the remaining races rescheduled to 23 October. The inaugural Geelong City Market was an unbridled success, with thousands turning out to Little Malop Street to check out more than 35 stalls, food vendors and live entertainment.

The completion of a major upgrade to the Melbourne to Geelong pipeline, a $40 million project increasing the pipeline’s capacity from 16 billion litres to 22 billion litres a year, delivered a boost to the region’s drinking water supply. The quest to save the hooded plover began for another year, with BirdLife Australia volunteers again taking to the beaches to protect the vulnerable, nearly extinct birds. Highton announced its intentions for the Geelong Bowls Region’s Premier Pennant season with an impressive 37-shot victory over Drysdale, driven by a huge 32-7 win by David Priddle’s foursome. Geelong council made clear its opposition to the state government’s mandated purple glass recycling bin, advocating instead for the expansion of the flourishing Container Deposit Scheme. Local theatre group Footlight Productions swept the Musical Theatre Guild Victoria Awards, winning six categories including Best Production for its show Billy Elliot. The City of Greater Geelong announced the region’s newest arts festival ROAM Geelong, held in October, drew more than 16,000 people to the CBD and generated $2.3 million in economic revenue, according to data gathered by the City. Geelong council introduced new guidelines to protect the city’s built heritage and safeguard the region’s architectural history, the first update to its heritage guidelines in 28 years.

NOVEMBER

A man barricaded himself inside a house at a Bell Park property for seven hours before giving himself up after police responded to calls of an alleged assault. Grovedale cricketer Josh Windus scored his maiden first-grade century, ending on 112 not out from 189 balls in his side’s dominant victory over Lara. Avalon Airport unveiled a major expansion that will begin in 2026, including a

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A voice for queer youth Imogen O’Shannessy has packed a lot into her 18 years including being nominated as a finalist in the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards. Justin Flynn speaks to her about life as a young queer person in Geelong and the many ways she is trying to help. Imogen O’Shannessy has had a whirlwind couple of years and it’s not about to abate in fact it will all get busier. The 18-year-old born-and-bred Geelong local has been nominated for the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards in the Saward Dawson Community Service and Social Impact category and it’s not difficult to see why. While Imogen advocates for all youth, she is particularly involved with helping other queer members of the community. As Imogen can attest, life is not always easy for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly in regional areas. Imogen came out as queer at a young age, although many people still don’t know what the word actually means. “I would say that queer is just an umbrella term for LGBTQIA+ people,” Imogen says. “I guess it’s a quicker way to say it first of all, and it’s also more that queer obviously used to be an offensive term. So I think it’s sort of the community’s way of reclaiming that word and making it our own of being like, well, people are going to call us queer. “Let’s make it our own and use an umbrella term to describe anyone under this community. And I think that it’s also if you don’t know exactly what your identity is yet, but you know that you are in the community, it’s a good way to easily say it.” Imogen has served with City of Greater Geelong’s Rainbow Youth Advisory Group, Youth Hub Reference Group and the Amplify Committee and was a youth councillor in 2022. The list doesn’t end there, though. Imogen’s advocacy extends into civic leadership programs that provide platforms for youth-driven policy influence. Imogen participated in the YMCA Victoria’s Youth Parliament program, on the Y Geelong team in 2024 and returned in 2025 as part of the Geelong Youth Parliament team, where she contributed to the

development and passing of youth-created bills and statewide discussions on issues affecting young people. “Youth Parliament taught me a lot of public-speaking and debating skills that I didn’t have,” Imogen says. “I’ve always loved public speaking, but after Youth Parliament, I really saw myself being more confident because when you’re on the program, you speak up about your bills and other people’s bills in Parliament House, in the chambers.” Imogen also volunteers with the organisation Run For It, supporting young people’s involvement in political engagement and leadership. She has spent several years contributing to youth participation committees, groups and programs within the City of Greater Geelong, working to strengthen belonging, representation and opportunity for local young people. She was an inaugural member of the Rainbow Youth Advisory Group, advising on LGBTQIA+ inclusion in Geelong council programs and spaces and is chair of the local Amplify Committee, leading a team of young people dedicated to planning drug, smoke and alcohol-free arts and music events within the Greater Geelong area. Imogen is currently a member of the VicSRC Student Executive Advisory Committee, where she recently served as the Ambassadors Liaison. “I started with VIC SRC in 2024 and a big

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part of that was being part of their senior secondary advisory panel, which basically was in helping to inform the government on their ongoing senior secondary reforms,” she says. “So I basically work directly with the organisation and stakeholders in the Department of Education to help them determine the best way to go about the new reforms, because obviously in 2023 the reforms happened with VCAL and VCVM. “But now I am on their main executive committee. This means I work directly with the Adult Board of Trustees.” In her spare time, if there is any, Imogen does pageants and modelling. She will head to San Antonio, Texas as Oceania’s representative for the Teen Division at the Ultimate International Miss competition. However, Imogen’s true passion at the moment is her social enterprise Be Loud & Queer, which aims to share stories and raise the voices of queer people. “I started it as that for a pageant that I was a finalist in because it was an area that I knew that I was very well versed in,” she says. “And I think since I started it, it’s very much developed into something new and something I wasn’t really expecting it to be. Be Loud & Queer’s goal is basically to amplify and raise the voices of queer people, particularly young people, on the journey towards worldwide acceptance.” As Imogen heads into Year 12 this year,

school wasn’t something that came naturally, especially during the pandemic. Waning attendance and a loss of interest meant Imogen was told she would have to repeat Year 10. “My attendance got very bad in Year 10,” she says. “It was bad since the pandemic really and they told me I’d have to repeat a year. They put me on this plan where I would do some Year 10 subjects.” That worked well for a while, but Imogen discovered that mainstream schooling might not be the best fit. “I made the decision later that year to leave (secondary school) and head to The Gordon (TAFE). I passed Year 11 last year at The Gordon, so I’m heading into Year 12 this year. “It’s more catered towards less students that could really help me with what I need.” After her initial schooling, Imogen sees a career in social work. “I want to be a youth worker,” she says. “I think that I’m always going to be in this space in some regard, even when I age out. Because I’m gaining that lived experience in the advocacy space and on advisory committees, I can help use that experience to help young people in the future. “I think at the moment I have my eyes on youth justice case management. I just want to help young people, particularly those involved in the justice system, to be better versions of themselves. “And I think a lot of that comes from experiences that I had of my own growing up, you know, being with the court system and everything.” While LGBTQIA+ people are generally more accepted in the mainstream community these days, Imogen says there is still a long way to go, particularly for those living in regional areas, including Greater Geelong. “I think to a certain extent (it has got better), but I think that sometimes it can feel like we’re going backwards,” she says. “I do think that there are some people that are very much set in their ways, though, and I think that there are some people that you can’t change. “As a whole, particularly this country, it’s getting better, but particularly in Geelong, it’s not as easy. “Maybe it could be because the population’s a lot skewed to the older generation in a lot of places, but I think that in Geelong it can be particularly difficult. “Although the council and other organisations are doing a lot, I think that the general public viewpoint is still not amazing, particularly for trans people.” “A lot of work still needs to be done, particularly in Geelong and other regional communities.”

The Guide MY ADVENTURES WITH SUPERMAN ABC Family, Friday, 8.30pm

PICK OF THE WEEK

MUSTER DOGS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW ABC TV, Sunday, 7.30pm

Lois Lane and Clark Kent entertain a new generation of fans in this anime-influenced, family-friendly take on the iconic DC Comics superhero that’s worlds away from recent grim portrayals of the Man of Steel. The wholesome animation follows Clark (voice of Jack Quaid, The Boys) as he works at The Daily Planet alongside star reporter Lois (Alice Lee, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) and photographer Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid) and builds his reputation as Superman while exploring his mysterious origins. In this instalment, when Lois wants to interview the hero, Clark must figure out a way to help her while keeping his hidden identity – and major crush on her – a secret. THE 83RD ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBES 10, Monday, 7.30pm

They grow up so fast. Just a year after winning the Muster Dogs season three title, champion kelpie Banjo has become a dad – to a litter of 12, no less. But now, the time has come for some of Banjo and Chilli’s puppies to fly the nest, finding their forever homes with the next generation of graziers. Host Lisa Millar (pictured) heads to Tooborac, Victoria, where 12-year-old farmer Eric is set to begin his working dog journey with pup Diesel and mentor Kim by his side. Meanwhile, in Ethel Creek, Western Australia, trainer Blythe and Banksi (Banjo’s sister) are showing 16-year-old Cameron and young Bindi the ropes.

HUMAN ABC TV, Tuesday, 8.30pm

Follow the 300,000-year journey of Homo sapiens as they outlast other human species and spread across the globe in this cinematic five-part docuseries. Host Ella Al-Shamahi, who is curiously both a paleoanthropologist and stand-up comedian, travels around the world to talk to experts and explore archaeological dig sites in her bid to simply explain our epic evolution. The knowledgeable narrator is the perfect guide for a topic that could be as engaging as a caveman’s conversation. Tuesday’s illuminating episode “Into the Unknown” follows our resilient ancestors as they leave Africa to explore the wider world. It’s the ultimate origin story.

Setting the stage for Hollywood’s award season, this glittering affair celebrates achievements in cinema, TV – and for the first time in 2026 – podcasting. Comedian Nikki Glaser, who won praise for her sharp wit and hilarious Adam Sandler impressions in 2025, returns to host this year’s event. The black comedy One Battle After Another leads the field with nine nominations, while Australian actor Jacob Elordi (pictured) has doubled his chances of winning with outstanding performances in both Frankenstein and The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Other Aussies in contention include Rose Byrne, Nick Cave, Joel Edgerton and two-time winner Sarah Snook.

Friday, January 9 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 The Exhibitionists. (Mns, R) 11.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Muster Dogs: Where Are They Now. (PG, R) 1.45 Goolagong. (Ma, R) 2.50 Would I Lie To You? (R) 3.20 Nigella At My Table. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs: The Streets. (R) 4.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 11.05 Wild Beauty Of Germany’s Islands. 12.00 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News. 2.00 Britain’s Most Expensive Houses. (R) 2.55 Going Places. (R) 3.25 Plat Du Tour. (R) 3.35 The Cook Up. (R) 4.05 Jeopardy! 4.30 Letters And Numbers. (R) 5.00 Motor Racing. Dakar Rally. Highlights. Stage 5.

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show Summer Series. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: Love Knots. (2021, PGa) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies: Celebrity Specials. 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia. Hosted by Larry Emdur.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 Space Invaders. (PG, R) 1.00 Jeopardy! Australia. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG, R) 5.00 [MELB] Tipping Point Australia. (PG, R) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Bold. (PG, R) 8.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 9.00 Lingo. (R) 10.00 Location, Location, Location Australia. (PGl, R) 11.00 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia. (PGa, R) 12.00 Farm To Fork. 12.30 Family Feud. (PG, R) 1.00 Taskmaster Australia. (PGls, R) 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 2.30 The Finish Line. 3.30 Lingo. (R) 4.30 Bold. (PG) 5.00 News.

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 All Creatures Great And Small. It’s baby Jimmy’s Christening day. 8.15 Art Detectives. (Ma) The detectives look into a stolen gold Viking hoard. 9.05 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) Presenter Tom Gleeson grills four self-declared experts in a comedic quiz show. 9.35 A Life In Ten Pictures: Freddie Mercury. (Mln, R) A look at Freddie Mercury’s life. 10.25 Silent Witness. (Malv, R) 12.10 Rage New Music. (MA15+adhlnsv) 5.00 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 The Great House Revival: Post House. (Return) A local man and his partner convert an old post office. 9.30 Isle Of Wight: Jewel Of The South. (PGaw, R) Follows the residents of the Isle of Wight. 10.25 Great British Railway Journeys: Bradford To Hebden Bridge. (PGa, R) 11.00 Sisi. (Masv, R) 12.05 Babylon Berlin. (MA15+ansv, R) 1.55 Silent Road. (Ma, R) 3.55 Designing Paradise With Bill Bensley. (R) 4.25 My Unique B&B. (PG, R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Better Homes And Gardens Summer. Johanna Griggs heads to the Hunter Valley. 8.30 MOVIE: The Green Mile. (1999, MA15+av, R) An elderly man recalls his time as a prison guard where he befriended a man with an unusual gift. Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse. 12.15 MOVIE: Student Seduction. (2022, Mav, R) Cameron Cipolla. 2.30 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Million Dollar Minute. (R) 5.00 NBC Today.

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Tennis. United Cup. Day 8. Quarter-finals. From Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney. 11.30 Law & Order: Organized Crime. (MA15+av, R) A revengefor-hire scheme is exposed. 12.30 A Remarkable Place To Die. (Mlv, R) A body is found in a gold-mining tunnel. 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) Mark invites a girl out. 4.30 Global Shop. (R) Home shopping. 5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 5.30 Surfing Australia TV. (PGl, R)

6.00 10 News+. 6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 Selling Houses Australia. (R) Michelle and Garry wanted to invest in a property. 8.40 Love It Or List It Australia. (R) Belinda and Cameron’s first home together is in the desirable bayside Melbourne suburb of Brighton. 9.40 The Graham Norton Show. (Mls, R) Celebrity guests include Reese Witherspoon. 10.50 10 News+. (R) 11.20 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 12.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 1.10pm Octonauts. 2.15 Peter Rabbit. 2.45 The Makery. 3.05 Play School: Let The Music Play. 3.40 Fizzy And Suds. 4.15 Andy’s Aquatic Adventures. 4.40 Vida The Vet. 5.40 Kangaroo Beach. 6.05 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 7.40 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. 8.05 Scooby-Doo And Guess Who? 8.30 My Adventures With Superman. 8.50 Robot Wars. 9.50 TKO: Total Knock Out. 10.30 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning Programs. 7.55 France 24 Feature. 8.10 NHK Newsline. 8.40 CBC The National. 9.30 BBC News At Six. 10.00 Mastermind Aust. 11.30 Vegan Vigilantes. 11.45 DW The Day. 12.15pm Dark Side Of Comedy. 1.10 WWE Legends. 3.00 Bamay. 3.40 WorldWatch. 5.40 If You Are The One. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 A Very British Space Launch. 9.30 Sex Tape Germany. 10.25 The Handmaid’s Tale. 11.20 Shoresy. 11.50 Homeland. 12.50am WWE Legends. 2.25 NHK World English News. 5.00 Al Jazeera.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 Home In WA. 2.30 Room For Improvement. 3.00 The Great Australian Doorstep. 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 Wildlife ER. 8.30 Escape To The Country. 11.30 Secrets Of Beautiful Gardens. 12.30am Escape To The Country. 1.30 The Great Australian Doorstep. 2.00 Harry’s Practice. 2.30 Medical Emergency. 3.00 Better Homes. 4.00 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Morning Programs. 11.30 Pointless. 12.30pm My Favorite Martian. 1.00 MOVIE: Dangerous Voyage. (1954, PG) 2.30 MOVIE: The House In Nightmare Park. (1973, PG) 4.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 5.30 Tennis. United Cup. Quarter-finals. 7.30 New Tricks. 8.40 MOVIE: Swordfish. (2001, MA15+) 10.40 The Equalizer. 11.35 Customs. Midnight New Tricks. 1.00 Creflo. 1.30 MOVIE: The House In Nightmare Park. (1973, PG) 3.30 My Favorite Martian. 4.00 Danger Man. 5.00 Yorkshire Auction House.

10 COMEDY (52, 11) 6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Taskmaster Australia. 9.00 My Market Kitchen. 9.30 Bold. 10.00 Family Feud. 10.30 Ridiculousness. 11.30 Deal Or No Deal. Noon Taskmaster Australia. 1.00 Ridiculousness. 2.00 Stephen Colbert. 3.00 Becker. 3.30 Frasier. 4.00 Farm To Fork. 4.30 Frasier. 5.00 Becker. 5.30 Frasier. 6.30 Friends. 7.30 MOVIE: War Of The Worlds. (2005, M) 9.50 Becker. 10.15 Frasier. 11.05 Ridiculousness. Midnight Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Stephen Colbert. 4.30 Shopping. 5.30 Joseph Prince.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning

11.00 Going Places. Noon Electric Lady Studios: A Hendrix Vision. 1.40 Stompem Ground 2022: Karajarri Dancers. 2.00 Tradition On A Plate. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 Living Black. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 7.30 MOVIE: Hook. (1991) 10.15 MOVIE: Friday. (1995, MA15+) Midnight Going Places. 1.00 Everything’s Gonna Be All White. 2.00 On The Road. 3.00 On The Road. 4.00 On The Road. 5.00 Bamay. 5.30 Late Programs.

