Geelong Indy - 23rd October 2026

October 23, 2026 Cadel Evans and Jakara Anthony at Barwon Heads to mark 100 days to go until the Great Ocean Road Race. (Ivan Kemp)

Ambassador Jakara

at 1/108 Church St Hamlyn Heights FUNERALS AUSTRALIA MEMBER

Year’s resolution or to keep improving and becoming more of a cyclist.” Minister for Major Events Anthony Carbines said another “outstanding weekend” of cycling was coming to the region in less than 100 days. “The TAC People’s Ride gives riders of all ages and abilities the chance to experience the roads that the world’s best cyclists race on,” he said. The 2027 Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race will run from 27 to 31 January, featuring many events including the Surf Coast Classic and Geelong Port Family Ride. Visit cadelevansgreatoceanroadrace. com.au for more information or to sign up.

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such a great event.” Evans said it was great to have a fellow Barwon Heads local on board for the event and encouraged cyclists and cycling fans to start making plans for race week. “Jakara is one of the greatest athletes this country has produced, and to have her come from the same small town makes it pretty incredible,” he said. “Jakara knows what it takes to perform on the world stage, and she’s a genuine cycling lover too, so she’s the perfect person to help us bring more people into the sport. “The ride gives people a great taste of what the pros will race on, so...it’s a great time to sign up and set yourself a New

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Barwon Heads’ Jakara Anthony will trade her skis for pedals as event ambassador for the region’s biggest cycling event. The two-time Olympic skiing gold medallist joined Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, who is also a Barwon Heads local, on 20 October to mark 100 days until the 2027 Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Anthony said she was excited to join the event as an ambassador in her home town and looked forward to participating in the TAC People’s Ride alongside Evans. “Cycling is a big part of my training and something I just love doing, so I can’t

wait to line up in the TAC People’s Ride alongside thousands of other riders,” she said. “It’s something that I’ve watched from afar for many years and always wanted to be involved in, so I’m pretty fortunate, given I’m going to be home over summer, to be involved. “I don’t think you’ll be seeing me in the pro ranks of cycling anytime soon, but it’s a big part of my training, and I do enjoy it, so I’m pretty keen to get out and ride some new routes. “What Cadel’s achieved throughout his career is absolutely mind-blowing...and I’m especially excited to see the world’s best cyclists competing in our region in

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By Jena Carr

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Ramsar protections expand More important wetlands across the Bellarine will receive international Ramsar recognition and stronger environmental protections. The Ramsar list will expand to the Moolap Wetlands, parts of the Edwards Point Swan Bay Wildlife Reserve and Coastal Reserve, Lake Connewarre Complex Conservation Reserve, and Point Cook Cheetham Coastal Park and Marine Sanctuary. Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant said the wetlands contained valuable saltmarsh and seagrass habitats that provide food, shelter and resting places for migratory shorebirds. “After years of hard work, our community should feel so proud to have these pre-

cious wetlands protected for generations to come,” she said. “These pristine wetlands are the lifeblood for so much of our native plants and animals, and these new protections will help protect them for everyone to safely and sustainably enjoy.” Member for Corangamite Libby Coker said she thanked the community for its advocacy in protecting important areas. “My community cares deeply for the local environment and protecting precious assets including Lake Connewarre, Swan Bay and the Moolap Wetlands,” she said. “This extension will see important local habitat recognised around the world...and this couldn’t have happened without the

strong support of the local community.” Minister for Environment and Water Murray Watt said the state and federal governments were working together to protect the state’s internationally significant wetlands. “(This) will safeguard our unique wildlife and biodiversity for future generations,” he said. “Collectively, Australia’s Ramsar-listed wetlands cover more than 8.3 million hectares—an area larger than Tasmania—and play a vital role in supporting biodiversity, improving water quality, storing carbon and providing important habitat for native species.” Minister for Water Michaela Settle said

the expansion increased the size of the existing Ramsar-listed wetland to 24,110 hectares statewide. “This outcome is a testament to the dedication of local communities that have championed the recognition of these wetlands for their outstanding environmental significance,” she said. “Expanding Victoria’s Ramsar wetlands will strengthen the conservation of threatened species, migratory shorebirds and these internationally significant habitats for future generations.” Sites must contain representative, rare or unique wetland types, or be internationally important for conserving biological diversity, to be placed on the Ramsar list.

Member for Lara Ella George (third from the right) visited Nelson Park School in Corio to officially open the school’s upgraded Illinois Avenue campus. (Supplied)

Works complete at Nelson Park Shed 4 All Abilities program supervisor Clinton Berends works on the saw. (Ivan Kemp)

A community space for all to belong opens By Jena Carr A new community space in Moolap will open its doors next week, giving everyone a place to belong. Shed 4 All Abilities will host its free Grand Opening event on Wednesday 28 October, with the Geelong community invited to see a new take on the traditional community shed. Program supervisor Clinton Berends said the shed would be a place where people can be themselves and do what they want in a supportive environment.

“We’ve tried to create a shed where anybody can come along, which includes men and women of all abilities,” he said. “We really want the shed to be a community for people who are isolated, particularly because of their disability. “We’re hoping that, for whoever comes along, this is going to help build connections, support community, and create friendships.” Secretary Donna Witnish said the venue was created as a place for people of all ages, genders and abilities to come together through shared activities and projects.

“We want it to be a place for people of all abilities to feel they belong, be themselves and know they are a valued part of the community,” she said. “We created Shed 4 All Abilities so that people who may not have felt welcome in other clubs or groups would have a place where they are not only welcomed but appreciated.” Shed 4 All Abilities’ Grand Opening will be held from 4pm to 6pm at 57-69 Greenside Grove, with a series of Open Days also being held on 4, 5, 10, and 11 November.

Council gets rid of bike jumps and leads to abuse from public Municipal workers have removed a makeshift bike jump in Armstrong Creek due to safety concerns. City of Greater Geelong officers recently became aware of the jump at Creekward Drive and, after assessing it for safety risks, removed the jump on Monday. Geelong chief executive Ali Wastie said the City would “never compromise on putting safety first”. “Bike jumps pose serious safety risks and are often located in hard-to-reach areas that are extremely challenging for first responders to access in an emergency,” she

said. “They also cause significant environmental damage to sensitive areas.” City officers reported they had experienced aggressive behaviour from community members while they were initially inspecting the site. Ms Wastie said such behaviour from members of the public toward municipal employees “simply doing their jobs” was “really disappointing”. “Occupational violence and aggression are never acceptable and will not be tolerated,” she said.

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“To parents and anyone thinking of building or using an illegal bike jump, please don’t: they risk safety and they destroy the environment. “We have no choice but to remove illegal bike jumps as the safety risk is just too great. The process is extremely expensive for ratepayers, and it takes teams away from more meaningful work in the community. “The City has invested significantly in recreational pursuits and there are so many great places to ride, including the Ocean Grove District Ride Centre, which we opened in August.”

Nelson Park School’s Illinois Avenue campus is officially open after work was completed to provide modern, accessible, and inclusive learning opportunities for students. The Corio prep-to-Year 12 specialist school has a new learning centre with four general-purpose classrooms and two specialist areas, funded by a $6.4 million state government investment. Member for Lara Ella George said the new classrooms and specialist spaces would help Year 10 to 12 students build independence, confidence and life skills. “Labor is making sure students in Corio have access to the same high-quality facilities and opportunities as students anywhere in Victoria,” she said. “This $6.4 million investment is delivering modern, inclusive spaces at Nelson Park School so students can build their confidence, independence and skills for the future.” The project included delivering an administration building and upgrades to the facilities’ decking and landscaping. Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Gabrielle Williams said the state government has invested $20.1 billion in school infrastructure over the past 12 years. “Every student deserves to learn in a school that is modern, inclusive and designed around their needs,” she said. “This is about putting the best facilities in place for students with diverse learning needs, giving them modern spaces where they can learn, grow and build the skills they need for life beyond school.” Nelson Park School supports students diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability and has more than 350 students and 150 dedicated staff.

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Gender equality report A new report captures the action and progress made toward gender equality across Barwon South West’s workplaces, councils, education, health, sport, and community groups. Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West launched the first Respect 2040 Regional Report Card last week to establish the work underway to advance gender equality and end violence against women. Chief executive Jodie Hill said the inaugural report covers July 2025 to June 2026 and draws on contributions from 23 organisations, combining data with local stories, leadership, collaboration, and change. “It helps us see where action is happening, where we need greater focus, and how we can strengthen our united effort,” she said. “This is a significant

milestone for the Respect 2040 partnership and establishes a clear picture of the work happening across our region. “Organisations are changing workplace practices, supporting women’s leadership, engaging communities and building the skills needed to challenge inequality and prevent violence.” Ms Hill said sustained action across the places where people live, learn, work and connect was needed to help prevent violence against women. “It’s a starting point, and something we’ll build on, but it is already a very promising picture and every organisation has influence,” she said. “The decisions made in a workplace, the opportunities offered to women, the behaviour accepted in a sporting club, all of these things shape our communities.” The report found that 78 per cent of

participating Respect 2040 partners have gender parity in executive and board positions, and eight of the region’s nine councils have gender-balanced councillor representation. Fifteen community organisations and sporting clubs completed active bystander training or participated in violence prevention programs. More than 20 primary prevention initiatives and 45 training and professional development sessions were delivered. Across Respect 2040’s contributing partners, 83 per cent have undertaken a Gender Impact Assessment, 74 per cent have Gender Equality Action Plans, and 69 per cent have family violence prevention or response policies. Visit respect2040.com/regional-reportcard for the full copy of the Respect 2040 Regional Report Card.

Young leader a shining light A young local leader has been recognised for her work in the community with a prestigious award. Roqya Husseini, deputy chair of Cultura’s Multicultural Youth Council, received the Victorian Refugee Youth Leadership Award in recognition of her leadership, advocacy and commitment to a fairer society. Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Paul Edbrooke presented Roqya with the award at Government House on Wednesday 14 October. A young Hazara woman, Roqya works alongside young people from diverse cultural communities to advocate for issues that matter to them and provide opportunities for greater representation of young people from refugee backgrounds. “This recognition is not just a celebration of my achievements, but a reflection of my family’s sacrifices, the opportunities I’ve been given and the communities that have shaped who I am today,” she said. “To every young person, especially those from refugee and migrant backgrounds, never underestimate the power of your story or your ability to create change, because your background does not define your limits.” Cultura chief executive Jess Harper said everyone at the organisation was “incredibly proud” to see Roqya’s work recognised in this way. “Roqya is so deserving of this recognition. She brings courage, thoughtfulness and a

Roqya Husseini received the the Victorian Refugee Youth Leadership Award. (Ivan Kemp)

strong commitment to her community in everything she does,” she said. “Roqya’s leadership is incredibly powerful, she is helping open doors for others. As a young Hazara woman stepping into advocacy and political spaces, she is challenging

expectations about who gets to have a voice and who gets to shape decisions. “A girl from a refugee background can look at Roqya and see a future for herself in leadership, without feeling that those spaces are out of reach.”

Robert Palermo gets some putting practice ahead of The Longest Day. (Ivan Kemp)

Golfers take a swing for cancer By Jena Carr A Geelong golfer will be putting towards cancer support and prevention during The Longest Day early next month. Golfers will take on 72, 54 or 36 holes in one day on 9 November to raise money to reduce the impact of cancer nationwide during the Cancer Council’s challenge. Robert Palermo will take on his second The Longest Day challenge and play 72 holes in memory of his father, Vince, who died from cancer in 2022. “Three months after he was diagnosed, he was gone, which was horrible and very sudden,” he said. “It just felt like something I needed to do, and now this is my second year and my son’s joining the team, which is good and I’m pretty excited about that. “The money will go somewhere where it’s helpful, and the challenge is a bit of a self-achievement, so hopefully more people get on board to fundraise and help out the cause.” Mr Palermo had raised more than $2100 through the challenge on 22 October. Cancer Council Victoria’s head of fundraising and communications Lyrian Fleming-Parsley said the challenge allowed golfers to turn their passion into meaningful action. “Every dollar raised helps us continue our crucial work in cancer research, prevention and support services,” she said. “With one in two Victorians expected to be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85, community fundraising campaigns like The Longest Day have never been more important.” Visit longestday.org.au/ fundraisers/robertpalermo/vic for more information or to support Mr Palermo fundraising efforts.

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New Nyaal Banyul manager Nyaal Banyul has welcomed Paul Kanaan as its new acting general manager. Appointed by the Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET), Mr Kanaan stepped into the role on Monday 19 October to replace former GM Rick Aylett, who departed the organisation on Friday to take on the role of chief executive at Melbourne Royal. Previously the head of food and beverage at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Mr Kanaan brings more than 20 years of experience to his new position. He said he was looking forward to joining the team and contributing to the success of the landmark venue. “I’m very excited to step into this role and be part of such an iconic new venue,” Mr Kanaan said.

“I’m looking forward to working with the Greater Geelong region, meeting the many people and organisations who support Nyaal Banyul, and becoming part of the community that has helped make the venue such a success. “I know the team has built something special, and I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to the venue and working with the team to continue building on our foundations as we head into an exciting 2027.” VCET Chief Operations Officer Lauren Milsop said Paul was ideally placed to lead the team through an important period. “His extensive experience and proven track record delivering major global events includes 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, the “Lion’s Den” for British and Irish Lions tour in 2025 and the 20th In-

ternational Aids Conference in 2014,” she said. “He will ensure we continue to establish Nyaal Banyul as a world-class business events destination. “Paul’s appointment provides continuity and stability for our team, clients and stakeholders for the first full year of operation. Arrangements will be made to appoint a permanent general manager next year.” “I also take this opportunity to thank Rick Aylett for his leadership and contribution to the successful opening of Nyaal Banyul and wish him every success in the next chapter of his career.” Mr Aylett, whose decision to move on came only months after Nyaal Banyul opened in June, had been with the project since 2022.

Paul Kanaan is Nyaal Banyul’s new acting manager.

Supporting families this Children’s Week By Jena Carr

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Families will have many fun activities and events across Greater Geelong to pick from during Children’s Week. Families with children aged 0 to 12 will be able to participate in more than 25 free and low-cost Children’s Week festivities from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. The Seesaw Foundation will host Family Quest on Sunday 25 October, providing a fun and interactive activity where children and families complete challenges in an inclusive community setting. “Family Quest is an activity that includes

children with parents or carers in an activity,” founder and director Liliana Bustos said. “The idea of this foundation is to support families across the whole community, especially families with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. “We also support families and children that have been exposed to violence, trauma, or exclusion, so we promote inclusion, connection, and recovery through community.” Greater Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said Children’s Week is a national celebration highlighting the talents, skills and achievements of young people. “Children’s Week is a wonderful oppor-

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tunity to celebrate children and make sure they feel supported, included and valued,” he said. “The diverse program of events across Greater Geelong will provide opportunities for children and families to learn, connect and have fun together, while fostering a greater sense of belonging in our community.” City of Greater Geelong supported this year’s Children’s Week program through its Children’s Week Grants, providing $20,343 in funding to local organisations. Visit geelong.link/ChildrensWeek for more information and the full program of Greater Geelong’s Children’s Week events.

Lilliana Bustos is encouraging everyone to get involved in Children’s Week. (Ivan Kemp

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Madi and Penny pose for a photograph. (Ivan Kemp) 585483 14

Penny continues her painting. (Ivan Kemp) 585483 10

Madi Doyle with her rescue miniature ponies Penny and Doris. (Ivan Kemp) 585483 11

Madi watches as Penny starts her painting. (Ivan Kemp) 585483 01

Penny paints for charity Penelope (Penny) is a rescue miniature pony living on the Surf Coast who has been painting for six months. Jena Carr speaks with owner Madison (Madi) Doyle about her pony’s journey towards helping other animals in need through her artwork. Penny has only been painting for six months and is already raising hundreds of dollars for animal charities. The two-year-old miniature pony came to live and paint at a Surf Coast farm after her mum Doris was rescued from a neglectful situation. Owner Madi Doyle, 23, said Doris was pregnant with Penny when she was rescued. “Doris only has one eye because, when she was with her old owner, she got a significant eye injury but received no medical treatment for it and had to have her eye removed,” she said. “Doris was originally going to come to me while she was pregnant, but she was due to have her baby within two weeks of an ul-

trasound, so we decided to wait until Penny was born. “However, the thing about horse ultrasounds is that they’re really unreliable, so even though I was told it would be two weeks, it ended up being like four months. “Penny was born in February 2024 in Moe, which is a country area on the other side of Melbourne, and she was so little when I got her.” Two years after rescuing Doris and Penny, Madi decided that she wanted to try something new with her ponies. “I had already taught Penny a few tricks, and I had seen a video of a dog painting, so I thought that we would give it a go,” she said. “Quite often when dogs start painting, some dogs already know how to hold things in their mouth on command, but Penny’s not a dog, so she knew none of those relevant tricks. “We started from scratch at the very end of April, and I thought it would be a really long process. “I knew that I would need to teach her how to stand on the spot, how to hold a brush, how to move her head in certain ways on command, how to touch a canvas and apply paint. “By the second session, she had paint on paper. I was floored because I didn’t think it would happen nearly that fast, but she just had the brush in her mouth and pushed it against the ground.” Penny enjoys painting so much that Madi has little influence on the artwork, allowing her pony’s creativity to flow.

“There’s just so many opportunities that I get to have with her; she’s just up for anything,” she said. “I love all the experiences that I get to have with Penny, from teaching her how to walk on a lead to holding a paintbrush. “Penny paints very abstract works, and she’s mastered painting without inhibitions, which is something that human artists may strive for over years. “She’s so enthusiastic to the point that, if I don’t have the next paintbrush ready for her to take and paint with, she’ll start rummaging around and knocking things over. “She will just start chucking paint on canvases, and I let her fully take the reins on it, so the only thing I do will be to pick the colours and turn the canvas. “Maybe one day we could aim for something with a bit more imagery, but it’s nice just letting it be a nonsensical horse painting that I’ve had little to no control over, and that’s what makes it hers.” Penny’s one-of-a-kind artwork became available to the public for the very first time this month on 17 October after one of her pieces was entered into a charity auction for the GAWS 70th Anniversary Celebration. To Madi’s amazement, Penny’s painting sold for more than $500 during the auction. “It was so crazy being in a room full of fancy people, and everyone was just invested in my painting pony,” she said. “I had already convinced myself that maybe I’m too invested in all these paintings and that I’m biased because I’ve had so much to do with them.

