Geelong Indy - 30th October 2026

October 30, 2026

Fair is more than just fresh food Surfside Primary School’s Fresh Food Fair is back for another year of good tucker, music, carnival rides and family fun. The fair is a twilight event and is inviting families, friends and the wider community to enjoy a festive afternoon and evening. Visitors can enjoy afternoon tea featuring the traditional cake stall, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and an irresistible selection of sweet treats. Students and dedicated volunteers are preparing a menu of homemade cookies, sausage rolls, soups, potato and kale pastries, curries, and chili con carne. Entertainment includes the Surfside Primary School band, live music and the ever-popular Surfside’s Got Talent. There will be carnival rides, a petting zoo, sideshow games, coloured hair spray and extensions, lucky dips, face painting, gift stalls, potted plants and the dunk bucket challenge. The Fresh Food Fair (facebook.com/ SurfsideFreshFoodFair) is on Friday 6 November at Surfside Primary School, Ocean Grove, from 3.15pm to 7.30pm. Mitch, Hayley, Jess and Lora are preparing for Surfside Primary School’s Fresh Food Fair. (Ivan Kemp)

Place names reset By Matt Hewson Geelong council has finally approved its long-delayed place naming policy. The council voted to adopt the new policy by a margin of seven to four, with councillors Chris Burson, Andrew Katos, Eddy Kontelj and Ron Nelson voting in opposition. The policy seeks to address the historical imbalance of place names around the region, prioritising women, First Nations people and underrepresented cultural groups in the naming of places for a period of two years. Cr Emma Sinclair pointed out that a recent audit by the City found only three

per cent of places in Greater Geelong were named after women. “To suggest that three per cent is a figure that accurately reflects the proportion of women in merit within Geelong speaks volumes about the broader attitudes towards women,” she said. “These same attitudes – the suggestion that women are inherently less than, that their achievements are less worthy of recognition than those of their male counterparts – contribute to a broader culture of gender inequality in which violence against women persists and is pervasive. “But the good news is, council can play a…pivotal role in shaping these attitudes.

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We can do this by creating visibility and recognition of some of these women, and increasing that visibility across the community. “And that’s exactly what this policy tries to do. It seeks to address the imbalance that we see.” The details of the policy have been fiercely contested by Crs Katos and Kontelj since the introduction of a draft to the council and its exhibition through March and April this year, although the public has been broadly supportive throughout. The councillors’ opposition has centred on what they claimed was an unfair exclusion of Anglo-Saxon men and veterans, with Cr Kontelj saying the

policy was “attempting to solve a problem I personally don’t believe actually exists”. Cr Elise Wilkinson said the council needed a “clear, transparent, legislatively compliant framework” to address “the imbalance that exists because of historical sexism and racism”. “To say that there is no issue in relation to naming places and names after women, for example, is at worst gaslighting and at best smacks of entitlement,” she said. “Equitable representation fosters belonging; seeing ourselves reflected creates safety and respect…this policy provides that framework to guide future decisions for a safer and more inclusive community in Geelong.”

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GoodSAM app saves lives By Matt Hewson When 52-year-old Steven Bowen suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in May this year his life hinged on the critical minutes between collapsing and receiving lifesaving care. Fortunately, nursing student Mackenzie Sinclair, who lived just 200 metres down the street, had signed up for GoodSAM, a free smartphone app that allows Triple Zero call takers to connect volunteers with nearby patients in cardiac arrest. “I had just got home from a nursing placement, so I quickly put my shoes on and went to help, still wearing my scrubs,” Ms Sinclair said. “Steven was very, very unwell when I arrived. I didn’t know how things were going to go.” Ms Sinclair took over CPR from Steven’s partner Jo until paramedics arrived and continued to assist once they were on the scene.

Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedic Shannon Cefai, one of the first responders on that day, said Mr Bowen was alive thanks to Ms Sinclair’s actions. “What we know is that each minute that goes by without CPR is an additional 10 per cent reduction in your chance of survival,” he said. “Mackenzie being alerted via the GoodSAM app only 200 metres away meant that Steven was getting CPR very quickly before we arrived. “There were a lot of incredible things that happened between the scene and into the hospital, including being defibrillated 13 times. But it might not have been possible without Mackenzie turning up to do CPR.” Mr Bowen, who remembers nothing of the incident, met Ms Sinclair and Mr Cefai for the first time this week as part of AV’s Shocktober campaign. He said he was glad Ms Sinclair had been nearby and responded to his emergency.

Paramedic Shannon Cefai, Steven Bowen and GoodSAM responder Mackenzie Sinclair. (Ivan Kemp) 585888 04

“Catching up with them today, just saying thank you is not enough,” he said. “It’s unbelievable, and 99 per cent of people wouldn’t know that the GoodSAM program exists. I didn’t know there were

Making sure our veterans are remembered By Matt Hewson Soldiers lying in unmarked graves at Point Lonsdale cemetery will be honoured with a special ceremony this November The Headstone Project Victoria (HPV), a locally-based organisation spearheading efforts to identify veterans currently in unmarked graves and provide headstones for them, will hold the commemoration ceremony at 11am on Sunday 8 November at Queenscliff Cemetery, Point Lonsdale. Ocean Grove historian Dr Bob Marmion, secretary co-founder of HPV, said some of the 20 veterans’ graves dated back to the 1870s. “Some of them are connected with Port Queenscliff over the years, others are World War I veterans,” he said. “For various reasons they’ve been buried in unmarked graves, usually because they were estranged from their family or the family couldn’t afford a headstone. We’ve identified 20 that will be commemorated

Headstone Project Victoria’s Bob Marmion and Tamara Doheney pay their respects at a restored headstone. (Ivan Kemp) 586999 04

on Sunday week.” Dr Marmion said HPV was a “huge statewide project”, with Point Lonsdale

only the first of a number of major commemorations planned over the next year. “We’re mostly working our way across the Bellarine and into Geelong, so it’ll be continual over the next two or three years,” he said. “We’ve got people all over Victoria doing this. We’ve got a Melbourne group, a group in Stawell, Gippsland, Central Victoria…there must be literally thousands of (unmarked graves) spread across the country.” Dr Marmion encouraged members of the public to attend the ceremony. “”It will run along military commemoration lines, so it’ll be similar to a Remembrance Day ceremony,” he said. “We’ve got brigadiers and colonels, state and federal politicians all coming, and of course relatives and past researchers. “We’re expecting well over 100 people and it’s open to the public to be involved as well.”

Community fears climate plan cut By Matt Hewson The Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale community has activated to retain their council’s celebrated 10-year Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP). Local individuals and organisations have organised a public meeting at 6pm on Saturday 14 November at the Point Lonsdale Primary School to launch a community survey, kickstart local advocacy and hear from climate experts. Adopted in 2021 and intended to run until 2031, the CERP is a comprehensive, 80page strategy developed by the Borough of Queenscliffe through extensive collaboration with environmental and climate groups, Traditional Owners and community members. Community member and local advocate Robert Patterson said community members participating in the CERP’s planned five-year review – conducted by external consultant firm Nation Partners – had sounded the alarm on the apparent direction the review

was taking. “One quote that came from a group that was at these roundtables was ‘how can a document be reviewed when it isn’t tabled for consideration?’” Mr Patterson said. “The CERP wasn’t even tabled. They were skirting around it and wanting to do something entirely different. That’s the uproar.” The Borough’s website is also explicit the outcome of the review is not to guide the continuation of the CERP, but instead to “shape the Borough’s next Climate Strategy”, which Mr Patterson said would clearly replace rather than complement the existing plan. Climatologist and Geelong Sustainability chair Neil Plummer, who will speak at the community meeting, said the discontinuation of the CERP would be “a massive loss”. “I followed the CERP’s development back in 2019 and 2020, and my view is it’s a very well-considered and comprehensive plan to respond to climate change,” he said. “It has achieved positive results and

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Geelong Sustainability’s Neil Plummer. (Supplied)

outcomes for the council and for the wider community, but since 2021, climate impacts and risks have only increased. “The evidence is right there before us…so it would be a real backwards step to lose all that great work that was done. “It takes a hell of a lot of work, time and investment to develop something like this, but it’s very, very easily lost. And there is no doubt that this work will be required again, so it’s much more cost-efficient to keep this plan going.” Visit letition.org/cerpmeeting for more information.

people 200 metres away that could help save your life…I’m glad they’re there.” Visit ambulance.vic.gov.au/shocktober to learn more about GoodSAM and Shocktober.

Greater scope for pharmacists By Jena Carr Greater Geelong’s pharmacists will be able to treat more health conditions by mid-next year, reducing pressure on the healthcare system. Community pharmacists have been given the green light from the state government to undertake additional training and authorisation to treat an expanded list of common conditions. Bannockburn pharmacist Scott Wilkes said the greater scope of practice would allow pharmacists to treat gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and menopausal hormone therapy without needing an additional prescription. “Allowing suitably qualified and registered pharmacists to autonomously prescribe increases accessibility to healthcare services,” he said. “I’m definitely seeing more patients coming in, and being able to do uncomplicated consults as well improves health outcomes and reduces the pressure on healthcare systems. “We have to undergo additional training to be able to provide those services...so, we need to make sure that we increase our knowledge level to be able to provide these services.” Autonomous prescribing would allow pharmacists who have completed postgraduate training to assess patients and prescribe medicines independently within their authorised scope of practice. The Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victoria Branch president George Tambassis said he urged all sides of politics to support autonomous prescribing statewide. “In Victoria we’ve been dipping our toes in the water, which has provided a win for patients and their associated healthcare ecosystems across the state,” he said. “The reforms give Victorians more options to access safe, timely, costeffective and conveniently located care through their community pharmacy.” Visit findapharmacy.com.au to learn more about what local pharmacists can do.