6am Mia And The White Lion. (2018, PGal) 6.40 Hajjan. (2023, PGav, Arabic) 9.00 Spirited Away. (2001) 11.20 Only The Brave. (2017, Mals) 1.45 Limelight. (1952, PGas, R) 4.15 The Orator. (2011, PGa, R, Samoan) 6.20 Howl’s Moving Castle. (2004, PG, R) 8.30 Paint. (2023) Owen Wilson. 10.20 Man Up. (2015, Mls, R) 11.55 Howl’s Moving Castle. (2004) 2am May December. (2023, MA15+as) 4.00 Priscilla. (2023, Madl)

Programs. 10.00 Aussie Adventure Bike Show. 10.30 American Resto. 11.00 Storage Wars. 11.30 American Pickers. 12.30pm Pawn Stars. 1.30 American Pickers. 2.30 Billy The Exterminator. 3.00 Timbersports. Aust C’ship Pt 1. 3.30 Billy The Exterminator. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Road Wars. 8.30 MOVIE: The Patriot. (2000, MA15+) 11.45 MOVIE: Underworld: Evolution. (2006, MA15+) 2am Road Wars. 3.00 NFL. NFL. Week 18. Replay.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs. 7.30 The Actually Really Very Difficult Show. 8.00 Cards And Collectables Australia. 8.30 Nanny. 9.30 Addams Family. 10.00 Bewitched. 10.30 Jeannie. 11.00 The West Wing. Noon Tennis. Brisbane International. Quarter-finals. 6.00 Tennis. Brisbane International. Quarter-finals. 11.00 MOVIE: Safe Haven. (2013, M) 1.20am The Vampire Diaries. 3.05 Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. 4.00 Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures. 4.30 Hop. 4.50 Booba. 5.10 LEGO City Adventures. 5.30 Bubble’s Hotel.

10 DRAMA (53, 12) 6am Shopping. 8.00 Escape Fishing. 9.00 Living Room. 10.00 JAG. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. (PGasv) 1.30 The Dog House. (PGa, R) 2.30 JAG. (PGlv, R) 4.30 All 4 Adventure. (PGl, R) 5.30 JAG. (PGv, R) 7.30 NCIS. (Mdv, R) 10.20 Matlock. (PGad, R) 11.15 The Real CSI: Miami. (Mav, R) 12.15am Home Shopping.

CONSUMER ADVICE (P) Pre-school (C) Children (PG) Parental Guidance Recommended (M) Mature Audiences (MA15+) Mature Audiences Only (AV15+) Extreme Adult Violence (R) Repeat (a) Adult themes (d) Drug references (h) Horror (s) Sex references (l) Language (m) Medical procedures (n) Nudity (v) Violence.

VIC

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 15

Saturday, January 10 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6am Morning Programs. 9.00 Rage. (PG) 10.30 Rage Vault Guest Programmer. (MA15+adhlnsv) 12.00 News. 12.30 Call The Midwife. (PGa, R) 1.30 Art Detectives. (Ma, R) 2.15 All Creatures Great And Small. (R) 3.00 Extraordinary Escapes. (PG, R) 3.50 Human. (PG, R) 5.00 Dr Karl’s How Things Work. (R) 5.55 Back Roads. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 9.15 Matched. (PG, R) 10.05 The Eco Show. (R) 11.05 Phase III Odyssey. (Mal, R) 12.00 BBC News At Ten. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News. 2.00 Figure Skating. ISU Grand Prix Final. Japan Part 2. Highlights. 4.00 Going Places. (PG, R) 5.00 Motor Racing. Dakar Rally. Weekly Highlights.

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. 10.00 The Morning Show Summer Series. (PG) 12.00 Horse Racing. Magic Millions Gold, The Lakes Race Day and VRC Standish Handicap Race Day. 5.00 Seven News At 5. 5.30 Border Security: Australia’s Front Line. (PG, R)

6.00 Let’s Eat With George. (R) 6.30 A Current Affair. (R) 7.00 Weekend Today. 10.00 Our State On A Plate. (PG) 10.30 Tennis. United Cup. Day 9. Semi-finals. 4.30 Find My Beach House Australia. (R) 5.00 9News First At Five. 5.30 Find My Country House Australia. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 8.30 On The Fly. (R) 9.00 4x4 Adventures. (R) 10.00 Airport 24/7. (PGad, R) 11.00 GCBC. (R) 11.30 Frugal Foodie. (R) 12.00 Surf Life Saving. Shaw And Partners Iron Series. Day 1. Specialist Round. 2.00 4x4 Adventures. (Final) 3.00 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia. (PGal, R) 4.00 All 4 Adventure. (l) 5.00 News.

6.25 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) Presented by Tom Gleeson. 7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day. 7.30 Call The Midwife. (M) Trixie cares for an unmarried first-time mother. 8.30 Vera. (Ma, R) Vera investigates the apparent suicide of a well-known TV personality who has recently fallen from grace. The victim had been attending a reunion with friends, a ritual they had repeated for more than 40 years. 10.00 Goolagong. (Ma, R) Charts the story of Evonne Goolagong Cawley. 10.55 The Jetty. (Madl, R) A detective suspects a predator is targeting young girls. 11.55 Rage Vault Guest Programmer. (MA15+dhlnsv) 4.55 Rage. (MA15+dhlnsv)

6.00 Grand Tours Of Scotland’s Rivers: Quietly Flows The Don. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Secrets Of Britain’s Historic Houses: The Doll’s House. (Return) Beatrix Potter’s Dolls’ House undergoes renovations. 8.40 MOVIE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. (2011, MA15+v, R) During the Cold War, a veteran agent comes out of retirement to search for a Russian mole within MI6. Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch. 11.00 Scottish Islands With Ben Fogle. (R) 12.05 Reframed: Marilyn Monroe. (Mans, R) 3.25 Bowled Over: Untold Australia. (Mal, R) 4.25 My Unique B&B. (R) 5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Horse Racing. Magic Millions Twilight. 9.00 MOVIE: White House Down. (2013, Mlv, R) During a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the US president from a group of heavily armed mercenaries who have stormed the building. Channing Tatum, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx. 11.45 Air Crash Investigations: Missed Opportunities. (PGa, R) A look at the crash of Flight 1851. 12.45 Dr Harry’s Animal Encounters. (PG, R) Presented by Dr Harry Cooper. 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 It’s Academic. (R) Hosted by Simon Reeve. 5.00 Million Dollar Minute. (R)

6.00 9News Saturday. 7.00 Tennis. United Cup. Day 9. Semi-finals. From Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney. 11.30 MOVIE: The Next Three Days. (2010, Mlv, R) A married couple’s lives are turned upside down when the wife is sent to jail for murder. However, when the strain of being separated from her family becomes too much, her husband researches a way to break her out. Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Lennie James. 2.00 The Incredible Journey Presents. (PG) Religious program. 2.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 Global Shop. (R) Home shopping. 5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 5.30 Helping Hands Summer Series. (PG, R) A celebration of people and organisations.

6.30 The Dog House Australia. (PGa, R) Narrated by Mark Coles Smith. 7.30 Love It Or List It Australia. A couple contemplate leaving their home of 11 years. He loves it, but she feels the place is outdated. 8.40 Location, Location, Location Australia. (R) Property experts Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie search for properties in Melbourne and Canberra. 9.50 Ambulance UK. (Mad, R) It is a busy weekend night shift across Lancashire as crews attend to patients with mental health issues. 11.05 NCIS. (Mv, R) A pilot’s body is found with unusual wounds. 1.00 Home Shopping. (R) 5.00 Hour Of Power.

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.30pm Bluey. 4.20 Dino Dex. 4.45 Gardening Australia Junior. 5.10 Thomas. 5.30 Super Monsters. 6.05 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 6.25 Paddington. 6.50 Andy And The Band. 7.05 Piripenguins. 7.30 Hard Quiz Kids. 8.00 Chopped Jnr. 8.40 Shaun Tan’s Tales From Outer Suburbia. 9.25 Fresh Off The Boat. 10.10 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. 2.30pm Better Homes And Gardens Summer. 4.00 Better Homes. 5.00 Horse Racing. Magic Millions Gold, The Lakes Race Day and VRC Standish Handicap Race Day. 6.00 Bondi Vet. 7.00 Dog Patrol. 7.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 8.30 Lewis. 10.30 Escape To The Country. 11.30 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Morning Programs. 3.30pm MOVIE: The Count Of MonteCristo. (1975, PG) 5.30 Tennis. United Cup. Semi-finals. 7.00 M*A*S*H. 7.30 Death In Paradise. 8.40 MOVIE: Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom. (1984, M) 11.05 MOVIE: The Awakening. (1980, M) 1.15am Late Programs.

10 COMEDY (52, 11) 6am Morning

Programs. Noon Mastermind Aust. 2.00 WorldWatch. 4.00 Cycling. Westbridge Funds Road Nationals C’ships. Men’s Under-23. Road Race. 7.30 Impossible Engineering. 8.25 Big Fat Quiz Of The Year 2025. 10.00 The Phoenix Lights Phenomenon. 10.50 Snowpiercer. 12.35am WWE Legends. 2.05 Late Programs.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning

12.35pm MOVIE: Jester Till. (2003) 2.05 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 2.55 Living Black. 3.25 Soh Presents: Generations And Dynasties. 5.00 Unsettled. 6.00 The Barber. 6.40 The Other Side. 7.30 Alone Australia. 8.30 MOVIE: Beowulf. (2007, MA15+) 10.10 Australian Music Vault: Kate Ceberano. 11.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 2.25pm The Movie Show. 3.00 Paint. (2023) 4.50 Boychoir. (2014, PGav) 6.45 The Secret World Of Arrietty. (2010) 8.30 Anatomy Of A Fall. (2023, MA15+a, French, English, German) 11.20 The Beautiful Summer. (2023, French, Italian) 1.25am Late Programs.

Programs. 1.30pm Cool Cars & Bikes. 2.00 Rides Down Under: Workshop Wars. 3.00 Motor Racing. NDRC Top Doorslammer. Replay. 4.00 Desert Collectors. 5.00 Counting Cars. 6.00 Pawn Stars. 7.00 Storage Wars. 7.30 MOVIE: Uncharted. (2022, M) 9.50 MOVIE: Striking Distance. (1993, M) Midnight Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs. 10.00 Soccer. English Premier League. Noon Tennis. Brisbane International. Semi-finals. 6.00 Golden Girls. 6.30 Nanny. 7.30 Tennis. Brisbane International. Semi-finals. 11.30 Ice Hockey. NHL. Chicago Blackhawks v Washington Capitals. 2.10am Love After Lockup. 3.40 MOVIE: Isaac’s Dream. (2023, M) 5.10 Booba. 5.30 Bubble’s Hotel.

10 DRAMA (53, 12) 6am Shopping. 9.00 I Fish. 9.30 Dog House. 10.30 JAG. 4.30pm Soccer. A-League Men. Melbourne v Western Sydney. 7.00 Football Tonight. 7.35 Soccer. A-League Men. Round 12. Macarthur FC v Sydney FC. 10.00 NCIS. (PGv, R) 12.50am NCIS: Origins. 1.45 Shopping.

We

Programs. 11.00 Farm To Fork. 11.30 Deal Or No Deal. Noon Stephen Colbert. 2.00 Inspired Unemployed (Impractical) Jokers. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Friends. 6.30 Big Bang. 10.00 Frasier. 11.00 Ridiculousness. Midnight South Park. 1.00 Shopping. 1.30 South Park. 2.30 Shopping. 5.30 Late Programs.

Local News 12466496-DL43-20

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Sunday, January 11 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Compass. (R) 11.30 Praise. (R) 12.00 News. 12.30 Magda’s Big National Health Check. (Final, PG, R) 1.30 Gardening Aust. (R) 2.30 Muster Dogs: Where Are They Now. (PG, R) 3.40 Extraordinary Escapes. (PG, R) 4.30 Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job. (PG, R) 5.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 12.00 APAC Weekly. 12.30 PBS Washington Week. 12.55 The Point: Road To Referendum History Bites. (R) 1.00 Going Places. (R) 1.30 Cycling. Westbridge Funds Road Nationals Championships. Women’s Elite and Under-23 Road Race. 5.00 Motor Racing. Dakar Rally. Weekly Highlights.

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. 10.00 The Morning Show Summer Series. (PG) 12.00 Surf Patrol. (R) 12.30 Air Crash Investigations: The Accident Files. (PGal, R) 1.30 Big Bash League Pre-Game. 2.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Match 31. Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes. 5.30 Border Security: International. (PG, R)

6am Morning Programs. 7.00 Weekend Today. 10.00 Journey To Europe. (R) 11.00 Fishing Aust. 11.30 GolfBarons. (PG, R) 12.00 Great Getaways. (PG, R) 1.00 David Attenborough’s Dynasties II. (PGa, R) 2.00 Conquering Skin Cancer. (PGmn) 4.00 Take Me Home. (PG, R) 5.00 News. 5.30 RBT. (PGdl)

6am Morning Programs. 10.30 10 Minute Kitchen. (R) 11.00 Well Traveller. (PG, R) 11.30 Pooches At Play. (R) 12.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 12.30 Surf Life Saving. Shaw And Partners Iron Series. Day 2. Specialist Round. 2.30 Basketball. NBL. Round 16. Illawarra Hawks v New Zealand Breakers. 4.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 5.00 News.

6.00 Grand Designs Transformations. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 Muster Dogs: Where Are They Now. (PG) 8.20 Goolagong. (M) Evonne Goolagong Cawley is driven away from tennis. 9.15 The Jetty. (MA15+l) Ember agrees to share information with a crime podcaster. 10.15 Call The Midwife. (M, R) 11.15 MOVIE: Sirens. (1994, MA15+an, R) Hugh Grant, Sam Neill, Tara Fitzgerald. 12.50 Rage Vault. (MA15+adhlnsv) 2.30 Gardening Australia. (R) 3.25 Dream Gardens. (R) 4.00 The Art Of. (PG, R) 4.30 A Bite To Eat With Alice. (R) 5.00 Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales. (PG, R)

6.00 Grand Tours Of Scotland’s Rivers. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Days That Shocked The World: Challenger. 8.25 Ken Burns’ The American Revolution. (Final, PG) Peace is restored. 10.40 Secrets Of Modern Archaeology. (PGa, R) 11.45 Australian Fashion Past, Present, Future. (PGn, R) 1.15 Birdsville Or Bust: Untold Australia. (Ml, R) 2.20 24 Hours In A&E. (M) 3.15 The Eco Show. (R) 4.15 Designing Paradise With Bill Bensley. (R) 4.45 Destination Flavour Scandinavia Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 France 24 Feature. 5.30 APAC Weekly.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Match 32. Adelaide Strikers v Perth Scorchers. 10.30 Big Bash League PostMatch. Post-match coverage of the game between the Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers. 11.00 7NEWS Spotlight. Looks at the biggest crypto heist in history. 12.00 MacGruber. (MA15+lsv) The plan Queeth set into motion is still alive. 1.00 Dr Harry’s Animal Encounters. (PG, R) Presented by Dr Harry Cooper. 2.30 Home Shopping. (R) 3.30 Million Dollar Minute. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 9News Sunday. 7.00 Tennis. United Cup. Day 10. Final. From Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney. 11.30 Wild Cards. (Mv, R) After an accountant set to testify against the mob is kidnapped, Ellis is asked to help get him back. 12.30 Tycoons Down Under: Hard Times. (PGa, R) Looks at some of Australia’s biggest tycoons. 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) A group of water skiers is sabotaged. 4.30 The Garden Gurus. (R) Great gardening tips and hints. 5.00 Today Early News. A look at the latest news, sport and weather. 5.30 Today. The latest in news and current affairs.