“But when we arrived at the auction, my partner went up immediately and looked at the silent auction and came back to me saying that it was already at $500, and I nearly cried. “It was the first bid of the whole night, and somebody mentioned to me that they were just there for Penny’s painting. “The starting bid was $50, and the estimated price was $350, but one lady just immediately bid $500, so everyone knew that she meant business.” Penny’s artwork has now reached the global stage, with a piece featured in an auction to help raise money for the Tripawds Foundation, which is an international organisation that supports amputee pets and their people. “I was happy to get involved in the Tripawds auction to help raise money for pets facing cancer and limb amputation,” Madi said. “My cat almost needed her leg amputated when I was 17 and that was terrifying, but luckily she didn’t need it. So when the opportunity came up to work with Tripawds, it just seemed right.” Penny’s piece titled Gleebenglorb has already reached a bid of $81 USD (approximately $115 AUD) as of 10am on 22 October through the Tripawds auction, which will run until noon on Monday 26 October. People can keep up with Penny’s painting journey through her Instagram page, Penny the Painting Pony, or visit auction. tripawds.com/product/2026p18 to secure a Penny original piece.

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Amy a true local hero By Justin Flynn Amy Hunter-Flint plans to use a small portion of the $20,000 Westfield Local Heroes first prize on a steak dinner for guests at The Outpost, where she is board chair and an enthusiastic volunteer. As Geelong’s Westfield Local Hero, Amy received the prize so that The Outpost could continue helping people in need. The Outpost provides more than 76,000 meals and drinks annually to people experiencing hardship, along with clothing, hygiene products and a safe dignified space. The services help up to 120 people every day. “The funding will be used to ensure that

our doors remain open to all who need food relief and community at The Outpost,” Amy said. “It ensures hot nutritional food continues to be served with dignity and without question. The Outpost is a lifeline that reaches far beyond the plate. “As this is a win for The Outpost as much as myself, our guests will be celebrating together with a steak dinner – a simple luxury that many would not have experienced in some time.” As finalists in this year’s Local Heroes, Nicki Dunne from Wombat’s Wish and Geelong Stars Sport Club’s Scott Smith received $5000 to help their organisations. “For us, this acknowledgement rein-

forces that the community supports not only the work myself and our 130-plus volunteers do at The Outpost, but also truly sees the people we serve and that the community is actively getting behind making a difference for locals who are struggling each day to feed themselves and their families,” Amy said. Amy said the people that The Outpost helps were the most inspiring part of being a volunteer. “They are the strongest, most resilient and grateful people I know,” she said. “It is their strength and determination to get through each day that drives me to advocate for their often forgotten voice across the community.”

Amy Hunter-Flint is this year’s Geelong Westfield Local Hero. (supplied)

Hamlyn Heights Probus club celebrates two milestones By Jena Carr Combined Probus Club of Hamlyn Heights is celebrating 25 years of social connections, friendship and community beyond work this month. The club kicked off its birthday with a presentation and lunch early this month and will continue celebrations with a special luncheon on Friday 30 October. Club member Patricia Boom said there was a “lot of excitement” among members about the 25- and 50-year anniversaries. “We are so grateful to have wonderful, dedicated, and committed members who

have made the journey of 25 years possible,” she said. “With gratitude and love in our hearts, we acknowledge each and every member for their dedication, commitment and friendship.” Ms Boom said the club has developed an environment of inclusion, compassionate care and connection, ensuring every member feels welcome and valued. “There’s a lot of socialisation going on, which is critical to keeping us connected in the community,” she said. “Our club offers a great opportunity for newly retired people moving to Geelong

as it is a great way to forge new friendships and feel part of the community. “We have a number of activities and events which include monthly morning teas, lunches, dine-outs and visits to the various nurseries, along with trips and book swaps.” Probus was founded in Australia in 1976 and now supports more than 90,000 members across 1300 clubs nationwide. Combined Probus Club of Hamlyn Heights meets at the Geelong Cement Bowls Club on the second Thursday of the month at 10am, and new members are always welcome.

Combined Probus Club of Hamlyn Heights members Peter Cole (rear left), Noel fry, Godwyn Fernson and Glenn Chidzey, with Pam Cole (front left) and Patricia Boom. (Ivan Kemp) 585407 02

Beatrice Dahlof and Erin Jamieson are getting ready for Le Festival Francais. (Ivan Kemp)

It’s a big ‘oui’ to local French festival

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Geelong’s premier celebration of all things French is back for 2026. The blue, white and red of the Tricolour will be flying proudly at The Heights in Newtown this weekend as Le Festival Francais showcases French food, wine, language, entertainment and culture. The fourth edition of the annual festival, this year’s celebration of all things French will be the biggest yet, with more than 60 market stalls, 14 food and drink vendors and a jam-packed two-day program. Alongside perennial fan favourites such as French police officer Jean Darme, roving chanteuse Accordion Lucy and local French gypsy jazz band Hot Club Swing, attendees can take introductory French language lessons, brush up on their African drumming or learn about the finer points of cheese and wine pairing. Other events include sessions from Ol-

iver Gee, founder of acclaimed podcast The Earful Tower, French perfume masterclasses and dance lessons in Breton or Afro-Francophone styles. National Trust Victoria Geelong regional manager Claudette Brennan said the festival’s Saturday night ticketed event was a particular drawcard this year. “Normally we have a sit-down concert or soiree on the Saturday night, but this year we’ve decided to do something different,” she said. “We’ve got an amazing French DJ, Lilian Chabannes who’s going to be performing, and we’ll open the food court so people can come, have a dance, enjoy some cool tunes and get some beautiful French food. “But there’s also plenty of free stuff going on – fantastic food, roving performers – so there’s something for everyone, always something to do around the property.” Visit lefestivalfrancais.com.au for tickets and the full program.

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Strapper Owen Gilbert gives Nottolook a pat before heading out to the mounting yard.

Kirsten McKinney, Liam McKinney, Solo and Layla Tomlinson. (pictures Ivan Kemp)

Denis Napthine, Mary-Ann Sharrock, Bernard Napthine and Anne Skordis.

Diane May, Josie Cormack and Danielle Gawel.

Nottolook gets ready for race 1.

Fiorowngood hits the front and goes on to win race 1.

Sun shines on Geelong Cup In stark contrast to last year’s washout, the Geelong Cup meeting was held in almost perfect conditions on Wednesday 21 October. Driving rain and strong winds caused the 2025 meeting to be abandoned until the following day, but this year temperatures in the low to mid-20s greeted racegoers for the nine-race card. Punters flocked in their thousands to Geelong Racecourse for the races, Fashions on the Field, trackside hospitality and a free after party. The first race was at 12.40pm and was won by Fiorowngood with Mr O’Reilly and Nottolook the placegetters. The Group 3 2400m $500,000 Geelong Cup was won by British three-year-old stallion Point of Law ridden by Ethan Brown and trained by Ciaron Maher and now has a ‘golden ticket’ for direct entry to the Melbourne Cup if its connections take up the offer. Point of Law was sired by English champion Frankel, who was unbeaten in his 14 starts and was rated the top racehorse in the world in 2011. Small Fry finished second and Omni Man third. Winner of the 2024 Cup, Onesmoothoperator, finished 11th in the 13-horse field. For those in Cup sweeps, the last horse past the post was outsider Sapphire Siren while Berkeley Square finished fourth. All pictures Ivan Kemp.

Harry Hardy, Ally Cormack, Tom Rush and Tori Unsworth.

Jasper Robinson and Brigette Ward-Moss.

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Winner of race 1, Fiorowngood with Damian Lane on board.

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Royal Rendezvous, ridden by Blake Shinn, wins race 2.

Abbie Kirkpatrick and Dakota Pinton.

Ethan Brown heads over to weigh out after winning race 3 on Aurora Belle.

Lesley and Matt McDonald.

All the colour from the Cup

Geelong Cup winning trainer Ciaron Maher in conversation.

Mr O’Reilly leads the field down the straight the first time with Damian Lane on Fiorowngood looking to get a position.

Ethan Brown is interviewed after winning race 3 on Aurora Belle.

Aurora Belle hits the front at the 350 metre mark and goes on to win race 3 (Ivan Kemp) 585183 22

Aurora Belle stretches out as she nears the winning post.

Geelong Cup winning trainer Ciaron Maher.

Patrons take a break between races.

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Tackling homelessness People sleeping rough in Geelong will receive more support to find a home if the state government is re-elected. A re-elected Labor government will invest $250,000 into Neami’s Towards Home Plus Assertive Outreach Program to connect people in need with accommodation and services. Neami National chief executive Tom Dalton said the funding would allow more people who are sleeping rough to access the

support they need to find a home. “Accessing support can be difficult for people who are sleeping rough and managing a range of challenges,” he said. “This is important, practical work that contributes to a more coordinated response to ending homelessness in Geelong. “I welcome the announced commitment of $250,000 to strengthen the service and support we can provide for people experiencing homelessness in Geelong.

“Neami’s Geelong Assertive Outreach team goes out each day to meet people where they are, build relationships over time and work alongside them to connect with housing, health care and other support.” Member for Geelong Christine Couzens said important services like Neami needed support to continue their valuable work. “Neami has provided a great service to vulnerable people in Geelong, giving them

the support they need to gain housing and engage with services,” she said. Minister for Housing, Building and Precincts Nick Staikos said that demand for homelessness services continued to increase. “Labor is committed to delivering practical support for Victorians experiencing homelessness, because nobody should be left behind when they’re doing it tough,” he said.

Mark Lang launches his new album Wild Swan at the Melbourne Recital Centre this weekend. (Izzie Austin)

Musical record of time and place By Matt Hewson The 2026 Australian Transplant Games Victorian basketball squad: Jonathon Walker, Louie Hehir, Lucy Walker, Emma Spowart, Xavier Holt and Isaac Holt. (Supplied)

Transplant Games about more than results By Matt Hewson A local athlete has returned from the 2026 Australian Transplant Games in Launceston with a swag of medals but says the camaraderie and inspirational community are what will stay with him. Geelong’s Jonathan Walker earned himself two gold medals (darts, throwing) and a bronze (100m sprint) at the recent Games – his seventh time attending – as well as competing with the fourth-placed Victorian basketball team. More than 600 athletes from across the country and overseas participated in

Launceston as part of the 18th edition of the Games, including transplant recipients, donors and donor family members in what Mr Walker called an “amazing” and “inspiring” event. “I had an absolutely fabulous time…the inspiration you get from the other transplant recipients, the donor families and the volunteers is really special,” he said. “It creates a great vibe and the communication and positivity in the community is brilliant.” Mr Walker said while the competition could be fierce at times, the focus of the event was on inclusivity and care.

“It’s a sporting event, so obviously there are some people with more talent and more desire, but mostly it’s about having a go and being part of the community,” he said. “It’s open for all abilities and whatever you achieve is appreciated. It’s an event where meeting like-minded people can be a real boost to your physical and mental health. “Have a go and you’ll be amazed how much you feel a part of it.” Visit donatelife.gov.au to register as an organ and tissue donor and tell your family about your decision.

Abortion care pledges praised by women’s health organisation A local women’s health organisation has welcomed the election commitment from both Victorian Labor and Liberal parties to fully support abortion care. Independent not-for-profit Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West (WHWBSW) has praised the commitment from both major parties, saying it “marked a significant step towards equitable access to essential healthcare, particularly for regional communities”. On Tuesday last week Premier Ben Carroll and Health Minister Ingrid Stitt pledged $30 million over four years to make abortion care free for all Victorians,

a pledge matched by Opposition leader Jess Wilson on Thursday. WHWBSW chief executive Jodie Hill said the significance of the commitment could not be overstated for women in regional Victoria. “Accessing abortion care can mean travelling significant distances, taking time away from work, arranging childcare and paying the additional costs of travelling for healthcare,” she said. “By removing the cost barrier, we are an important step forward to ensuring that access to abortion care isn’t determined by income.”

10 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

WHWBSW published report From Both Sides of the Door in February this year, which found 28 per cent of respondents in the Barwon South West said they were unable to easily access abortion locally. “Our research shows why affordability and local access must go hand in hand,” Ms Hill said. “Abortion care is healthcare. We welcome this landmark commitment and will continue to advocate for timely, affordable and accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and gender diverse people across the Barwon South West.”

Local songwriter Mark Lang has a long history of creating quality music. Frontman for indie rock outfit Skipping Girl Vinegar, Lang was the primary songwriter behind the band’s three critically acclaimed albums Sift the Noise (2008), Keep Calm, Carry the Monkey (2011) and The Great Wave (2015) After the band wound down Lang went solo, touring extensively through North America and Europe, performing at major international festivals and supporting legendary Canadian artist Ron Sexsmith for his Australian tour. But this weekend Lang travels from the Bellarine to the Melbourne Recital Centre to launch what he calls the “most meaningful work” he has ever made. That work is debut solo album Wild Swan, a 10-track offering that has been over three years in the making. Dedicated to Lang’s son, Wild Swan evokes the natural music of the wetlands to document both a moment in time and Lang’s lifelong journey toward that moment. “I’ve always taken the slower path with art making anyway, but it’s a kind of reaction against the way in which the world’s moving…churning things out with little thought and no soul attached,” he said. “I wanted everything to feel immersive, to give people a chance to slow down and enter the sonic world we tried to create… where you can be still, connected to nature and the places around you.” Lang and long-term friend, producer and collaborator Nick Huggins will take to the stage on Saturday night to release Wild Swan into the world. “This album…was just two friends together making sounds, exploring ideas and seeing what would rise to the surface,” he said. “It feels really good to reconnect to that part of myself.”

ENTERTAINMENT WITH MATT HEWSON

Celebration of Aussie rock In the mid-80s, one rock festival series changed the course of Australian music history. Four decades later, one artist has commemorated that landmark event with an unforgettable show. Kate Ceberano had just turned 20 when she performed at open-air concert series Australian Made with her pop-funk band I’m Talking in 1986. A little over two years before, she was just another singer in a hard-working band playing in pubs around Melbourne. But by ‘86 I’m Talking had a string of top 20 hits and an album that was poised to go platinum and the band’s success had seen Ceberano named the Countdown Awards’ Most Popular Female Performer. Then came Australian Made, a series of six concerts around the country featuring

the cream of the Aussie music scene, from openers The Triffids to I’m Talking, The Saints, Mental as Anything, Divinyls, Models and co-headliners Jimmy Barnes and INXS. “(Australian Made) was the first of its kind, because most touring agents or management didn’t want to put a whole Australian bill on an outdoor festival; they didn’t think that it would sell tickets,” Ceberano said. “(It was created by) Chris Murphy, who was INXS’s manager, Jimmy Barnes’s manager (Mark Pope) and our manager Ken West, who went on to create the Big Day Out actually. So, off this model all of the history of Australian festivals was born.” Ceberano’s homage to that festival series, her acclaimed Australian Made

Aussie music icon Kate Ceberano comes to Costa Hall as part of her Australian Made encore tour. (Supplied)

tour, draws on the music of all the iconic acts from the original show as well as other Aussie music greats such as Skyhooks, Sia, Icehouse, Renee Geyer, Paul Kelly and

Temper Trap. She said she and fellow musicians Kathleen Halloran and Dusty Lee had created their own versions of those artists’ songs, many of which she had personal stories attached to. “Anyone can put together a list of Australian classics, but this is much, much more than that,” Ceberano said. “We’ve gotten into the skin of each song, and every artist that I’m performing I’ve either written with, toured with, opened up for as a teenager, kissed…it is the whole fabric of my life, from misspent youth to grown musician.” Kate Ceberano’s Australian Made encore tour is at Costa Hall on Saturday 31 October. Visit geelongartscentre.org.au for more information.

Anglesea’s Sound Doctor prescribes stellar music weekend Saturday and Sunday. But for local GP and The Sound Doctor founder Dr David Corbet, the most exciting thing about the weekend will be the quality of the support acts. “Getting the pairing right is just as important as booking the headline act,” he said. “We love giving emerging artists a platform in front of a room that’s genuinely there to listen, and more often than not,

they walk away with a room full of new fans. “It’s a chance for them to share a stage with more well known acts, and every now and again they get talked about more than the headliner!” Fremantle singer-songwriter Banjo Lucia will open for Queenie, Melbourne duo Wishlist will kick off the Saturday night show, while local emerging superstar Wild Gloriosa (Gloria Ragesh) will share the stage

Children’s Week 2026

with Budjerah on Sunday. “Geelong is right on our doorstep, and we love the chance to put a local act on our stage whenever we can,” Dr Corbet said. “Gloria is an extraordinary talent, and having her open for Budjerah on the final afternoon of this incredible weekend feels like exactly the right way to close things out.” Visit thesounddoctor.info for tickets and more information.

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For the best part of a decade, local community music initiative The Sound Doctor has consistently brought worldclass international acts and award-winning Australian talent to headline shows at the historic Anglesea Memorial Hall. That high standard will continue this year’s Melbourne Cup weekend, with three consecutive shows featuring Queenie, Telenova and Budjerah held on Friday,

Families who start with Nido Highton will join one of Australia’s leading early learning networks.