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Former gambler hopes to inspire recovery A local woman has shared her story of three decades of “painful slavery” to poker machines as part of Gambling Harm Awareness Week (24 to 31 October). With gambling losses across the region continuing to climb – punters lost more than $152 million in the City of Greater Geelong and Borough of Queenscliffe in 2025-26, this highest amount ever recorded locally – recovering gambler Jan hopes her story can help others believe recovery is possible. “Trusting those horrible machines... they promise so much and give very little or nothing,” she said. After 34 years of feeling trapped, Jan reached out to Meli’s Gambler’s Help service, finding the support she needed to regain control of her life. “I was lucky enough to be supported

by a counsellor who had great respect and enormous empathy,” she said. With Meli’s support Jan rebuilt hope, reconnected with herself and began focusing on the things that matter most. “Now I can be myself again.” Meli’s Therapeutic Services manager Betti Chapelle said a recent increase in demand for the organisation’s services reflected both rising awareness of the support available and the cost of living crisis. “We’re seeing more people reaching out for help, not only gamblers themselves, but also partners, friends and family members who are being affected,” she said. “Common signs of gambling harm include stress, irritability, difficulty sleeping, financial strain and social withdrawal. The impacts often extend beyond the individual and can affect families, relationships

and broader support networks. “You don’t have to wait until things get bad. Whether you’re worried about your own gambling or someone else’s, Meli’s Gambler’s Help team is here to listen and support you without judgement.” Jan’s message to others experiencing similar challenges is simple. “It can be done...even if it is after a very long time. Better late than never,” she said. Jan hopes her experience will encourage others to seek support and remind them that positive change is possible, regardless of how long gambling has been part of their lives. “Trust Meli...believe me, it can be done.” Contact Meli on (03) 5226 8900 or visit www.meli.org.au for free and confidential gambling support.

Interrogating extinction and intelligence By Jena Carr A Geelong theatre company will bring a major new work to the global stage next month with the first public rehearsals of NEANDERTHAL. Back to Back Theatre announced its new project NEANDERTHAL - Histories(s) du Theâtre VIII last week, with 35 theatre members leaving for Paris next week on 8 November as part of the Festival d’Automne à Paris. Artistic director Bruce Gladwin said NEANDERTHAL was an expansive work that interrogated the themes of extinction and cognition. “It’s kind of a story about one intelligence overtaking another intelligence, one set in prehistory and another one set in the contemporary world,” he said. “It’s a work that is set in the early history of humanity, but also in a contemporary world, and it’s a story about a voiceover artist who’s narrating a natural history documentary film. “The film he’s narrating is about the last Neanderthal, but it’s also about the rise of artificial intelligence, so he loses his position as a voiceover artist at the same time.” Ensemble member Sarah Mainwaring said she was very excited to participate in the performance. “I’m one of the Neanderthals that go along the journey in the landscape, and I also play

Sarah Mainwaring and Bruce Gladwin rehearse a scene from NEANDERTHAL - Histories(s) du Théâtre VIII. (Ivan Kemp) 586642 08

a mother in the modern day, which is really good to be exploring two different roles,” she said. NEANDERTHAL will have its world pre-

miere at Monash University’s Performing Arts Centre from 22 to 24 April next year, followed by its international premiere in May at the Vienna Festival.

Swim Sport and Leisure’s Craig Williams, Geelong CEO Ali Wastie and Webstar Swim School mascot warm up for Run4Geelong. (Supplied)

Run, walk, roll for Barwon Health Much-loved community fundraising event Run4Geelong returns this November, with a range of activities accompanying the annual running event. Presented by Barwon Health Foundation, the event kicks off at 7am on Sunday 8 November with the half marathon, with participants setting off on progressively shorter courses throughout the morning. With more than 6750 participants taking part last year and raising $323,000 for the Barwon Health Foundation last year, organisers are encouraging community members of all ages and abilities to run, walk or roll to help provide support for Barwon Health services, research and equipment. Event partner the City of Greater Geelong is also hosting activities at its race village activation, including pre-race warm-ups, face painting, a children’s colouring-in station and a spin the wheel competition. Mayor Stretch Kontelj said Run4Geelong was a great opportunity to bring the community together to support local healthcare and promote the importance of health and wellbeing. “Run4Geelong is an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to come together, get active and support Barwon Health as our largest local healthcare provider,” he said. “Most of us have either used a Barwon Health service or know someone who has relied on its care, so it’s crucial to show our support. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with the Barwon Health Foundation, and in our second year as naming rights partner for Run4Geelong, look forward to welcoming even more participants and spectators on race day.” Visit run4geelong.com.au to register for individual or team events or find out more information.

WorkSafe inspectors will be able to issue on-the-spot fines from March next year to protect workers from fatal falls. Employers can be fined on the spot from 31 March for failing to control fall risks or keep safety records on hand for workers and inspectors, along with starting high-risk construction work without a Safe Work Method Statement. Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC Steve Dimopoulos visited Geelong last week and said falls remained a leading cause of workplace deaths and serious injuries. “Harnesses, guardrails, a safety plan – these are the basics. Skipping them is against the law, and we won’t tolerate it,” he said. Member for Geelong Christine Couzens said it was important to ensure people remained safe at work sites across the

state. “Geelong is home to WorkSafe, and to tradies who work at height every day. Every one of them should knock off and head home safe,” she said. WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said there were no new obligations for employers, but that those breaking the law would face consequences sooner. “The message to employers is clear – if you’re not meeting your existing safety obligations, WorkSafe now has more tools to hold you to account and keep workers safe,” he said. Failing to manage fall risks will cost individuals up to $418.20 and companies up to $2,091, with other high-risk construction and record-keeping breaches carrying fines up to $250.92 and $1,254.60.

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Rallying for climate fund By Jena Carr Climate change is becoming more frequent and severe, and Surf Coast Shire Council is calling for increased action and funding. Council decided (7-2 councillors) to advocate to the federal government to establish a National Climate Compensation Fund and address the costs of climate change on councils during its 27 October meeting. Councillor Phoebe Crockett said it was important to acknowledge climate change impacts and advocate for better financial support. “Across our region, we’re already seeing the cost of climate change emerge through

fires, floods, coastal erosion, and more frequent extreme weather events,” she said. “These climate events are unfortunately not going away, and the alternative could look like higher rates, reduced services, deferred infrastructure, or the feeling of being unprepared. “Our community should not be left carrying the financial burden of a problem that is growing far beyond the capacity of local governments and rate payers to fund alone.” Council also received a petition during its 27 October meeting titled ’Make Big Polluters Pay Their Fair Share - Climate Compensation Fund’, asking for big coal, oil and gas corporations to pay their fair share for

the costs of climate change. Cr Crockett said the fund would ensure council had access to “sustained and dedicated funding” for climate adaptation, resilience and disaster recovery. “It reflects the growing frustration that these costs continue to fall on rate and taxpayers rather than industries and companies that are most responsible for this crisis,” she said. “The majority of scientists working in the field consider climate change to be a real human-caused and a significant risk that we cannot ignore; it warrants planning and adaptation. “This advocacy asks for the establish-

ment of a national climate compensation fund funded through contributions from major coal, gas and oil corporations who are profiting heavily.” Cr Joel Grist said council needed to remain focused on its core responsibilities and not become a platform for political campaigns. “We already have disaster recovery funding arrangements, and council already advocates for disaster resilience funding,” he said. “We should be examining actual local outcomes to weather events, not simply accepting broad assumptions about climate change in national reports.”

John Ayliffe with his latest book Betrayal. (Ivan Kemp) 586601 01

Life after Betrayal By Jena Carr

Deputy premier Gabrielle Williams (second from the right) with nursing students at The Gordon’s new nursing labs. (Supplied)

Accessible nursing labs open at The Gordon New nursing labs are now open at The Gordon’s Geelong City Campus, providing more accessible training facilities for the region. The labs opened last week and featured simulated hospital wards and modern learning spaces, providing 416 Diploma of Nursing students with hands-on clinical training. The Gordon chief executive Joe Ormeno said the facilities were built for every student and included assistive technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, wheelchair access, adjustable furniture and low-stimu-

lation spaces. “We want inclusion to shape not only how our students learn, but how they care for others throughout their nursing career,” he said. “These new labs bring practical training and inclusive design together, and we want inclusion to shape not only how our students learn, but how they care for others throughout their careers.” Deputy premier and Minister for Skills and Training Gabrielle Williams said the labs were the first stage of The Gordon’s TAFE Centre of Excellence in Disability Inclusion.

“We’re making sure every Victorian can get the training they need to build a rewarding career in the industries that need their skills,” she said. “With this being the first centre of its kind, Victoria is leading the way in how we deliver vocational training so students with disability can have every chance to learn and succeed.” Work is underway on the project’s remaining stages, with the centre due to be completed next year and expected to set the benchmark for accessible vocational training nationwide.

City of Greater Geelong’s annual report reveals some mixed results By Matt Hewson Geelong council tabled its 2025-26 annual report at this month’s meeting, outlining the successes, failures, opportunities and challenges experienced by the City of Greater Geelong throughout that period. The council’s chair of the Finance and City Planning portfolios Cr Andrew Katos said the report was “very comprehensive” but demonstrated the tight financial confines within which the City was operating. “Our population’s due to increase by 44 per cent in the next 20 years; it’s a sobering number,” he said.

“Capital works delivery was $148 million for the year. I think we originally had nearly $200 million, but we’re starting to get our capital expenditure budgets more in line with what we’re capable of delivering.” Mr Katos also highlighted the municipality’s $2.6 million in community grants and acknowledged the more than 300 volunteers at the City of Greater Geelong, without whom “some of our organisations would struggle”. The report, which tracks everything from the council’s financial results and major achievements to its health and safety record and summaries of campaign donations,

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also includes updates on the statuses of 19 performance indicators across six objective areas. In the areas of core and critical infrastructure, healthy and caring community and governance and integrity the council performed well, but indicators were negative regarding economic development, average for heritage and culture and only slightly positive for environment and circular economy. Cr Anthony Aitken said the document showed the council was “attempting our best to meet our commitments…97 per cent of our targets are firmly on track”.

Novelist John Ayliffe was in Geelong this week to raise awareness of church-related abuse and support survivors. The 83-year-old presented his latest book Betrayal at the Geelong Yacht Club on 28 October, helping support the Lifeboat Geelong Foundation. Mr Ayliffe said Betrayal is a deeply personal memoir-investigation of the church institution that interweaves testimonies of survivors. “It was tough, but the truth will set you free...and this whole story is one of denial, cover-up and crime,” he said. The book follows Mr Ayliffe’s journey after a high-ranking Catholic church official approached him one day in 1989 with a request to allegedly assist in concealing abuse of children by clergy. “We knew the official pretty well and had dinners with him, so we thought he was a pretty good guy, but one day I got a phone call saying that he needed my help,” Mr Ayliffe said. “He beat around the bush for quite a while before eventually saying that his brothers were doing things they shouldn’t do with little boys. “I couldn’t believe what he told me, so I told him straight off that he needed to go to the police...but he said that he couldn’t do that. “I tried to talk him into it, but he still wouldn’t, so...I felt guilty that I couldn’t do anything and carried that shame with me.” As it was his word against the Catholic church’s, the secret lay dormant for a quarter-century until the 2014 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse pulled back the curtain.