6.30 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 7.00 Selling Houses Australia. (R) Princess and Inca, who thought they were on to a winner when all the homes on their street started to sell, have had no luck. 8.00 MOVIE: Top Gun: Maverick. (2022, Mlv, R) An aviator trains a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a mission while confronting the ghosts of his past. Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly. 10.35 10 News+. (R) Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 11.05 FBI. (Mv, R) A rogue terrorist group infiltrates the FBI. 12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.25pm Room On The Broom. 3.55 Odd Squad. 4.20 Dino Dex. 4.45 Gardening Australia Junior. 5.10 Tiddler. 5.35 Super Monsters. 6.05 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 6.50 Andy And The Band. 7.05 Piripenguins. 7.30 Shaun Tan’s Tales From Outer Suburbia. 7.50 TBA. 9.40 Fresh Off The Boat. 10.00 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning Programs. Noon WWE Rivals. 12.55 Jeopardy! 3.00 Mastermind Aust. 4.00 The Story Of. 5.00 WorldWatch. 6.00 Cycling. Westbridge Funds Road Nationals C’ships. Elite Men’s. Road Race. 10.00 MOVIE: Food, Inc. 2. (2023, M) 11.45 History’s Greatest Of All-Time With Peyton Manning. 12.35am Django. 2.35 Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. Noon Escape To The Country. 1.00 Medical Emergency. 1.30 Sean’s Kitchen. 2.30 Harry’s Practice. 3.00 Better Homes. 4.00 The Amazing Homemakers. 5.00 Secrets Of Beautiful Gardens. 6.00 Escape To The Country. 7.00 Vicar Of Dibley. 8.30 Vera. 10.30 Murdoch Mysteries. 1.30am Harry’s Practice. 2.00 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Morning Programs. 11.30 MOVIE: For Better, For Worse. (1954) 1.15pm MOVIE: All Creatures Great And Small. (1975) 3.10 MOVIE: Silver Bears. (1978, PG) 5.30 Tennis. United Cup. Final. 7.00 M*A*S*H. 8.30 MOVIE: Ronin. (1998, M) 11.00 Mrs Sidhu Investigates. 1am MOVIE: Death Is A Woman. (1966, M) 2.40 Late Programs.

10 COMEDY (52, 11) 6am Deal Or No

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs.

2.50pm Football. West Kimberley Football League. Women’s. Grand Final. Replay. 4.05 Bob Marley & The Wailers: The Capitol 73. 5.20 Australian Music Vault: Kate Ceberano. 6.50 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 7.40 Aerial Australia. 8.30 MOVIE: Luther: Never Too Much. (2024) 10.25 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.40pm Song To Song. (2017, Malnsv) 3.00 The Movie Show. 4.00 Discovering Film. 4.50 The Emperor’s Club. (2002, PGlns) 6.50 Porco Rosso. (1992, PG) 8.30 My Sailor, My Love. (2022, PG) 10.25 Ondine. (2009, Malv) 12.25am Porco Rosso. (1992, PG) 2.05 Late Programs.

Programs. Noon NFL. NFL Playoffs. Wild Card Round. 3.30 Storage Wars. 4.00 Deep Water Salvage. 5.00 Counting Cars. 6.00 Border Security: Int. 7.00 Border Security. 8.30 MOVIE: The Bourne Identity. (2002, M) 11.00 MOVIE: The Dark Tower. (2017, M) 1am Blokesworld. 1.30 Counting Cars. 2.30 Border Security: Int. 3.30 Late Programs.

12.30pm Basketball. WNBL. Southside Melbourne Flyers v Townsville Fire. 2.30 Surfing Aust. 3.00 Tennis. Brisbane International. Finals. 6.00 Tennis. Brisbane International. Finals. 10.00 MOVIE: Air. (2023, M) 12.10am Gotham. 1.10 Arrow. 3.00 Big Rigs Of Oz. 3.40 Late Programs.

10 DRAMA (53, 12) 6am Shopping. 8.00 Tough Tested. 9.00 What’s Up Down Under. 9.30 Camper Deals. 10.00 4x4 Adventures. 11.00 JAG. 4pm I Fish. 4.30 Basketball. NBL. Sydney Kings v Melbourne United. 6.30 JAG. 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 10.20 Matlock. (PGa, R) 12.15am Shopping.

16 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

Deal. 8.00 Frasier. 10.00 The Neighborhood. 11.00 Stephen Colbert. 2pm The Neighborhood. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Friends. 6.30 The Big Bang Theory. (PGs, R) 9.35 Frasier. (PGa, R) 10.30 The Neighborhood. (PGs, R) 11.30 South Park. 12.30am Home Shopping. 1.30 South Park. 2.30 Shopping.

Monday, January 12 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 Vera. (Ma, R) 11.30 Back Roads. (PG, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 The Kimberley. (Final, R) 2.00 Restoration Australia. (PG, R) 2.55 Would I Lie To You? (PG, R) 3.25 Nigella At My Table. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs: The Streets. (R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 12.30 France 24. 1.00 PBS News Weekend. 1.30 Al Jazeera News Hour. 2.00 Britain’s Most Expensive Houses. (R) 2.55 Going Places. (R) 3.25 Plat Du Tour. (PG, R) 3.35 The Cook Up. (R) 4.05 Jeopardy! 4.30 Letters And Numbers. (R) 5.00 Motor Racing. Dakar Rally. Stage 7. Highlights.

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show Summer Series. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: MatchMaker Mysteries: A Fatal Romance. (2020, PGav) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 Space Invaders. (PG, R) 1.00 Jeopardy! Australia. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG, R) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 7.30 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Ent. Tonight. 10.30 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia. (PGa, R) 11.30 My Market Kitchen. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork. 12.30 Family Feud. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 2.30 The Finish Line. 3.30 Lingo. (R) 4.30 Bold. (PG) 5.00 News.

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. Presented by Michael Rowland. 8.00 To Be Advised. 9.00 Simon Schama: The Road To Auschwitz. (Premiere, MA15+a) Historian Simon Schama visits Auschwitz, travels to mass killing sites in Lithuania and to the Netherlands. 10.00 Dr Karl’s How Things Work: Chips. (R) Dr Karl Kruszelnicki looks at the science of chips. 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 Dr Karl’s How Things Work: Aussie Rules Football. (R) 11.20 Grand Designs: The Streets. (R) 12.10 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 12.55 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 4.00 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.00 A Bite To Eat With Alice. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Wonders Of The Sun With Dara Ó Briain. (R) Dara Ó Briain learns about the Sun. 9.20 Jimmy Carr’s I Literally Just Told You. (M) Jimmy Carr hosts a comedic game show where paying attention pays off. 10.20 Great British Railway Journeys: Tilbury To Barbican. (R) Presented by Michael Portillo. 10.55 Like Water For Chocolate. (MA15+sv) 11.45 Clean Sweep. (MA15+s, R) 1.45 Pagan Peak. (Mav, R) 3.30 Designing Paradise With Bill Bensley. (PG, R) 4.00 My Unique B&B. (R) 4.35 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Match 33. Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Renegades. 10.30 Big Bash League Post-Match. Post-match coverage of the game between the Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades. 11.00 MOVIE: Miami Vice. (2006, MA15+v, R) Two detectives investigate multiple murders. Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell. 1.40 Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce. (MA15+s) Abby is ordered by her doctor to rest. 3.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. News and current affairs. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Travel Guides. (PGl, R) Ordinary Australians become travel critics. 9.00 MOVIE: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. (2008, Mv, R) Indiana Jones is reunited with a woman from his past when he searches for a mysterious crystal skull. Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett. 11.25 Sight Unseen. (Mv) A colleague of Matt’s is found dead. 12.10 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.05 Hello SA. (PG) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 2.30 Global Shop. (R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

6.00 10 News+. Comprehensive coverage of the day’s top stories, investigative reports and stories that haven’t been heard. 6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Contestants compete in a high-stakes game where they must beat The Banker to win a cash prize. 7.30 The 83rd Annual Golden Globes. (Premiere, PGals) Coverage of the 83rd Golden Globe Awards. Hosted by Nikki Glaser. 10.30 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 11.00 10 News+. (R) Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 11.30 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) Hosted by Stephen Colbert. 12.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.05pm Play School: Let The Games Begin. 3.40 Fizzy And Suds. 4.15 Andy’s Aquatic Adventures. 4.40 Vida The Vet. 5.40 Kangaroo Beach. 6.05 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Deadly 60. 8.30 TKO: Total Knock Out. 9.10 The Crystal Maze. 10.00 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Australia: The Story Of Us. 2.00 Weekender. 2.30 This Rugged Coast. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Million Dollar Minute. 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 Late Programs.

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Danger Man. 7.00 Creflo. 7.30 Thunderbirds. 8.00 TV Shop. 9.30 Newstyle Direct. 10.00 Rainbow Country. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 Tennis. Adelaide International. 6pm Tennis. Adelaide International. 11.00 The Chelsea Detective. 1am Creflo. 1.30 Harry Wild. 2.30 Mrs Sidhu Investigates. 4.30 Danger Man. 5.30 Find My Country House Canada.

10 COMEDY (52, 11) 6am Morning

Programs. Noon France 24 English News. 12.30 Rex In Rome. 3.05 Mastermind Aust. 3.35 WorldWatch. 5.30 Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams Tour. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Genius Game. 9.40 The UnXplained Mysteries. 10.30 The Handmaid’s Tale. 11.20 Question Team. 12.15am Django. 1.30 Late Programs.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 2pm

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning

Strait To The Plate. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 The 77 Percent. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Wild, Smart And Deadly. (Final) 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? 8.30 Living Black Conversations. 9.05 Sammy By Sammy: My Tale Of The 60s. 10.05 MOVIE: Purple Rain. (1984, M) Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.20pm Moving. (1993, Ma, Japanese) 2.40 Boychoir. (2014, PGav) 4.30 Finding Altamira. (2016, PGa) 6.15 Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind. (1984, PGh) 8.30 Santosh. (2024, MA15+alv, Hindi) 10.50 August: Osage County. (2013, MA15+al) 1.05am Monster’s Ball. (2001, MA15+alsv) 3.10 Late Programs.

Programs. Noon NFL. NFL Playoffs. Wild Card Round. 3.30 NFL Tailgate. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Outback Opal Hunters. 9.30 Aussie Salvage Squad. 10.30 The Mightiest. 11.30 Engineering Disasters. 12.30am Storage Wars. 1.00 Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs. Noon The Summit. 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 MOVIE: The Hangover 2. (2011, MA15+) 10.35 Seinfeld. 11.35 The 100. 12.30am The Vampire Diaries. 2.10 Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. 3.00 Late Programs.

10 DRAMA (53, 12) 6am Shopping. 8.00 Reel Action. 8.30 Everyday Gourmet. 9.00 Living Room. 10.00 JAG. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 Dog House. 2.30 JAG. 4.30 Living Room. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 8.30 FBI: Most Wanted. (Masv, R) 10.20 Matlock. 12.15am Shopping.

Programs. 11.30 Deal Or No Deal. Noon The Inspired Unemployed: The List. 1.00 Ridiculousness. 2.00 Stephen Colbert. 3.00 Becker. 3.30 Frasier. 4.00 Farm To Fork. 4.30 Frasier. 5.00 Becker. 5.30 Frasier. 6.30 Friends. 8.00 Big Bang. 10.00 Becker. 10.30 Frasier. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30am Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Late Programs.

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Tuesday, January 13 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 TBA. 11.00 Penguin King. (R) 12.00 News. 1.00 Call The Midwife. (M, R) 1.55 Restoration Aust. (PG, R) 2.55 Would I Lie To You? (PG, R) 3.25 Nigella At My Table. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs: The Streets. (PG, R) 4.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

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 Rediscover Victoria. (R) 10.30 Tennis. Kooyong Classic. Day 1. 5.00 Motor Racing. Dakar Rally. Stage 8. Highlights.

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show Summer Series. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: MatchMaker Mysteries: A Killer Engagement. (2019, PGav) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 Space Invaders. (PG, R) 1.00 Jeopardy! Australia. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG, R) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 7.30 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Ent. Tonight. 10.30 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia. (PGas, R) 11.30 My Market Kitchen. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork. 12.30 Family Feud. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 2.30 The Finish Line. 3.30 Lingo. (R) 4.30 Bold. (PG) 5.00 News.

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. 8.00 Dr Karl’s How Things Work: Pies. 8.30 Human: Into The Unknown. (PG) Looks at early Homo sapiens’s ancestors leaving Africa. 9.30 Grand Designs Transformations: Mitcham White And Fitzroy Funhouse. (PG, R) Two Melbourne couples transform their homes. 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 Australia’s Open. (Final, Ml, R) 11.45 Grand Designs: The Streets. (Ml, R) 12.30 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 1.20 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 2.25 Close To Me. (Mals, R) 4.00 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.00 A Bite To Eat With Alice. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? Patrick Brammall. (Ml, R) 8.35 Air India Crash: What Went Wrong? (Ma, R) Looks at the tragic events of Air India Flight 171. 9.30 Aerial Australia. (PGa, R) Looks at the hot, dry, extreme centre of Australia. 10.25 Great British Railway Journeys. (R) 11.00 Exit. (MA15+adls) 11.55 Dopesick. (MA15+ad, R) 2.10 The Eco Show. (R) 3.15 Designing Paradise With Bill Bensley. (R) 4.15 My Unique B&B. (R) 4.50 Destination Flavour Scandinavia Bitesize. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Match 34. Melbourne Stars v Adelaide Strikers. 10.30 Big Bash League Post-Match. Post-match coverage of the game between the Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers. 11.00 Lopez Vs. Lopez. (PGal) Rosie starts dating Quinten’s boss. 12.00 MOVIE: A Dangerous Defence. (2021, Mav, R) A lawyer investigates her father’s death. Anita Leeman Torres, Scott Christopher. 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. News and current affairs. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo: Bongo Blood Draw. (PG) 8.30 MOVIE: Cool Runnings. (1993, G, R) Jamaicans train to become bobsledders. John Candy, Doug E. Doug. 10.30 Volare: Valentino Guseli. 11.40 The Equalizer. (Mav) 12.30 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.30 Home Shopping. 2.30 Destination WA. (PG, R) 3.00 Home Shopping. 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 The Dog House Australia. (PGa, R) Narrated by Mark Coles Smith. 8.30 MOVIE: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. (2023, PGlv, R) Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames. 11.40 10’s Late News. 12.10 10 News+. (R) 12.40 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 1.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.05pm Play School: Let The Games Begin. 3.30 Wiggle And Learn. 4.15 Andy’s Aquatic Adventures. 4.40 Vida The Vet. 5.40 Kangaroo Beach. 6.05 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Deadly 60. (Final) 8.30 Ice Age. 9.15 Planet Weird. 10.05 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning Programs. Noon DW The Day. 12.30 Homicide. 2.30 Mastermind Aust. 3.30 WorldWatch. 5.30 Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams Tour. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Genius Game. 9.30 The UnXplained Mysteries. 10.20 The Handmaid’s Tale. 11.10 Hoarders. 12.40am Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Danger Man. 7.00 Creflo. 7.30 Thunderbirds. 8.00 TV Shop. 9.30 Newstyle Direct. 10.00 TV Shop. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 Tennis. Adelaide International. 6pm Tennis. Adelaide International. 11.00 Agatha Christie’s Marple. 1am Creflo. 1.30 Harry Wild. 2.30 Mrs Sidhu Investigates. 4.30 Danger Man. 5.30 Find My Country House Canada.

10 COMEDY (52, 11) 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 Million Dollar Minute. 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 Miniseries: Midnight Man. 11.45 Late Programs.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs. 1pm

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs.

Benny And The Dreamers. 2.00 Strait To The Plate. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 Indian Country Today News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms. 7.30 Big Backyard Quiz. 8.30 Unleash The Beast. 9.30 Hunting Aotearoa. 10.30 MOVIE: The Orator. (2011, PG) 12.30am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.10pm Let The River Flow. (2023, Mal, Norwegian, Saami) 2.30 My Sailor, My Love. (2022, PG) 4.25 The Crow’s Egg. (2014, PGa, Tamil) 6.10 Castle In The Sky. (1986) 8.30 Jules. (2023) 10.10 Princess Mononoke. (1997, PG, Japanese) 12.40am Castle In The Sky. (1986) 3.05 Late Programs.