When Nido Early School opens in Highton*, families will have access to an educational approach that celebrates children’s natural curiosity and places learning at the heart of every day. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, Nido believes children are capable learners whose ideas, questions and interests can become the foundation for meaningful educational experiences. Through professional educators who partner in their learning, children are supported to build confidence, develop a sense of belonging and become active participants in their own education. Rather than following a one-size-fits-all model, Nido educators listen closely to children, observing what sparks their interest and using those moments to guide learning. Whether exploring nature, experimenting through art, investigating science concepts or engaging in

imaginative play, children are encouraged to think, create and discover in ways that are interesting to them. Nido’s unique curriculum combines intentional teaching with child-led exploration and is guided by both the Australian Early Years Learning Framework and Reggio Emilia principles. This approach helps build confidence, communication skills, creativity and problem-solving capabilities that support children well beyond their early years. For Highton families, Nido Early School will offer more than care. It will provide a place where curiosity is valued, ideas are nurtured, and every child is supported to become a confident and capable learner. See why Nido has a 99 per cent success rate in ‘Educational Program and Practice’ based on ACECQA ratings. For more to go nido/edu.au/highton or (03) 4247 2902. *Subject to department approvals

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Where curiosity leads learning

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 11

NEWS

GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

New bridge opens A new pedestrian bridge in Newtown will help improve safety, accessibility and connectivity along the Barwon River. Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA) delivered the new structure, which replaced the ageing timber bridge at Marnock Vale Reserve. Corangamite CMA chief executive Dr Amber Clarke said the Barwon River was one of Geelong’s “most valued community assets”, with the new bridge delivering significant improvements. “Investing in infrastructure like this helps ensure the area remains safe and accessible for everyone,” she said.

“We know more people are using the Barwon River trail network for recreation, exercise and active transport. “This new bridge provides a safer and more accessible way for people to enjoy the river and surrounding parkland.” Dr Clarke said the $240,000 project delivered a critical infrastructure upgrade along a popular section of the Barwon River trails through Geelong. “It’s fantastic to see this important community project completed, providing safer and more accessible access to one of Geelong’s most popular riverside destinations,” she said.

“This project demonstrates the important role Corangamite CMA plays in managing and improving recreational assets and opportunities along the Barwon River while also protecting the environmental and cultural values that make the river corridor such a special place.” The bridge is one of more than 500 recreational assets managed by Corangamite CMA along the river corridor, with ongoing asset upgrades improving community access.

Corangamite CMA CEO Dr Amber Clarke, left, WTOAC Wadawurrung Man Ash Skinner, Corangamite CMA board chair Michael Watson, and Member for Geelong Christine Couzens on the new Newtown bridge. (Supplied)

Grant for All Star kindergarten children ing wildlife and insects and building stick structures, the centre’s kindergarten children will engage in calculated risk-taking in an unstructured outdoor setting and begin to learn about cultural and environmental connection. All Star Kids is one of 88 kindergartens to start a new Bush Kinder program through the grants, while 62 other early learning centres will receive funding to further enhance their existing nature programs. “Every child should have the chance to experience the joy of learning in nature, to explore, climb, play and spark their imagination,” Ms Couzens said. “Through Bush Kinder, children

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A local early learning centre is one of 150 Victorian kindergartens receiving support for Bush Kinder programs. Member for Geelong Christine Couzens visited All Star Kids Early Learning Centre in McKillop St late last week to announce it would receive a one-off $6000 grant to establish a new Bush Kinder program. The grant will be used to develop the centre’s outdoor bush area, which will include a mural from parent and artist Suzie and facilitate child-led, playbased exploration using natural materials. Through nature-based play such as climbing logs, collecting leaves, observ-

12 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

build confidence, resilience and discover the world around them.” While Bush Kinder is not new to Victoria – the concept took shape more than 15 years ago as a grassroots community initiative inspired by European and Scandinavian forest schools – it has recently experienced a huge, government-backed expansion. Since 2023, the Victorian government has embedded the nature-based philosophy into its early educational framework, rolling out hundreds of grants through it $3.6 million Bush Kinder Grants Program.

All Star Kids Early Learning Centre director Duncan MacRae, Christine Couzens MP and early childhood teacher Melly (rear) with parent and artist Suzie and kids. (Supplied)

The Guide WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS SBS2, Friday, 8.30pm

Traditional vampire storytelling is turned on its head in this horror comedy, created by Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement, which follows the everyday lives of supernatural beings in modernday Staten Island. Sure, they sleep in coffins, turn into bats and drink blood, but they also have to keep the house clean. Based on the 2014 film of the same name, the series garnered 35 Emmy Award nominations over its six-season run. In Friday’s playful free-to-air premiere, a documentary crew meets human familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), his master Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak, pictured left with Guillén), and their roommates Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Colin (Mark Proksch).

Making a move: Mel Tracina and Big Brother head to Brisbane.

PICK OF THE WEEK BIG BROTHER AUSTRALIA 10, Monday, 7.30pm

The bright lights of Vegas are calling for Big Brother host Mel Tracina this year… BrisVegas, that is. Leaving the Gold Coast compound behind for a custom-built house at Screen Queensland Studios, Australia’s original reality format has a brand-new playground for its fresh cast to explore. But just because Big Brother has an opulent new home (and a muchneeded roof for the live stage), don’t think he wants his guests getting comfortable. From night one, viewers will have more power than ever to shake up the game and keep the housemates on their toes. The mind games begin on Monday when Tracina introduces BB’s new playthings before sending them through the front door.

SCRUBLANDS: SILVER Nine, Sunday, 9.30pm

Journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold, pictured) does the one thing he swore he’d never do – return to his hometown – in the second season of this dark Aussie crime thriller adapted from Chris Hammer’s novel Silver. But just as Martin settles into a new life nearby with partner Mandy (Bella Heathcote), a childhood friend is murdered. With all clues leading back to Mandy, Martin is in a race against time to clear her name and find the real culprit. In Sunday’s penultimate chapter, local police prepare to lay charges, Martin uncovers an extortion plot and a memorial is the target of a mass poisoning. This slow-burn mystery will keep you guessing until the last minute.

Friday, October 23 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Believe In Magic: The Mother Of All Cons. (Ml, R) 11.00 Austin. (PG, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Recipe Of The Year. (R) 1.50 Dustfall. (Mal, R) 2.40 You Can’t Ask That. (Mls, R) 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGv, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Australia. (PG, R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 7.30 France 24 English News. 8.00 DD India News Hour. 9.15 For The Love Of Dogs. (PGa, R) 10.15 My Dream Green Home. (PGl, R) 11.05 Canal Boat Diaries. 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (Mav, R) 3.00 Nula. 3.35 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Britain’s Most Beautiful Road. (PGa, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 Seven’s National News At Noon. 1.00 MOVIE: A Zest For Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. (2023, Mav, R) Alison Sweeney. 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 Chefs Ahoy. (R) 1.00 1 Euro House. (PG, R) 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. 7.30 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 10.50 Taskmaster Australia. (PGls, R) 12.00 Everyday Gourmet. (Final) 12.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 2.30 The Finish Line. (R) 3.30 Lingo. (R) 4.30 Bold. (PG) 5.00 News.

6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) Hosted by Tom Gleeson. 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 Gardening Australia. 8.20 Vera. (Ma, R) Vera nets two cases when an ex-prisoner’s body is discovered on the banks of the Tyne. 9.50 Recipe Of The Year. (R) The cooks make recipes passed down in their families. 10.45 Class Clowns. (PGs, R) 11.15 ABC Late News. 11.30 Crime Night! (PG, R) 12.05 Rage New Music. (MA15+dhlnsv) 5.00 Rage. (PG)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Hotel Portofino. (Mv) 8.35 The Lost Highlander. 9.40 Queens That Changed The World: Marie Antionette – The Queen They Loved To Hate. (M) 10.35 SBS World News Late. 11.05 Helsinki Syndrome. (Mal) 12.05 Darkness: Those Who Kill. (Mav, R) 1.50 Wisting. (MA15+s, R) 3.35 The Earl, His Lover, The Escort, Her Brother. (Mads, R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 WorldWatch.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Better Homes And Gardens. Hosted by Johanna Griggs. 7.30 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. Tonga v Lebanon. From CommBank Stadium, Sydney. 10.00 Rugby League World Cup Post-Game. Takes a look back at the Rugby League World Cup match between Tonga and Lebanon. 10.30 To Be Advised. 12.05 GetOn Extra. 12.35 Jamestown. (MA15+av, R) 1.35 Harry’s Practice. (R) 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Million Dollar Minute. (R) 5.00 NBC Today.

6.00 9News. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 Chateau DIY: Australia. 8.30 MOVIE: London Has Fallen. (2016, MA15+lv, R) Terrorists attack world leaders in London. Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Alon Aboutboul. 10.30 Race To The Melbourne Cup Carnival. 11.30 See No Evil: The Wrong Look. (Mav) 12.30 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 4.30 Global Shop. (R) 5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 5.30 Postcards. (PG, R)

6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) Hosted by Rebecca Gibney. 7.30 Love It Or List It Australia. (R) The competition is on, with team List It wanting to find Skye and Andrew a new home. 9.30 10’s Late News. Comprehensive coverage of local, national and international news, as well as the latest sport and weather. 10.30 Two And A Half Men. (Ms, R) Alan tries to distance himself from Judith. Charlie and Herb go out on the town. 12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 11.40 Iron Man And His Awesome Friends. 12.55pm Talking Tom Heroes. 1.20 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 1.50 Kangaroo Beach. 2.30 Monster Makes. 3.00 Play School. 3.30 Wiggle And Learn. 4.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 4.30 SuperKitties. 5.25 Octonauts. 5.50 Super Monsters. 6.05 Spidey And His Amazing Friends. 7.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 7.35 MOVIE: The Secret World Of Arrietty. (2010) 9.15 Adv Time. 9.40 BattleBots. 10.20 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 10.30 Small Business Secrets. 11.00 Patriot Brains. 11.55 DW The Day. 12.25pm MOVIE: Dangerous Liaisons. (1988, M) 2.35 Forged In Fire. 3.40 WorldWatch. 5.40 MH370: The Lost Flight. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 Big Fat Quiz Best Bits: Ultimate Chaos. 8.30 What We Do In The Shadows. (Premiere) 9.35 The Naked World. 10.30 Secrets Of The Female Orgasm. 11.25 The Perfect Vagina. 12.25am Brassic. 1.50 NHK World English News. 5.00 Al Jazeera News Hour.

6am Morning Programs. Noon House Of Wellness. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 Australia’s Big Backyards. 3.00 A Moveable Feast. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Better Homes. 5.00 Escape To The Country. 6.00 Bargain Hunt. 7.00 Football. AFLW. Pt Adel v Collingwood. 9.15 Escape To The Country. 11.15 The Yorkshire Vet. 12.15am Escape To The Country. 1.30 The Real Seachange. 2.00 Harry’s Practice. 2.30 Medical Emergency. 3.00 Better Homes. 5.00 Fresh TV. 5.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Yorkshire Auction House. 1.00 The Chelsea Detective. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: On The Fiddle. (1961) 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.00 Rugby Union. Women’s Test Match. Aust v Scotland. 9.45 MOVIE: Six Degrees Of Separation. (1993, M) Midnight A Killer Makes A Call. 1.00 Creflo. 1.30 MOVIE: On The Fiddle. (1961) 3.30 My Favorite Martian. 4.00 Seaway. 5.00 Yorkshire Auction House.

6am Shopping. 7.30 MasterChef Aust. 8.30 Ent. Tonight. 9.00 GCBC. 9.30 Farm To Fork. 10.00 Bold. 10.30 Deal Or No Deal. 11.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Shaun Micallef’s Parents’ Evening. 12.30pm Becker. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Everyday Gourmet. 4.30 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 8.00 Two And A Half Men. 9.30 Becker. (PG, R) 10.00 Frasier. 11.00 Ridiculousness. 11.30 Ent. Tonight. Midnight Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Shopping. 5.30 Joseph Prince.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Going Places. Noon MOVIE: Graffiti Bridge. (1990, PG) 1.35 Bill Reid Remembers. 2.00 Kriol Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Amplify. 5.30 Nula. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 7.30 MOVIE: Addams Family Reunion. (1998) 9.15 MOVIE: My Cousin Vinny. (1992, M) 11.20 Nula. Midnight Going Places. 1.00 Big Backyard Quiz. 2.00 Barunga Festival. 4.00 On The Road. 5.00 Bamay. 5.30 Late Programs.

6am The Movie Show. 6.30 The Big Steal. (1990, PGls) 8.25 Love And Friendship. (2016, PGa) 10.10 Vampire Seeking Consenting Person. (2023, Malv, French) 11.50 Stay. (2005, Malv) 1.40pm The Unknown Country. (2022, PGa) 3.15 The Boy And The Heron. (2023, PGalv) 5.30 Men In War. (1957, PGalw) 7.30 Black Sea. (2014, Malv) 9.35 Seven. (1995, MA15+av) 11.55 Saving Private Ryan. (1998, MA15+v) 3am The 355. (2022, Malv) 5.15 Lassie: A New Adventure. (2023, PG, German)

6am Morning Programs. 10.00 NFL Tailgate. 11.00 NFL. Chicago Bears v New England Patriots. 2.30pm Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. England v Tonga. Replay. 5.00 Rugby League World Cup Pre-Game. 5.30 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. Samoa v Wales. 7.30 Outback Pilots. 8.30 MOVIE: The Bounty Hunter. (2010, M) 10.50 MOVIE: Death Race. (2008, MA15+) 1.15am Outback Pilots. 2.30 Sound FX: Best Of. 3.00 NFL. NFL. Replay.

6am Morning Programs. 11.40 Seinfeld. 12.10pm Motor Racing. FIA World Endurance C’ship. 8 Hours of Bahrain. H’lights. 1.20 Tennis. Laver Cup. H’lights. 2.30 Baywatch. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 MOVIE: Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb. (2014, PG) 9.30 MOVIE: The Accountant. (2016, MA15+) Midnight Aussie Lobster Men. 3.35 World’s Greatest Man Made Wonders. 4.30 Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures. 4.50 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 8.00 Days Of Our Lives. 8.45 The Young And The Restless. 9.30 Living Room. 10.30 Building The Dream. 11.30 The Bold And The Beautiful. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 Gold Wars Downunder. 2.30 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. (PGm, R) 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 10.20 Bull. (PGm, R) 11.15 JAG. (PGl, R) 1.15am 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, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 13

Saturday, October 24 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 Rage Charts. (PG) 7.00 Wknd Brekky. 9.00 Rage. (PG) 10.30 Rage Vault Guest Programmer. (PG) 12.00 News. 12.30 Beyond Paradise. (PGa, R) 1.30 Vera. (Ma, R) 3.00 Grand Designs: House Of The Year. (R) 3.50 You Can’t Ask That. (PGl, R) 4.10 Martin Clunes: Islands Of The Atlantic. (PG, R) 4.55 Australian Story. (R) 5.30 Landline. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 11.05 Icons Of Auto. (PGl) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Gymnastics. World Trampoline World Cup. H’lights. 2.30 Gymnastics. World Trampoline World Cup. H’lights. 3.00 Soccer. Aust C’ship. Avondale FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC. 5.05 Going Places. (R) 5.35 WWII Women On The Frontline. (PGav, R)

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. The latest news, sport and weather. 10.00 The Morning Show: Weekend. (PG) Highlights from the past week. 12.00 Horse Racing. Cox Plate Day. From Flemington, Melbourne. Spring Champion Stakes Day. From Royal Randwick, Sydney.

6am Morning Programs. 10.00 Today Extra: Saturday. (PG) 12.00 Surfing Aust. 12.30 TBA. 1.00 Let’s Eat With George. 1.30 Gen Well. (PG) 2.00 Find My Country House Australia. (PG, R) 2.30 Global Energy Revolution. 3.30 Best Of Explore TV. (Premiere) 4.30 Garden Gurus. 5.00 News. 5.30 Getaway. (PG)

6am Morning Programs. 8.30 GCBC. (R) 9.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 9.30 The Finish Line. (R) 10.30 Love It Or List It: Brilliant Builds. (PG, R) 11.30 Shaun Micallef’s Parents’ Evening. (PGls, R) 12.30 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) 1.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) 1.30 Motorcycle Racing. MotoGP. Aust Grand Prix. 4.00 Lingo. (R) 5.00 News.

6.00 Kath & Kim. (PGals, R) Kim discovers the internet. 6.30 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day. 7.30 Beyond Paradise. (PGa) Humphrey investigates when Martha becomes an unlikely suspect after a poisoning at the Regatta. 8.30 Lynley. (Ma) On his day off, Lynley happens upon the body of a popular young man in the Norfolk Broads and must navigate the secrets of a close-knit community to find the killer. 10.00 Darby And Joan. (PG, R) Joan gets some space from Jack. 10.45 The Forsytes. (PG, R) As pressures mount, Soames longs for an heir. 11.35 Rage. (MA15+dhlnsv) Continuous music programming.

6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Royals And Their Gardens: Sanssouci Palace. 8.30 Great British Train Journeys From Above: The Jacobite Railway. (PG, R) Looks at the Jacobite Railway. 9.25 The Jury: Skeleton In The Garden: Death Threats. (Mal, R) Catherine’s daughter delivers emotional testimony. 10.25 Cumbria: The Lakes & The Coast. (PG, R) 11.20 The Silence. (MA15+av, R) 1.20 Wales: Land Of The Wild: The Return Of The Sun. (R) 3.15 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGa, R) 4.15 Auction. (R) 5.15 Euronews. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. England v France. From HBF Park, Perth. 7.30 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. Australia v England. From HBF Park, Perth. 10.00 Rugby League World Cup Post-Game. 10.20 MOVIE: Con Air. (1997, MA15+lv, R) Nicolas Cage, John Cusack. 12.30 Motor Racing. Supercars Championship. Round 12. Gold Coast 500. Day 1. Highlights. From Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Queensland. 1.30 Harry’s Practice. (R) 2.00 Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 It’s Academic. (R) 5.00 House Of Wellness. (PG, R)

6.00 9News Saturday. 7.00 A Current Affair. 7.30 MOVIE: Cool Runnings. (1993, G, R) Jamaicans train to become bobsledders. John Candy, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis. 9.30 MOVIE: Horrible Bosses 2. (2014, MA15+lss, R) Three men decide to become their own bosses by launching their own business. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day. 11.40 Wild Cards. (MA15+v, R) 12.30 Next Stop. 1.00 Best Of Explore TV. (R) 2.00 The Incredible Journey Presents. (PGa) 2.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.30 Global Shop. (R) 5.00 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 5.30 Helping Hands. (PGa, R)

6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.00 A-League Pre-Game. Pre-game coverage of the A-League match. 7.40 Soccer. A-League Men. Round 2. Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City. From AAMI Park, Melbourne. 10.15 Love It Or List It: Brilliant Builds. (PG) Kirstie and Phil look back on some of their biggest builds and complete overhauls. 11.15 The Graham Norton Show. (Mls, R) Graham Norton chats with John Malkovich. 12.10 FBI: International. (Mv, R) The FBI fly team heads to Monaco. 1.00 Home Shopping. (R) 3.00 Mixed Martial Arts. UFC 333 Prelims. From Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 5.00 Hour Of Power.