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Reduced ED wait promise By Jena Carr Premier Ben Carroll was in Geelong over the weekend to announce election commitments for the state’s emergency departments (EDs). The premier visited Barwon Health’s University Hospital Geelong on 25 October to acknowledge that a re-elected Labor government would reduce ED wait times by 20 per cent. Mr Carroll said his government would expand 12 hospital EDs, including University Hospital Geelong, by 25 per cent, hire 1500 health workers – including 750 more nurses – and deliver 250 more beds.

“It is very important to everybody that fights for working people, that people in a time of need get the care and support they need when they need it,” he said. “We’ve all had that lived experience of turning up in an ED...and there’s nothing more important to Victorians than our health care system. “I’ve been in the ED with my wife when she was pregnant, and I’ve also subsequently been back to emergency departments with our daughter.” The state average for ED wait times is 15 minutes, but EDs are facing record demand, with some patients waiting more than two hours.

Minister for Health Ingrid Stitt said the improvements to the state’s EDs would allow more than 210,000 patients to be treated every year. “We’ve been able to grow the health workforce across rural and regional Victoria by 25 per cent,” she said. “Our public hospitals have never been busier, and our EDs are really the nerve centre of our public health system. “We are very confident that we will be able to continue to attract and retain the quality health care workers to our system that we need. “We’ve backed up important investments in attraction and retention pro-

grams across the state, including incentives for people who want to work in our regional and rural health services.” The 12 hospitals included in Mr Carroll’s election commitment include Alfred Hospital, Austin Hospital, Ballarat Base Hospital, Bendigo Hospital, and Footscray Hospital. The election commitment will also expand Latrobe Regional Hospital, Royal Children’s Hospital, Shepparton Hospital, Swan Hill Hospital, Werribee Mercy Hospital, Wonthaggi Hospital, and University Hospital Geelong.

Shian (Nun) and Bill Hartshone (Freddy) with their children Henry (clown) and Charlie (wolf) during last year’s Halloween frights. (Ivan Kemp) 513077_14

Haunted house to scare for sick kids at the RCH By Jena Carr Deakin University’s Rebecca Bone and student Teagan Menhenett with the new 2D Blue Tree wall installation. (Jena Carr) 587473 01

Deakin University’s new 2D Blue Tree By Jena Carr A Geelong university is sparking conversations around mental health through a unique 2D wall installation. Deakin University’s Waterfront Campus unveiled its newest Blue Tree Project installation on 27 October as part of Mental Health Month. Deakin student Teagan Menhenett has battled with an eating disorder, anxiety, depression, and self-harm, but she is not defined by her struggles. With support from family and medical professionals, Ms Menhenett said she has

been able to focus on what she loves most: reading and spending time with her dogs and cockatiels, while also studying a Doctor of Psychology (Clinical). “In 2023, I was diagnosed as autistic, and this came after months of research, deep dives and re-examination of every moment of my life up to that point, but it fit,” she said. “Autism explained my mental illnesses and ways of coping better than I ever could previously, and with time, it has also helped me to develop a level of self-compassion I’ve not had before. “My advice to anyone who may be

struggling with mental health is to talk to someone about how you’re feeling; you are never as alone as you might feel.” Deakin University executive director of student services Rebecca Bone said the unveiling of the Blue Tree was an “important milestone” for the university. “It aims to spark meaningful conversations about mental health and well-being, helping to create a culture where everyone feels comfortable speaking openly,” she said. Help is available, and people can call 13 11 14 for 24-hour confidential crisis support.

Queenscliff Library is now accessible at all hours and days Queenscliff Library is getting a new locker system, allowing community members to access books, resources and free entertainment whenever they choose. Busy families and workers will soon be able to reserve items online and collect or drop off loans at a convenient time through the new 18-locker system. Borough of Queenscliffe mayor Donnie Grigau said libraries provided free fun for the whole family and that flexible access for the whole community was important. “We very much welcome this news and the library locker will be a valuable addition

to Queenscliff Library,” he said. “It will provide a simple and convenient way for members to access reserved materials beyond the library’s staffed opening hours.” Geelong Regional Library Corporation Board representative for Borough of Queenscliffe Isabelle Tolhurst said council knew how much the community loved the library. “This grant announcement and the library locker will provide more access and flexibility to engage with the service they love,” she said. Member for Bellarine Alison March-

ant said the state government has invested $28,660 in the locker project through the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program. “Libraries are free, local and open to everyone, and now Queenscliff locals can borrow on their own schedule,” she said. The system will provide residents with a free Geelong Regional Libraries membership the chance to reserve items and have them delivered to a locker for convenient collection. Borough of Queenscliffe said that it will share further updates about the project as it progresses.

A St Albans Park home will offer up a range of frights over two nights of terror to raise money for sick children. Freddy and His Gang’s Haunted House will return to 11 Lymington Court on Friday 30 October and Halloween (Saturday 31 October) to fundraise for the Royal Children’s Hospital. Organiser Bill Hartshorne will once again transform into Freddy Krueger and said the event would feature a maze and projection light show with kid-friendly and adult shows. “It should be a good two nights, especially with Halloween being on a Saturday night this year,” he said. “We raised about $3000 last year, and hopefully we can raise a little bit more, so we’ll just see how we go. “It’s amazing what you can do with a couple of tents and a house, so hopefully people come along and have some fun. “It’s a bit of a production, and it takes probably three weeks to set this up, as there is a fair bit of work that goes into it, and even our little four-year-old is in it this year.” Freddy and His Gang’s Haunted House will run from 6pm to 11pm on both nights, with a kid-friendly maze from 6pm to 8pm followed by a kid-friendly light show at 8.30pm. For people ready for a fright, scarers will unleash frights from 8pm to late, followed by a frightening light show at 9pm. A $5 tap or cash entry donation for the Royal Children’s Hospital will be welcomed during the two nights.

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Gingko named Vic’s top tree Geelong’s Ginkgo biloba has been crowned the 2026 Victorian Tree of the Year. Receiving a whopping 27 per cent of the 4435 votes cast in this year’s competition, the 157-year-old Geelong ginkgo beat eight other finalists from across the state to capture the prestigious award. City of Greater Geelong Environmental & Circular Economy portfolio chair Cr Elise Wilkinson said the tree, located in the Geelong Botanic Gardens, was “one of Geelong’s most cherished landmarks, admired by generations of visitors to the Geelong Botanic Gardens”. “The Ginkgo biloba…has provided a stunning backdrop for countless wedding photographs and special celebrations,” she said. “This recognition is a tribute to the care, skill and dedication of the current and former Geelong Botanic Gardens staff and volunteers who have nurtured and protected this remarkable tree for more than 160 years. “We thank the National Trust Victoria for highlighting the significance of this living piece of Geelong’s history and helping share its story.” Prahran’s smooth bark apple myrtle came second, with third place going to Apollo Bay’s myrtle beech. Held by National Trust Victoria (NTV), the competition also highlights the need for stronger protections for established trees across the state. NTV executive manager of Gardens &

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Annual Art Show

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6 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens members Lynne Clarke, Terry Feldman, Barrie Satchell and Liz Bennetto with Geelong’s award-winning gingko tree. (Ivan Kemp) 580634 01

Landscapes Justin Buckley said botanic and historic gardens played “a vital role in protecting established trees” such as Geelong’s gingko. “We congratulate the City of Greater Geelong, Geelong Botanic Gardens and the

volunteers who have cared for this tree for generations,” he said. Victorians can nominate a tree to the Significant Tree Register at any time. Visit trusttrees.org.au/nominate for more information.

The long road to success By Matt Hewson Local crime writer SD Hinton has launched her second novel this week, but her road to success has been anything but easy. Based in a small town on Victoria’s secluded south west coast, Inlet Bridge tells the story of a woman, Sarah, whose husband disappears under mysterious circumstances. When police enquiries lead nowhere, she seeks the help of her brother, former soldier Harry, beginning an investigation that uncovers long-held secrets throughout her community. The first component of Inlet Bridge came to Hinton in 2021 while she was on a fellowship stay at the National Writers’ House in Katoomba. “His name was Harry, and I had no idea where he fitted, but I knew he was a significant character,” she said. “So then probably two or three years later, the premise in the form of an image of two people walking across a narrow coastal bridge at dusk and a truck entering that bridge (came to me), and I just knew that something – a crime – was about to occur. “And when that happened, I knew Harry had found his place.” The craft of writing has not come easy to Hinton, who has experienced dyslexia throughout her life. “I’m of an era that dyslexia wasn’t even really known about, let alone treated effectively, so I grew up, not assuming that I was dumb, I was told that I was dumb,” she said. “So that meant that schooling was always a struggle for me. I did manage to get my HSC which is just absolutely amazing. “When the urge to write hit in my early 20s – and it was a really strong urge – I had very little support system, and having

Geelong crime novelist SD Hinton launches her new book this week. (Supplied)

dyslexia I thought, ‘I can’t do this. What makes you think you could write? You can’t evn spell.’ “And that was prior to computers. So…I shut down that desire to write, which – I still remember to this day – was a really difficult thing to do.” But 20 years later, that urge could no longer be denied. Hinton bought a laptop and, with the help of spellcheck and the proofing marks provided by Microsoft Word, she began to write. Another 20 years and seven completed manuscripts later, her first crime novel The Brothers was published in 2022, earning glowing reviews from critics and readers alike. “I knew (writing) was never a hobby; I knew when I started that the goal was to be traditionally published one day, eventually,” Hinton said. “I don’t know where it came from, I just love words. I love being able to get the right words in the right order to pinpoint precisely what you mean. “It’s a really punch-the-air moment for me when I’m able to do that. I just love it.”

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NEWS

Denis brings festive cheer One of Geelong’s most iconic entertainers will mark three decades of bringing Christmas joy to families across the region this November. Beloved entertainer Denis Walter will host his 30th Carols by the Bay event at Geelong waterfront on Saturday 21 November. Featuring a talented musical lineup of local and Australian performers, as well as the popular Flick the Switch competition and the lighting of the Floating Christmas Tree, the free event will begin at 6.30pm at Steampacket Gardens. Mr Walter said seeing families return

year after year to the event was “incredibly special”. “When I first had the idea for Carols by the Bay, I wanted to create something special for my community at our beautiful waterfront. We’ve made so many wonderful memories together over 30 years,” he said. “Through sunshine, rain, different venues and countless Christmases, the one constant has been the fantastic support of the Geelong community. “I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped make Carols by the Bay what it is today, and I can’t wait to celebrate this mile-

Mayor Stretch Kontelj and Denis Walter. (Supplied)

stone with Geelong and kick off another magical Christmas.” Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj paid trib-

ute to Mr Walter’s passion and dedication to the event. ““Thirty years of Denis Walter Carols by the Bay is an extraordinary achievement, and we owe Denis a huge thank you,” he said. “Christmas is about connection, generosity, kindness and making time for the people around us. Events like this give families, friends and neighbours the chance to come together and share in the joy of the season.” Visit geelongcity.vic.gov.au/christmas to enter the Flick the Switch competition.