Programs. 11.30 Sound FX: Best Of. Noon NFL. NFL Playoffs. Wild Card Round. 3.30 Billy The Exterminator. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Outback Truckers. 9.30 Railroad Australia. 10.30 Ice Road Truckers. 12.30am Storage Wars. 1.00 Billy The Exterminator. 3.00 Late Programs.

10 DRAMA (53, 12) 6am Shopping. 8.00 Escape Fishing. 9.00 Living Room. 10.00 JAG. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 The Dog House. 2.30 JAG. 4.30 The Living Room. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 10.20 Matlock. (PGals, R) 12.15am Home Shopping.

Noon The Summit. 1.30 Surfing Aust. 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 MOVIE: Flight Of The Navigator. (1986) 10.30 Seinfeld. 11.30 The 100. 12.20am The Vampire Diaries. 2.00 Love After Lockup. 3.30 Late Programs.

Programs. 11.30 Deal Or No Deal. Noon The Inspired Unemployed: The List. 1.00 Ridiculousness. 2.00 Stephen Colbert. 3.00 Becker. 3.30 Frasier. 4.00 Farm To Fork. 4.30 Frasier. 5.00 Becker. 5.30 Frasier. 6.30 Friends. 8.00 Big Bang. 10.00 Becker. 10.30 Frasier. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30am Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Late Programs.

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 17

Wednesday, January 14 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Australia’s Favourite Tree. (R) 11.10 All Creatures Great And Small. (R) 12.00 News. 1.00 Miniseries: The Cry. (Mal, R) 1.55 Restoration Aust. (PG, R) 2.55 Would I Lie To You? (R) 3.25 Nigella At My Table. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs: The Streets. (R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

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 Rediscover Victoria. (PG, R) 10.30 Tennis. Kooyong Classic. Day 2. 5.00 Motor Racing. Dakar Rally. Stage 9. Highlights.

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show Summer Series. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: Love, Romance And Chocolate. (2019, PGa) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 MOVIE: Learning To Love. (2023, G, R) Ina Barrón, Philip Boyd. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG, R) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 7.30 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Ent. Tonight. 10.30 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia. (PGa, R) 11.30 My Market Kitchen. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork. 12.30 Family Feud. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 2.30 The Finish Line. 3.30 Lingo. (R) 4.30 Bold. (PG) 5.00 News.

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. 8.00 Hard Quiz. (PG) Presented by Tom Gleeson. 8.30 The Weekly With Charlie Pickering. (Return, Ml) A satirical news program. 9.00 Spicks And Specks. (PG, R) Hosted by Adam Hills. 9.30 Changing Ends. (PG) Alan gets a shock regarding his future. 10.20 Classic Countdown Extras. (PG, R) 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 The Jetty. (MA15+, R) 11.50 Grand Designs: The Streets. (R) 12.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 1.25 Rage. (MA15+dhlnsv) 2.25 Close To Me. (Mals, R) 4.00 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.00 A Bite To Eat With Alice. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Michael Palin: Into Iraq. (PGa, R) Michael Palin continues his journey. 8.30 The Jury: Murder Trial UK. The jury are presented with evidence of the victim’s previous violent behaviour. 9.25 Crime. (MA15+) Lennox wrestles with the consequences of his actions. 10.25 Great British Railway Journeys: Paddington To Ongar. (PG, R) 11.00 Face To Face. (Mals) 11.50 Darkness: Those Who Kill. (Malv) 1.35 The Eco Show. (R) 2.35 Designing Paradise With Bill Bensley. (PG, R) 4.05 My Unique B&B. (R) 4.40 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Match 35. Hobart Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat. 10.30 Big Bash League PostMatch. Post-match coverage of the game between the Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat. 11.00 Air Crash Investigations: Power Play. (PGa, R) Documents the 2011 crash of PNG Flight 1600 in Papua New Guinea’s remote Madang Province. 12.00 Wolfe. (Premiere, MA15+anv) A body is found at a meat processing plant. 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. News and current affairs. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Tennis. 1 Point Slam. From Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. 10.00 American Crime Story. (Madlsv) Johnnie Cochran and F. Lee Bailey search for the Mark Fuhrman tapes and Judge Ito decides if they are admissible. 12.15 Tipping Point. (PG, R) Hosted by Ben Shephard. 1.05 Fishing Australia. (R) Rob Paxevanos visits Merimbula. 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 2.30 Global Shop. (R) Home shopping. 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 Gogglebox Australia. (PGals, R) TV fanatics open up their living rooms to reveal their reactions to popular and topical TV shows. 9.00 Elsbeth. (Mas, R) While investigating the death of a wealthy real estate developer, Elsbeth is led to the last person to see him alive. 10.00 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 10.30 10 News+. (R) Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 11.00 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) Hosted by Stephen Colbert. 12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.40pm Fizzy And Suds. 4.15 Andy’s Aquatic Adventures. 4.40 Vida The Vet. 5.40 Kangaroo Beach. 6.05 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Deadly 60. 8.50 Adv Time. 9.35 We Bare Bears. 9.50 Shaun Tan’s Tales From Outer Suburbia. 10.10 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Danger Man. 7.00

Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 Weekender. 2.30 The Master. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Million Dollar Minute. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Heartbeat. 8.45 Inspector George Gently. 10.45 Young Elizabeth. 11.45 Bargain Hunt. 12.45am Late Programs.

Creflo. 7.30 Thunderbirds. 8.00 TV Shop. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 Tennis. Adelaide International. 6.00 Tennis. Adelaide International. Night 3. 11.00 Midsomer Murders. (Mav, R) 1am Creflo Dollar Ministries. 1.30 Harry Wild. 2.30 Mrs Sidhu Investigates. 4.30 Danger Man. 5.30 Find My Country House Canada.

10 COMEDY (52, 11) 6am Morning

Programs. Noon DW The Day. 12.40 Stone Cold Takes On America. 1.30 If You Are The One. 3.30 WorldWatch. 5.30 Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams Tour. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Genius Game. 9.40 The UnXplained Mysteries. 10.30 The Handmaid’s Tale. 11.30 Late Programs.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning

1.30pm Off Country. 2.00 Strait To The Plate. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms. 7.30 Our Medicine. 8.40 Earth Oven. (Premiere) 9.25 MOVIE: Poetic Justice. (1993, MA15+) 11.20 Always Was Always Will Be. Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm The Exchange. (2021, Mals) 2.15 Finding Altamira. (2016, PGa) 4.00 Discovering Film. 4.55 The Secret Garden. (2020, PGa) 6.45 Mary And Max. (2009, PG) 8.30 Reality. (2023, Ma) 10.05 Haywire. (2011, Mlv) 11.50 Lamb. (2021, MA15+v, Icelandic) 1.50am Jules. (2023) 3.25 Late Programs.

Programs. 12.30pm Pawn Stars. 1.00 Outback Truckers. 3.00 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. 10.30 World’s Wildest Police Videos. 11.30 Live PD Presents: PD Cam. Midnight Late Programs.

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs. 2pm 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 MOVIE: Doctor Dolittle. (1998, PG) 10.15 Seinfeld. 11.15 The 100. 12.10am The Vampire Diaries. 2.00 Love After Lockup. 3.30 I Love VIP Pets. 4.00 Late Programs.

Winnie thePooh Classic

Programs. 11.30 Deal Or No Deal. Noon The Inspired Unemployed: The List. 1.00 Ridiculousness. 2.00 Stephen Colbert. 3.00 Becker. 3.30 Frasier. 4.00 Farm To Fork. 4.30 Frasier. 5.00 Becker. 5.30 Frasier. 6.30 Friends. 8.00 Big Bang. 10.00 Becker. 10.30 Frasier. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30am Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Late Programs.

10 DRAMA (53, 12) 6am Shopping. 8.00 Reel Action. 9.00 Living Room. 10.00 JAG. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 The Dog House. 2.30 JAG. 4.30 The Living Room. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 10.20 Matlock. (PGadl, R) 12.15am Home Shopping.

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Thursday, January 15 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 10.30 The Weekly. (Ml, R) 11.00 Changing Ends. (PG, R) 12.00 News. 1.00 Miss Austen. (R) 2.00 Restoration Aust. (PG, R) 2.55 Would I Lie To You? (PG, R) 3.25 Nigella At My Table. (R) 3.55 Grand Designs: The Streets. (R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

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 Rediscover Victoria. (R) 10.30 Tennis. Kooyong Classic. Day 3. 5.00 Motor Racing. Dakar Rally. Stage 10. Highlights.

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show Summer Series. (PG) 12.00 MOVIE: Sweet As Maple Syrup. (2022, PGa) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra Summer. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 MOVIE: Love’s Fast Lane. (2023, PGa, R) Grace Patterson, Tom Gipson. 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG, R) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 7.30 Farm To Fork. (R) 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Ent. Tonight. 10.30 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia. (R) 11.30 My Market Kitchen. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork. 12.30 Family Feud. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 2.30 The Finish Line. 3.30 Lingo. (R) 4.30 Bold. (PG) 5.00 News.

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. 8.00 Grand Designs Transformations: Teneriffe Tree House and Dubbo Garden. Two houses are transformed. 9.00 Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job. (PG) Amanda Holden and Alan Carr design the kitchen. 9.30 Goolagong. (M, R) Evonne Goolagong Cawley is driven away from tennis. 10.40 ABC Late News. 10.55 Grand Designs: The Streets. (R) 11.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 12.30 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 2.25 Close To Me. (Madl, R) 4.00 Gardening Australia. (R) 5.00 A Bite To Eat With Alice. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Toronto Airport Uncovered. At Toronto Airport, problems unfold behind the scenes. 8.25 Robson Green: World’s Most Amazing Walks. Robson Green explores Austria’s Wachau Valley. 9.20 In Flight. Jo’s forced to hide heroin at the airport. 10.15 Great British Railway Journeys. (PGa, R) 10.50 Before We Die. (Mlv, R) 11.45 Outlander. (MA15+av, R) 2.05 The Eco Show. (R) 3.00 Designing Paradise With Bill Bensley. (R) 3.55 My Unique B&B. (R) 4.30 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Cricket. Big Bash League. Match 36. Melbourne Renegades v Perth Scorchers. 10.30 Seven’s Cricket: The Spin. An expert panel examines all the big news and issues with a deep dive into the world of cricket. 11.15 Boyzone: Life, Death And Boybands: When The Going Gets Tough. (Mal, R) Fame brings tabloids, pressure and strain. 12.15 MOVIE: A Criminal Affair. (2021, Mav, R) Two students fall for a research subject. Savvy Shay. 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 NBC Today. 5.00 Sunrise Early News. 5.30 Sunrise.

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Tennis. Australian Open. Exhibition match. Carlos Alcaraz v Alex De Minaur. 10.00 A+E After Dark. (Mlm, R) Police bring in an abusive male. 11.00 Chicago Med. (Ma) The hospital is thrown into a crisis. 12.00 First On Scene. (Mav, R) 12.30 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 2.30 Global Shop. (R) 3.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 4.30 A Current Affair. (R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

6.00 10 News+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.30 Attenborough’s Parenthood. (PGa) Looks at how every habitat has challenges. 8.30 The Graham Norton Show. (PGs) Graham Norton is joined by Keira Knightley, Malala Yousafzai, Aimee Lou Wood and Chris McCausland. 9.40 Law & Order: SVU. (Msv, R) The team investigates an attack on law students. 10.40 10’s Late News. 11.10 10 News+. (R) 11.40 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (PG) 12.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.40pm Fizzy And Suds. 4.15 Andy’s Aquatic Adventures. 4.40 Vida The Vet. 5.40 Kangaroo Beach. 6.05 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 6.25 Paddington. 6.45 Ben And Holly. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Deadly 60. 8.30 Secrets Of The Zoo. 9.10 Secret Life Of The Tasmanian Devils. 10.00 Late Programs.

SBS VICELAND (31) 6am Morning Programs. Noon DW The Day. 12.40 Mastermind Aust. 1.40 Devoured. 2.30 Insight. 3.30 WorldWatch. 5.30 Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams Tour. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Genius Game. 9.30 The UnXplained Mysteries. 10.20 The Handmaid’s Tale. 11.25 Homicide. 1.05am Late Programs.

7TWO (62, 72) 6am Morning

9GEM (81, 92) 6am Danger Man. 7.00 Creflo. 7.30 Thunderbirds. 8.00 TV Shop. 10.30 Pointless. 11.30 Tennis. Adelaide International. 6.00 Tennis. Adelaide International. Night 4. 11.00 Poirot. (PGdv, R) 1am Creflo. 1.30 Major Crimes. 2.30 Mrs Sidhu Investigates. 4.30 Danger Man. 5.30 Find My Country House Canada.

10 COMEDY (52, 11) 6am Morning

Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 Home In WA. 2.30 Young Elizabeth. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Million Dollar Minute. 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.

NITV (34) 6am Morning Programs.

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73) 6am Morning

9GO! (82, 93) 6am Morning Programs.

12.10pm Earth Oven. 1.00 The Coolbaroo Club. 2.00 Strait To The Plate. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Harlem Globetrotters. 5.30 Going Places. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms. 7.30 Going Places. 8.30 Reservation Dogs. 9.50 MOVIE: Action Jackson. (1988, M) 11.30 Who We Are: Brave New Clan. 12.25am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.35 Under The Stars Of Paris. (2020, Mal, French) 1.15pm The Crow’s Egg. (2014, PGa, Tamil) 2.55 The Great Dictator. (1940, PG) 5.10 Vai. (2019, PG) 6.50 BMX Bandits. (1983, PGalv) 8.30 Moving On. (2022, Malsv) 10.05 5 To 7. (2014, Mals) 11.55 Death Proof. (2007, MA15+lv) 2am Late Programs.

Programs. 1.30pm Highway Patrol. 2.30 The Force: BTL. 3.30 Full Custom Garage. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 American Pickers. 8.30 MOVIE: The Last Of The Mohicans. (1992, M) 10.55 MOVIE: Resident Evil: Extinction. (2007, MA15+) 12.55am Late Programs.

11.15 The Summit. 2pm Golden Girls. 2.30 Nanny. 3.30 Seinfeld. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.00 Bewitched. 6.00 Golden Girls. 6.30 Nanny. 7.30 Seinfeld. 8.30 MOVIE: Doctor Dolittle 2. (2001, PG) 10.15 Seinfeld. 11.15 The 100. 12.10am The Vampire Diaries. 2.00 Love After Lockup. 3.30 I Love VIP Pets. 4.00 Late Programs.

10 DRAMA (53, 12) 6am Shopping. 8.00 Reel Action. 9.00 Living Room. 10.00 JAG. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 The Dog Academy. 2.30 JAG. 4.30 The Living Room. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 NCIS. (M, R) 10.20 Matlock. (PGa, R) 12.15am Home Shopping.

18 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

Programs. 11.30 Deal Or No Deal. Noon The Inspired Unemployed: The List. 1.00 Ridiculousness. 2.00 Stephen Colbert. 3.00 Becker. 3.30 Frasier. 4.00 Farm To Fork. 4.30 Frasier. 5.00 Becker. 5.30 Frasier. 6.30 Friends. 8.00 Big Bang. 9.30 Becker. 10.00 Frasier. 11.00 Ridiculousness. Midnight Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Late Programs.