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Morning Programs. 12.10pm Curious Australia. 12.45 Great Australian Concerts: Clapton. 1.55 Stories From The Cities. 2.30 If You Are The One. 3.35 WorldWatch. 5.35 Mastermind Aust. 6.35 Mysteries From Above. (Return) 7.30 MOVIE: The Hunger Games. (2012, M) 10.55 Interview With The Vampire. 12.35am Brassic. 2.20 NHK World English News. 5.00 Al Jazeera.

6am Morning Programs. 1.30pm Motor Racing. Supercars C’ship. Gold Coast 500. Qualifying and support races. 3.30 Motor Racing. Supercars C’ship. Gold Coast 500. Pre-race and race. 6.30 Dog Patrol. 7.00 Football. AFL Women’s. Western Bulldogs v Melbourne. 9.15 Escape To The Chateau. 10.15 Escape To The Country. 11.15 Railroad Australia. 12.30am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.40 Edgar Wallace Mysteries. 1pm MOVIE: State Secret. (1950) 3.10 MOVIE: Contraband Spain. (1955, PG) 4.55 MOVIE: The Dam Busters. (1955) 7.30 MOVIE: Ronin. (1998, M) 10.00 MOVIE: Gorky Park. (1983, M) 12.40am MOVIE: Dracula: Prince Of Darkness. (1966, M) 2.30 MOVIE: State Secret. (1950) 4.35 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 7.30 Deal Or No Deal. 8.30 Bold. 11.00 Everyday Gourmet With Justine Schofield. 11.30 Becker. Noon Frasier. 1.00 Becker. (PG, R) 1.30 Frasier. (PGa, R) 2.30 Friends. (PG, R) 7.30 Two And A Half Men. (Ms, R) 11.00 Becker. (PG, R) 11.30 Frasier. 12.30am Home Shopping.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 1.05pm Nula. 1.35 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 2.25 Making A Mark. 3.30 Araatika! Rise Up. 5.00 Piri’s Tiki Tour. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 The Other Side. 7.30 Pro Bull Riding USA: World Team Series. 8.30 MOVIE: The Blair Witch Project. (1999) 10.00 MOVIE: Little Shop Of Horrors. (1986, M) 11.40 Turn Up Respect. Midnight Going Places. 1.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.45pm The 355. (2022, Malv) 3.00 The Big Steal. (1990, PGls) 4.55 The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond. (2008, PGadsv) 6.50 The Great Buck Howard. (2008) 8.30 The Old Man And The Gun. (2018, Ml) 10.15 Nymphomaniac: Vol. II. (2013, MA15+alnsvw) 12.30am Goodbye Julia. (2023, Mav, Sudanese Arabic) 2.40 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 3pm Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. Papua New Guinea v Samoa. 5.30 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. England v France. 7.00 Storage Wars. 7.30 MOVIE: Spider-Man: Homecoming. (2017, M) 10.15 MOVIE: Dante’s Peak. (1997, PG) 12.35am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.40pm NBL: Overtime. 2.50 Soccer. English Premier League. Everton v Chelsea. 5.00 Seinfeld. 5.30 Basketball. NBL. Illawarra Hawks v Brisbane Bullets. 7.30 Basketball. NBL. South East Melbourne Phoenix v Adelaide 36ers. 9.30 MOVIE: The Hot Chick. (2002, M) 11.35 Top 20 Funniest. 12.35am Aussie Lobster Men. 4.15 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 9.00 Reel Action. 9.30 Building The Dream. 12.30pm The Living Room. 2.30 JAG. 4.30 Reel Action. 5.00 Escape Fishing With ET. (R) 5.30 JAG. (PGdv, R) 7.30 NCIS. (Mav, R) 8.30 FBI: Most Wanted. (Mv, R) 10.20 JAG. (PGv, R) 12.20am Home Shopping.

12904397-RV40-26

ABC FAMILY (22) 6am Children’s Programs. 3.30pm Super Monsters. 4.10 Little J And Big Cuz. 4.25 Football Fantastics. 5.20 Super Monsters Save Halloween. 5.45 Iron Man And His Awesome Friends. 6.25 Zog. 7.05 Do Not Watch This Show. 7.30 Hard Quiz Kids. 7.55 Kids Baking C’ship. 8.40 Gladiators UK. 9.40 Are You Afraid Of The Dark? 10.20 Late Programs.

Sunday, October 25 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6am Morning Programs. 9.00 Insiders. 10.00 Offsiders. 10.30 World This Week. (R) 11.00 Compass. (PGa, R) 11.30 Praise. 12.00 News. 12.30 Landline. 1.30 Gardening Aust. (R) 2.15 Recipe Of The Year. (R) 3.10 Creative Types. (PGv, R) 3.40 Annabel Crabb’s Civic Duty. (PG, R) 4.30 Joanna Lumley’s Danube. (PG, R) 5.15 Grand Designs NZ. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 DD India News Hour. 9.05 For The Love Of Dogs. (PGa, R) 10.05 It’s A Beautiful World. (PG) 11.05 Icons Of Auto. 12.00 WorldWatch. 1.00 Speedweek. 3.00 Cycling. UCI Gravel World C’ships. Elite Men and Elite Women. H’lights. 4.05 Going Places. (PG, R) 5.35 Greatest Escapes Of WWII. (Premiere)

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. 10.00 Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 House Of Wellness. (PG, R) 1.00 Border Security: Int. (PG, R) 1.30 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B. NZ v France. 3.30 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. NZ v Cook Islands.

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Cross Court. 11.30 Fishing Aust. 12.00 A Golf Club Somewhere. 12.30 Drive TV. 1.00 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival Official Film. 2.00 Tasman Trails. (R) 3.00 1 Euro House. (PG, R) 4.00 Ready Vet Go: The Vet Ambulance Service. (PGm) 4.30 Explore TV. 5.00 News. 5.30 Postcards. (PG)

6.00 Mass. 6.30 Key Of David. (PGa) 7.00 Joseph Prince. 7.30 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 8.00 Australia By Design: Architecture. (R) 8.30 Buy To Build. (R) 9.00 Pooches At Play. (PG, R) 9.30 GCBC. (R) 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 Motorcycle Racing. MotoGP. Aust Grand Prix. 3.30 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) 4.00 Lingo. (R) 5.00 10 News.

6.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 7.00 ABC News. A look at the top stories of the day. 7.30 Recipe Of The Year. Hosted by Adam Liaw and Pia Miranda. 8.20 Dustfall. (Mal) Tig and her team use digital traces and human detection to finally identify the mysterious ‘Jack’. 9.15 The Forsytes. Irene navigates public scrutiny. Jolyon Jnr rejects his family fortune. Soames seizes control. 10.00 Lynley. (Ma, R) Lynley stumbles onto a body on his day off. 11.30 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 2.45 Dr Ann’s Secret Lives. (R) 3.15 Darby And Joan. (PG, R) 4.00 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.00 Insiders. (R)

6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Roman Empire By Train With Alice Roberts. (Final, PG) 8.25 Ancient Superstructures: Carcassonne. (PG) 9.25 Cleopatra: Cracking The Enigma. (PG, R) 10.30 Royal Autopsy. (Ma, R) 11.25 Destination Ancient Rome. (PGa, R) 1.10 Wales: Land Of The Wild. (PGa, R) 3.05 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGah, R) 4.10 Auction. (R) 4.40 Bamay. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 WorldWatch.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Rugby League World Cup Pre-Game. 7.30 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. Australia v Fiji. 10.00 Rugby League World Cup Post-Game. 10.30 24 Hours In Police Custody. (Madlv, R) 11.30 Motor Racing. Supercars Championship. Round 12. Gold Coast 500. Day 2. Highlights. 12.30 Pure Genius. (Ma, R) 1.30 Harry’s Practice. (R) 2.00 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 The Block. (PGl) 8.30 60 Minutes. Current affairs program. 9.30 Scrublands: Silver. (Mal) Mandy faces murder charges. 10.30 9News Late. 11.00 The First 48: Unforgotten – Ray And Blu. (Mav) 11.50 The Case Against Cosby. (MA15+adv) 12.40 Ready Vet Go: The Vet Ambulance Service. (PGm, R) 1.05 A Golf Club Somewhere. (R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 4.00 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. (R) 4.30 Destination WA. (PG, R) 5.00 Today Early News. 5.30 Today.

6.30 10 News+. 7.00 Gogglebox Australia. Opinionated viewers discuss TV shows. 8.00 The Graham Norton Show. Graham Norton chats with Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgard and John Malkovich. 9.00 Shaun Micallef’s Parents’ Evening. (PGls, R) Scott O’Halloran, Gai Waterhouse and Dave Thornton team up with their lesser-known parent or child. 10.00 Sam Pang Tonight. (Mals, R) Presented by Sam Pang. 11.00 FBI: International. (Mv, R) A former US cabinet member is arrested. 12.00 10 News+. (R) 12.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 3pm Play School: What’s Cooking? 3.25 Super Monsters Save Halloween. 4.10 Little J And Big Cuz. 4.25 Football Fantastics. 5.20 The Highway Rat. 5.45 Iron Man And His Awesome Friends. 6.45 Rocket Club. 7.05 Do Not Watch This Show. 7.30 Little Lunch. 7.45 Crookhaven. 8.30 Are You Afraid Of The Dark? 9.10 Ice Age. 10.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.05pm Inside The Cult Of The Jesus Army. 2.15 Jeopardy! 4.20 WorldWatch. 5.45 Icons Unearthed: The Lord Of The Rings. 6.40 Abandoned Engineering. 8.30 AI Confidential With Hannah Fry. (Premiere) 9.35 Fleishman Is In Trouble. 10.30 The UnXplained. 12.10am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon My Greek Odyssey. 1.00 Football. AFLW. North Melbourne v Adelaide. 3.00 Football. AFLW. Hawthorn v Essendon. 5.00 Harry’s Practice. 5.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 6.30 Escape To The Country. 7.30 Vicar Of Dibley. 8.30 Vera. 10.30 Genius: Picasso. 11.30 Vicar Of Dibley. 12.30am Harry’s Practice. 1.00 Better Homes. 2.00 Vera. 4.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Skippy. 11.30 Edgar Wallace Mysteries. 1pm MOVIE: West Of Zanzibar. (1954) 3.00 MOVIE: A Horse Named Winx. (2024, PG) 5.30 Midsomer Murders. 7.30 Clarkson’s Farm. 8.40 TBA. 11.00 Cold Case. Midnight MOVIE: Don’t Look Now. (1973, M) 2.15 Creflo. 2.45 MOVIE: West Of Zanzibar. (1954) 4.50 Avengers.

6am Shopping. 7.30 Deal Or No Deal. 9.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Becker. Noon Frasier. 1.00 Becker. 1.30 Frasier. (PGa, R) 2.30 Friends. (PG, R) 7.30 Two And A Half Men. (Mls, R) 10.30 Becker. (PG, R) 11.00 Frasier. (PGa, R) Midnight Home Shopping.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 1.55pm Football. West Kimberley Football League. Women’s. Grand Final. Replay. 3.10 MOVIE: Category: Woman. (2022, PG) 4.30 Soh Presents: Generations And Dynasties. 5.50 Bamay. 6.30 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 7.20 Our Medicine. 8.30 MOVIE: Journey Home, David Gulpilil. (2025, M) 10.05 MOVIE: The Tracker. (2002, M) 11.50 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.10pm Wonderfully Beautiful. (2022, Madls, German) 2.35 Men In War. (1957, PGalw) 4.35 The Great Dictator. (1940, PG) 6.55 Like The Wind. (2021, PGalsv) 8.30 Inside. (2024, MA15+alv) 10.25 Tigerland. (2000, MA15+s) 12.20am Past Lives. (2023, Ml, Korean, English, Mandarin, French) 2.20 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon The Fishing Show By AFN. 1.00 Motor Racing. Supercars C’ship. Gold Coast 500. Qualifying and support races. 3.00 Motor Racing. Supercars C’ship. Gold Coast 500. Pre-race and race. 6.00 Border Security: Int. 7.00 Border Security. 8.30 MOVIE: The Mummy. (1999, M) 11.00 MOVIE: Unhinged. (2020, MA15+) 12.50am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.50 Motor Racing. FIA World Endurance C’ship. 8 Hours of Bahrain. H’lights. 1pm Soccer. English Premier League. Nottingham Forest v Arsenal. 3.00 Basketball. WNBL. Townsville Fire v Sydney. 5.00 MOVIE: Superman II. (1980, PG) 7.30 MOVIE: The Matrix Revolutions. (2003, M) 10.05 MOVIE: Pacific Rim. (2013, M) 12.40am Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 7.30 Leading The Way. 8.00 All 4 Adventure. 9.00 Navigating The World. 10.00 Australia By Design: Architecture. 10.30 Building The Dream. 12.30pm What’s Up Down Under. 1.30 Buy To Build. 2.00 Living Room. 3.00 JAG. 5.00 I Fish. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 NCIS. 10.20 Fire Country. 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

14 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

Monday, October 26 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Lynley. (Ma, R) 11.30 Stuff The British Stole. (PG, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Landline. (R) 2.00 Parliament Question Time. 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGv, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Australia. (PG, R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 10.20 Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors. (Mav, R) 11.40 Language Of Light. (Malv, R) 12.10 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (PGa, R) 3.05 Weekend Escapes. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Britain’s Most Beautiful Road. (PGa, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 Seven’s National News At Noon. 1.00 Beat The Chasers UK. (R) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. (R) 3.00 The Chase. 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 The Block. (PGl, R) 1.30 Getaway. (PG, R) 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.00 [MELB] Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 7.30 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 11.00 Gogglebox Aust. (R) 12.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 12.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) 2.30 The Finish Line. (R) 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 Australian Story. 8.30 Four Corners. Investigative journalism program. 9.20 Media Watch. (PG) Presented by Linton Besser. 9.35 Planet America. 10.05 The State Of Man. (Mals, R) 10.55 ABC Late News. 11.10 The Business. (R) 11.30 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGv, R) 12.15 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 1.00 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Dr Karl’s How Things Work: Lollies. (R) 4.00 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli: Tom Gleeson. (Ml, R) 4.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Big Fat Quiz Best Bits: Ultimate Shocks. 8.30 24 Hours In Emergency: I’ll Be There. (Mlm, R) A car crash victim is rushed to emergency. 9.30 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. (Mals, R) 10.25 SBS World News Late. 10.55 Icebreaker. (Mal) 12.40 Prisoner. (MA15+alv, R) 2.55 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (R) 3.55 Auction. (R) 4.25 Bamay: Murrumbidgee River – Madi Madi, Dadi Dadi And Nganguruku Country. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Home And Away. (PGa) 7.30 My Kitchen Rules. (PGal) In Adelaide, classy bogans Alisha and Deanne are hungry for some home-cooked redemption. 9.05 The Rookie. (Mav) The team launches a high-stakes search. 10.05 The Agenda Setters: Rugby League. An expert panel tackles the biggest rugby league topics. 11.05 Family Guy. (Ms) 11.35 American Dad! (Mds) 12.05 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. (Mls) 12.35 Transplant. (MA15+a, R) 1.35 Harry’s Practice. (R) 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 Travel Guides. (PGl) The guides head to Dubai. 8.40 Love Island Australia. (Return, Mls) Aussie singles head to a villa in a new tropical location, where they couple up and stay together. 10.15 9News Late. 10.45 Pretty Hard Cases. (Mav) Two detectives join forces despite their differences. 11.35 NBL: Overtime. (PG, R) 12.35 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.