Mayor Stretch Kontelj and Deakin acting vicechancellor Professor Susan Elliott with alumni Ashwini, staffer Mohan and staffer Ambili. (Supplied)

Diwali celebrations at Deakin University

Alexandra Dascarellos will bring Portarlington Greek Festival back to the region for its second year. (Ivan Kemp) 586817 07

Portarlington set to get its Greek on at festival By Jena Carr Portarlington will showcase its Greek flair during a day full of culture, flavour and entertainment. Portarlington Greek Festival will return to the region for its second year during this Melbourne Cup Weekend on Sunday 1 November. Founder and managing director Alexandra Dascarellos said the festival was back for a “bigger and better” year with lots of amazing Greek food, performances and stalls.

“The festival was put together last year, and it was a very successful festival, and up to 10,000 people came along, leading us to sell out of Greek food,” she said. “My mum and dad are Greek, and they came to Australia in 1953, so...I hope everyone can come and have a fabulous time while celebrating a big Greek party. “The festival is about uniting people because ignorance breeds prejudice, and the less ignorant people are about other cultures, the more tolerant and accepting they are. “We also want to inspire the younger gen-

eration to be first responders, so they’ll (Bellarine SES, Ambulance Victoria, and police) be there for education purposes, not just emergency purposes.” The festival will feature music from Agapi & Friends from 11am at Parks Hall, Anagennisi from 10am on the main stage, and Spasta Band from 11am just outside the alcohol area. The Portarlington Greek Festival will be held from 10am to 5pm at WG Little Reserve, 65-87 Newcomb Street, with entry by donation.

Lara MP reveals state election commitments for the region Better access to education in Lara and more support for emergency services in the Bellarine are among the state government’s commitments if Labor is re-elected. A re-elected Carroll Labor government has promised to deliver a new primary school in Lara West and invest $1.57 million to upgrade Lara Lake Primary School. Member for Lara Ella George said it was important to provide families with modern and fit-for-purpose facilities across the region. “I’ve spoken to hundreds of families in

Lara, and they are all telling me the same thing; it’s time for another primary school in Lara,” she said. “As our community in Lara has grown, so has Lara Lake Primary, and this funding delivers a much-needed upgrade to the school oval and outdoor area.” The state government has also committed to delivering a new fire station for Leopold CFA and investing $600,000 for a new marine search and rescue boat for Coast Watch Ocean Grove. Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant

said she will always back the region’s emergency service volunteers. “I’m proud to announce the important upgrade for the Leopold CFA station, and as a vital part of our community safety and emergency response, they deserve a station that is fit for purpose,” she said. “We’re also proud to commit a new marine search and rescue vessel for Coast Watch Ocean Grove to help the volunteers do their important work, particularly when the Barwon River mouth can be unpredictable and treacherous.”

Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus will host a free family-friendly event to celebrate Diwali. The annual festival of lights, also known as Deepavali, will be held on Friday 6 November from 6pm and will feature cultural performances, music, food, market stalls and henna art. Deakin acting vice-chancellor Professor Susan Elliott said Diwali was a time to light lamps and candles, have fun with loved ones, exchange gifts and sweets, feed the poor and clean the house. “We are proud and excited to welcome everyone to our stunning Waurn Ponds campus for this free community event in celebration of generosity, renewal and inclusion,” she said. “This celebration, with its cultural performances, fine food and music, is a longstanding tradition at Deakin and a wonderful expression of the diversity of Geelong’s community.” Greater Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said the event would feature the traditional Indian art of Rangoli (creating patterns with coloured powders), along with fireworks at 9pm. “Diwali is a special festival that spreads positivity around the globe and is important to many community members here in Greater Geelong,” he said. “I’m looking forward to returning to this joyous event, meeting community members, eating delicious food and watching the spectacular fireworks.” Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs worldwide and symbolises the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and hope over despair. Free campus parking will be available during the event, and people must visit geelong.link/Deakin-Diwali to register their attendance.

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 7

FRIDAY FEATURE

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Joe to run the Big Apple Geelong’s Joe Grgic will compete in the TCS New York City Marathon this weekend to raise money for the Barwon Health Foundation. He spoke with Jena Carr about the challenge and what it meant to support healthcare in Geelong.

J

oe Grgic will plunge into his very first marathon in the Big Apple, but he’s not running just for the challenge. The 49-year-old began training a year ago and, despite suffering minor running-related injuries, Joe left his Geelong home on Wednesday (28 October) to fly to New York. “My body and training are probably not where I was hoping to be, but I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be for my first marathon,” he said. “It all just feels like it’s happened very quickly and it’s been a busy year...but I have always wanted to do a marathon, so I’m looking forward to it.” Joe will compete in the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday 1 November, which is a 42.2-kilometre course that covers New York City’s five boroughs. The race will begin in Staten Island, with participants running through Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Manhattan. “Finishing the race at hopefully a reasonable pace, I’ll be pretty chuffed with myself, and I’m looking forward to the whole experience,” he said. “It’ll be an amazing experience and a great way to see the city, if I’m not too

Joe Grgic will run across New York City to raise money for the Barwon Health Foundation. (Pictures: Ivan Kemp) 585521

knackered. To run my first marathon in New York, I’m just so lucky. “I’ve been to the Big Apple, and it’s an amazing place with a buzz of energy, and walking down Manhattan feels like you’re walking forever, but this is going to be

something else. “They have several events going on during the weekend, including a run around Central Park, so it’s going to be a very exciting time to be in New York, and I’m sure it’ll be amazing.”

Joe has already raised more than $14,100 as of 4pm on 28 October ahead of the marathon, with all funds raised going to the Barwon Health Foundation. “All funds go back to a critical provider in Geelong that helps keep the community healthy, which is what we want in Geelong,” he said. “I want to push myself beyond what I thought possible and turn every step into something meaningful for our local health services. “The goal was $10,000, and we’ve already surpassed it, which is amazing, as it all goes back to Barwon Health, and they’re so important with what they provide in Geelong.” Joe said he was grateful to live in Geelong and support Barwon Health, which provided many critical services for the region. “It’s so important to give back, and we all know this government has only got limited funding, meaning that the rest has to come from somewhere else, so we do what we can,” he said. “There have been numerous times when I’ve been to functions or events, and they’ve had people speak about what they’ve been through and what the funding goes towards.” Visit barwon-health-foundation. grassrootz.com/barwon-healthfoundation-nyc-marathon-2026/joe-grgic to help Joe support the Barwon Health Foundation as he takes on the New York City Marathon.

ENTERTAINMENT WITH MATT HEWSON

Balancing the old and the new Dual ARIA award-winner and ten-time Golden Guitar recipient Fanny Lumsden is a proud feminist and an advocate for change around gender equality and the traditional expectations society places on women. One Australia’s finest songwriters and storytellers, Lumsden’s work – both in her music and through her fully independent business model – incorporate those themes. But having grown up as a member of a very traditional sheep farming family in central New South Wales, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest city, she knows intimately the value of the strong, independent ethos born in the red dirt of Australia. “I’ve got little kids now, my parents are getting a bit older, and I had one of those moments where I reflected on how lucky I am, how I got here and what is worth taking forward,” Lumsden said. “I think when I was younger I threw away a lot of my farming family traditions, which

lean conservative, but I threw the baby out with the bathwater there for a while. “Traditions and families are messy. I can value the traditions of my family whilst also understanding they were born of a flawed system. “So it’s about working out how I go forward in a progressive way that balances my autonomy and ambitions with those traditions.” Those themes will be on display when Lumsden brings her fifth studio album Traditions to Geelong’s Barwon Club for a special all-ages gig as part of her east coast tour. The first of her albums to be recorded entirely live in the studio with her band the Daddies, Traditions also features Paul Kelly, with whom she toured with last year. “Vibes are high, and a bit stressful, just because we are running our own record label and trying to deliver something at a

Alt-country star Fanny Lumsden visits the Barwon Club as she tours her new album Traditions. (Supplied)

standard that maybe more people should be employed to do,” she said. “But I’m so proud of the record…We want (these shows) to be a lot of fun, so we can all have a moment together where we escape

all the heaviness, have a bit of joy and go on with our lives feeling a little better.” Fanny Lumsden is at the Barwon Club on Friday 6 November. Visit barwonclub.com. au for more information.

A new take on a timeless Shakespeare tragedy is heading to Geelong This November Australia’s premier national theatre company dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare brings its critically acclaimed version of the Bard’s most intense and psychologically terrifying tragedy to Geelong. Directed by artistic director Peter Evans, Bell Shakespeare will present Macbeth at Geelong Arts Centre for three performances on 6 to 7 of November. Transplanted to the uncertain interwar period of the 1920s, Evans’ production leans into the Edwardian macabre aesthetic of the era where the line between reality and the supernatural blurs.

Matilda Ridgway, who plays Lady Macbeth, said the work was as relevant as it had ever been. “I think what (Evans) is trying to do is really focus on the human toll of this,” she said. “The Macbeths end in madness and death, but then the whole community suffers when this kind of betrayal, this ambition and deception is allowed to go unchecked. “It feels like, from the response of the audience, people are ready for this play… it’s really hitting a nerve, I think.” Ridgway and Anthony Taufa (Macbeth) both have a long history with Bell

8 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

Shakespeare, having performed in a number of productions with the company since playing the same roles in an abridged version of Macbeth with its The Players program in 2012. “We’re all grown up now but we’re still mates, so it is the greatest privilege to get to be on stage every day with him,” she said of Taufa. “His transformation through this play is just mind-boggling. He starts as this incredibly gentle giant and ends as this cold, mad despot…he’s doing such extraordinary work.” Visit geelongartscentre.org.au for tickets and more information.