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From Cornwall with love By Tania Phillips Cornwall is considered one of the most remote and yet beautiful counties in England. And the county’s North Coast with its dramatic cliffscapes, craggy coves, boundless white-tipped breakers and kilometres and kilometres of golden sands is a jewel in the crown, a hikers paradise – beloved by it’s local residents including local fisherman Jeremy Brown, who is more than happy to extoll it’s beauty, heritage and culture. Part of a five-generation fishing family Jeremy lives in Port Isaac – a quintessential Cornish Fishing village – known for its narrow, winding streets lined with charming, whitewashed cottages that overlook a picturesque harbour – locally referred to as the Platt. It has gained fame as the fictional village of Port Wenn in the BBC series Doc Martin with many a visitor searching the historic village for the “Grumpy Doc’s” landmarks according to the seasoned fisherman and part-time singer. However, Jeremy and his fellow members of Fisherman’s Friends – a group of local men who have been taking sea shanty’s to the world through their two successful movies, musicals and their forthcoming first Australian tour – are slowly changing that. Bringing the tourism focus back on the beautiful landscape and vibrant living culture. Fishing heritage dates back to the early fourteenth century in Port Isaac. It’s a village that has always been deeply connected to the sea, with fishing continuing to play a significant role in the lives of its residents. The village’s name comes from the Cornish Porthysek, meaning ’corn port’, a nod to its historic role in the grain trade. “People actually do turn up now and look for someone from the Fisherman’s Friends and not just the grumpy old Doc,” Jeremy laughed. “It’s been a goal of mine in a way – to have some people come to Port Isaac to see the home of Fisherman’s Friends. People have always come to Port Isaac it’s such a pretty place – but then we got a certain amount of the Tourism which was just people looking for the Doc’s House and what have you. “Even though we’ve got members in from other Ports now – Padstow and Boscastle – it is the home of the Fisherman’s Friends and people do make a beeline for it but of course the village sells itself - it’s so pretty.” And on Wednesday nights Jeremy, an

Down on the Platt at Port Isaac where Fisherman’s Friends first performed. If it looks familiar its probably because it’s better-known to a lot of the world as Port Wenn thanks to the TV Show Doc Martin.

original member of the group, formed to raise a bit of money for charity back in the 90s, can often be found in the pub singing sea shanties with the rest of the community. The band on stage on those nights is The Yarnigoats who do a lot of the Fisherman’s Friends repertoire as well as their own music. Local gigs are few and far between for the Friends these days. “Very occasionally about three times this year – on our group WhatsApp chat – we just say is anyone free on Friday and we just do an impromptu gig,” he said. “But we can’t advertise it these days because it causes chaos down there. If we advertise it we get 2000 people turn up – paramedics, police and marshals have to come because there’s no parking in the village – it’s all out of the village. “The old sea shanties are obviously from the days of sail so we’re going back hundreds of years. “But for some reason they’ve got some sort of resonance with people. When we first started singing we had no ambition other than to raise a few pounds for charity. We started singing in the open air at Port Isaac – it’s a bit of an amphitheatre and it sort of lends itself to it.” The beauty and setting of the village evokes the past and the fishing culture. “Everything rolls downhill to the harbour,” Jeremy says. “It’s a very small harbour and it’s straight into the open ocean from there. You’ve got the North Atlantic right out there and the

No need to make rustic backdrops for photos, movies or TV shows in Port Isaac in the breathtaking county of Cornwall in the UK.

gales literally come right on through and they sweep up the streets and we have to move all the boats.” He said visitors invariably always find themselves at the bottom of the village at The Platt – a concreted area where the fishermen (like Jeremy’s son who is one of just a few professional fishermen left in the town) keep their dingy. The Platt is also where Fisherman’s Friends got their start and still pop up from time to time. “You can get a beer and just sit on the Platt or you can go up to our local pub where some of the filming in our films took place and enjoy the atmosphere and have a sing.” Jeremy believes the best thing that has come out of the adventure of Fisherman’s Friends is the revival of pub singing – of singing just for the joy of it at your local

Fisherman’s Friends original member Jeremy Brown is part of a long-standing fishing family in the Port Isaac District. He’s also a staunch supporter of his home village and keeping the fishing culture alive and vibrant. (Supplied)

and of keeping that part of Cornish Culture alive. Of course, the band’s trip to Australia is another bonus – and it helps that it’s in the English winter when work is not so busy. “Singing has not really taken us around the world because we’ve all still got our regular jobs,” he said. The group’s first Australian tour starts in Adelaide on 7 January and closes out in Perth on 25 January and takes in all States and the ACT. Tickets on sale head to the fishermans-friends website for more information.

Dedicated travel content delivered to an untapped audience weekly. To advertise in our Travel Today section, please contact the Geelong Independent office on 5249 6707.

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Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 19

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Terms and Conditions apply, for full details please visit imaginecruising.com.au. All prices shown in AUS Dollars. Prices are per person based on two adults sharing and include flights from Melbourne (regional flights available at a supplement). Credit cards charged at 1%, if paying by AMEX a charge of 2.5% will be added. ABN number 48614987718. Prices are correct at the time of print and are subject to change. Offer applies to new bookings only. Named hotels are based on availability and are subject to change without notice. Alternative hotels will always be of equal or higher star rating.

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20 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

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Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 21

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Dan Buckle with daughters Lucinda and Jasmine. 526485_02

Lenny, Moses, Remi, Maxi and Stevie. 526485_01

Harvey Driscoll gets sun smart with Molly Dehne. 526485_06

Holidays at the beach January on the Bellarine means beach time and Independent photographer IVAN KEMP went to Ocean Grove main beach on Tuesday 6 January to see who was out and about.

Lilah and Eloise play in the sand. 526485_03 Kara Broadbent and Chris Kennedy with baby Joey. 526485_11

Scarlett and her sibling. 526485_05

Sam Walker and Ana Yule relax. 526485_10 Ella Mayas and Georgie Byrne soak up the sun. 526485_09

Philippa Murray and Byron Foord keeping an eye on the surf. 526485_07

22 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

Murphy, Lucas, Eva and River. 526485_08

Gabby and Nathan Blair with Jack Coburn. 526485_12

GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

NEWS

Busy night for paramedics Geelong and the Barwon region recorded a 300 per cent increase for ambulance services between midnight and 2am on New Year’s Day. Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics worked through one of the busiest New Year’s Eve periods in recent years, responding to the sharp increase in emergency demand. In metropolitan Melbourne, caseload between midnight and 2am was 150 per cent higher than previous years, with Geelong and the Barwon region recording a 300 per cent higher caseload in the hours after midnight. AV said it was well resourced across the night, with additional paramedics rostered

on across metropolitan Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and key regional centres to support planned New Year’s Eve events and manage increased demand. Ambulance Victoria chief executive officer Jordan Emery said paramedics responded to a wide range of serious and complex incidents overnight. “Our paramedics treated a number of high acuity cases, including stabbings, serious assaults and fireworks related injuries, alongside the usual mix of medical emergencies, alcohol related illness, trips and falls,” he said. “This was a much busier night than previous years, and our teams worked exceptionally hard under sustained

pressure to ensure patients received timely and appropriate care.” Several serious incidents required urgent ambulance response across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, and a number of fireworks related injuries that resulted in significant trauma. Mr Emery also praised the role of event first aid providers, who treated more than 120 patients in the Melbourne CBD alone. “The support from first aid providers was outstanding and made a real difference,” he said. “By managing a large number of lower acuity patients on site, they allowed our paramedics to focus on the most serious and time critical emergencies.”

Despite the increased workload, early evening crowds were generally well behaved, with demand escalating later in the night as celebrations continued. “I want to thank our paramedics, first responders, Communications Centre staff and our command teams for their professionalism and teamwork during a very demanding shift,” Mr Emery said. “As we head into the rest of the summer period, we’re reminding people to celebrate responsibly, look after one another, and take care with alcohol, fireworks and risky behaviour.”

New wheelchairs spread beach joy this summer Portarlington’s main beach is now easier than ever to enjoy for everyone, as the popular swimming destination continues to become more inclusive and accessible. People with disability or reduced mobility now have access to two new beach wheelchairs through a free online booking service or at the beach’s new Changing Places facility. The wheelchairs, launched this week by coastal land management organisation Bellarine Bayside, move easily over different terrain types including soft sand, soil and grass, with wide tyres to absorb shock and provide a comfortable ride over uneven surfaces. The Sandpaper All Terrain chair can navigate sand and the water’s edge, while the Mobi-Chair is able to float in

Bellarine Bayside’s Scott Crabtree and Bellarine MP Alison Marchant with Portarlington beach’s new wheelchairs. (Supplied)

waist-high water. Jointly funded by Bellarine Bayside and the Victorian government’s Coastal Public Access and Risk grants program, the wheelchairs are part of the Portarlington Inclusive Beach project.

The project has already delivered the Changing Places facility and will also see the beach’s car parks, paths and infrastructure redesigned. Bellarine Bayside chief executive Scott Crabtree said he was thrilled to launch

the new beach wheelchairs. “Community feedback has played a vital role in this project; we’ve had many enquiries over the years about accessible facilities, and these investments will break down barriers so more people can enjoy the beach,” he said. “Bellarine Bayside is committed to creating inclusive spaces along our coast, and I’m excited about the further upgrades planned for 2026.” Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant said the Inclusive Beach project’s outcomes were “meaningful steps towards creating inclusive communities on the Bellarine Peninsula”. Visit conversations.bellarinebayside. com.au to book a wheelchair and learn more.

FROM THE ARCHIVES Geelong Independent looks back through the pages of our predecessors

16 years ago

11 years ago

6 years ago

2 years ago

8 January, 2010

9 January, 2015

10 January, 2020

12 January, 2024

After years of mosquito hell on the Bellarine Peninsula residents and visitors have finally found relief this summer. Barwon Coast Committee of Management’s Bob Jordan, who manages two caravan parks in mosquito prone wetlands at Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, said tourists were enjoying relief since the mosquito management program was intensified.

A Geelong tax agent lived the highlife at Crown Casino by drawing funds from trusting clients to feed a massive gambling addiction, the Geelong Magistrates Court heard yesterday (8 January). Looking ashen faced, after a night in custody, Kaylene Maree Hussen glanced over a Perspex screen toward family members as the court heard that she could have stolen up to $700,000 from clients, many of them elderly.

Geelong’s central suburbs are home to some of the region’s most prolific online shoppers, new data reveals. The 3220 area, which takes in parts of Newtown and South Geelong, has become Greater Geelong’s fastest growing online shopping hotspot, according to latest Australia Post figures.

The southern hemisphere’s largest tennis academy is set to be built 25km southwest of Geelong. This world-first partnership will see CORA effectively replicate French tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s flagship facility in Nice on the French Riviera.

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 23

MOTOR

Polestar is a sporty drive By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring RATINGS

Gosh it seems like a long time since the Australian launch of the Polestar 2 EV. It was fresh, it was entirely new and it was late November, 2021 – although the car had actually been in production since early 2020. In fact, the production version was officially unveiled in February, 2019 and made its first public appearance at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show that month. Yes, it’s been updated since then, but that’s still an awfully long time in the electric vehicle universe which is evolving and expanding at an exponentially rapid rate. Polestar by the way is an offshoot of Volvo, now owned by the Chinese conglomerate Geely and the cars, or ours at least, are manufactured in China. It also has a factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina, presumably to keep Mr Trump happy, but it must be more costly to make vehicles there. So, does the Polestar 2 still cut it?

Looks: 7 Performance: 8 Safety: 8 Thirst: 7.5 Practicality: 7.5 Comfort: 7 Tech: 8 Value: 8 Overall: 7.6

STYLING A facelifted Polestar 2 was revealed in January, 2023 when rear-wheel drive was adopted as the default. The entry grade was previously front-drive. The single motor model was also upgraded to produce 223kW of power and 489Nm of torque, resulting in a faster 0-100km/h time of 6.2 seconds. Dual-motor models received a boost to 314kW and 740Nm, with 0-100km/h reduced to just 4.5 seconds. At this time the long-range battery was also upgraded to a capacity of 82kWh. Since then, however, power outputs have been adjusted to produce a clear, linear progression through the range, starting at 200kW and topping out at 350kW. The upgrade saw the original mesh grille replaced by a blanked-out version, with an array of sensors and a camera in the centre. The single motor, standard range is $55,509 driveaway, the long-range single motor version is $74,619 and the long range, dual motor, all-wheel drive is $81,444. Metallic paint is standard and all models start with the same basic range of equipment. You can crank the vibe up a notch or two with the addition of various option packs. Our test vehicle this time around was the Polestar 2 long range single motor version, with a recommended retail price of $66,400 before on-roads and claimed range of 659km – that’s better than some conventional cars. Standard kit includes embossed, textured textile trim and two-zone filtered air with vents for the rear seats. Driver and front passenger seats are heated and partly power adjustable, with four-way power lumbar adjustment for the driver. The angle of the seatback must be adjusted manually. The car rides on 19-inch alloys with wheel covers and has touch-operated locking with puddle lights, LED headlights with active beam, adaptive rear LED lights, retractable frameless mirrors, auto lights and wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, front and rear park sensors and a foot-operated tailgate. Additional features can be added with the addition of accessory packs: Climate Pack ($1500), Pro ($1900), Plus ($4700) or Performance ($8990). Pilot Pack which was $3400 is now standard, which means Blind Spot is now standard, begging the question: why is it still listed at all? Among other things the Climate Pack adds an energy saving heat pump. Pro adds 20-inch graphite wheels, gold valve caps and black seat belts with a Swedish gold stripe. Plus brings a raft of features for the price including a full-length glass roof, Harman Kardon sound and a power-operated tailgate. The Performance Pack is available only with Long Range Dual Motor that has been

Polestar 2 remains a favourite but it has lost the instant appeal. (Supplied)

fitted with the Plus Pack, and not relevant to our review. Buying a Polestar is a bit different. The whole process takes place online from ordering to payment. What about a test drive, I hear you ask? You can book that here, either at a designated ‘space’ in each capital city or location requested by you. Polestar offers a five-year five warranty, along with five years complimentary servicing and roadside assistance. The battery is covered by an eightyear/160,000km warranty. Generally, Polestar 2 doesn’t need to be serviced for up to two years or 30,000km.

INFOTAINMENT Polestar 2 is the first car to come with a built-in Google operating system. Infotainment is controlled from an 11.2-inch portrait-style touchscreen, now looking somewhat small in comparison to competitors. High Performance Audio delivers 250 watts through eight speakers, including a bass-boosting air woofer mounted under the bonnet. The OS includes Google Assistant, Google Maps, with charging options and Google Play Store, which offers optimised in-car apps for seamless integration (with Gemini coming). There’s also Bluetooth, wi-fi hotspot, FM and DAB+ digital radio, but no AM band – so no emergency broadcasts in tunnels. Android Auto is supported as is Apple CarPlay, but neither is wireless. The system is connected to the net via 4G and receives over-the-air updates like a phone. It will even make an automatic emergency call in the event of an accident (or if the car has been stolen). Connected Services are complimentary for 12 months but after that you will have to pay to continue using them. There are two USB Type-C ports in front and two more in the rear of the car, with a 12-volt socket for the luggage area. You can use the ports to charge your compatible devices, but they do not offer a data connection.

SAFETY Polestar 2 gets a full five-star crash rating from ANCAP, with a rear-view camera and eight airbags including a centre airbag. There’s also autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User and Junction Assist) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency

24 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS). Surprisingly, there’s no head-up display for the windscreen.

ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS With a 82 kWh Lithium-ion battery, 79 kWh of which is useable, the electric powertrain in this particular model produces 220kW of power and 490Nm of torque, with drive to the rear wheels through a single reduction gear transmission.