6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (PG) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG) Hosted by Rebecca Gibney. 7.30 Big Brother Australia. (Return, Malns) New houseguests move in to the Big Brother house in the hopes of winning the final prize. 9.00 Sam Pang Tonight. (Mals) A weekly tonight show hosted by Sam Pang, featuring a monologue roasting the news of the week. 10.00 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 11.00 Australian True Crime With Meshel Laurie: Ray Mooney – Inside Pentridge Prison With Ray Mooney. (Ma) Hosted by Meshel Laurie. 12.00 Two And A Half Men. (M, R) Alan contemplates retiring. 1.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 2.30pm Monster Makes. 3.00 Play School. 3.30 Wiggle And Learn. 4.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 4.30 SuperKitties. 5.25 Octonauts. 5.50 Super Monsters. 6.05 Spidey And His Amazing Friends. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Young Sheldon. 8.25 Young Sheldon. 8.45 Animal Park. 9.30 Hard Quiz Kids. 9.55 Merlin. 10.40 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 2.20pm The Grudge. 2.50 The UnBelievable. 3.50 WorldWatch. 5.50 The Curse Of Oak Island Specials. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Scrabble. 9.20 Icons Unearthed: Quentin Tarantino. 10.15 Jack Nicholson: Hollywood’s Diabolical Grin. 11.25 MOVIE: The Shining. (1980, MA15+) 2.05am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 My Kitchen Rules. 1pm My Greek Odyssey. 2.00 Weekender. 2.30 Auction Squad. 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 Doc Martin. 8.30 A Touch Of Frost. 10.45 Escape To The Country. 11.45 Bargain Hunt. 12.45am Doc Martin. 2.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Yorkshire Auction House. 1.00 Midsomer Murders. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: The Fallen Idol. (1948) 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Death In Paradise. 8.40 The Brokenwood Mysteries. 10.40 Rizzoli & Isles. 11.40 Death In Paradise. 12.40am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 9.30 Farm To Fork. 10.00 Bold. 10.30 Deal Or No Deal. 11.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30pm Becker. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Everyday Gourmet. 4.30 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 8.00 Two And A Half Men. 9.30 Becker. 10.00 Frasier. 11.00 Ridiculousness. 11.30 Ent. Tonight. Midnight Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Shopping.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 12.10pm MOVIE: Journey Home, David Gulpilil. (2025, M) 1.45 Turn Up Respect. 2.00 Kriol Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Amplify. 5.30 The 77 Percent. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? 8.30 Living Black. 9.00 Take Heart: Songlines. 10.10 MOVIE: Poetic Justice. (1993, M) 12.05am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.40 The Accidental Getaway Driver. (2023, Mlv) 1.35pm The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond. (2008, PGadsv) 3.30 Master Cheng: A Spice For Life. (2019, PGaln) 5.40 Alick & Albert. (2021, PG) 7.30 The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. (2008, Mlsv) 10.30 Forte. (2025, MA15+v, Korean) Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 2pm Counting Cars. 2.30 Motor Racing. Supercars C’ship. Gold Coast 500. H’lights. 3.30 Motor Racing. Supercars C’ship. Gold Coast 500. H’lights. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Aussie Gold Hunters. 9.30 Gem Hunters Down Under. 10.30 Outback Opal Hunters. 11.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 World’s Greatest Journeys. 12.30pm Surfing Aust. 1.00 Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. 2.30 Baywatch. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 NBL: Overtime. 7.30 Big Bang. 8.30 Seinfeld. 9.30 MOVIE: Police Academy. (1984, M) 11.30 Big Bang. 12.25am Jane The Virgin. (Return) 1.15 The Summit. 3.00 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 8.00 Days Of Our Lives. 8.45 The Young And The Restless. 9.30 Living Room. 10.30 Building The Dream. 11.30 Bold. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 Gold Wars Downunder. 2.30 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. (M, R) 10.20 Bull. 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

We

Local News 12466496-DL43-20

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Tuesday, October 27 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Aust Story. (R) 10.30 Planet America. (R) 11.00 The State Of Man. (Mals, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Beyond Paradise. (PGa, R) 2.00 Parliament Question Time. 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGa, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Australia. (R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 9.15 For The Love Of Dogs. (PGa, R) 10.15 My Dream Green Home. (PG, R) 11.10 Canal Boat Diaries. (PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (Ma, R) 3.00 Weekend Escapes. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Britain’s Most Beautiful Road. (R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 Seven’s National News At Noon. 1.00 Bridge Of Lies: Celebrity Specials. (R) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. (R) 3.00 The Chase. 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 MOVIE: Falling For The Manny. (2022, PGa, R) 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.00 [MELB] Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 11.00 Taskmaster Australia. (PGals, R) 12.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 12.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) 2.30 The Finish Line. (R) 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 The State Of Man. (Final, Ml) 8.50 Believe In Magic: The Mother Of All Cons. (Final, Ml) 9.50 Grand Designs New Zealand. (R) 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 The Business. (R) 11.10 Four Corners. (R) 11.55 Media Watch. (PG, R) 12.15 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGa, R) 1.00 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 1.45 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Dr Karl’s How Things Work. (R) 4.00 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli. (PG, R) 4.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? Diane Morgan. (PG) 8.40 Norwegian Odyssey. (PG) 9.35 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (PG, R) 10.30 SBS World News Late. 11.00 Cold Summer. (Premiere, MA15+v) 12.05 A Body That Works. (Ml, R) 3.10 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGa, R) 4.10 Auction. (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 Home And Away. (PGa) The Fowler family unites. 7.30 My Kitchen Rules. (PG) Angus and Simon host an Instant Restaurant. 9.10 Off The Grid With Colin And Manu. (Ml) Lamb tail is on the menu as the guys head to Boars Nest to cook with the locals. 10.10 The Amazing Race. (PG) Hosted by Phil Keoghan. 11.40 Happy’s Place. (PGl) Steve has to find ways to save the tavern money. 12.10 The Path. (MA15+adlv) 1.10 Harry’s Practice. (R) 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 1 Euro House. (PG) 8.45 Love Island Australia. (Mls) An attractive bombshell causes a stir. 9.55 Topknotz: Wild On Water. (Ml) 10.55 9News Late. 11.25 The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. (MA15+alvv) 12.20 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.10 Cross Court. (R) 1.30 TV Shop: Home Shopping. (R) 2.30 The Garden Gurus. (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.

6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (PG) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG) Hosted by Rebecca Gibney. 7.30 Big Brother Australia. (Malns) A group of houseguests face twists, tasks and live evictions in the hopes of winning the final prize. 8.40 The Cheap Seats. (Mal) Presenters Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald take a look at the week that was. 9.40 10’s Late News. Comprehensive coverage of local, national and international news, as well as the latest sport and weather. 10.40 Two And A Half Men. (Ms, R) Alan thinks he got Judith pregnant. 12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 2.30pm Monster Makes. 3.00 Play School. 3.30 Wiggle And Learn. 4.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 4.30 SuperKitties. 5.25 Octonauts. 5.50 Super Monsters. 6.05 Spidey And His Amazing Friends. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Young Sheldon. 8.25 Young Sheldon. 8.45 Animal Park. 9.30 Kids Baking C’ship. 10.10 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.55 DW The Day. 12.25pm A League Of Their Own: Mexican Road Trip. 2.15 The Grudge. 2.45 The UnBelievable. 3.50 WorldWatch. 5.50 The Curse Of Oak Island Specials. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 MOVIE: Kill Bill: Vol. 1. (2003, MA15+) 10.30 MOVIE: The Devil’s Advocate. (1997, MA15+) 1.10am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon My Kitchen Rules. 1.30 The Real Seachange. 2.00 Creek To Coast. 2.30 House Of Wellness. 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 Call The Midwife. 8.45 Inspector Morse. 11.00 Escape To The Country. Midnight Bargain Hunt. 1.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Yorkshire Auction House. 1.00 The Brokenwood Mysteries. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery. (1966) 5.30 Yorkshire Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 New Tricks. 8.40 Grantchester. 9.50 Wong & Winchester. 10.50 Harry Wild. 11.50 New Tricks. 1am Creflo. 1.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 9.30 Farm To Fork. 10.00 Bold. 10.30 Deal Or No Deal. 11.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30pm Becker. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Everyday Gourmet. 4.30 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 8.00 Two And A Half Men. 9.30 Becker. 10.00 Frasier. 11.00 Ridiculousness. 11.30 Ent. Tonight. Midnight Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Shopping.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 12.40pm John Ware Reclaimed. 2.00 Kriol Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Amplify. 5.30 Indian Country Today News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Wild, Smart And Deadly. 7.30 Cold Justice. 8.35 MOVIE: Secret In Their Eyes. (2015, M) 10.35 Kaugere: A Place Where Nobody Enters. 11.40 Bamay. Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.05pm Pasa Faho. (2025, Ml) 2.35 Like The Wind. (2021, PGalsv) 4.10 Roxane. (2019, PGals, French) 5.50 Rabbit-Proof Fence. (2002, PG) 7.30 Heartbreak Ridge. (1986, Malsv) 9.55 Late Night With The Devil. (2023, MA15+ahv) 11.35 Kaymak. (2022, MA15+als, Macedonian) 1.35am Shanghai. (2010, MA15+dv) 3.35 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Mt Hutt Rescue. 1.30 Gem Hunters Down Under. 2.30 Aussie Gold Hunters. 3.30 Mighty Planes. 4.30 American Resto. 5.00 Storage Wars. 5.30 American Pickers. 6.30 Pawn Stars. 7.30 Outback Truckers. 9.30 Marlin Kings: Chasing Giants. 10.30 Heavy Tow Truckers Down Under. 11.30 Big Rig Bounty Hunters. 12.30am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 World’s Greatest Engineering Icons. 12.40pm Surfing Aust. 1.10 Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. 2.30 NBL: Overtime. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 Big Bang. 8.30 Seinfeld. 9.30 TBA. 11.30 Big Bang. 11.55 Jane The Virgin. 12.45am The Girl From Plainville. 1.40 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 8.00 Days Of Our Lives. 8.45 The Young And The Restless. 9.30 Living Room. 10.30 Building The Dream. 11.30 Bold. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 Gold Wars Downunder. 2.30 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. (M, R) 10.20 Bull. 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 15

Wednesday, October 28 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Four Corners. (R) 10.45 Dr Karl’s How Things Work. (R) 12.00 News. 12.30 National Press Club Address. 1.35 Media Watch. (PG, R) 2.00 Parliament Question Time. 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGv, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Australia. (R) 4.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 10.10 My Dream Green Home. (R) 11.05 Our Welsh Chapel Dream. (Premiere, PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (PGa, R) 3.05 Weekend Escapes. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Dinosaur With Stephen Fry. (PG, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 Seven’s National News At Noon. 1.00 Bridge Of Lies: Celebrity Specials. (R) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. (R) 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 1 Euro House. (PG, R) 1.00 Topknotz: Wild On Water. (Ml, R) 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 11.00 Taskmaster Australia. (PGal, R) 12.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 12.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) 2.30 The Finish Line. (R) 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) 8.30 Class Clowns. (PGs) The teams perform original poems. 9.00 Crime Night! (PGl) Hosted by Julia Zemiro. 9.35 Small Prophets. (M, R) 10.05 Planet America. (R) 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 The Business. (R) 11.10 Dustfall. (Ml, R) 12.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGv, R) 12.45 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 1.35 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Dr Karl’s How Things Work. (R) 4.00 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli. (PG, R) 4.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Bill Bailey’s Korea. (PG) 8.30 Killing Sherlock With Lucy Worsley: Fact And Fiction. (PGa, R) Lucy Worsley uncovers how Arthur Conan Doyle’s life shaped Sherlock Holmes. 9.30 Apollo Has Fallen. (MA15+av) Zara and Vincent learn details of Yuri’s plan. 10.20 SBS World News Late. 10.50 The Old Man. (Mlv) 11.35 Classified. (MA15+v, R) 3.00 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (R) 4.00 Auction. (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 Home And Away. (PGa) The mystery of what’s happened to Roo deepens. 7.30 The 1% Club UK. (PGa, R) Hosted by Lee Mack. 8.30 A Taste For Murder. (Malv) The death of a reclusive, agoraphobic former Hollywood star inside a Croatian villa uncovers a hidden identity mystery. 9.30 House Of Wellness. (PG) Insights and experiences that highlight living well. 10.30 Chicago Fire. (Mav) 11.30 Happy’s Place. (PGal) 12.00 Riviera. (MA15+adlsv, R) 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 Budget Battlers. (Return, PGl) Hosted by Jess Eva. 8.40 Love Island Australia. (Mls) It’s the first fiirepit of the season, where the bombshell must steal a boy, leaving one girl single. 9.50 To Be Advised. 10.50 9News Late. 11.20 Sight Unseen. (Ma) Tess and Sunny chase a killer on campus. 12.10 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.05 Drive TV. (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.

6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) Hosted by Rebecca Gibney. 7.30 Big Brother Australia. (Malns) A group of houseguests face twists, tasks and live evictions in the hopes of winning the final prize. 8.40 The Celebrity Traitors UK. Claudia Winkleman picks the Traitors, who murder by night while the Faithful hunt them down. 10.10 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 11.10 The Cheap Seats. (Mal, R) Presented by Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald. 12.00 Two And A Half Men. (PGs, R) Charlie tries to get a woman out of his bedroom. 1.30 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 2.30pm Monster Makes. 3.00 Play School. 3.30 Wiggle And Learn. 4.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 4.30 SuperKitties. 5.25 Octonauts. 5.50 Super Monsters. 6.05 Spidey And His Amazing Friends. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Young Sheldon. 8.25 Young Sheldon. 8.45 Animal Park. 9.30 Recipe Of The Year. 10.20 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon DW The Day. 12.30 A League Of Their Own: Mexican Road Trip. 2.20 The Grudge. 2.50 The UnBelievable. 3.50 WorldWatch. 5.50 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. (Return) 9.20 Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable. 10.15 Ramy. 11.20 Misadventures Of Romesh. 12.20am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 A Moveable Feast. 2.30 House Calls To The Rescue. 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 Heartbeat. 8.45 Foyle’s War. 10.55 Escape To The Country. 11.55 Bargain Hunt. 1am The Real Seachange. 1.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Yorkshire Auction House. 1.00 New Tricks. 2.00 Grantchester. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.35 MOVIE: The Land That Time Forgot. (1974, PG) 5.30 Secret Life Of The Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 As Time Goes By. 8.40 Midsomer Murders. 10.40 Harry Wild. 11.40 As Time Goes By. 12.40am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 9.30 Farm To Fork. 10.00 Bold. 10.30 Deal Or No Deal. 11.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30pm Becker. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Everyday Gourmet. 4.30 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 8.00 Two And A Half Men. 9.30 Becker. 10.00 Frasier. 11.00 Ridiculousness. 11.30 Ent. Tonight. Midnight Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Shopping.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. Noon MOVIE: Secret In Their Eyes. (2015, M) 2.00 Kriol Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Amplify. 5.30 News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Saving Yellowstone. 7.30 Friday Night Thunder. 8.30 Pro Bull Riding Australia. 9.30 Ocean Warriors: Mission Ready. 10.00 MOVIE: One Day In The Life Of Piugattuk. (2019) Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.25pm Master Cheng: A Spice For Life. (2019, PGaln) 3.30 The Caine Mutiny. (1954, PG) 5.45 Where The Wild Things Are. (2009, PGahv) 7.40 Bad Eggs. (2003, Malv) 9.30 Talk To Me. (2022, MA15+hlv) 11.20 The Moogai. (2020, Mahl) 12.55am Late Night With The Devil. (2023, MA15+ahv) 2.40 Kaymak. (2022, MA15+als, Macedonian) 4.40 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Mt Hutt Rescue. 1.30 Outback Truckers. 2.30 Heavy Tow Truckers Down Under. 3.30 Mighty Planes. 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. 12.30am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 World’s Greatest Engineering Icons. 12.30pm MOVIE: The Wedding Singer. (1998, M) 2.30 Baywatch. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 Big Bang. 8.30 Seinfeld. 9.30 MOVIE: Godzilla Vs. Kong. (2021, M) 11.40 Big Bang. 12.05am Jane The Virgin. 12.55 Escaping Polygamy. 1.50 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 8.00 Days Of Our Lives. 8.45 The Young And The Restless. 9.30 Living Room. 10.30 Building The Dream. 11.30 Bold. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 Gold Wars Downunder. 2.30 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 10.20 Bull. 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

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Thursday, October 29 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 Class Clowns. (PGs, R) 11.00 Crime Night! (PGl, R) 11.30 Small Prophets. (Ml, R) 12.00 News. 1.00 The Forsytes. (R) 2.00 Parliament. 3.00 Frankie Drake. (PGv, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Australia. (PG, R) 4.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 10.15 My Dream Green Home. (PGl, R) 11.05 Our Welsh Chapel Dream. (PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (PGa, R) 3.05 Weekend Escapes. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Dinosaur With Stephen Fry. (PGa, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 Seven’s National News At Noon. 1.00 Time Is Money. (R) 2.00 Bridge Of Lies. (R) 3.00 The Chase. (R) 4.00 Seven News At 4. 5.00 The Chase Australia.

6.00 Today. 9.00 Today Extra. (PG) 11.30 9News Morning. 12.00 Budget Battlers. (PGl, R) 1.10 Explore TV. (R) 1.40 My Way. (R) 2.00 Pointless. (PG, R) 3.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 4.00 9News Afternoon. 4.30 Tipping Point Australia. (PG) 5.30 WIN News.

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 11.00 Taskmaster Australia. (PGls, R) 12.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 12.30 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) 1.00 News. 2.00 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) 2.30 The Finish Line. (R) 3.30 Lingo. (R) 4.30 Bold. (PG) 5.00 News.

6.25 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. 8.00 Grand Designs New Zealand. 8.45 Joanna Lumley’s Danube. (R) Joanna Lumley embarks on an epic Danube adventure. 9.30 Dustfall. (Ml, R) 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 The Business. (R) 11.05 Frankie Drake Mysteries. (PGv, R) 11.50 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 12.40 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Dr Karl’s How Things Work. (R) 4.00 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli. (PGv, R) 4.25 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Tucci In Italy. (PG) Stanley Tucci heads to Abruzzo. 8.25 Inside Sydney Fish Market. (PGal) Rare lamington sea urchins hit the market floor. 9.20 Blue Lights. (Ml) Sandra possesses volatile information. 10.25 SBS World News Late. 10.55 Cry Wolf. (MA15+v) 11.50 Babylon Berlin. (MA15+ans, R) 2.35 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (R) 4.35 Bamay: Tharawal And Iningai Country. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Home And Away. (PGa) 8.30 Glenn And Mick’s Celebrity Intervention. (Mal, R) Glenn Robbins and Mick Molloy surprise guest Guy Sebastian with some home truths. 9.40 Unbelievable Moments Caught On Camera. (PGal) Footage of headline-grabbing moments captured on camera by members of the public. 10.40 Renters. (PGal) 11.10 Gatecrashers. 12.10 Vampire Academy. (MA15+hv) 1.10 Harry’s Practice. (R) 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 RBT. (Mdl) Follows the activities of police units. 8.30 Love Island Australia. (Ml) Two new bombshells enter the villa. 9.40 To Be Advised. 10.40 9News Late. 11.10 The Killer Interview With Piers Morgan. (Mlv, R) 12.00 Tipping Point. (PG, R) 1.00 Next Stop. (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.