Bell Shakespeare’s production of Macbeth stars Matilda Ridgway (Lady Macbeth) and Anthony Taufa (Macbeth). (Brett Boardman)

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NEWS

BPL excitement building Ocean Grove’s reputation as the bowls capital of the region is set to continue with five days of elite competition heading to the club from 9 to 13 November. The 12-team Bowls Premier League (BPL) is expected to draw more than 6000 spectators to Ocean Grove Bowling Club (OGBC) and is described as the bowls equivalent to cricket’s T20 format. Local team the Geelong Jets are the reigning champions and will be coached by OGBC’s Matt Flapper, who said the excitement and anticipation surrounding the BPL was continuing to build. “Heading into a home BPL as defending champions, with the same team that claimed

the title in Moama earlier this year, makes this event incredibly special,” he said. “We have a world-class team that has been together since our journey began in 2024. That continuity, connection and belief in one another has been a huge part of our success. “One of the most exciting aspects of bringing the BPL to Ocean Grove is the opportunity for our supporters to be part of the action. We’ve built a fantastic following, and now our fans have the chance to embrace the pink and black and experience the atmosphere of a home BPL.” The tournament will be broadcast by Fox Sports, Kayo and Sky Sport NZ.

The competition features teams from Geelong, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Tweed Heads, Moama, Melbourne, Sydney, Moreton Bay, Perth and Tasmania. OGBC chief executive Nathan O’Neill said the benefits would extend well beyond the venue. “We’re preparing for visitation to be at its peak across the five days, with people travelling from around the country to experience the BPL and everything our region has to offer,” he said. “The Bellarine and Greater Geelong stand to benefit from the influx, with visitors staying locally, dining out and exploring the region.

“An event of this scale in early November helps bring forward the summer momentum, extending the visitor season and generating additional trade for local businesses ahead of the traditional holiday peak. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our club and our region to a national audience.” The BPL is a fast-paced version of bowls with a maximum of 30 seconds allowed between bowls, power plays for double points, player substitutions, five-end sets and each match taking an hour to complete. See bowls.com.au/events-page/nationalevents/bowls-premier-league for more information.

Road upgrade ahead of schedule

Ready for the Strawberry Fair: Wallington PS students Carter (aka Strawberry), Ruby, Maggie, Anna and Piper. (Ivan Kemp) 587040 03

Strawberry time at Wallington Primary By Matt Hewson The Bellarine’s favourite celebration of community spirit, creativity and strawberries is back this November. Wallington Primary School’s Strawberry Fair will feature strawberry-themed delights in the Strawberry Hall, local market stalls and food trucks, rides and entertainment, live music and performance showcases and a silent auction. For more than 40 years the fair has brought together the local community for a day of fun and food, but the event also serves as the school’s major fundraiser to support

its school programs, facilities and student opportunities. Principal Cameron Edwards said the fair was the school’s biggest event of the year. “Parents choose to come to Wallington because they want to be part of the community, and this is our biggest opportunity for that,” he said. “I think it’s what we’re known for…there’s something for everyone. Obviously for the kids there are plenty of game, activities, rides and food to get involved in. “But there’s also plenty of things for the older generations to get involved in. It’s a big family atmosphere.”

Mr Edwards acknowledged the volunteers from the school community who gave up their time and energy every year to make the fair happen. “There’s a small, humble group of very dedicated, passionate parents who put on the whole thing, and a lot of that work goes unnoticed by a lot of people,” he said. “They run this alongside the school and teachers, and it’s all voluntary, but the fair’s a real point of pride for our school. The more people can get down and support it, the better.” The fair will be held at Wallington Primary School on Saturday 15 November from 10am to 3pm.

Stage 2a of the Barwon Heads Road project is due to open by the middle of next year according to the state government. The government says the section between Reserve Road in Charlemont and Lake Road in Armstrong Creek is six months ahead of schedule. Despite often lengthy traffic delays on the busy road, Stage 2a will deliver extra lanes between Reserve Road and Lake Road; shared walking and cycling paths; upgraded intersections at Precinct Road/Parkfield Boulevard, Central Boulevard/Harkness Boulevard and Warralily Boulevard; new traffic lights at Newport Drive and Boundary Road; and pedestrian crossings south of Harriott Road and north of the Armstrong Green retirement village. Precinct Road reopened to traffic on 14 October and the Boundary Road traffic lights will be operational by Christmas. “Barwon Heads Road is the way in and out for so many locals along the Bellarine – so these upgrades will make the daily trip to work, school and the shops safer and smoother,” Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant said. Major work on Stage 2b, between Lake Road and Lower Duneed Road roundabout in Connewarre, starts in November. Stage 2b will deliver an extra lane in both directions; an upgraded Buchanan Avenue roundabout with two lanes in each direction; a new pedestrian crossing just north of the intersection; and an extended shared path to connect with the existing network at Holst Street. More than 44,000 vehicles per day are expected to use the road by 2031.

Talented Bellarine artists to display at Arts Trail this weekend By Jena Carr Artistic talent will be on full display this weekend as the Bellarine Arts Trail returns for another year. The free event will run from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, spanning the Bellarine studios, galleries, and exhibition spaces. The trail is a Barwon Heads Arts Council (BHAC) initiative, and secretary Sara Taylor said the event featured a “fabulous weekend” completely run by volunteers. “The idea is to promote the range of

arts we have across the region, featuring professional, emerging and beginning artists,” she said. “At some places, artists will be demonstrating how they work...helping showcase how much extraordinary artistic talent we have in the area. “We have 70 individual artists who are registered and will cover all genres of sculpture, painting, watercolour, furniture, basket weaving, and anything else you can think of. “The trail is in its 10th year, so it’s been running since 2016, covering the four main towns along the coast, including Barwon

Heads, Ocean Grove, Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff.” The trail will also feature a range of events, including the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove’s Art Show and The Weaverbirds’ fibre art demonstration at the Queenscliffe Neighbourhood House. People can visit Bellarine Arts Trail’s town maps on BHAC’s website for wheelchair accessible venues and available demonstrations. Visit bhac.org.au/bellarineartstrail for a trail map of locations across the Bellarine Arts Trail’s four towns.

Wallington artist Annie Finkelde will showcase her artworks during the Bellarine Arts Trail. (Ivan Kemp) 510297_04

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 9

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

Sunday of the month during school term, 10.30-11.30am.  Suzie, 0402-963 855, Althea, 0403-005 449

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

Geelong Dragon Boat Club Bellarine Quilters

Paddle at Barwon River. Training Wednesdays 5pm, Saturdays 9am. Free one-month trial.  revolutionise.com.au/geelongdragons

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

Combined Probus Club of Highton Meets third Thursday of each month, South Barwon Football & Netball clubrooms, McDonald Reserve, Reynolds Rd, Belmont, 10am.  Sandra, 0427-348 260

Musicians wanted Aberdeen St Baptist Church, BYO instruments, sheet music and chords supplied.  Ian 0418-466 662

Zonta Club of Geelong

Ballroom dance Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Hwy, Saturday 31 October, 7.30-10.30pm, $10. Music: Kevin. Sunday 1 November, 2-4.30pm, $5. Bring a small plate.  0400-500 402

Aireys Inlet Market Enjoy 70 stalls with homegrown, handmade, recycled, vintage or local items, 6 Great Ocean Rd, Aireys Inlet, Saturday 31 October, 9am-3pm.

Esoteric coffee meetups

Cards

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

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

Wanted: card sharp partners to play the game of Bolivia on Thursday evenings. For venue email Ingrid.  griddlepop@hotmail.com

Geelong Day VIEW

Music for preschoolers

First Monday monthly from 11am at Shell Club, 76 Purnell Rd, Corio.  geelongdayview@gmail.com

Mainly Music is a music and movement program for babies to preschoolers at St Albans-St Andrews Uniting Church, 276 Wilsons Rd, Whittington, Tuesdays 10am during school terms.  Rhonda, 0437-241 345

Chess Group

Ocean Grove Senior Citizens 101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove Weekly Tuesday: 1pm snooker, chess, indoor bowls Wednesday: bingo 1.15pm, ukulele class 1.30pm, Chord Club jam session 4pm Thursday: social afternoon, cards 500 1pm Friday: art classes 9am, social art group 1pm. Fortnightly 1st & 3rd Monday: CWA, 2pm  Paschal, 0426-889 456 Wednesday: Book club, 10.30am  Paul, 0425-110 792  5255 2996, groveseniors101@gmail.com

Leopold Library Tuesdays 2pm: Digital drop in for basic tech needs. Free school holiday programs. All ages, all interests.  4201 0675, grlc.vic.gov.au

Geelong ballroom dancing

Stamps

Corio Bay Lions Club

Geelong Philatelic Society Inc meets 7pm first Saturday of the month (excluding January) at Virginia Todd Community Hall, 9-15 Clarence St, Geelong West, and 12.30pm third Monday of the month (excluding December) at Belmont Pavillion, 162 Barrabool Rd, Belmont.  Julie, 0438-270 549

Meets first and third Thursday of each month 6.30pm.  geelongcoriobay.vic@lions.org.au

Christ Church hall, cnr Moorabool & McKillop Sts, 1pm Saturdays. Beginners to experts welcome.  Sue, 0419-106 147, Pauline, 0429-829 773

Leopold Book Club

Chatty Cafe

Sing Australia Geelong Choir

Meets second Tuesday of the month at 6.30pm in Leopold. Very friendly group, new members welcome.  Shirley, 0488-055 969

Indulge in cake, coffee/tea and chat, South Barwon Community Centre, 33 Mt Pleasant Road, Belmont. Open 2nd and 4th Monday each month, 10-11am, $5 donation.  5243 8388

Wednesdays 7.30-9.30pm at Senior Citizens Centre, 52 Thomson St, Belmont. No auditions needed.  Mary, 0419-278 456

Aberdeen Street Baptist Church, each Sunday 10am to worship, sing and enjoy traditional hymns followed by morning tea. All welcome.

Mindfulness & meditation U3A Social badminton Players wanted. Mondays 9.45am, Barwon Valley Activities Centre.  Lynne, 5243 1275

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

Guest speaker first Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm, Virginia Todd Hall, 9 Clarence St, Geelong West.  Harry, 0473-807 944, geelonghistoricalsociety.org.au

Last Sunday of each month, 1.30-3pm, National Wool Museum. Gold coin donation. Topics usually relating to Greater Geelong.  Facebook: Geelong Museum Association

Church

Geelong Prostate Cancer Support Group

Geelong Historical Society Inc.