DRIVING Polestar 2 is described as a fastback, but liftback is closer to the mark. It’s just over 4.6 metres in length, just under 2.0 metres wide with mirrors and has a 2735mm wheelbase. The sloping tailgate lifts to reveal a long but shallow luggage area, with another hidden area underneath and 407 litres of luggage space. A small front boot or ‘froot’ is hidden under the bonnet, with a capacity of 43 litres and is handy for storing cables. There’s no exterior release for the boot which is somewhat annoying as you fumble for the key fob. You won’t find a spare tyre either with a puncture repair kit provided in the event of a flat. The 2 was designed by Thomas Ingenlath alongside the Volvo XC40 with which it shares a platform. The decision to incorporate a radiator grille was a good one because it gave the car a classy look. The removal of the grille with the latest update, replacing it with a solid panel was a retrograde step in our opinion. Inside, the fit out is Swedish and minimalist, with grey wood veneer trim and a cabin that has a light airy ambience. So far so good, but coming from an SUV, the cockpit feels a bit cramped and lacks storage space, with only a small console box. Much of the available space is given over to the wireless phone charger, which tended to heat up our phones. Two cupholders are provided, but they are end to end. One is covered by the sliding lid of the console box, and not very practical – back seat passengers get the standard two. I’m 183cm and my feet kept getting tangled with the foot pedals getting in and out of the car. Rear legroom is not as generous as you might expect. Air outlets are provided but the rear

windows only partially wind down. The dash from 0-100km/h takes 6.2 seconds which is pretty quick. Energy consumption is claimed at 15.8 kWh/100km and the long-range single motor test vehicle has a claimed range of 659km (WLTP). That’s commensurate with a conventional ICE vehicle, but of course it takes much longer to fill up. The test vehicle displayed an initial range of 520km while a full overnight recharge upped this to 530km, still 130km short of its supposed range? We were getting 14.9 kWh/100km after 550km of driving. It took us a while to find the trip metre. Charging takes as little as 28 minutes using a public, high-powered DC fast charger or eight hours with a home Wallbox – that is if you have three-phase power. We’ve yet to find a charger that can deliver this kind of speed, even with a bank of Tesla Superchargers just down the road. The car is supplied with a ‘granny’ or home charge cable, but this can take up to 41 hours for a full charge from a 10A household power point. Most manufacturers are no longer supplying additional cables as charging stations provide their own (just like a petrol station). It’s easy to become fixated on range, but it is not really an issue with an EV such as the long range, single motor model, provided you have ready access to a charger when required. Like Volvos there’s no key or start button. Just hop in, put your foot on the brake, put it into drive and off you go. Acceleration is quick, but not lightning quick. It’s fast enough however to make you think you’re behind the wheel of something special. Helping to keep the battery topped up is regenerative braking, which reclaims power when the car is travelling downhill. You can choose between two levels of regenerative braking or adopt one-pedal mode where there’s no need to apply the brakes. Just lifting off the accelerator brings the car to a stop. It takes some practice, but may not be to everyone’s liking. The car weighs over two tonnes, but has a low centre of gravity which helps it sit flat in corners. The weight also impacts the suspension, taking a little longer to respond to bumps. The ride is sporty. Think Euro firm, but we didn’t find it jarring on our test circuit through the backlots. But all-in-all the handling is surefooted and it does not become unsettled by unexpected bumps mid-corner like some cars. Of note be sure you shut the doors properly as the car failed to lock with a door slightly ajar (and did not supply a warning). We had a running battle with the Google operating system. We could connect to Android Auto only with the original cable that came with our Google Pixel and both our phones (Pixels) failed repeatedly to reconnect on re-entry. Google Maps is the default for navigation, but we prefer the more user-friendly Waze which also supports speed camera warnings. Navigating with Android Auto saw the car totally lose the plot in one of Sydney’s many tunnels. It’s okay when it works.

SUMMING UP Polestar 2 remains a favourite, but it has lost the instant appeal that it once had. It continues however to offer a tight, sporty drive, or very sporty in the case of the dual motor, all-wheel drive version with the works. At the same time, it’s difficult to believe that the first car to get the complete Google operating system does not support wireless CarPlay or Android Auto, and that it is very picky about the cable you use – that brings back memories.

PUZZLES SUDOKU

No. 271

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.

ACROSS

easy

8 2 3 1 4 5 8 2 3 6 4 2 9 4 9

9 1 5 6 1 2 3 2 8 6

7 9

DECODER 18 3

20

22

21

10

17

13

10

13

15

10

14

26

X

23

22

3

23

18 15

25

4

18

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17 21

25

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S 23

22

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9

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5 24

25

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8

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2 12

4

5

6

7

8

9

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11

12

13

T

Today’s Aim: 14 words: Good 21 words: Very good

9 4 5 7 8 2 6 3 1 7 3 6 1 4 9 5 8 2 1 8 2 5 3 6 4 9 7 6 9 4 3 5 1 7 2 8 8 5 7 2 9 4 3 1 6 2 1 3 6 7 8 9 4 5 4 7 8 9 1 5 2 6 3 5 6 1 4 2 3 8 7 9 3 2 9 8 6 7 1 5 4

2 1 5 3 4 9 6 8 7 3 7 4 8 2 6 1 5 9 6 9 8 5 7 1 4 2 3 5 2 7 4 3 8 9 1 6 8 3 9 1 6 2 5 7 4 4 6 1 9 5 7 2 3 8 1 8 3 2 9 4 7 6 5 7 4 2 6 8 5 3 9 1 9 5 6 7 1 3 8 4 2

Y

I O

E E T

S

P

3 LETTERS ADD ADO ADS AID BOW EEL EGO FED GEE IDS ILL IOU IRE LIE MAR NIP NOR OFF OKS ORE PEN TEE WHO YOU

No. 271

A C C O R D

5 LETTERS ABATE ABODE ALIGN ALIVE AMISS AWARE BEARS BERET CANAL CRATE DEALT DYING EAGER EATEN EDGES EERIE ELUDE EVERY EXUDE FLORA HOSTS

4 LETTERS EARL EBBS FLEE GULP KEEL LILY MEET MIEN POPE SASH SLAM TALL TRAY USES

INANE KNOTS LADLE LAPEL LEERY LOVES NOTED PIXIE RISER SATIN SCANT SEDAN SHREW SLAIN SLEPT SLEWS SOLED SPEAK STAFF START STEAM STUDY

SWING TEASE TENET TENOR TILDE TOILS ULTRA

7 LETTERS ANTENNA APOSTLE GOATEES LEOTARD REALISE SNUFFER

6 LETTERS ACCORD ASSURE FRONTS ORIENT

8 LETTERS CELLISTS HANGOVER HYSTERIA TABLOIDS

09-01-26

No. 378

QUICK QUIZ

1

Who was the first wife of Roman emperor Nero?

4

The smoky spirit mezcal is derived from which plant?

2

Which band had hits with the songs Dreams (1993), Linger (1993) and Ode to My Family (1994)?

7

Dorothea Brooke is the heroine of which 19th century English novel?

8

3

Comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble co-host which podcast?

True or false: the shoe company Dr. Martens was founded by a British doctor?

9

6

What long-distance hiking trail spans 4,265 kilometres from Canada to Mexico?

How many US states begin with the letter ‘n’?

Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down. NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

F R A N K R O B I N A T O N E N O V E L C R E S T

K

H

I

WORDFIT

chip, chips, chit, city, hips, hiss, hits, itch, itchy, physic, PHYSICIST, physics, pitch, pith, pithy, pits, pity, schist, ship, ships, sips, sits, spicy, spit, spits, this, tips, tipsy, yips

4 7 2 5 8 1 6 9 3 8 3 6 7 9 2 4 5 1 5 9 1 6 4 3 8 7 2 9 1 3 8 5 4 7 2 6 6 8 4 9 2 7 3 1 5 2 5 7 3 1 6 9 8 4 1 2 8 4 6 9 5 3 7 7 4 9 2 3 5 1 6 8 3 6 5 1 7 8 2 4 9

A

I

C S

Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

E

S

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of 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”.

29 words: Excellent

hard

O

25

10 11 12 13

3

medium

A

S

23

2

easy

O

15

9-LETTER WORD

8

F

S

1

19

1 6 5

25

5

J W M V T Y Z K P O Q D U

7

S

2

16

S

6

13

19 22

25

14

13

22

10

S

11

25

S

7

15 20

S

23

25

S

17

S

25

22

19

S

2

17

19 25

14

16

23

18

12

S X

4

C

25

X

24

17

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

8 4 6

5x5

17

18

7

1

17

9

2 1

6

12 26

R C G I B L A F N E H S X

9

4

25

1

10

19

20

13

1

18

12

23

S

5

15

4 3 8

20

5

20

24

16

6

23

3 18

hard

6 9

S

18

19

5

9 25

No. 303

5

The 2006 film She’s the Man, starring Amanda Bynes (pictured), is a modernday retelling of which of Shakespeare’s comedies?

10 What was the name of artist Frida Kahlo’s spouse? ANSWERS: 1. Claudia Octavia 2. The Cranberries 3. Off Menu 4. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) 5. Twelfth Night 6. Agave 7. Middlemarch 8. False; he was a German doctor 9. Eight 10. Diego Rivera

6 8 6 1 5 7 4 5 4 9 3 1 2 7 1 7 8 3 9 4 2 6 5 6 1 3 4

S P E A K S C A N T A B A T E T I L D E T E N O R S O L E D U L T R A S W I N G E X U D E L A D L E Y O U G E E A I D M E E T D Y I N G F R O N T S O K S S N U F F E R S L A I N T A L L E A R L T A B L O I D S P O P E L I E A P O S T L E R E A L I S E S L A M H A N G O V E R F E D F L E E L I L Y E V E R Y G O A T E E S I R E A C C O R D N O T E D S A S H I O U T E A S E W H O M A R I N A N E S T A R T B E A R S S A T I N E E R I E B E R E T S L E P T S E D A N S L E W S

3 4

8 5

17 18 19 21 22 23 26

5

medium

1

Inhabitant (8) Abstinence (8) Childish (7) Pressurised dispenser (7) Light rainfall (6) Holiday spot (6) Fringe (4) Tableland (7) Meeting for an exchange of ideas (7) Sheath (8) Sing to (8) Unaffected (7) Settle (7) Help (6) Slip-on shoe (6) Ballot choice (4)

1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 16

15

6

DOWN

Formula (6) Large rope (6) Climb (5) Light-headed (9) Disadvantage, disservice (9) Impugn (5) A spice (6) Plummet (4) Require (4) Source of wisdom (6) Schnoz (5) Incapable of being seen (9) Provider of information (9) Tropical climbing plant (5) Slave (6) Interfere (6)

1 4 10 11 12 13 14 15 19 20 24 25 27 28 29 30

No. 271

14

7 3

QUICK CROSSWORD

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 25

COMMUNITY

GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

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.

Austrian Club Geelong

Laughter Club Geelong

Sounds of Summer cabaret, 240 Plantation Rd, Corio, Saturday 17 January, 7-11pm. Featuring Tony Rebeiro with drinks, snacks and coffee, $10/15 members/nonmembers. ■ Karl 0412-205 714

Saturdays, 9am, Eastern Beach in front of the swimming enclosure. 30-minutes free laughter yoga done standing or seated. ■ 0418-521 265

Lions Club International

Ballroom dance Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Hwy, Saturday 10 January, 7.30pm-10.30pm, $10 includes supper, music Kevin. ■ 0400-500 402

Enjoy meeting great people and help out your community at the same time. Clubs all over greater Geelong - see which one is right for you. ■ Les 0428-466 446

Geelong Showgrounds Museum

Grovedale Marshall Probus

Open to the public on the first Sunday of each month 10am-2pm, starting 1 February (October excepted). Adults $10, students 13-18 $5, under 13 free. ■ 5221 1707.

Second Thursday of the month,10am at The Grovedale Hub, 45 Heyers Rd, Grovedale. ? Anne 0425-356 973

Chess Group chess lessons at Geelong West. Suitable for beginners who have a reasonably firm understanding of the game rules. Kids and adults welcome. ■ Isaac, isaacsmith5603@gmail.com or 0406-199 457

Bingo Tuesdays 1pm-3pm, great grocery prizes plus $50 jackpot books $2.50. Belmont Seniors Centre, 52 Thomson St, Belmont. ■ Frank 5241 1776

First steps in music

Geelong Scottish Dance

Babies, toddlers and preschoolers welcome with parent/carer. Thursdays Northern Bay College, Tallis, and Fridays at Northern Bay College, Peacock. Free if living in 3214 postcode, bookings essential. ■ info@bluebirdfoundationinc.org.au

Highland dance classes for all ages Wednesday from 4pm and Saturday from 10am at Western Heights Uniting Church Hall, St Herne Hill. ■ Christine 0468-311 788, facebook.com/GeelongScottishDance

Dragons Abreast Geelong Dragon boating for breast cancer survivors, Saturdays 12.30pm, Geelong Canoe Club, Marnock Rd, Highton. Free come and try. ■ Traci 0417-301 226, Facebook Dragons Abreast Geelong - Juggernauts

PlayLinks Music and art playgroup where babies, toddlers and preschoolers learn together with their parent/carer. Wednesdays St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, Norlane. Free if living in 3214 postcode, bookings essential. ■ info@bluebirdfoundationinc.org.au

Geelong Scout Heritage Centre Meets third Sunday of the month, 56 Russell St, Newtown, 10am-3pm. ■ 0419-591 432, geelong.heritage@ scoutsvictoria.com.au

Dancer’s Club Geelong Ballroom dance weekly, Leopold Hall 7.30pm-10.30pm. Admission $8 includes supper. Old time, New Vogue and Latin. CDs by Puff, Damian and Anne and Kevin. ■ Russ 5250 1937

Life Activities Club [Geelong Inc] Arvo tea dance every Thursday, Belmont Pavilion, 2pm-4pm, $5 entry. ■ Val 5251 3529

■ Dawn 0417-148 493

Bellarine Historical Society Inc. Open to the public. Discover the area’s past. 1st & 3rd Sundays, 10.30am-12.30pm, Courthouse Museum, 11 High St, Drysdale. ■ Ann 0407-234 541

GROW Australia Community organisation offering practical steps and peer support to help recover and maintain mental health through free face to face and online groups. Mondays 7pm, 195 Ormond Rd, East Geelong, Fridays 12.45pm, Vines Rd Community Centre, Hamlyn Heights, Zoom group 7pm Tuesdays. ■ grow.org.au, 1800 558 268

Grovedale East Ladies Probus

Belmont Combined Probus

Fourth Monday of each month, 9.30am, Belmont RSL. ■ Sally Nelson 0402-450 610

First Monday of the month, 9.30am, Geelong RSL Function Room, 50 Barwon Heads Rd. New members and visitors welcome ■ Sue 0409-945 011, probusclubofbelmont@outlook.com

Grovedale Seniors

Barwon Valley Belmont Probus

Drysdale Day VIEW

First Thursday of the month, 10am, Waurn Ponds Hotel. ■ membership officer 0407-333 263, bobstafford@ozemail.com.au

Fourth Friday of each month at Portarlington Golf Club for lunch. ■ Margaret 0431-636 090

Waurn Ponds Combined Probus Fourth Wednesday of the month, 10am. Maximum 100 members. ■ probussouthpacific.org/microsites/waurn

Lions Club of Geelong Meets 1st & 3rd Monday of each month. Contact below for venues and times. ■ geelong.vic@lions.org.au or Ph 0408 599 962

Geelong Harmony Chorus Women’s four-part harmony singing. All ages encouraged. Rehearsals Mondays 6.45pm at Herne Hill. ■ contact@geelongharmony.com.au, 0406-666 737

Table tennis Lectures Join Adfas Geelong Inc. for illustrated lectures by art historian Matthew Martin, formerly curator of the National Gallery of Victoria.