6.30 Deal Or No Deal. (R) Hosted by Grant Denyer. 7.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG) Hosted by Rebecca Gibney. 7.30 Big Brother Australia. New houseguests move in to the Big Brother house in the hopes of winning the final prize. 8.40 The Celebrity Traitors UK. Claudia Winkleman picks the Traitors, who murder by night while the Faithful hunt them down. 10.10 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 11.10 Sports Tonight: The Weekly Kick-Off. A panel discusses Australian soccer news. 11.40 Two And A Half Men. (Ms, R) 1.00 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 2.30pm Monster Makes. 3.00 Play School. 3.30 Wiggle And Learn. 4.05 Gardening Australia Junior. 4.30 SuperKitties. 5.25 Octonauts. 5.50 Super Monsters. 6.05 Spidey And His Amazing Friends. 7.05 Batwheels. 7.35 Ninjago. 8.00 Young Sheldon. 8.25 Young Sheldon. 8.45 Animal Park. 9.30 Secret Life Of The Tasmanian Devils. 10.15 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.05pm DW The Day. 12.35 Crush: Itaewon Halloween Tragedy. 2.20 Toppled. 2.35 Insight. 3.40 WorldWatch. 5.40 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.30 Jeopardy! 7.30 Soccer. Aust C’ship. Canberra Croatia FC v South Melbourne FC. 9.30 History’s Deadliest With Ving Rhames. (Premiere) 11.10 Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover. 1.20am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Better Homes. 1.00 Escape To The Country. 2.00 South Aussie With Cosi. 2.30 The Aussie Property Flippers. 3.30 Harry’s Practice. 4.00 Medical Emergency. 4.30 Better Homes. 5.30 Escape To The Country. 6.30 Bargain Hunt. 7.30 Father Brown. 8.30 Shetland. 11.00 Escape To The Country. Midnight Bargain Hunt. 1.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Secret Life Of The Auction House. 1.00 Midsomer Murders. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 Explore. 3.45 MOVIE: Carry On Nurse. (1959) 5.30 Secret Life Of The Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Shakespeare And Hathaway. 8.30 TBA. 10.40 Harry Wild. 11.40 Shakespeare And Hathaway. 12.40am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30pm Becker. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Everyday Gourmet. 4.30 Becker. 5.00 Frasier. 6.00 Friends. 8.00 Two And A Half Men. 9.30 Becker. 10.00 Cheap Seats. 11.00 Frasier. Midnight Ridiculousness. 12.30 Ent. Tonight. 1.00 Shopping. 2.30 Bold. 3.30 Shopping. 5.30 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 1pm Ocean Warriors: Mission Ready. 1.30 Destiny In Alice. 2.00 Kriol Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Amplify. 5.30 Te Ao With Moana. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Saving Yellowstone. 7.30 Going Places. 8.30 Rabbit Fall. (Final) 9.00 MOVIE: The Craft. (1996, MA15+) 10.45 White Nanny, Black Child. Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.50 Heartbreak Ridge. (1986, Malsv) 2.10pm Roxane. (2019, PGals, French) 3.50 The Assassin. (2015, PGv, Mandarin) 5.45 Widows’ Peak. (1994, PGalv) 7.40 Barbarella. (1968, Mns) 9.30 Hellraiser. (1987, MA15+sv) 11.15 Linoleum. (2022, Malv) 1.10am Ghoomer. (2023, Mav, Hindi) 3.40 Dragons Forever. (1988, Madvw, Cantonese) 5.25 Discovering Film.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 American Pickers. 12.30pm Talking W. 1.00 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. Aust v England. Replay. 3.30 Cricket. WBBL. Renegades v Thunder. 7.00 Cricket. WBBL. Stars v Hurricanes. 10.30 MOVIE: xXx: State Of The Union. (2005, M) 12.35am American Resto. 1.00 Storage Wars. 1.30 Pawn Stars. 2.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 World’s Greatest Engineering Icons. 12.20pm Surfing Aust. 12.50 Cards And Collectables Australia. 1.20 Snackmasters. 2.30 Baywatch. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 Big Bang. 8.30 Seinfeld. 9.30 MOVIE: Dumb And Dumber. (1994, PG) 11.55 Jane The Virgin. 12.50am Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 8.00 Days Of Our Lives. 8.45 The Young And The Restless. 9.30 Living Room. 10.30 Building The Dream. 11.30 Bold. Noon Days Of Our Lives. 12.45 The Young And The Restless. 1.30 Gold Wars Downunder. 2.30 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. 8.30 Law & Order: SVU. (MA15+a, R) 10.20 Bull. 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

16 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

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By Cr Stretch Kontelj It’s that time again, with council rates notices being delivered to households across the state. I know that opening a rates notice, or any bill for that matter, isn’t a highlight of someone’s day and for many, every dollar counts. With this in mind, I think it’s valuable to explain where your rates go, how they’re calculated and why they’re so important for our region. Your rates are invested into the local services, facilities and infrastructure our community uses every day. They go towards the obvious services like maintaining local roads and footpaths, lawn mowing at parks and street cleaning. But your contributions are also funding pool lifeguards, mosquito management, new parent programs, community houses, the Youth Council program, libraries, Animal Management patrols, kindergarten operations and youth hubs. Awarding grants to community groups, revitalising central Geelong, attracting major events and investment, and putting on the Youth Festa-Fair also make the list. Just as importantly, rates help to fund the big-ticket infrastructure projects that the community has been asking for. That includes the redevelopment of the Drysdale Sporting Precinct and Landy Field or building stage 2 of the $24.7 million Linda McGill Aquatic Centre in Drysdale.

City of Greater Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM.

This is why, when I think about rates, safer roads, vibrant community spaces and libraries, sporting facilities, parks and services come to mind. My role as Mayor involves ensuring we’re planning and delivering for our community now and into the future.

Prioritising financial sustainability and being disciplined creates a more cost-effective, efficient council. We’re committed to using your money carefully, while keeping pace with growing community needs and responsibly managing rising costs. While no one welcomes increased expenses, this year’s rate rise has been kept within the Victorian government’s rate cap of 2.75 per cent. Rates are calculated based on property valuations provided to the City listed under Capital Improved Value (CIV) as of 1 January 2026. CIV is determined by the Valuer-General, the Victorian government’s authority on statutory valuations. You’ll also spot some compulsory Victorian government charges on your rates notice that the City is required to collect on its behalf. The waste service fee recovers costs like collection, recycling, landfill and the government’s landfill levy. The Emergency Service Volunteer Fund is a Victorian government tax charged to all properties in Victoria to raise funds to assist with firefighting services. I recognise that there are some community members who are facing significant challenges during the cost-of-living crisis. If you’re experiencing hardship, please get in touch with the City on 03 5272 5272 or hardship@geelongcity.vic.gov.au You might be eligible for concessions or rebates, payment plans and/or waiver or deferral options that could meet your needs and ease some pressure. GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

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Council urges dog owners to take time to scoop the poop A spate of complaints about inconsiderate dog owners has prompted Geelong council to remind residents to pick up after their pets. Having received increasing reports of dog waste bags being left on the ground, hanging from trees or thrown over fences, the City of Greater Geelong has urged people to dispose of their pets’ waste appropriately. Environment and Circular Economy portfolio chair councillor Elise Wilkinson said disposing of pet waste was a fact of dog ownership. “The joy of dog ownership comes hand in hand with the responsibility of disposing of their waste,” she said. “It’s easy to forget to collect it if you put it down with the best of intentions to grab it on your way back past. Tie it to the dog lead if that’s more appealing than carrying it. “Please don’t leave it on our paths and in our parks. Aside from the environmental impact, these are shared community spaces that everyone should be able to

Selfish dog owners simply cannot be bothered to dispose of waste bags properly.

enjoy.” Dog owners can use the litter bins available at most municipal parks and

reserves or take their dog poo home and put it in their red general waste bin. Any person in charge of a dog in a public

place must carry a device or bags capable of collecting their dog’s waste. Anyone caught leaving animal waste or not carrying bags or a device may be fined $418. Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj said most dog owners were responsible, but small actions could make a big difference to keeping neighbourhoods clean. “We know most dog owners do the right thing by picking up after their pets, and we appreciate their diligence in keeping community spaces clean for everyone,” he said. “Picking up your dog’s waste and leaving the bag behind simply moves the problem somewhere else, and it can encourage others to do the same. “We all have a responsibility to keep our environment clean. Your neighbours don’t want to step over bags of dog waste on their morning walk. It’s simple: bin it.” Visit geelongcity.vic.gov.au/services/ pets-and-animals/dogs-public-places for more information about dogs in public places, including a dog walking map.

Geelong council moves to block Coles development on the Bellarine Geelong council has submitted a proposed planning amendment to signal its opposition to a proposed Coles supermarket on the Bellarine and forestall its development. On Friday the City of Greater Geelong submitted amendment C495ggee to Victorian Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny to rezone 2341-2349 Bellarine Highway, Point Lonsdale from Commercial 2 Zone and part Farming Zone to Special Use Zone 19. Coles officially purchased the land in March 2024, submitting a pre-application

enquiry to the state government later that year. The proposed supermarket has remained stalled in the pre-application stage, with public sentiment firmly against the possible development. The rezoning would restrict use of the land strictly for tourism purposes, such as low-scale tourism accommodation, resolving what a council statement called “a long-standing inconsistency between the site’s zoning and the strategic planning direction established for the site in the Point

Lonsdale Structure Plan 2009”. Pending the minister’s approval, a planning scheme amendment process would then begin, likely with a public exhibition of the amendment. Mayor Stretch Kontelj said this step was a win for the local community. “Residents in Point Lonsdale, Queenscliff and surrounding areas have told us loud and clear that they want 2341-2349 Bellarine Highway to be developed in line with the long-term vision for low-scale tourism,” he said. “Submitting the amendment to

Minister Kilkenny is an important step to deliver on the structure plan and allow the community the chance to have their say through a formal process.” Borough of Queenscliffe Mayor Donnie Grigau said the process would provide further opportunities for community feedback. “This is an important step towards planning controls that support the long-term vision for the site, while providing transparency and meaningful opportunities for community input as the amendment progresses,” he said.

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 17

COMMUNITY

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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. Due to the ever increasing entries coming in each week for our Community Calendar page, we have enough to fill almost three pages. This means your entry will not appear each week. We will do our best to rotate them fairly. If you have an existing entry that no longer operates, please let us know so we can remove it. Your patience and understanding is welcome for this FREE service. The calendar in its entirety with every entry is posted every Saturday at 9am at geelongindy.com.au

Open garden

10.30am-12.30pm. Courthouse Museum, 11 High Street, Drysdale.  bellarinehistory.org

Fundraiser for brain cancer and Zoe’s Fight Foundation, 80 Larcombes Road Paraparap, 31 October & 1 November, 10am-4.30pm. Devonshire tea, plant sales, art display.

Arts National-Geelong One hour arts lectures and presentation, Newcomb Hall, Wednesdays monthly, 10.15am.  Sharron, 0439 328 199, geelong@adfas.org.au

Bellarine Quilters 40th anniversary quilt exhibition, Seniors Community Hub, 21-27 Eversley Street, Drysdale, Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, 10am-4pm. Entry $5. Biennial quilt exhibition plus trading tables, raffles and light refreshments.

Geelong Vietnam Veterans Coffee and chat, 31 Mt Pleasant Road, Belmont, Monday, Wednesday & Friday 10am-3pm. Fortnightly lunch at various locations. Meetings second Monday of each month.  Gary, 0400 862 727

Oktoberfest Beer, food, music by Heinz und Larry with yodelling by Chelsea. Austrian Club Geelong. 240 Plantation Road, Corio, Sunday 25 October, noon-5pm.  Irmela, 0435 995 200

GROW Australia Geelong Showgrounds Museum

Ballroom dance Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Highway, Saturday 24 October, 7.30-10.30pm, $10. Music: Puff. Bring a small plate.  0400 500 402

Geelong Anglers Club Meets fourth Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm, 9 Yuille Street, Geelong West. Monthly fishing competitions.  Brian, 0417 190 092, Ian, 0470 114 787

Museum open to the public on first Sunday of the month 10am-2pm (January and October excepted). Adults $10, students 13-18 $5, under 13 free.  5221 1707

Dragons Abreast Geelong

Chess clubs

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

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

Lara Lions Club Drysdale CWA Every second Tuesday at 1pm and crafts every fourth Tuesday at 11.30am of each month at Drysdale RSL Club.  Jenny, 0452 258 333

Meets second and fourth Monday of the month for club meeting and dinner.  Michael, 0430 022 446, membershiplaralions@gmail.com Builds confident public speakers, each Monday evening.  Andrew, 0408 369 446, Jan, 0407 296 958

Ballroom dance weekly, Leopold Hall 7.30-10.30pm. Admission $8 includes supper. Old time, New Vogue and Latin. CDs by Kevin and Tre.  Russ, 5250 1937

PlayLinks

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

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

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

Vines Road Seniors

Grovedale East Ladies Probus

Wednesdays: fully catered 2-course lunch, bingo, pool/snooker, table tennis. Friday mornings: line dancing.  Gwynne, 0418 363 911

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

Geelong Scottish Dance 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

Bingo

Waurn Ponds Combined Probus First steps in music 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

Fourth Wednesday of the month, 10am. Maximum 100 members.  probussouthpacific.org/microsites/waurn

Belmont Combined Probus First Monday of the month, 10am, Belmont Bowls Club, 36 Reynolds Road, Belmont. New members and visitors welcome.  Sue, 0409 945 011, probusclubofbelmont@outlook.com

Barwon Valley Belmont Probus First Thursday of month, 10.30am, Waurn Ponds Hotel.  Membership officer, 0407 333 263, bobstafford@ozemail.com.au

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

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

Geelong Harmony Chorus

Sports

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

Badminton: Corio Leisuretime Centre, Mondays 12.30-2.30pm. Beginners welcome. Netball: YMCA Riversdale Road, Monday & Wednesday mornings, Thursday nights. Walking-netball also played. Umpire training available.  Maureen, 0429 397 015

Mainly Music Music and fun for preschoolers during term time at the Welcome Centre, St Mark’s, Vicarage Road, Leopold, Thursdays 9.15-11am. $5 per family per week.  Text: 0461 582 618 for bookings

Geelong Patchwork & Quilter’s Guild Meets third Saturday of each month 10.30am-3.30pm, Newcomb Hall, Wilsons Road. Visitors welcome. $6 includes time to sit and sew, morning tea and guest speaker.  info@geelongpatch.org.au

Geelong Welsh Ladies Choir

Geelong Scout Heritage Centre

Hot Shots

Scouting memorabilia, open third Sunday of the month (not September or January), 56 Russell Street, Newtown, 10am-3pm, entry by donation. Groups by appointment.  0419 591 432, geelong.heritage@scoutsvictoria.com.au

Western Heights Uniting Tennis Club coaching for ages 5 to 12. Equipment provided. Three sessions from 4-5.30pm at WHUTC and at Bell Post Hill tennis courts.  Evie, 0409 433 772, evieryan296@gmail.com

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

18 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

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

Drysdale Day VIEW Dancer’s Club Geelong

Rostrum

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 Road, East Geelong; Fridays 12.45pm, Vines Road Community Centre, Hamlyn Heights.  grow.org.au, 1800 558 268

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

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

Leopold VIEW Second Tuesday of each month, Leopold Sportsmans Club, 10.30am.  leopold.viewclub@gmail com

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

Geelong Evening VIEW Third Monday of the month, 6pm, Waurn Ponds Hotel.  geelongeveningview@gmail.com

Laughter Club Geelong 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 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

Combined Probus Club of Belmont Live music Country Heartbeat Allstars every Friday 7-10pm, White Eagle House Polish Club, Fellmongers Road Breakwater. Walkups welcome. Proceeds to Sunny Days Rescue & Rehab.  Dawn, 0417 148 493

Central Meets 10.30am on the second Wednesday of each month at Waurn Ponds Hotel. Visitors welcome.  Publicity officer, 0417 555 547

Grovedale Marshall Probus Bellarine Historical Society Entry by donation. Open to the public. Discover the area’s past. Open Sundays,

Second Thursday of the month,10am, The Grovedale Hub, 45 Heyers Road, Grovedale.  Anne, 0425 356 973

GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

NEWS

Mahalia, Harlee and Milla with a 31-day old Angus calf.

Sophie on her pony Arielen Bently.

Taleesa Dwyer with her son Rocky as he pats a miniature harlequin sheep that grow hair and not wool.

Ava and Zoe with one-day-old chicks.

Family fun at Geelong Show The Royal Geelong Show hit town from 15 to 18 October with heaps to see and do. Independent photographer Ivan Kemp

went to Geelong Showgrounds on Sunday 18 October to take in all the colour and fun.

The showbags and rides attracted a crowd.

Shorty with Kellie Symes and her sons Sol and Tully.

Thelma tries her hand at catching the lucky duck.

Keenan Fox in action shearing a sheep.

Hudson and Hailey with showbags.

Claudia and Martin Martinez with son Cosmo.

One way to get away from the crowds.

The Warrior is quite a ride.

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 19

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PUZZLES

easy

3 1 7

8

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

2 6 7 9 2 7 8 4

ACROSS

27 28 29 30

3 9

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

23

2

7

9 2

6

14

6

5 1 4

9 9 6 7

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6 21

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21

No. 344

19

16

1

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23

5

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hard

7 8 9 14 16 17 19 22 23

DECODER 10

24

N

7

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26

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24

N

11

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6

10

23

6

1

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3

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6

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17

18

19

19

Q

19 24

13

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23

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11

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4

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7

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F K A P M G E L Q N

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

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

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'.