Scrabble club History talk

Global human rights organisation working to build a better world for women and girls. Meets first Wednesday monthly for dinner, 6pm.  zontaclubgeelong@yahoo.com.au, 0411-628 361

9.30am and 12.30pm Wednesdays, Cobbin Farm, Grove Rd, Grovedale.  Jean, 5264 7484

Saturdays 7.30-10.15pm, cnr Bayview Pde and Carey St, Hamlyn Heights. Entry: $10. BYO drinks and a plate.  5278 9740, geelongballroomdc.com.au

Alcoholics (and other addicts) For Christ 12 Steps Group Meets Thursdays 7.30pm at Belmont-Highton Baptist Church, 43 Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont.  0420-910 763

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

Belmont Seniors Players wanted to play 500 each Monday 12.30pm. Belmont Senior Centre, 52 Thomson St, Belmont.  5241 1776

Ocean Grove Library Lions Club of Geelong Breakfast Inc

Scottish dancing

Fatigue

GOG Scottish Country Dance classes 7.30pm Tuesdays at Leopold Hill Hall, $5. No partner needed.  Vicki, 0412-762983, Barbara, 0419-511 781

Geelong ME/CFS Support Group (including fibromyalgia, long COVID and Lyme disease) meets first Tuesday of the month, 36 Saffron St, Newtown, 1-3pm.  geelonggroupcfsme@hotmail.com

Meets first Tuesday of each month at 8am, Eastern Hub (behind East Geelong Cemetery), followed by breakfast. Dinner event third Thursday of each month in Geelong.  ajd53m@yahoo.com

Hamlyn Heights Combined Probus

Highton Seniors

Scribes Writers Group

Meets second Thursday of the month, 10am, 200 McCurdy Rd, Fyansford.  Noel, 0425-706 339

Carpet bowls, bingo, cards, taichi, line dancing, mahjong. Community Centre, 84 Barrabool Rd, Highton.  Elma, 0411-065 524

South Barwon Community Centre, Mondays 9.30am-noon. Welcoming new members to refine their skills.  geelongscribeswriters@gmail.com, 5243 8388

Wednesday 18 November, 2-3pm: book chat Tuesday 24 November, 2-3pm: saving to the cloud Mondays 10.30-11.30am: Preschool Story Time (during school term) Tuesdays 4-5pm: Youth Collective - ages 12-18 (during school term) Wednesdays 9.30-10am: Toddler Time (during school term) Thursdays 11.30-11.50am: Baby Time (all year) Thursdays 3.45-4.45pm: after school program (during school term)

Ballroom dancing

Community kitchen

Belmont Park Pavilion, Thursdays 2-4pm.  Val, 5251 3529

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

Geelong Central Probus Third Friday of the month, 9.45am, Grovedale Hotel.  geelcentprob@gmail.com

Newcomb Probus Third Wednesday of each month, 10am, East Geelong Uniting Church, cnr Boundary & Ormond Rds.  Gary 0407-320 735

Australian Multicultural Support Services Social Support Groups for communities from different multicultural backgrounds for seniors over 65. Meals, activities and fun. White Eagle House, Breakwater, 10am-2.30pm Fridays.  03-9689 9170, amcservices.org.au, info@amcservices.org.au

10 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

Kids’ church Group lessons for children aged 3-6, 7-10 and 10+, St Paul’s Anglican Church Hall, 171a Latrobe Tce, Geelong, first

The Guide HARD QUIZ KIDS ABC Family, Saturday, 7.30pm

PICK OF THE WEEK THE HUNTING PARTY Seven, Monday, 9pm

Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson has built a career out of roasting other people, but in this family-friendly Hard Quiz spin-off, Gleeson is the one on the coals as four contestants aged 10-13 take on his trivia challenge. What these junior smartypants might lack in size, they certainly make up for in sass. This week, the host grills The Princess Diaries devotee Amelie, periodic table whizz Finn, The Adventures of Tintin expert Zara and fishing show Chasing Monsters fan Atticus (pictured with Gleeson) in their specialist subjects and a few of his own choosing. Their general knowledge is impressive – but it’s the clever young contestants’ comedic timing that steals the show each and every week.

Centred on the hunt for serial killers who escaped a top-secret facility, this imaginative procedural takes a leaf out of Elsbeth’s book by enlisting a wealth of guest stars to play its disturbed fugitives. Will & Grace star Eric McCormack gets this second season premiere started as Ron “the Boogeyman” Simms, who targets women seeking romance, and fixates on former FBI profiler Bex (Melissa Roxburgh, pictured right). Monday’s second episode focuses on a murderer who preserves his victims in resin – keep an eye out for Emmy Award winner Niecy Nash-Betts as Erica, the detective who brought him to justice the first time. Appearances by Kelsey Grammer, Piper Perabo and Kevin McHale are still to come.

Crazy in love: Eric McCormack plays a serial killer known as the Boogeyman.

AGES OF ICE ABC TV, Tuesday, 8pm

Adventure, science and cinematography combine to make this nature documentary one of a kind. Doctor Who star David Tennant’s commanding narration doesn’t hurt, either. The three-part series is a deep dive into our planet’s frozen wilderness and a study of the researchers pushing the boundaries to understand it better. Tuesday’s opening episode joins a glaciologist in Greenland who is tracking a thundering river of “meltwater”, before finding Australian engineer and explorer Dr Adrian McCallum (pictured) on a 535km ski trip across an ice sheet to collect critical climate data. It’s a fascinating look at these fragile ecosystems and those safeguarding their future.

Friday, October 30 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 ABC News Mornings. 10.00 Believe In Magic: The Mother Of All Cons. (Final, 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) 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGa, 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. 9.10 For The Love Of Dogs. (PGa, R) 10.10 My Dream Green Home. (PG, R) 11.05 Our Welsh Chapel Dream. (PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (PG, R) 3.00 Nula. 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Dinosaur With Stephen Fry. (PGas, 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: Roadhouse Romance. (2021, PGa, R) Lauren Alaina, Tyler Hynes. 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 Sullivan’s Crossing. (Mams, R) 1.00 Best Of Explore TV. (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.

6.00 Ent. Tonight. (R) 6.30 Bold. (PG, R) 7.00 Deal Or No Deal. (R) 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 Big Brother Australia. (R) 12.00 Everyday Gourmet. (R) 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) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 Gardening Australia. Hannah Moloney meets volunteers. 8.20 Vera. (Final, M, R) Vera investigates after a student is violently killed and dumped at the foot of three mythical monoliths. 9.50 Recipe Of The Year. (R) Hosted by Adam Liaw and Pia Miranda. 10.45 Class Clowns. (PGs, R) 11.15 ABC Late News. 11.30 Crime Night! (PGl, R) 12.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGa, R) 12.45 Rage New Music. (MA15+adhlnsv) 5.00 Rage. (PG)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Hotel Portofino. (Mv) 8.35 Summer In The Isles Of Scilly. (Premiere) 9.30 Queens That Changed The World: The Defiant Queen – Lakshmibai. (M) 10.25 SBS World News Late. 10.55 Helsinki Syndrome. (Mal) 11.50 Darkness: Those Who Kill. (Malsv, R) 1.35 Wisting. (Mav, R) 3.20 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (R) 4.30 Bamay. (R) 5.00 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. England v Papua New Guinea. From WIN Stadium, New South Wales. 10.00 Rugby League World Cup Post-Game. A look back at a world cup match. 10.30 To Be Advised. 12.10 GetOn Extra. A look at the weekend’s best racing. 12.40 Jamestown. (MA15+av, 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: Civil War. (2024, MA15+alv, R) Four journalists race to the White House. Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny. 10.40 Race To The Melbourne Cup Carnival. (PGl) 11.40 See No Evil: The Missing Cameras. (Mav) 12.40 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) Hosted by Rebecca Gibney. 7.30 Big Brother Australia. Hosted by Mel Tracina. 8.40 Love It Or List It Australia. (R) Anna and Terence have lived in their home in Blackburn South for eight years, but have two almost teens who need their own space. 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) 12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 8.45 Andy’s Aquatic Adventures. 9.00 Play School. 10.25 BeddyByes. 10.40 Mini Kids. 11.25 Wiggle. 12.55pm SuperKitties. 1.20 PJ Masks Power Heroes. 1.50 Kangaroo Beach. 2.30 Monster Makes. 3.00 Play School. 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 Monkie Kid. 8.00 Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! 9.40 BattleBots. 10.25 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 9.30 BBC News At Six. 10.00 France 24 English News. 10.30 The Change. 11.00 Malcolm X: Justice By Any Means. 12.05pm DW The Day. 12.35 MOVIE: Sweet November. (2001, M) 2.50 Forged In Fire. 3.50 WorldWatch. 5.50 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 Big Fat Quiz Best Bits: Ultimate Shocks. 8.30 What We Do In The Shadows. 9.25 The Naked World. 10.20 MOVIE: Seven. (1995, MA15+) 12.40am Brassic. 1.40 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. Geelong v Western Bulldogs. 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 Secret Life Of The Auction House. 1.00 MOVIE: The Queen Of Spades. (1949, PG) 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 Explore. 3.45 MOVIE: No Time For Tears. (1957, PG) 5.30 Secret Life Of The Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo. 8.30 MOVIE: Cocoon. (1985, PG) 11.00 An Unexpected Killer. (Return) Midnight Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo. 1.00 Creflo. 1.30 Late Programs.

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 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. (Ms, R) 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: Twice Colonized. (2023, M) 1.40 My Bed, Your Bed. 2.00 Kriol Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Amplify. 5.30 Nula. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Saving Yellowstone. 7.30 MOVIE: Gremlins. (1984, M) 9.30 MOVIE: The Witches Of Eastwick. (1987, M) 11.35 Nula. 12.05am Backs To The Blast. 1.00 Over The Black Dot. 1.30 The Walkers. 2.00 Going Places. 4.00 NITV On The Road: Mbantua. 5.00 Bamay. 5.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 8.20 The Caine Mutiny. (1954, PG) 10.35 The Moogai. (2020, Mahl) 12.10pm Bad Eggs. (2003, Malv) 2.00 Where The Wild Things Are. (2009, PGahv) 3.55 I Accidentally Wrote A Book. (2024, PGa, Hungarian) 5.50 A Handful Of Dust. (1988, PG) 8.00 Reality. (2023, Ma) 9.30 The Toxic Avenger. (2023) 11.25 The Fisher King. (1991, Malv) 1.55am Hellraiser. (1987, MA15+sv) 3.35 The Tunnel (Part 1) (2001, Malv) 5.15 I Accidentally Wrote A Book. (2024, PGa, Hungarian)

6am Morning Programs. 2.30pm Timbersports. Aust C’ship Pt 1. Replay. 2.55 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. Papua New Guinea v Samoa. Replay. 5.25 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. England v Samoa. 7.30 Outback Pilots. 8.30 MOVIE: Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood. (2019, MA15+) 11.50 Pawn Stars. 1am American Pickers. 2.00 Sound FX: Best Of. 2.30 NFL. Detroit Lions v Green Bay Packers. Replay. 5.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 World’s Greatest Engineering Icons. 12.40pm MOVIE: Labor Of Lies. (2021, M) 2.30 Baywatch. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 MOVIE: The Notebook. (2004, PG) 10.00 MOVIE: You’ve Got Mail. (1998, PG) 12.30am Top 20 Funniest. 1.25 Motor Racing. FIA World Endurance C’ship. 6 Hours Of Barcelona. H’lights. 2.25 Big Rigs Of Oz. 2.55 World’s Greatest Engineering Icons. 4.00 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 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. (PGv, R) 7.30 NCIS. (M, R) 10.20 Bull. (PGv, R) 11.15 JAG. (PGv, 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, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 11

Saturday, October 31 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) 1.25 Vera. (Ma, R) 3.00 Grand Designs: House Of The Year. (R) 3.50 You Can’t Ask That. (PG, R) 4.10 Islands Of The Atlantic. (Final, PGa, R) 5.00 Aust Story. (R) 5.30 Landline. (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. (PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Going Places. (R) 3.00 Soccer. Aust C’ship. Sutherland Sharks v Sydney United 58. 5.05 Going Places. (R) 5.35 Greatest Escapes Of WWII.