All seniors welcome for a social game. Vines Road Community Centre, Hamlyn Heights, Wednesdays 12.30pm-2.30pm. ■ Allen 0433-883 116

Leopold VIEW Sports ■ Badminton: Corio Leisuretime Centre,

Small ladies choir who require no knowledge of the Welsh language. Meet Wednesdays 7pm at St Luke’s, Highton to help each other sing in Welsh and English. ■ 0413-406 433, welshladieschoir.com.au

Mondays 12.30-2.30pm. Beginners welcome. ■ Netball: YMCA Riversdale Rd, Monday & Wednesday mornings, Thursday nights. Walking-netball also played. Umpire training available. ■ Maureen 0429-397 015

Chess clubs

Arts National Geelong

Ocean Grove, Tuesdays at 1.30pm at 101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove; Portarlington, Mondays at 9.30am, Parks Hall, 87 Newcombe St, Portarlington; and St Leonards, Thursdays at 9.30am, unit 2 1375-1377 Murradoc Rd (on Blanche St), St Leonards. ■ Ralph 0431-458 100 (Ocean Grove), Rob 5259 2290 (Portarlington), Lyn 5292 2162 (St Leonards)

Welcomes guests and members to monthly lecture series. Details of lecture topics, lecturers and venues at artsnational.au

Geelong Welsh Ladies Choir

Indoor bowls Monday 1-3 pm; gentle exercise Tuesday 9-9.45 am; cards (Euchre) Tuesday 1-3pm; bingo Thursday 1-3pm. Grovedale Community Hub, 45 Heyers Rd. ■ Julie 0419-549 521

Second Tuesday of each month at Leopold Sportsmans’ Club at 10.30am. ■ leopold.viewclub@gmail com

Geelong Day VIEW First Monday monthly from 11am at Shell Club, 76 Purnell Rd, Corio. ■ geelongdayview@gmail.com

Writers’ group

26 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

Do you enjoy cooking or want to learn cooking and budgeting skills with a small group of like-minded people in your community? Are you interested in volunteering to facilitate a Community Kitchen? ■ healthycommunities@barwonhealth.org. au

Croquet Drysdale Bowling & Croquet Club, Clifton Springs Rd, Tuesdays from 10am for training, bring a friend. ■ 0428-740 591

Ocean Grove Senior Citizens 101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove Weekly ■ Tuesday: snooker 1pm, chess, indoor bowls 1.15pm. Wednesday: bingo 1.15pm, ukulele class 2pm, guitar jam session 4pm. ■ Thursday: snooker 1pm, cards 500, social afternoons 1.15pm. Friday: art classes 9am. Fortnightly CWA 1st & 3rd Monday 2.30pm ■ Kareen 0419-246 346, Janis 5255 4585 Monthly Inhouse Movies 3rd Wednesday 1.30pm. ■ Dianne 5255 1372

Hamlyn Heights Combined Probus Meets second Thursday of the month, 10am, 200 McCurdy Rd, Fyansford. ■ Noel 0425-706 339

Esoteric coffee meetups For mature 18+ interested in the supernatural/occult paranormal experiences tarot cards, Anton La Vey, NDE, for fortnightly/coffee and chat catch-ups in northern Geelong/Geelong area. Bookings limited. ■ text name and details to 0400-542 522

Probus Club of Belmont Central Meets at 10.30am on the second Wednesday of each month at Waurn Ponds Hotel. Visitors welcome. ■ publicity officer 0417-555 547

The Hub writers’ group meets at Arts Hub, Clifford Pde, Barwon Heads, first Sunday of the month, 2pm to 4 pm. New members welcome. ■ dorothy.johnston@hugonet.com.au

Geelong Central Probus

Geelong Evening VIEW

Third Wednesday of each month, 10am, East Geelong Uniting Church, cnr Boundary and Ormond Rds. ■ Gary 0407-320 735

Live music Country Heartbeat Allstars every Friday 7pm-10pm, White Eagle House Polish Club, Fellmongers Rd Breakwater. Walkups welcome. Proceeds to Sunny Days Rescue & Rehab.

Community kitchen

Third Monday of the month, 6pm at Waurn Ponds Hotel. ■ Von 0414-930 259, geelongeveningview@ gmail.com

Third Friday of the month, 9.45 am, Geelong RSL. ■ geelcentprob@gmail.com

Newcomb Probus

GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

Hayley Daniel and Harrison Field with their children Parker and Lainey. (526484)

Shannon Pollard and Ella White. (526484)

Phil Facciolo and Maria Scara. (526484)

NEWS

Lucas Illes and Lylah Fletcher. (526484)

Independent photographer IVAN KEMP was at Geelong’s waterfront on Monday 5 January to see who was out and about before the weather really heated up later in the week.

Cool times at the waterfront

Louise and Tom Maffei. (526484)

Mel Egan and Kane Gauci. (526484)

Clea and George Sutton with their children with their children George and Juvanni. (526484)

Emily, Saymoo, Thyupaw, Natalie and Olivia. (526484)

Sunkumar Sahukhal with his grandchildren Shalby and Shina. (526484)

Jack, Evelyn and Isabelle. (526484)

Michael and Rachael O’Hara, Jessica Eaton and her son Elliott. (526484)

Ella Findlay, Jack Connolly and Alex Santos. (526484)

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 27

SECTION

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Passionate collectors of all ages and experience welcome. Run by highly experienced and knowledgeable collectors - over 60 years experience in the industry. Lucky door prizes, Auctions, Ability for members to buy and sell, Regular Coin Fairs. Expand your knowledge - ask questions; short informative talks. Supper provided. Join our friendly club - regular fortnightly meetings. Venue: Virginia Todd Hall, 9 Clarence St, Geelong West. Time: 7 - 10 pm Date: First meeting Thursday 22nd January Enquires: Adele 0422 129 424

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69 RELAXATION

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SPORT

Who can stop Ocean Grove? Geelong Bowls Region Premier Pennant resumes on 17 January and Justin Flynn takes a look at the state of play so far with five rounds remaining before finals. Ocean Grove (137 points, 153.97 percentage)

Just the one loss so far, in round 4 to Queenscliff. Brad Pavey hasn’t lost a match as skip and has led a consistent team with lead Robyn Hunt, second Chris Burrell and third Chris Price teaming up in all but one game. Matt Flapper’s rink of Hayley O’Reilly, Jason Bertrand and Zak Abro has only lost one match from eight and that was by one shot. To come: Drysdale (away), Queenscliff (home), Bell Post Hill (away), Torquay (home), Eastern Park (away). Highton (117, 130.58)

Highton should play finals and will be eying off a top-two finish for the double chance. David and Dan Priddle remain key players while Adam Lee, with Bradley Prior and Stewart Shuttleworth as trusty allies, has led his rink to six consecutive wins after starting the season with two losses. To come: Torquay (home), Bell Post Hill (home), Queenscliff (away), Drysdale (away), Lara (home). Queenscliff (107, 108.44)

Ben Russell has led his rink to six consecutive victories and Queenscliff is the only to side knock over flag favourites Ocean Grove. Queenscliff should beat Bell Post Hill straight after the break and Eastern Park won’t be easy, but at home should get the points. The remaining games are against sides currently in the four, but Queenscliff should do enough to play finals. To come: Bell Post Hill (home), Ocean Grove (away), Highton (home), Eastern Park (home), Torquay (away). Torquay (93, 112.33)

Torquay has a handy buffer over Drysdale in 4th place. It could all come down to the final match against Queenscliff. Nelson Ball has been a standout, winning his six matches with the club using seven skips so far this season. To come: Highton (away), Lara (away), Eastern Park (home), Ocean Grove (away), Queenscliff (home). Drysdale (78, 105.11)

Drysdale will be confident of a good showing against Ocean Grove first game back with former world No 1 Kelsey Cottrell and husband Andrew Howie to play as marquee players in a bumper fixture at home. Drysdale might need to win four out of five to play finals, which means accounting for Eastern Park, Lara and Bell Post Hill and pinching one against the top two sides. The side has been relatively well settled with John Monahan, Mark Godbolt, Bryant Howie and Ashley Rees skipping the majority of games. Maya Rees continues to shine as a young star on the rise. To come: Ocean Grove (home), Eastern Park (away), Lara (home), Highton (home), Bell Post Hill (away). Eastern Park (74, 98.23)

Finals are certainly still on the radar, but a lot would need to go right. The fixture is tough and there’s not much margin for error. Cal Inderberg and Adam Martin have won the majority of matches on their rinks. The Parkers will be treating every game from here on as a final and wins against the three sides directly above them must just

Hayley O’Reilly has had a consistent season for Ocean Grove. (pictures Ivan Kemp)

see them make a barnstorming run. To come: Lara (home), Drysdale (home), Torquay (away), Queenscliff (away), Ocean Grove (home). Lara (32, 65.88)

It’s been a tough season after being promoted from Division 1 and Lara’s main aim will be to stay in Premier Pennant and avoid finishing last. If it beats Bell Post Hill in the penultimate round, Lara will stay up. However, the Jets won’t want to be relying on that match and will look for an upset elsewhere, perhaps against Eastern Park, to ensure survival. The club has used eight skips in the top flight comp so far. To come: Eastern Park (home), Torquay (home), Drysdale (away), Bell Post Hill (home), Highton (away). Bell Post Hill (10, 58.69)

The Panthers face an almighty battle to avoid relegation. They simply must beat Lara and sneak more wins from somewhere, although it’s difficult to see where they will come from. Ocean Grove and Highton will start heavy favourites while Queenscliff and Drysdale will have too much to play, but

Adam Lee is on a six-game winning streak for Highton. Queenscliff’s Ben Russell.

upsets happen in sport. The Panthers simply must win more

rinks with just five victories from 36. To come: Queenscliff (home), Highton (away), Ocean Grove (home), Lara (away), Drysdale (home).

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 29

SPORT

Section 2 premiers Hamlyn Park HEAT: Cameron Harris, Joe Traficante, Axel Potter-Ayres, Lou Arzanovski, Ed Jones.

Section 4 premiers Baseline Apologetic: Nick Williams, James Hedlam, Phoebe McCormack, Harrison Moore, Lachlan Prestipino.

Thursday Triples Section 1 premiers Two Phones Chol: Connor Chivel, Lachy Edgar, Sophie de Wit, Callum Davey. (pictures supplied)

Section 5 premiers Leopold Hit for Brains: Amy Lizmore, Hayden Walters, Georgia Verlin.

10 in a row for Moolap By LOCAL TENNIS with Donna Schoenmaekers Tennis Geelong’s Thursday Triples season culminated on grand final night late December with eight sections all enjoying some fabulous hitting and competition. Moolap’s Two Phones Chol were hoping for their 10th victory in a row when they hosted Highton’s Net Results in the Section 1 final. The Phones’ confidence would have been high despite going down to them 4-2 in the final round. Both teams scored wins in a doubles and singles from the first four sets with Moolap ahead by two games with two sets to play, but Moolap showed why they have been so successful with wins in the singles and doubles, giving the team of Lachy Edgar, Connor Chivell, Callum Davey and Sophie de Wit success for the 10th season in a row. Hamlyn Park HEAT were hoping to avenge a narrow loss in the winter season when they faced Geelong Lawn 2 in the Section 2 final, but with each team posting a win during home and away, the predicted winner was not clear. Both teams had comfortable wins in the first four sets with

Lawn dominating the doubles and HEAT the singles, with HEAT ahead by one game with two sets remaining. Cameron Harris put the HEAT ahead winning the singles 6-2, then had to wait patiently as the doubles went to a tie-break with the HEAT getting up, making Harris, Lou Arzanovski, Axel Potter-Ayres, Jo Traficante and Ed Jones premiers of the spring season. Moolap’s Match Points and Highton’s Grown Ups met in the Section 3 final with both having 4-2 wins during home and away. Things were close after the first four sets with comfortable wins across the board, including two donuts, with each team winning a singles and a doubles, but Highton holding a narrow two-game lead. Anthony Eyles put Highton in the box seat winning the final singles 6-2 and while Joel Wilson and Cristiano Amarnate won the doubles for Moolap, Highton still held the game advantage putting Eyles, Martin Costello and Sara Chol over the line for the victory. Highton had their second win of the night when Baseline Apologetic defeated Smashville (@Grovedale). Smashville was

30 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

the only team to defeat Highton this season, in Round 10, but couldn’t back it up in the final with Nick Williams, James Hedlam, Harrison Moore, Phoebe McCormack and Lachlan Prestipino spurred on to a 5-1 win in Section 4. Moolap’s Aces first four sets with Leopold’s Hit for Brains mirrored their counterparts Match Points with sets tied at 2-all with the away team ahead on games going into the last two sets in Section 5. Aces were also denied with Leopold holding out to win the final two sets for Amy Lizmore, Hayden Walters and Georgia Verlin to take the premiership. Grovedale Indies were on the receiving end of their first loss in round 10 to Lara in Section 6, but were given the chance to redeem themselves the next week in the final. The first two sets were complete opposites with Louis Smith and Ben Griffin winning 6-0 for Lara while Aislynn McKinley won a tie-break in the singles. Grovedale then moved ahead winning the doubles 6-5 and the singles 6-0, but despite being up 3-1 in sets, were only three games ahead, leaving the match still very much alive.

The remaining two sets were incredibly tight with Grovedale taking the doubles in a tie-break and the singles went to Lara in another tie-break, giving Grovedale a 4-2 triumph. McKinlay, Michael Pritchard and Callum Rickard held their nerve because if either result had gone to Lara, the match would have been tied and sent to a decider. Western Heights Uniting were minor premiers and made the most of the homecourt advantage against Wandana Titans in Section 7 with the most convincing win of the night 6-0. Uniting surprised Wandana after two close matches throughout the season and Aiden Taorei, Evie Ryan, Dilshan Wasala proved too strong with the clean sweep. It was a family affair with Highton’s Van Awesome facing Familythree (@Drysdale) in Section 8. Highton won both encounters in home and away so went into the match as favourites, but were lucky to get their 5-1 win with two of three tie-breaks going their way, giving them confidence for the rest of the match. David, Jensen and Ramsay Van Elst were eventually crowned premiers in Section 8.

SPORT

Not only has Drysdale’s Hayden Eddy improved his batting, he remains a valuable seam bowler. (Ivan Kemp)

Young Barrabool all-rounder Archer Jaques will be a key player in the second half of the season. (Justin Flynn)

The introduction of Papua New Guinea international Sema Kamea has given the Barwon Heads’ seam attack an extra kick. (Justin Flynn)

Jordy Graham has taken 15 wickets in his two games for Jan Juc. (Justin Flynn)

Seagulls then the rest It’s the midway point of the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A1 Grade season and with competition set to resume on Saturday 10 January, Justin Flynn runs through each side’s performance so far. Barwon Heads (ladder position 1st, points 45)

Unbeaten and largely untroubled in doing so, the Seagulls are heavy flag favourites and don’t have any obvious weaknesses. The introduction of left-arm paceman Sema Kamea has addressed last season’s seam bowling shortage while the Seagulls still have the most formidable spin bowling attack in the comp and they are also one of the best fielding units going around. Perhaps the only question mark is the post-break availability of gun bat Matthew Bode (231 runs at 46.20) and champion spinner Sam Schaller. Bode is on Carlton’s AFL strength and conditioning staff while Schaller is Barwon Heads’ footy coach, so preseason commitments may limit their cricket availability, but the club has depth in B Grade with batter Jaxon Mallett and outswing seam bowler Luke Schilling waiting for a recall. Max Melzer (374 runs 53.43) and Lewy Hyland (348 at 49.71) form the best opening combo in the the comp and lead all others in runs aggregate. The Heads play Inverleigh, Drysdale and Queenscliff twice before another finals campaign and only a major catastrophe would see it lose hold of the minor premiership. Jan Juc (2nd, 27)

After taking three wickets in his first five games, Jordy Graham has almost single-handedly got Jan Juc back into finals contention. The 32-year-old left-arm seamer has taken 7/47 from 27.4 overs and 8/80 from 37.5 in the past two games. The Sharks’ top-order batting has been susceptible at times although Nick Hyden (238 runs at 47.60) has been a rock in the middle order and Tom Kearney found form

last outing with 68 and Peter Buszard (177 runs at 25.28) has played some good knocks. With double-up games against Barrabool, Armstrong Creek and Anglesea to come, Jan Juc would fancy its chances of getting into the finals and once there, it could cause some problems. Queenscliff (3rd, 24)

After losing their first three games, the Coutas suddenly look like the darkhorses of the competition. Lochie Philp and Hayden Illingworth form a formidable opening pair. Philp has scores of 160 and 92 not out for 354 runs at 59 and Illingworth has made 269 runs at 44.83, including an unbeaten 100 in round 4. Pat Mileto is the leading wicket taker with 13 while Jordan Monahan has taken 11/125 from 80 miserly overs the past three matches. Two games each against Drysdale, Inverleigh and Barwon Heads will round off Queenscliff’s home and away season and a finals spot should now be expected rather than hoped for. Drysdale (4th, 21)

When the Hawks get it all together, they are dangerous, so improved consistency will be at the forefront of discussions. Blake Dobbin remains one of the best quicks in the comp while Hayden Eddy has reinvented himself as a capable run scorer while still providing some more than handy seam-up bowling. Ageless veteran David Sykes never goes for many runs and Tallan Burns is having a good season with bat and ball. Drysdale will be keen to score more runs after break and Ron Peillon will be eager to convert a start to a big score. Robert Cutajar will return from suspension at some stage and will add run-scoring power. Armstrong Creek (5th, 21)