D

Today’s Aim: 13 words: Good 19 words: Very good 26 words: Excellent

U

L

L

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No. 419 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

W A T T S A W A R E S A L O N P I L L S S T Y L E

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WORDFIT 3 LETTERS ALE AMP APE ARK ASK DEW ERA EWE GYM ICE IMP LIE MUG NAP ODD POT PRO PRY RYE SEA SPA TEE TON VIA

5 LETTERS ADORE AGREE APPAL APPLE APRIL ARGUE ARISE BRAKE DISCO DOERS EATEN ELITE ERROR ESSAY GNAWS HEART IRATE KINDA LARDS LARGE LEAVE

4 LETTERS DABS ETCH MEWS NEST PEEL SECT SILT SLED SPAS TAPS TENS WIRE WOKS YAPS

QUICK QUIZ

No. 312

D I S C O

cell, cello, CELLULOID, clod, cloud, clue, clued, code, coil, coiled, cold, cole, collide, collie, collude, could, cull, culled, dice, docile, iced, lice, loci, lucid, ludic, oleic

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

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Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters | pagemasters.com

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Barely (4) Liveliness (9) Young bird (5) Relating to civilisation (8) Manoeuvre in a very small space, turn – – – (coll) (2,1,4) Posit (5) Hoodlums (9) Longevity (coll) (4) Emotional release (9) Reparations (9) Revolt (8) Decoration or reward (7) Starchy vegetable (5) Flat unleavened bread of India (4) Japanese delicacy (5) Consumes (4)

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Possessiveness (8) Kind of dark tea (6) Trade (5) Burning to ashes (9) Cloak (6) Shakes (7) Dispassionate (8) Composed (6) Arctic plain (6) Extremely hungry (8) Skilled worker (7) Structure; arrangement (6) Lower layers (9) Offspring (5) Mask (6) Diverges (8)

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No. 312

LIVEN MAIMS MEANS OPERA ORBIT OVERS PASSE PEACE PECAN POLKA POSED RAISE ROSES SAILS SALES SASSY SEEDS SENDS SHAPE SLEET SOLAR SOOKY

STAMP STEER SUCKS TOWEL TRAWL TREAT WIDER

7 LETTERS BATSMAN COCONUT PARSLEY PRESIDE REOPENS TUESDAY

6 LETTERS ARDENT DIGEST HERNIA SALARY

8 LETTERS EDUCATES KEYNOTED KEYWORDS READINGS

23-10-26

1

Who or what is Bindi Irwin (pictured) named after?

7

In what year was the company Amazon founded?

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Swamp rock is a genre of music primarily associated with which US city?

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I Like Me is a 2025 documentary about the life of which late actor?

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What nationality is human rights activist Malala Yousafzai?

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The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth is a 2026 sequel to which 2019 film?

Which nation occupied India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands during World War II?

5

Route 20 is the longest road in which country?

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What does the acronym GIF stand for?

10 What colour is citrine? ANSWERS: 1. Steve Irwin’s favourite crocodile 2. New Orleans 3. Pakistani 4. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood 5. United States 6. Graphics Interchange Format 7. 1994 8. John Candy 9. Japan 10. Yellow

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.

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

No. 312

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

SUDOKU

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 21

MOTOR RATINGS Looks: 7.5 Performance: 5 Safety: 5 Thirst: 8 Practicality: 7 Comfort: 6 Tech: 7 Value: 8.5 Overall: 6.7

Suzuki’s swift move to hybrid Suzuki Swift remains a capable, affordable and economical vehicle, especially with its move to hybrid mode. (Pictures: Supplied)

By Marque Motoring Suzuki has lagged well behind most of its rivals in the introduction of hybrid and fully electric vehicles. At this stage there are three petrol/ electric models available in Australia, the Fronx Hybrid, a compact crossover SUV, Vitara Hybrid mid-sized SUV and Swift Hybrid small hatchback. A hybrid version of the Jimny SUV is believed to be coming later. There’s only fully-electric Suzuki, the e Vitara that we reviewed recently. This time we’ve been testing the Swift Hybrid. The new Swift Hybrid comes in three variants: Swift, Plus and GXL. Prices start at $24,490 for the entry-level Swift with manual transmission and $25,490 as a CVT. Both the mid-spec Plus and the GLX are CVT only and are priced at $28,490 and $29,490. All prices are driveaway.

Styling Looks of the latest Swift are neat and attractive and come with a new-style piano black grille and L-shaped lights that merge into flowing body lines. GLX adds 16-inch polished alloys. The Swift Hybrid maintains the wheelbase, width and height of its predecessor, but gains 15mm in length and more cargo space through the push-back of the rear hatch. Seven colours are offered. There’s pure pearl white, premium silver metallic, flame orange pearl metallic and a two-tone with blue pearl metallic with black pearl roof. Only the white is standard, metallics add $645 and the two-tone $1145.

Interior Inside, the black and grey colour scheme pulls together all elements of the driver’s controls. Front seats have been reshaped, while a 9-inch infotainment display sits atop the central dashboard offering USB and wi-fi connections, featuring satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and DAB+ audio. Also displayed are vehicle performance data, including fuel level, cruising range, warnings and rear-view camera vision.

Other features include steering-wheelmounted audio and phone controls, trip computer, keyless start, leaving headlight function, privacy glass on rear windows, traffic sign recognition; Type A and C USB ports on the Swift Hybrid Plus and GLX; high beam assist and LED daytime running lights. With no centre console to speak of, storage space for small things is pretty much non-existent. The rear mounted cupholders are difficult to access and not sufficient to accommodate a sports bottle. While physical air-con controls have been retained, they are now toggle switches rather than rotary dials. A pair of buttons under the infotainment screen provide access to volume control, with a volume switch on the steering wheel for the driver. Boot space is a modest 265 litres with the rear seat backs upright increasing to 589 when folded. Beneath the boot there is no spare wheel, just the dreaded tyre repair kit.

Engines/transmissions Power comes from a three-cylinder 1.2-litre non-turbo engine that generates 60.8kW at 5700rpm and 111.8 Nm of torque at 4500rpm) with a mild-hybrid system. The latter have electric motors that aren’t powerful enough to propel the vehicle alone. Most operate at 48 volts, with an electric motor that can add about 10kW under hard acceleration. The system in the Swift Hybrid runs a 12-volt system, 75 percent less than this, with an electric motor that can only supply up to 2.3kW. Drive is to the front wheels through a CVT-style automatic with seven simulated gear ratios.

Infotainment Pride of place in the cabin goes to a new, larger 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, with wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, satellite navigation, Bluetooth and AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio. Great but the audio is let down badly by an off-the-shelf six-speaker sound system which does not do the technology justice. The large screen is impressive, but is sluggish to respond while the built-in

22 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

Driving

navigation is not up to the job. The touchscreen can also be used to display performance data, including fuel level, cruising range, warnings and rear-view camera vision. Up front are a 12-volt socket, plus USB-A and USB-C ports, and in the GLX, a wireless phone charging pad.

Safety The biggest issue with the safety features is its three-star ANCAP rating. Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard. The lack of the preferred two stars are because a centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is not available nor is AEB Backover. 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 lane keeping (ELK), and a speed assist system (SAS) are standard. All Swift Hybrids are covered by a five-year warranty, which also takes in the lithium-ion battery. Suzuki considers major rivals to include MG3, Mazda 2 and Yaris across all age brackets, probably with those looking for a little more room as in the new Swift.

The front seats have been redesigned with a new decorative centre pattern. They are heated, but flat and lack power adjustment, even in the GLX. Tilt-and-reach steering wheel adjustment delivers a comfortable driving position. Swift Hybrid is capable enough in its urban natural habitat, less so outside in the outside motoring jungle. With a kerb weight of just under 1000kg, it’s sharp off the mark and agile in traffic. It is easy to park with a 9.6-metre turning circle. On the open road it struggles to keep up speed on steepish hills and with its light weight can get buffeted in windy conditions. While the underbody now incorporates for the first time sound deadening material designed to minimise engine, transmission and road vibration in the passenger cabin there is still some intrusion when the Swift is wound up. Claimed fuel consumption is an impressive 4.0 litres per 100km. We averaged just under 5.0 litres per 100km during our week-long test. Note that it does require premium unleaded fuel. A light on the dash tells the driver when the battery is being charged, while the instrument display also shows what mix of petrol and electric power is driving the wheels.

Summary Suzuki Swift has been on Australian roads since the mid-1980s and was a popular small hatchback that was typically bought by singles or couples with young families… including ours. We had a couple that served us flawlessly for almost 20 years, moving through the generations of both the car – and its drivers. The small compact hatchback market has dwindled in recent years, being replaced by similarly-sized but more functional SUVs both in the Suzuki range and the overall market. Nevertheless, Swift remains a capable, affordable and economical vehicle, especially with its move to hybrid mode. We’d leave to see it keep on keeping on as before.

SPORT

Sam Giles does it again After taking eight wickets last week, Lethbridge’s Sam Giles has followed it up with a bag of five on Saturday 17 October. Giles has the astonishing figures of 13 for 25 with a staggering average of 1.92 runs conceded before he grabs a wicket. Corio masterblaster Anthony Grace had a game to remember. He took 6/28 from nine probing overs and then smacked an 81-ball 130 that included 14 boundaries and six sixes to guide the Devils to a win against Little River. GEELONG CRICKET ASSOCIATION Division 1 East Belmont 8/233 (J. Lidgett 90, Luke Inglis 44, R. Pehar 2/31, J. Guy 2/35) def Lara 103 (J. Garner 3/20, L. Molyneux 3/21) Highton 8/221 (D. Brew 79, B. Nicholls 54, J. Cook 39, C. Leese 2/30, F. Wilson 2/40) def St Joseph’s 9/206 (J. Bye 72no, C. Leese 25, K. Helwig 2/23, B. Somers 2/36, T. Cunningham 2/38) North Geelong 3/190 (L. McCann 77no, N. Cooper 52, P. Visser 30) def St Peters 5/187 (O. Trewin 50, B. Hayman 40, L. Ford 36, W. Ford 32no, T. Mathieson 2/38) South Barwon 5/142 (N. Deep Pottabathini 49no, N. Butters 25, R. Stone 3/38) def Grovedale 138 (J. Moran 52, S. Coutts 4/20, N. Deep Pottabathini 2/17) Lara captain Kaden Marum pulls to mid-wicket against East Belmont. (Ivan Kemp) 583507

Division 2 Leopold 2/114 (C. Ryan 50, H. Hatswell 47) def Waurn Ponds Deakin 111 (J. Ellis 41, D. Gibson 4/12) Torquay 5/238 (D. Donaldson 77no, G. Singh 69, S. Kelly 3/65) def Geelong West 9/207 (K. Spence 44, T. Kelly 41, T. Wesley 33, G. Singh 4/18) Bell Post Hill 8/185 (J. Moore 34, M. Reid 30, L. Sperling 3/29, J. Lewis 2/22) def Newtown & Chilwell 8/180 (L. Sperling 40, H. Burke 31, A. Sharma 2/14) Bell Park 6/192 (T. Jackson 92, N. Pearson 2/32) def Geelong City 7/189 (D. Pearson 57, B. Taylor 34no, Z. Kelly 3/42) Division 3 Lethbridge 2/63 (B. Spiller 27no, J. Walsh 2/31) def Thomson 59 (S. Giles 5/7, R. Perkins 3/27, C. Chisholm 2/13) Corio 4/165 (A. Grace 130) def Little River 9/164 (T. Archer 55, A. Grace 6/28) Bannockburn 7/209 (B. East 62no, L. Osborne 25, R. Reddy Lankireddy 2/33, E.

Bowls season begins Geelong Bowls Region began its Saturday season on Saturday 17 October with 13 divisions competing. PREMIER DIVISION In order of skip, lead, second, third. Highton 92 (16) def Ocean Grove(2) 78 (2) S. McLachlan, C. Polwarth, R. Priddle, B. Prior 27 def M. West, M. O’Reilly, L. Price, C. Verrier 13; David Priddle, D. Coulter, S. McDonald, J. Fitzgerald 24 def O. Clark, D. Ryan, D. Henery, H. O’Reilly 22; A. Lee, S. Mackin, D. Kiss, S. Shuttleworth 21 def S. Avery, L. Humphries, Jodie Bertrand, D. Meeny 18; Dan Priddle; J. Kiss, T. Hickey, D. Klemke 20 def by R. Brehaut, H. Clark, P. Entwhistle, Jason Bertrand 25.

Skene 2/37) def Alexander Thomson 150 (R. Reddy Lankireddy 35, C. Larsen 30, A. Miller 4/26) Marshall 3/194 (J. Hilton 69, J. Burns 51, S. Grazotis 33no) def Murgheboluc 193 (M. Grozdanovski 70no, C. Platt 37, S. Grazotis 2/23) Division 4 Guild St Mary’s 7/197 (D. Thomas 56, A. Chhina 40, G. Randhawa 33, M. Bartlett 3/38) def Manifold Heights 9/189 (S. Keenan 58, L. Stott 30, S. Saini 4/24) Modewarre 9/211 (D. French 44, F. Royal 36, B. Clarke 36, B. Ross 33, C. Egan 3/42, N. Keevil 3/61) def Newcomb & District 171 (C. Egan 51, K. Bamford 2/17) Teesdale 8/189 (C. Meehan 73, M. Campbell 32no, M. Ringin 4/34) vs Meredith 8/193 (J. Butler 69no, W. Young 53, M. Campbell 4/48) St Albans/Breakwater 7/159 (M. Blain 64, B. Robinson 5/39) def Surf Coast 112 (H. McIntosh 25, J. Spalding 3/15)

Queenscliff 79 (16) def Geelong Eastern Park 71 (2) R. Butler, R. Cameron, J. Issell, N. Bell 16 def by C. Inderberg, M. Sherwell, K. Mitchell, J. Cassidy 23; M. Hocking, B. Gladman, J. Reilly, A. Martin 21 def S. Field, B. Wilson, D. Jackman, M. Coleman 15; S. Monahan, W. Visser, J. Mahoney, S. Sullivan 18 def A. Munro, R. Sherwell, T. Scorpo, P. Scorpo 17; B. Russell, A. Green, W. Macleod, N. Dixon 24 def T. Balchan, S. Webb, G. Pavey, G. Connolly 16. Lara 88 (16) def Torquay 71 (2) B. Cotter, G. Hinch, P. Cook, S. Emond 31 def Z. Lugg, J. Di Fiore, K. Wiener, J. Wardrope 18; D. Cotter, G. Watts, M. Fedyk, A. Gilmore 14 def by D. Kitchin, K. Hazelhurst, J. Howarth, P. Williams 22; S. Hedger, H. Tump, S. Tump, B. Emond 22 def L. Aiello, R. Milesi, A. Sampson, G. Banks 17; D. Grellett, J. Tyley, T. Farrar, S. Grellett 21 def B. Ott, D. Tudor, R. Grubb, J. Banks 14. Ocean Grove(1) vs Drysdale: postponed until November. DIVISION 1 Highton 83 (14) def Bell Post Hill 68 (4) M. Cavanagh, D. Cameron, M. Couzens, D. McGregor 25 def S. McDonald, A. Lewis, F. Clayson, A. Firth 13; R. Wilkinson, R.

BELLARINE PENINSULA CRICKET ASSOCIATION A1 Grade Barrabool 0/78 (A. Pickering 53no) def Barwon Heads 77 (C. McKinley 29, J. Symes 4/13) Jan Juc 4/203 (P. Buszard 87no, N. Hyden 54, J. Groves 2/18) def Winchelsea 3/202 (J. Groves 90, T. Bandara 47no, A. North 36) Queenscliff 5/175 (M. Farrell 39no, H. Illingworth 36, F. Mileto 30) def Armstrong Creek 119 (C. Marsiglio 30, A. Simpson 2/14, S. Bourke 2/18) Anglesea 7/186 (S. Umbers 66no, B. Harcombe 58, B. Spencer 3/25) def Drysdale 7/184 (D. Ford 84no, B. Bennett 34, D. Taylor 3/19) A2 Grade St Leonards 5/197 (T. Griffin 69, A. Caudullo 48no, K. Burns 35, N. Adamson 2/26) def Newcomb 163 (S. Kumara 53, J. Claney 34, J. Rees 2/17, R. Martin 2/25)

Lara’s Stu Hedger and Brendon Emond try to work out a way to get close to kitty. (Ivan Kemp) 583509 09

Burrage, P. Jones, R. Kerr 21 def by A. Pratt, N. Hill, G. Logue, T. Rufus 22; T. Moore, J. Fry, H. Gilmore, S. Kerr 25 def D. Gercke, P. Standaert, C. Loe, B. Bottrell 11; O. Landry, N. Oakes, A. Kiss, P. Monk 12 def by D. Gillett, G. McInerney, R. McInerney, J. Ray 22. Leopold 103 (16) def Belmont(2) 74 (2) B. Anderson, P. Shuttleworth, A. Hardisty, C. Heard 23 def J. Reed, M. Claasen, C. Ryan, S. Rundell 21; N. Ball, M. Gregg, T. Salisbury, T. Dickson-Arthur 28 def A. Gemmill, P. Payne, K. Sullivan, P. Melross

Collendina 8/132 (Jude De Jong 34, J. Gasior 25, C. Blackwell 2/9, D. Wise-Graham 2/26) def Wallington 119 (J. Brady 27, G. Every 4/21, Z. Muir 3/13) Ocean Grove 2/183 (J. Taylor 58no, P. McKenna 54, F. Long 30no) def Portarlington 5/179 (J. De Bono 73, N. Symes 35no, A. Mann 2/22) Women’s A Grade South Barwon 9/93 (E. Hauenstein 19, L. Darbyshire 2/16) def Bell Park 9/76 (C. Mittermair 27, E. Murray 2/13) East Belmont 3/88 (C. Walker 41no, B. Farey 21, J. Lister 2/13) def Anglesea 84 (M. Connell 21, I. Hanna-Phillips 3/19, E. Taylor 2/10) North Geelong 4/105 (L. Kelly 62no) def Geelong City 4/105 (R. Cox 26no, N. Millard 2/11) Barwon Heads 5/98 (M. Monahan 30no, C. Quite 2/9) def St Joseph’s 4/88 (H. Batey 47, A. Sproule 2/14)

19; M. Willis, P. Staines, S. Ashby, N. Shortis 21 def by J. Musco, H. Volkers, K. Blain, B. Parsons 22; L. Cameron, B. Shaw, S. Seear, D. Seear 31 def D. Abrahmsen, S. Grainger, N. Gemmill, J. Smith 12. St Leonards 85 (16) def City of Geelong 75 (2) R. Emerson, J. Doyle, J. Coe, B. Gulph 23 def J. Shell, N. Robinson, D. Radoslav, M. Nitchie 18; M. Kennedy, F. Aston, B. Auld, A. Doyle 15 def by J. Wombell, K. Gooley, D. Wombell, D. Vogele 22; T. Long, M. Maddox, A. Marston, G. Lund 27 def B. Hubber, R. Sneler, S. Somerton, S. Khruapanich 23; D. McDonald, R. Michael, P. Garlick, A. Hills 20 def N. Craven, R. Sutherland, S. Simkus, A. Hyatt 12. Portarlington 75 (14) def Belmont(1) 64 (4) T. Demaria, L. Schmidt, J. Taylor, T. Freeman 26 def D. Ross, G. Davies, P. Newton, D. McManus 9; G. Reed, L. Reed, T. McNamara, D. McNamara 12 def by S. Davies, B. Clark, S. Wilkinson, M. Koulkoudinas 28; W. Takarua, M. Hoffman, R. Malcomson, D. Dunlop 16 def by R. Agg, R. Kent, M. Davies, H. Dahler 17; B. Lockyer, N. Cherry, D. Roberts, P. Fisk 21 def J. Harris, J. Clark, C. Bassett, G. Smith 10.