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. 10.00 The Morning Show: Weekend. (PG) 12.00 Horse Racing. Golden Eagle Day And Derby Raceday. 5.00 Seven News At 5. 5.30 Border Security: Australia’s Front Line. (PG, R)

6.00 Getaway. (PG, R) 6.30 A Current Affair. (R) 7.00 Weekend Today. 10.00 Today Extra: Saturday. (PG) 11.30 Horse Racing. Melbourne Cup Carnival. Victoria Derby Day. From Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne. Hosted by Eddie McGuire, James Bracey and Francesca Cumani.

6am Morning Programs. 10.30 What’s Up Down Under. (PG) 11.30 Love It Or List It: Brilliant Builds. (PG, R) 12.30 Buy To Build. (Return) 1.00 Silvia’s Italian Masterclass. (Return) 1.30 4x4 Adventures. (R) 2.30 Planet Shapers. (Return) 3.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. (PG, R) 3.30 Food Trail: South Africa. 4.00 Lingo. (R) 5.00 News.

6.00 Kath & Kim. (PGals, R) Kim organises Kath’s hen’s night. 6.25 Hard Quiz. (PG, R) Presented by Tom Gleeson. 7.00 ABC News. Takes a look at the top stories of the day, including coverage of developing stories and events. 7.30 Beyond Paradise. (PGa) As the harvest ends, Stella and George must face a figure dressed as the mythical Cornman. 8.30 Lynley. (Final, Mav) Havers and Lynley hunt a possible serial killer with ties to Church and the possibility of corruption. 10.00 Darby And Joan. (PG, R) A scuba dive goes horribly wrong. 10.45 The Forsytes. (R) Irene navigates public scrutiny. 11.35 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) Continuous music programming.

6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Royals And Their Gardens: Schonbrunn Palace. 8.30 Great British Train Journeys From Above: The Ffestiniog Railway. (R) Looks at the Ffestiniog Railway. 9.25 The Jury: Skeleton In The Garden: Secrets And Lies. (Mal, R) The trial nears its end. 10.30 Cumbria: The Lakes & The Coast. (PGa, R) 11.25 MOVIE: Argo. (2012, Mlv, R) 1.45 Wonders Of The World I Can’t See: The Acropolis. (Mls, R) 3.30 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (R) 4.45 Bamay: Larrakia And Wulwulam Country. (R) 5.15 Euronews. 5.30 ANC Philippines The World Tonight.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Border Security: Australia’s Front Line. (PG, R) A couple have a prohibited item. 7.30 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. Australia v Cook Islands. From Queensland Country Bank Stadium. 10.00 Rugby League World Cup Post-Game. Takes a look back at the Rugby League World Cup match between Australia and Cook Islands. 10.30 MOVIE: The Rock. (1996, MA15+lv, R) An FBI agent and a convict break into Alcatraz. Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage. 1.20 Jamestown. (MA15+av, R) Yeardley is struck down by illness. 2.30 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: Bohemian Rhapsody. (2018, Ml, R) Charts the life of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the popular rock band Queen. Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee. 10.15 Freddie Mercury: A Secret Daughter. (Mans, R) A look at a secret child of Freddie Mercury. 11.40 Dirty John. (MA15+av, R) A woman is suspicious of her mother’s boyfriend. 12.30 Topknotz: Wild On Water. (Ml, R) 1.30 The Garden Gurus. (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 Gogglebox Australia. (R) TV fanatics open up their living rooms to reveal their reactions to popular and topical TV shows. 7.30 Selling Houses Australia. (PG) A young Gold Coast family’s renovation plans collapse under rising rates and job loss. 9.40 Love It Or List It: Brilliant Builds. (PG) Two couples with houses bursting at the seams declutter and transform their homes. 10.40 The Graham Norton Show. (Ml, R) Graham Norton chats with Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgard and John Malkovich. 11.40 FBI: International. (Mv, R) A former US cabinet member is arrested. 12.30 Home Shopping. (R) 5.00 Hour Of Power.

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 10.20 Super Monsters Save Halloween. 10.45 Children’s Programs. 3.35pm Room On The Broom. 4.00 Dino Dex. 4.25 Football Fantastics. 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.

6am Morning Programs. 10.00 France 24 English News. 10.30 Bamay. 10.50 Uncanny. 3.35pm WorldWatch. 5.35 Mastermind Aust. 6.35 Mysteries From Above. 7.30 MOVIE: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. (2013, M) 10.10 Adam Hills: The Last Leg. 11.00 Interview With The Vampire. 12.50am Brassic. 2.45 NHK World English News. 5.00 Al Jazeera.

6am Morning Programs. 1pm Better Homes. 2.00 Escape To The Country. 3.00 The Yorkshire Vet. 4.00 Bondi Vet. 5.00 Horse Racing. Golden Eagle Day And Derby Raceday. 6.00 The Yorkshire Vet. 7.00 Football. AFLW. West Coast v Hawthorn. 9.15 Escape To The Chateau. 10.15 Escape To The Country. 11.15 Railroad Australia. 12.15am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.20pm Gen Well. 1.50 MOVIE: I’m All Right Jack. (1959) 4.00 MOVIE: Angels One Five. (1952) 6.00 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw. 6.30 Find My Country House NZ. 7.30 MOVIE: The Fugitive. (1993, M) 10.05 MOVIE: Navy SEALs. (1990, M) 12.15am MOVIE: The Horror Of Frankenstein. (1970, M) 2.10 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. (PGs, 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. 11.40 Soh Presents: Generations And Dynasties. 1.05pm Nula. 1.35 Saving Yellowstone. 2.25 Araatika! Rise Up. 3.55 Black Magic. 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: Wolf Creek. (2005) 10.20 Tina Turner Live 2009. 12.40am MOVIE: The Moogai. (2020, M) 1.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.10pm Barbarella. (1968, Mns) 3.00 Widows’ Peak. (1994, PGalv) 4.55 Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael. (1990, PGalnsv) 6.50 The Bubble. (1966, PGal) 8.30 Interview With The Vampire. (1994, MA15+av) 10.45 The Sex Of The Angels. (2012, MA15+s, Spanish, Catalan) 12.45am The Toxic Avenger. (2023) 2.40 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1pm Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B. Fiji v France. 3.15 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. NZ v Fiji. 5.30 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B. NZ v Papua New Guinea. 7.30 MOVIE: Spider-Man: Far From Home. (2019, M) 10.10 MOVIE: Pacific Rim: Uprising. (2018, M) 12.25am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.40pm NBL: Overtime. 2.45 Soccer. English Premier League. Aston Villa v Manchester City. 4.45 Seinfeld. 5.15 Big Bang. 5.45 MOVIE: Yours, Mine And Ours. (2005, PG) 7.30 Basketball. NBL. Cairns Taipans v Melbourne United. 9.30 Basketball. NBL. Wildcats v Illawarra Hawks. 11.30 Top 20 Funniest. 12.25am Evil. 1.15 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 9.00 Reel Action. 9.30 Building The Dream. 11.30 So Help Me Todd. 12.30pm Living Room. 2.30 JAG. 4.30 Reel Action. 5.00 JAG. 7.00 A-League Pre-Game. 7.40 Soccer. A-League Men. Round 3. Macarthur FC v Western Sydney Wanderers. 10.15 NCIS. 11.10 FBI: Most Wanted. 1am JAG. 2.50 Shopping.

12904397-RV40-26

ABC TV (2)

Sunday, November 1 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 Rage. (PG) 7.00 Wknd Brekky. 9.00 Insiders. 10.00 Offsiders. 10.30 World This Week. (R) 11.00 Compass. (PG, R) 11.30 Praise. 12.00 News. 12.30 Landline. 1.30 Gardening Aust. (R) 2.15 Recipe Of The Year. (R) 3.10 A Bite To Eat With Alice. (R) 3.35 Annabel Crabb’s Civic Duty. (PG, R) 4.25 Joanna Lumley’s Danube. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 7.30 France 24 English News. 8.00 DD India News Hour. 9.00 For The Love Of Dogs. (PGa, R) 10.00 Roads Unknown: India. (Premiere) 11.05 Icons Of Auto. (PGa) 12.00 WorldWatch. 1.00 Speedweek. 3.00 Figure Skating. ISU Grand Prix 1. H’lights. 5.35 Greatest Escapes Of WWII. (PG)

6.00 NBC Today. 7.00 Weekend Sunrise. 10.00 Morning Show. (PG) 12.00 House Of Wellness. (PG, R) 1.00 Football. AFL Women’s. Essendon v Collingwood. 3.00 Rugby League World Cup Pre-Game. 3.30 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. Aust v Wales. 5.30 Border Security. (PG, R)

6am Morning Programs. 10.00 Wide World Of Sports. (PG) 11.00 Cross Court. 11.30 Fishing Aust. 12.00 A Golf Club Somewhere. 12.30 Drive TV. 1.00 Tasman Trails. (R) 2.00 Budget Battlers. (PGl, 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)

6am Morning Programs. 9.00 Pooches At Play. (PG, R) 9.30 GCBC. (R) 10.00 Farm To Fork. (R) 10.30 Well Traveller. (PG, R) 11.00 Intrepid Adventures. (R) 11.30 Deal Or No Deal. (PG, R) 12.00 Big Brother Australia. (R) 1.30 Exploring Off The Grid. (l) 2.00 Gogglebox Aust. (R) 3.00 The Finish Line. (R) 4.00 Lingo. (R) 5.00 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. The remaining home cooks return to the barn. 8.20 Dustfall. (Mals) To defeat Simon’s power games, the team must ensure they have enough evidence to charge him. 9.15 The Forsytes. (PG) A sudden death forces a reckoning. 10.05 Lynley. (Final, Mav, R) Havers and Lynley hunt a possible serial killer. 11.35 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 Richard E. Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey. (Premiere) 8.25 The Hunt For King Knut: England’s Viking King. A royal burial site is opened for the first time. 9.45 Army Of Lovers: Ancient Greece: The Sacred Band Of Ancient Greece. (Mlnsv, R) 11.20 MOVIE: James Blunt: One Brit Wonder. (2023, MA15+l, R) 1.10 Wonders Of The World I Can’t See: Petra. (Ml, R) 3.00 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (R) 4.15 Bamay: Ngarrindjeri Country. (R) 5.00 NHK World English News Morning. 5.15 Euronews. 5.30 PBS News Horizons.