While there is no doubt the Titans are not as strong as previous seasons, they will remain contenders until they aren’t. You just

don’t write this team off, ever. Daniel MacLean has taken 15 wickets and Adam Trevean (241 runs at 40.16) leads the run tally while Ben Norgrove (237 at 33.85) and Ben Robertson (192 runs at 27.57) have been consistent scorers, although both made ducks in their last innings. The Titans play Anglesea, Jan Juc and Barrabool twice, but it will be a tight squeeze from 2nd to 8th. Anglesea (6th, 21)

Anglesea now finds itself in a logjam of teams that will be vying for finals. Sam Weight is all class, but apart from a 98 in the opening round, he has scores of 37, 17, 2, 37 and 41, which is far from poor, but will be working towards converting his starts into more half-centuries with one eye on a big one. Tyron Norman has dropped down from opening this season, but he bats best at the top of the order so perhaps a change in tactics might help the Seas. The bowling remains strong with Dylan Taylor still capable of running through a side while Ky Eskrigge’s emergence with 14 wickets so far has been a good story. Ben Harcombe made 38 and took 3/44 from 19 overs in round 8 in a sign of what might turn into a productive second half of the season. Barrabool (7th , 18)

The Bulls have had their moments and with a bit more consistency in the second half, could be playing finals. Improvement within will be the main focus, especially with the batting as they don’t have a player ranked in the top 10 for runs scored. If Michael Kelson finds the form we know he can and if Kane Pickering (who has shown glimpses with an 80 in round 6) can do the same, Barrabool will be in a much better spot. Archer Jaques continues to show promise as an all-rounder and his gritty 48 against Barwon Heads in round 8 and 3/29 in round

7 is evidence of that. Inverleigh (8th, 15)

While not out of finals contention, the Kookaburras will find it very tough with double-up games against Barwon Heads, Queenscliff and Drysdale to finish off. Lachie Platt is engaged in a three-way tie for third-most runs in the competition with 238 at 47.60. Will Collins (153 runs at 25.50) and Will Stoney (131 at 26.20) will be looking to go bigger than their top scores so far of 57 and 37 respectively. Daniel Midolo has bowled way better than his eight wickets at 27.25 suggests. If Inverleigh puts it all together it can cause some upsets in the second half, and they will need them to avoid relegation. TOP 10 A1 Grade Batting (runs, average, highest score) ■ Max Melzer (Barwon Heads) 374, 53.43, 74 ■ Lochie Philp (Queenscliff) 354, 59.00, 160 ■ Lewy Hyland (Barwon Heads) 348, 49.71, 125 ■ Hayden Illingworth (Queenscliff) 269, 44.83, 100no ■ Lachlan Platt (Inverleigh) 256, 42.67, 103 ■ Adam Trevean (Armstrong Creek) 241, 40.17, 58 ■ Nick Hyden (Jan Juc) 238, 47.60, 79no ■ Ben Norgrove (Armstrong Creek) 237, 33.86, 62no ■ Sam Weight (Anglesea) 232, 38.67, 98 ■ Matthew Bode (Barwon Heads) 231, 46.20, 67 Bowling (wickets, average, best bowling) ■ Blake Dobbin (Drysdale) 18, 12.94, 4/24 ■ Jordy Graham (Jan Juc) 18, 14.06, 8/80 ■ Daniel Maclean (Armstrong Creek) 15, 20.33, 5/101 ■ Dylan Taylor (Anglesea) 14, 13.93, 4/19 ■ Ky Eskrigge (Anglesea) 14, 15.86, 5/58 ■ Pat Mileto (Queenscliff) 13, 10.31, 6/20 ■ James Jirik (Barrabool) 13, 17.77, 5/50 ■ David Sykes (Drysdale) 12, 18.25, 4/33 ■ Luke Clift (Barrabool) 12, 20.83, 5/49 ■ Jordan Monahan (Queenscliff) 11, 13.27, 5/47 ■ Daniel Donaldson (Barwon Heads) 11, 15.73, 3/31

Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 31

SPORT

Jason Grozdanovski has starred for Bell Post Hill since crossing from Murgheboluc.

Geelong City’s James Leather has 14 wickets.

Look out if Hayden Butterworth really gets going for Leopold.

Declan Gibson takes one of his 13 wickets for Leopold. (Ivan Kemp)

Dragons, Heat breathe fire Geelong Cricket Association Division 2 resumes on Saturday 10 January and Justin Flynn assessed the state of play so far. Bell Park (ladder 1st, points 44.89)

With Nikhil Deep Pottabathini coming in at No 3 or 4, the Dragons have a genuine match-winner who has 458 runs at 91.60. The left-hander has two centuries, including a whirlwind 173 from 127 balls in the final Saturday before the break. Bell Park has three of the top five run scorers in the competition with Jamie Spiller (363 runs at 51.86) and opener Sam Elliston-Buckley (295 runs at 42.14) forming a lethal top three with Pottabathini. Bailey Kelly (12 wickets), Pottabathini (10) and Mitch Trask (10) have chipped in with the ball. The Dragons have a favourable fixture from here on and the final game against Highton could decide the minor premiership. Highton (2nd, 44.84)

The Heat face top-four sides Leopold and Geelong City to start the new year. The fixture then opens up with a run of games Highton will start favourites before a beauty against Bell Park in the final game. Leg-spinner Fionn Neeson has taken 17 wickets and his 6/26 in the penultimate round before the break could be a sign of things to come for the youngster. Zac Wills (363 runs at 60.50), Lewis Campbell (260 at 43.33) and James Gillard (233 at 38.83) have all played well so far. Leopold (3rd, 32.64)

Hayden Butterworth’s 322 runs at 46.00 has been promising, but you get the feeling that the former Geelong champion has

another gear to move into. Tom Treble and Robbie O’Donnell have each made 186 runs so far, but the Lions need more runs to challenge the two top sides. Paceman Declan Gibson has 13 wickets and left-arm finger spinner O’Donnell has had a fine all-round season with 12. Leopold’s fixture is good although meetings against Highton and Bell Park will determine whether it can grab a top two spot. Geelong City (4th, 32.30)

Back-to-back wins before the break has the Sharks sitting in the top four. New-ball bowlers Byron Taylor (15 wickets) and James Leather (14) have led the attack with Ethan Guida chipping in with nine wickets since crossing from Waurn Ponds Deakin. Batting-wise Darcy Pearson sits at No 10 on the comp’s aggregate list with 232 runs at 46.40. Taylor, coming in down the order, has hit 174 runs at 34.80 and opener Angus Evans has made some starts for his 165 runs at 27.50, but will want to convert one of them soon. Jack Driver has played only five games, but with scores of 51 not out, 34, 10, 39 and 27 combined with his handy bowling, looms as a trump card if he is available more often. Bell Post Hill (5th, 26.25)

Star all-rounder Jason Grozdanovski is enjoying his first season back at Hamlyn Park since crossing from Murgheboluc. The leftarm tweaker has taken 22 wickets with an economy rate of 2.24 runs per over. He also has 121 runs batting the middle order. Will Iles leads the runs with 203 at 33.83

32 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026

while Rhys Burke’s five innings have yielded 173 runs at 43.25, including a wonderful 114 against the top side. A first-up clash against Geelong City looms and a loss would make it extra tough to make finals. Torquay (6th, 19.08)

After losing some key players in the off-season, Torquay has been super competitive, but will need to string wins together to make finals. Opener Finlay Carter has been consistent with 264 runs at 37.71, Tim Stephens’ middle order batting has returned 258 at 43.00 and Tristan Kassis has made 206 at 41.20 at the top of the order. John Fisher’s 14 wickets at 15.57 and Damian O’Brien’s 11 at 21.27 leads the bowling front. The Tigers host bottom side Alexander Thomson straight away and must take the points to have any chance of creaking into the top four at the end of the home and away season. Geelong West (7th, 13.56)

The Rams have struggled for runs with Dileep Naralasetti the top scorer with 151 at 18.75. English recruit Charlie George-Eldridge has been superb with 13 wickets with the young quick taking nine in his past three games. A tough assignment for Geelong West straight away with Bell Park arriving at West Oval full of confidence. Alexander Thomson (8th, 13.45)

Captain Zach Mevissen has led the way for the Vikings with 187 runs at 46.75. Mevissen started the season strongly with scores

of 51 not out, 47 and 73 not out, but three consecutive scores of single figures will have the talented all-rounder hungry in 2026. Mevissen has also chipped in with seven wickets. Nakia Pearce (164 runs at 23.43) will be looking to turn several starts in the first of the season into big scores while the same could be said for Bailey Forssman (151 at 30.2) Noah Harvey has sent down some very handy overs of spin and has 11 wickets to his name. TOP 10 Batting (runs, average, highest score) ■ Nikhil Deep Pottabathini (Bell Park) 458, 96.00, 173 ■ Zac Wills (Highton) 363, 60.50, 118 ■ Jamie Spiller (Bell Park) 363, 51.86, 95 ■ Hayden Butterworth (Leopold) 322, 46.00, 112 ■ Sam Elliston-Buckley (Bell Park) 295, 42.14, 126 ■ Finlay Carter (Torquay) 264, 37.71, 78 ■ Lewis Campbell (Highton) 260, 43.33, 90 ■ Tim Stephens (Torquay) 258, 43.00, 64no ■ James Gillard (Highton) 233, 38.83, 102 ■ Darcy Pearson (Geelong City) 232, 46.40, 101 Bowling (wickets, average, best bowling) ■ Jason Grozdanovski (Bell Post Hill) 21, 11.33, 6/60 ■ Fionn Neeson (Highton) 17, 16.59, 6/26 ■ Byron Taylor (Geelong City) 15, 17.40, 5/68 ■ John Fisher (Torquay) 14, 15.57, 5/16 ■ James Leather (Geelong City) 14, 17.07, 5/33 ■ Ben Muir (Bell Post Hill) 14, 17.21, 4/18 ■ Declan Gibson (Leopold) 13, 16.92, 4/39 ■ Charlie George-Eldridge (Geelong West) 13, 19.54, 4/12 ■ Robbie O’Donnell (Leopold) 12, 15.83, 3/13 ■ Bailey Kelly (Bell Park) 12, 16.50, 4/25

SPORT

Mr Consistent - St Joseph’s Andrew Casey.

Brad McMaster has been ultra consistent for St Peters.

Connor Hangan is starting to make an impact for North Geelong.

Lara’s Vishesh Malhotra gets his runs in a hurry. (pictures Ivan Kemp)

Magpies looking to swoop It’s the midway point of the Geelong Cricket Association Division 1 season and with competition set to resume on Saturday 10 January, Justin Flynn runs through each side’s performance so far. North Geelong (ladder 1st, points 37.83)

Just the one loss for the Magpies and you get the feeling they are about to crank it up after the break coming off two fairly lacklustre performances. Ned Cooper (236 runs at 33.67) is the leading rungetter with star all-rounder Alistair McCann (228 at 45.60) not far behind. Connor Hangan has two half-centuries and has been bowling well, particularly in the T20 comp. Tom Meredith remains one of the competition’s most miserly bowlers and if Philip Visser can spend more time at the crease, along with paceman Dale Kerr contributing, there is no reason why North Geelong won’t be there again on grand-final day. East Belmont (2nd, 33.34)

It’s no secret that East Belmont’s strength lies with its run-scoring potential. Shane McNamara (344 runs at 49.14) remains a prize wicket, Luke Inglis (342 at 68.40) has scores of 101 not out and 95 and James Lidgett (336 at 56) has made four half-centuries plus a 42. Sean O’Neill’s return after a season off has yielded a respectable 220 runs at 44 and Lachlan Inglis has chipped in with 158 runs at 39.50. Left-arm quick Jack Jenkins has enjoyed a successful return after a year off with 15 wickets, new-ball partner Dylan Moroney has taken 12 wickets and Lachlan Molyneux’s spin has yielded 10. East Belmont will be thereabouts again.

South Barwon (3rd, 32.02)

Harry Hauenstein is the leading runscorer with 319 at 53.17 and he also has eight wickets, including a five-for. Clay Mulgrew looks to be getting into the swing of GCA cricket with 218 runs, including being heartbreakingly run out for 99 last round. Sam Ellis (160 runs), Bryson Nicholls (149), Tom Meredith (125) and Gurpreet Singh (123) have contributed while Nick Butters is rightfully bowling more and offers a lot, not only as a batter, but as a right-arm orthodox spinner. Grovedale (4th, 26.86)

Quick Sam Coutts has had a terrific alf-season with 19 wickets, but next best is Riley Stone with nine. Batting has been more productive for Grovedale with Jordan Moran (325 runs at 54.17), Josh Windus (287 at 47.83), Jack Wrigglesworth (285 at 57), Brayden Engelen-Baker (214 at 30.57) and Michael McNeel (201 at 33.50) all passing 200 runs. The Tigers have Lara, St Joseph’s and St Peters to begin 2026 and will be content with two wins. St Peters (5th, 26.37)

The Saints have had some good wins, but some bad losses, with the round 7 clash against Grovedale a prime example - all out for 58 - and 82 all out in round 5. Brad McMaster (249 runs at 41.50) has been ultra consistent and Luke Ford’s (241 runs) 117 in round 4 reminded everyone of his class. Billy Ford (218 runs) has also played well at times. Bowling-wise it’s been paceman James Stokes’ 21 wickets, including a 7/42 and 5/9 that has led the way. Jack Trewin is next best

with nine. One-day fixtures against Newtown & Chilwell, Lara and Grovedale straight after the break represent a good chance for St Peters to make a finals push. St Joseph’s (6th, 26.10)

Austin Humphrey (15 wickets) and Ollie King (12) have led Joeys’ attack, but probably need more support. Andrew Casey has been ultra consistent with scores of 50, 116, 18, 45, 87, 22 and 72 for 410 runs at 58.57 and Zane Keighran is a class above with two centuries from four innings. Jonathan Casey (226 runs at 32.29) has scores of 68, 58, 38 and 28 and could be primed for a big one very soon. Games against North Geelong, Grovedale and Newtown & Chilwell to welcome in the new year won’t be easy, but if Joeys can snare two of them, then they will be in the mix. Lara (7th, 25.34)

Vishesh Malhotra has had some season. The hard-hitting batter has made 412 runs from just 329 deliveries, including a whirlwind 209 in round 1 and that doesn’t include a 96 not out in the T20 competition. Malhotra has also made three ducks (one in T20), but you forgive the low scores when he brings so much firepower. Dan Weigl has 248 runs at 49.60 and Kaden Marum 187 at 26.71. Luke Wilson has delivered with the pace bowler snaring 16 wickets while Marum has picked up 11. That win against East Belmont just before the break has opened the door for the Cats to play finals. One-day clashes against Grovedale, St Peters and South Barwon just after the break could define their season. Newtown & Chilwell (8th, 20.08)

the tonic the Two Blues needed. Although anchored at the bottom of the ladder, there is not much of a gap separating 4th from 8th. Tyson Windus has had a terrific season with 283 runs, although with scores of 70, 58, 58 and 53, he will be looking to convert after the break. Pat McKenna has 240 runs and Lachie Sperling 219 while Englishman Nic Keast is a proven performer and should be backed in to improved on his 200 runs at 28.57. Sperling’s left-arm finger spinners have netted nine wickets and paceman Nick Burke also has nine. The Two Blues must win their opening one-dayer against St Peters on 10 January or face being left behind, although there will still be opportunities to push up the ladder. Batting (runs, average, highest score) ■ Vishesh Malhotra (Lara) 412, 68.67, 209no ■ Andrew Casey (St Joseph’s) 410, 58.57, 116 ■ Shane McNamara (East Belmont) 344, 49.14, 109 ■ Luke Inglis (East Belmont) 342, 68.40, 101no ■ James Lidgett (East Belmont) 336, 56.00, 85 ■ Jordan Moran (Grovedale) 325, 54.17, 119 ■ Harry Hauenstein (South Barwon) 319, 53.17, 111no Bowling (wickets, average, best bowling) ■ James Stokes (St Peters) 21, 13.71, 7/42 ■ Sam Coutts (Grovedale) 19, 12.68, 7/15 ■ Luke Wilson (Lara) 16, 20.56, 4/69 ■ Jack Jenkins (East Belmont) 15, 22.00, 4/49 ■ Austin Humphrey (St Joseph’s) 15, 23.73, 5/58

Consecutive wins to end the year was just Friday, 9 January, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 33

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34 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 9 January, 2026