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 23

SPORT

Lara denied GFL re-entry By Justin Flynn Lara’s hopes of being readmitted into the Geelong Football League next season appear dashed, with AFL Barwon confirming it will not support the club’s return to the competition.AFL Barwon said it will now start planning for an 11-team seniors and reserves football competition for 2027 after Lara was not able to satisfy the requirements for re-entry. The club went into recess for the 2026 season with both men’s football sides and A Grade netball sitting out. One of the requirements for Lara’s readmission was that it appoint a senior coach and have 45 signed-up players. The Cats had 29 signed by the deadline, which was extended to 6 October, and had not appointed a coach.

In a statement co-signed by AFL Barwon chief executive Kate Patterson and chair Ashley West, the league said it had followed “a detailed assessment of Lara’s readiness to return, including consideration of the information provided by the club, meetings with Lara representatives and the associated risks”. “A return to senior football requires more than an intention to compete,” it said. “It requires a sufficiently strong and sustainable playing group, appropriate coaching appointments, effective governance and the operational capacity to support teams throughout a season. “Despite recent announcements from the Lara Football Netball Club, the board concluded that Lara had not met the player and coaching criteria outlined in

the FPG report. “Significant gaps remain, including an insufficient senior playing list, both in numbers and demonstrated playing experience, and the absence of appointed senior football and netball coaching staff.” AFL Barwon said while Lara had made “recent progress” in filling committee positions, its governance arrangements are still developing, with an interim president in place and no subcommittees established. “These are not minor administrative matters,” the statement read. “They go directly to whether Lara can field senior and reserves teams and sustain a safe, well-supported and viable program over a full season.” AFL Barwon said Lara FNC was able to return to playing in 2028 and beyond

Local surfers dominate Vic team Seventeen young local surfers have been named in Surfing Victoria’s elite junior team to represent Victoria at the 2026 Australian Junior Surfing Titles at Margaret River. The team comprises 16 Surf Coast youngsters and Bellbrae’s Finn Madley and will compete in WA from 30 November to 8 December. The annual Australian Junior Surfing Titles represent the pinnacle of junior shortboard surfing in the country. It brings together top talent across Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18 divisions and is a key pathway to selection for the Australian junior team, the Irukandjis. Headline talent entering the event includes Lily White (Jan Juc), who arrives in Western Australia with massive momentum following an impressive victory at the recent Rip Curl GromSearch event on Phillip Island. Competing in the Under 14 Girls division, White leads a deep squad of emerging Victorian talent. In the older divisions, eyes will be on Jarvis Barrow (Jan Juc), anchoring the Under 18

Claire takes out top netball volunteer award

Boys category with high-powered rail surfing and national competition experience.

Victorian junior surfing team Under 18 Boys • Jarvis Barrow (Jan Juc) • Sunny Wouters (Rye) • Tarvi Woods (Fingal) • Dom Kellett (Jan Juc) • Charlie Chisholm (Jan Juc) Under 18 Girls • Chloe Muscroft (Jan Juc) • Lillian Bassed (Sandy Point) • Cedar Davie (Jan Juc) Under 16 Boys • Harlem Pec (Jan Juc) • Liam Thomson (Torquay) • Eden Hawken (Torquay) • Tully Gordon (Jan Juc) • George Everist (Dromana) Under 16 Girls • Rose Holland (Dromana) • Scarlett Rennie (Cape Woolamai) • Sophie Day (Rye) • Jayla Jennings (Sorrento)

Jarvis Barrow has been named in the Victorian Under 18 Boys surfing team. (Jacques Kelly/ Surfing Victoria)

Under 14 Boys • Teddy Robertson (Torquay) • Raff Morris (Sorrento) • Alby O’Day (Torquay) • Lennox Archibald (Rhyll) • Finn Madley (Bellbrae) Under 14 Girls • Stevie O’Day (Torquay) • Lily White (Jan Juc) • Estella Carbonelli (Torquay) • Cobie O’Day (Torquay) • Edie Wouters (Rye)

Youngsters have a ball while learning how to play tennis By Donna Schoenmaekers Saturday juniors is back for another summer season and the future is looking as bright on the smiles of the players’ faces in the developing Green and Orange Ball sections. Orange Ball is flourishing for the youngest and newest with 18 teams, while Green Ball continues to provide fantastic development opportunities for fledgling players in their progression into Yellow Ball competition. Orange Ball, with its reduced court size, four-game matches, modified serving and low compression balls continues to be a fantastic way for kids to practise the skills they are learning in their lessons in a game situation. While the emphasis is on fun and development, hence no points ladder, it is also a great introduction to points play and scoring which become vital as they move through the ranks. It is also a great way for parents to get involved and learn the rules, with multiple supervisors to help with directions – not to mention siblings acting as ball kids for the morning. Comments from a Wandana Heights Hewitt White parent this week: “They are enjoying their first season together – working on their skills, learning the game, while sharing many laughs at the same time. They played Waurn Ponds today. There were many great winning shots from both sides and most importantly - the sportsmanship was spectacular.” Another comment from the day: “Beautiful

Wandana Heights: Atharv Rao, Isabelle Kelly, Eadie Joyce, Harriet Lovell.

Drysdale/Clifton Springs: Adaline Ford, Michaela Shannon, Rafael Knez, Araoluwa Akinbiyi.

tennis conditions this morning and happy little faces everywhere.” Many of the participants are new to playing, but not unfamiliar to the sport. Tom Rippon is enjoying his first season of tennis and proudly becomes a third generation player for the Stewart family at Bannockburn Tennis Club. Green Ball is the second phase of play for developing juniors, but with full court and match play, with the benefit of low compression balls and match supervisors to continue to assist with positioning and scoring. Green Ball 7 saw Point Lonsdale’s White and Blue teams match up at home with Hazel Birrell and Lucy Sullivan winning their doubles together and their singles to help get White over the line four sets to two. Bannockburn won at Geelong Lawn. There

were some fantastic rallies and it was great to see all the players enjoying their tennis. For Bannockburn, Harvey Lipsys is enjoying his first season of tennis, continuing a wonderful family tradition as the fourth generation of the Le Maitre family to play for Bannockburn. Geelong Lawn’s White team fared better in their visit to St Mary’s winning their match 6-0. This was a follow up to their 4-2 win over Point Lonsdale White, putting them in second position after week two. It was a derby at Meredith also this week with Red and White teams in a showdown. Meredith Red bounced back from a loss to St Mary’s in the first week to post a 5-1 win, but with several close sets, White should not be disheartened, as they have faced two of the top three teams and made good improvements this week.

24 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

and that it supported the club’s women’s program. The immediate future of Lara’s A Grade netball side is unknown. “We have attempted to engage with Lara around potential exemptions to allow senior netball to continue, however the club is yet to apply for any exemptions for netball,” the statement said. “We understand this is a disappointing outcome for members, players, families and volunteers who want to see senior football return to Lara. The board has not taken the decision lightly. “Our responsibility is to support sustainable community football and netball, protect the integrity of our competitions and make decisions that give clubs the best possible chance of long-term success.”

Geelong Cougars were well represented at the Netball Victoria awards night on Sunday 18 October. Surf Coast Suns president Claire Sadler took home the prestigious Volunteer of the Year award. Claire has dedicated more than seven years to creating better opportunities for players and Surf Coast Suns Football Netball Club. She has advocated for resurfaced courts, player benches, shelters, spectator seating and accessible change rooms, consistently championing the facilities young athletes deserve. Piper Stephens shared the Under 23 MVP, at just 16-years-old, with Millie Hogg from Melbourne University Lightning. Newtown & Chilwell goalshooter Eliza Dunell was the Under 23 Hot Shots winner. Stephens and Dunell were named in the Team of the Year along with Bell Park wing attack Louise Shaw and St Mary’s defender Mia Aitken. St Joseph’s Indi Madden was the Under 17 MVP. Ally O’Connor and Indya Forde were the two Cougars players named in the Championship Team of the Year although Charli Hoey (Bell Park) was also named after playing for Hawks Netball along with Newtown & Chilwell defender Ruby Pekin-Schlicht (Boroondara Express).

Surf Coast Suns president Claire Sadler was awarded the presigious Volunteer of the Year title. (Netball Victoria/Ben Levy)

SPORT

Blake Ash in action.

Lachie Molyneux watches as his shot sails over the fence for six. 583507

East Belmont flex muscles East Belmont again looks one of the Geelong Cricket Association Division 1 teams to beat. They accounted for Lara

by 130 runs and Independent photographer Ivan Kemp went to Bisinella Oval on Saturday 17 October to take these pictures.

James McMahon plays and misses.

Dylan Moroney takes a catch to dismiss Kaden Marum for 16.

Chaz Cheatley pushes into the offside for a single.

Josh Garner bowled well for East Belmont. Jordyn Nolan shows his disappointment after being dismissed. Robert Sodomaco drives down the ground.

Vishesh Malhotra scores a single to get off the mark.

Kaden Marum cuts behind point for a boundary.

Nate Scown guides this delivery through gully for a single to get off the mark.

Dylan Moroney bowled economically.

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 25

SPORT

Lara’s Sherilyn Tump works out her line. 583509

Jude Di Firore leads off for Torquay.

Stu Hedger leads his team to a mighty comeback to win 22 to 17.

Karen Wiener watches her bowl closely.

Jets fly for round 1 win

Luke Aiello follows his bowl down the rink.

Paul Cook plays for position.

Jack Wardrope in action for Torquay.

Ben Cotter leads his rink to a 31-18 win.

Daniel Tudor watches his bowl closely.

Tony Farrar delivers his bowl.

Robert Grubb plays the forehand.

Damian Cotter works on his line.

The Lara Jets flew to a round 1 Geelong Bowls Region Premier Division win against Torquay at home on Saturday 17 October and Independent photographer Ivan Kemp was there to take these pictures. 26 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 23 October, 2026

SPORT

Disciplined East Belmont By Justin Flynn Disciplined bowling, almost faultless fielding and a willingness to bat its allotted overs have all played a major role in East Belmont’s impressive start to the Geelong Cricket Association Division 1 season. Wins against reigning seven-time premiers North Geelong and last season’s preliminary finalists Lara have the Lions on top of the ladder and captain Dylan Moroney has been pleased with the consistency of his side. “We’ve locked in on bowling to a plan, bowling to our field and just building dots,” he said. “Not necessarily bowling wicket bowlers, but wickets are coming through pressure. That helps when you’ve got a score on the board, obviously. “We’ve been pretty disciplined in our bowling so I’ve been pretty happy with that. Not too many loose balls. “And more importantly, taking our chances in the field. We haven’t dropped a catch yet, so touch wood, hopefully we continue doing that.” East Belmont put 233 on the board batting first at Bisinella Oval against the home side Lara with James Lidgett in nice touch. The left-hander made 90 from 102 deliveries and compiled an unbeaten 89 in round 1. “He will probably be a little bit dirty that he hasn’t gone on to finish, but both innings he’s really set us up to that base so we could hopefully try and launch in that 40-over mark,” Moroney said. “He really held together our whole batting innings last week against North (Geelong) and then this week he set us up so he’s batting really, really well at the moment.” Moroney said 233 was a decent total. “Probably with the start we got, we could have got 250 and then that’s a good score, a really good score, but 230 batting first early in the season, you’re probably taking that any day of the week,” he said. “In the end, 230 I was pretty happy with, I think. But mind you, they (Lara) just need one big partnership and then they can set themselves up pretty nicely to chase that down.”

Lachie Molyneux played a key role for East Belmont with 3/21 and 21 not out from 11 balls. He is pictured bowling his first ball of the match to Lara’s Vishesh Malhotra, which resulted in a wicket. (Ivan Kemp) 583507

Mindful of Lara gun Vishesh Malhotra’s ability to blast a massive score in quick time, Moroney threw the new ball to former Geelong quick Josh Garner and told spinner Lachie Molyneaux that he was coming from the other end. “With Malhotra just so dangerous, we’ve probably tried pace on the last few times to him and it hasn’t come off and he’s gotten away,” Moroney said. “We probably needed to try something different to him. Pace on could have worked, but if he got away again, it’s like you haven’t learned anything here. “Lachie was the guy to do it. He can flight them up nicely and get a bit of drift and bounce, which is probably the undoing when someone’s trying to go hard at you.”

The plan worked with Malhotra falling cheaply to Molyneaux’s first ball and Lara was never really in the game after that, dismissed for 103 with Garner and Molyneaux each snaring three wickets. Molyneaux bowled four maidens and took 3/21 from 10 overs to go with his 21 not out from 11 deliveries late in East Belmont’s innings. Opening bowler Jack Jenkins is in Europe and is still a few weeks away from playing while run machine Shane McNamara’s availability is unknown. “He’s (McNamara) just had his third child, and he’s got three kids under threeyears-old, so his hands are pretty full,” Moroney said. “We’re not putting any pressure on him. We will just let him work out what he needs

to do.” The Lions face South Barwon this Saturday in the first of the two-day matches. South Barwon bounced back after a poor opening round showing to defeat Grovedale on Saturday. Star recruit Nikhil Deep Pottabathini reminded of his all-round prowess with an unbeaten 49 and 2/17 from 7.3 overs of left-arm spin. “They’ll be a lot better than what they showed in week one,” Moroney said of his round 3 opponent. “Their strengths are now back in their bowling lineup, I reckon, with Nikhil, they’ll probably set up pretty similar to us. “I’m tipping Nikhil’s going to bowl a lot of overs, and then (Sam) Coutts and Sammy Ellis will rotate as the attacking quicks.”

Rejuvenated Lara impressive in bowls season opener By Justin Flynn Lara coach Jeff Tyley is relishing the thought of taking on Drysdale this Saturday after an impressive round 1 Geelong Bowls Region Premier Division win against Torquay. Lara won just two games last season, both against Bell Post Hill, which remained winless and was relegated to Division 1. The Jets won three out of four rinks at home on Saturday 17 October and defeated Torquay, which narrowly missed the finals last season, 88 to 71. However, Drysdale presents an even bigger challenge and Tyley cannot wait. “Drysdale are the sleeping giants in my opinion,” he said. “Personally, I’m relishing the thought of going there and playing and I’m sure the rest of the guys are as well. “We’ve made a little statement amongst ourselves and we’ll back it up as best we can next week.” One of those statements was Stu Hedger’s rink of Heinz Tump, Sherilyn Tump and Brendon Emond, who performed an amazing comeback to take the points. Trailing 4-14 after 11 ends against Luke Aiello (skip), Robert Milesi (lead), Alan Sampson (second) and Gary Banks (third), the Lara quartet then launched an almighty revival. Over the next six ends, they picked up 14

Lara coach Jeff Tyley was pleased with his side’s opening round win. (Ivan Kemp) 583509

shots to nil to lead 18-14 and then held on to triumph 22-17. “That made a big difference,” Tyley said. “He (Hedger) was fried early, but I’m not surprised. The guys had nothing to lose and they wanted to win. “I said to them during the week, ‘winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is’. And I

believe that wanting to win is everything in sport.” On another rink, Ben Cotter was leading his rink of Garry Hinch, Paul Cook and Scott Emond to a comfortable 26-5 position after 13 ends. But Torquay’s Zane Lugg and his trio of Jude Di Fiore, Karen Wiener and Jack

Wardrope weren’t going to surrender meekly. Both teams picked up two shots each over the next two ends and Lugg then grabbed 10 shots, including six on the 18th, to be in with a sniff at 11 behind with three ends remaining, but Cotter steadied and won 31-18. “I was playing in the rink next to that and I was watching that rink like a hawk,” Tyley said. “I was pretty sure Zane would come back because Jack Wardrope was there and is one of their permit players and I know Jack pretty well. I know his game and I knew that would lift.” Don Grellet’s rink had a 21-14 win against Brad Ott’s while Daryl Kitchin made sure Torquay would head home with two points thanks to a 22-14 victory against Damian Cotter. “It was a good win,” Tyley said. “The dynamics of the club have changed quite a bit in that the teams that were put together yesterday are quite a bit different to what they were last year. Some players have come and gone. “I’ve only just come back to the club myself. What motivated the win I think is that we’ve got nothing to lose mentality. “I think the guys went in there not expecting to win but expecting to do the best they could and on the day the best they could do was good enough.”

Friday, 23 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 27

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