6.00 Seven News. 7.00 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. Lebanon v France. 7.30 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. Tonga v Samoa. From CommBank Stadium, Sydney. 10.00 Rugby League World Cup Post-Game. 10.30 24 Hours In Police Custody. (MA15+av, R) 11.30 Tik Tok: Murders Gone Viral. (Mav, R) 12.30 Pure Genius. (Mm, 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) Auction day finally arrives. 8.45 60 Minutes. Current affairs program. 9.45 Scrublands: Silver. (MA15+av) Martin reflects on his past actions. 10.45 9News Late. 11.15 The First 48: The Break. (MA15+v) 12.15 Ready Vet Go: The Vet Ambulance Service. (PGm, R) 12.40 A Golf Club Somewhere. (R) 1.05 Fishing Australia. (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+. Hosted by Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace. 7.00 Big Brother Australia. Hosted by Mel Tracina. 8.10 The Graham Norton Show. Graham Norton chats with Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin. 9.10 Sam Pang Tonight. (Mals, R) A weekly tonight show hosted by Sam Pang, featuring a monologue roasting the news of the week. 10.10 FBI. (Mv) The team investigates a double homicide. 11.10 FBI: International. (Ma, R) An American student is arrested in Prague. 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. 4.10pm Little J And Big Cuz. 4.25 Football Fantastics. 4.45 Gardening Australia Junior. 5.20 Super Monsters. 5.45 Iron Man And His Awesome Friends. 6.25 Zog. 7.05 Do Not Watch This Show. 7.40 Crookhaven. 8.25 Are You Afraid Of The Dark? 9.10 Ice Age. 9.55 MythBusters “There’s Your Problem!”. 10.20 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.55 Our Stories: Connecting With Country. 12.20pm MOVIE: Gremlins. (1984, M) 2.15 Jeopardy! 4.20 WorldWatch. 5.45 Icons Unearthed: The Lord Of The Rings. 6.40 Engineering Tomorrow. 7.35 Abandoned Engineering. 8.30 AI Confidential With Hannah Fry. 10.45 Fleishman Is In Trouble. 11.40 The UnXplained. 12.30am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 House Of Wellness. 12.30pm Medical Emergency. 1.00 The Surgery Ship. 2.00 South Aussie With Cosi. 2.30 The Yorkshire Vet. 3.30 Cricket. WBBL. Thunder v Heat. 7.00 Dog Patrol. 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. 11.30 MOVIE: Mystery Junction. (1951, PG) 12.50pm MOVIE: Eureka Stockade. (1949, PG) 3.00 MOVIE: Henry VIII And His Six Wives. (1972, PG) 5.30 Midsomer Murders. 7.30 Clarkson’s Farm. 8.50 TBA. 11.00 Cold Case. Midnight Midsomer Murders. 2.00 Creflo. 2.30 MOVIE: Man At The Top. (1973, M) 4.25 Late Programs.

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. (PGs, 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. 1.50pm Rugby League. Murri v Koori Interstate Challenge. U-16 Boys. Replay. 3.20 Froth. 3.50 Tina Turner Live 2009. 6.10 Bamay. 6.50 Saving Yellowstone. 7.40 Casketeers Life & Death Across The Globe. 8.30 Innocence Betrayed. 9.30 MOVIE: We Are Still Here. (2022, M) 11.05 Lagau Danalaig: An Island Life. Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1.25pm Reality. (2023, Ma) 2.55 Boychoir. (2014, PGav) 4.50 Under The Cover Of Cloud. (2018, PGals) 6.30 Notorious. (1946, PGa) 8.30 Memento. (2000, MA15+lv) 10.40 Risky Business. (1983, Malns) 12.30am Interview With The Vampire. (1994, MA15+av) 2.45 Riceboy Sleeps. (2022, Mals) 4.55 Under The Cover Of Cloud. (2018, PGals)

6am Morning Programs. 2pm Red’s Fishing Adventures. 2.30 Al McGlashan’s Fish’n With Mates. 3.00 Football. AFL Women’s. Adelaide v Melbourne. 5.00 Counting Cars. 5.30 Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. Lebanon v France. 7.00 Cricket. WBBL. Sixers v Hurricanes. 10.30 MOVIE: The Mummy Returns. (2001, M) 1.10am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 1pm Basketball. WNBL. Southside Melbourne Flyers v Adelaide. 3.00 Everwood. 5.00 MOVIE: Superman III. (1983, PG) 7.30 MOVIE: Stargate. (1994, PG) 9.50 MOVIE: Superman Returns. (2006, M) 1.05am Bel-Air. 2.00 Soccer. English Premier League. Chelsea v Tottenham. Replay. 4.00 LEGO City Adventures. 4.50 Late Programs.

6am Shopping. 7.30 Leading The Way. 8.00 All 4 Adventure. 9.00 Roads Less Travelled. 9.30 Building The Dream. 12.30pm What’s Up Down Under. 1.30 Buy To Build. 2.00 So Help Me Todd. 3.00 JAG. 5.00 IFISH. 5.30 JAG. 7.30 NCIS. (Mad, R) 10.20 Fire Country. (PGav, R) 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Home Shopping.

12 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

Monday, November 2 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6.00 News Breakfast. 9.00 News. 10.00 Lynley. (Final, Mav, R) 11.30 Stuff The British Stole. (PG, R) 12.00 ABC News At Noon. 1.00 Landline. (R) 2.00 Back Roads. (R) 2.30 You Can’t Ask That. (PGa, R) 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGv, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Australia. (PG, R) 4.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 10.20 Our Welsh Chapel Dream. (PG) 11.15 Susan Calman’s Grand Week By The Sea. (Return) 12.10 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (PG, 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 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) 1.45 My Way. 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 GCBC. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 10.50 Big Brother Australia. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork: Pick Of The Crop. (Premiere) 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. (Final) 8.30 Four Corners. Investigative journalism program. 9.20 Media Watch. (PG) Presented by Linton Besser. 9.35 Planet America. 10.10 The State Of Man. (Final, M, R) 11.00 ABC Late News. 11.15 The Business. (R) 11.30 Murdoch Mysteries. (Mav, R) 12.15 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 1.05 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Dr Karl’s How Things Work: Pies. (R) 4.00 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli: Tim Minchin. (PGl, R) 4.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (PG, R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Big Fat Quiz Best Bits: Ultimate Rebels. 8.30 24 Hours In Emergency: A Risk Worth Taking. (Ma, R) A 29-yearold crashes his motorcycle. 9.30 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. (Mls, R) 10.25 SBS World News Late. 10.55 Icebreaker. (Mal) 12.45 Prisoner. (MA15+av, R) 3.00 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGa, R) 4.10 Auction. (R) 4.40 Bamay: Murrumbidgee River – Wiradjuri And Ngarigo 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) Alf’s hope is waning. 7.30 My Kitchen Rules. (PGl) It’s the final Instant Restaurant of the round as Zoe and Zac fight to avoid elimination and earn their place at Kitchen HQ. 9.00 The Hunting Party. (Return, Mav) Bex fights to reinstate the team to stop Boogeyman killer Ron Simms. 11.00 The Agenda Setters: Rugby League. 12.00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. (Mdls) 12.30 Transplant. (MA15+m, R) 1.30 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 explore Albania. 8.35 Love Island Australia. (Mls) It’s a brand new week in the villa, full of romantic dates with the new bombs, smitten girls and jealous boys. 9.45 Race To The Melbourne Cup Carnival. (PGl) A preview of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. 10.45 9News Late. 11.15 The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. (Mhv, 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. Hosted by Mel Tracina. 8.40 Sam Pang Tonight. (Mals) A weekly tonight show hosted by Sam Pang, featuring a monologue roasting the news of the week. 9.40 10’s Late News. Comprehensive coverage of local, national and international news, as well as the latest sport and weather. 10.40 Australian True Crime With Meshel Laurie: Greg Jenkins – Still No Justice For Anna Jenkins. (Ma) Greg Jenkins talks about his mother’s murder. 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. 3.25 Wiggle And Learn. 4.00 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. 12.30pm The UnBelievable. 2.05 Jimmy Carr’s I Literally Just Told You. 3.00 Forged In Fire. 3.50 WorldWatch. 5.50 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 Scrabble. 9.20 Icons Unearthed: Quentin Tarantino. 10.15 Hi, This Is My Penis. 11.10 Eddie Murphy: Hollywood’s Black King. 12.10am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 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. 10.40 Escape To The Country. 11.40 Bargain Hunt. 12.40am Doc Martin. 1.30 Fresh TV. 2.00 Harry’s Practice. 2.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Secret Life Of The Auction House. 1.00 Midsomer Murders. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: Alive And Kicking. (1958) 5.30 Secret Life Of The Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Race To The Melbourne Cup Carnival. 8.30 The Brokenwood Mysteries. 10.30 Rizzoli & Isles. 11.30 Death In Paradise. 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. (Final) 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. 5.30 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 11.50 Innocence Betrayed. 12.50pm Genocide In The Wildflower State. 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 Inside The Pack. 7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? 8.30 Living Black. 9.00 The Declaration. 9.45 MOVIE: Braveheart. (1995, MA15+) 1am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael. (1990, Msv) 2.25 The Bubble. (1966, PGal) 4.05 Black Narcissus. (1947, PGa) 6.00 Go! (2020, PGalv) 7.55 Scrapper. (2023, PGav) 9.30 Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2021, MA15+v, Mandarin, English) 11.20 The Seed Of The Sacred Fig. (2024, Mav, Farsi) 2.25am Bridge Of Spies. (2015, Malv) 5.00 Go! (2020, PGalv)

6am Morning Programs. 2.30pm Border Security. 3.00 Motor Racing. Supercars Support Races. Carrera Cup. Gold Coast 500. H’lights. 4.00 Counting Cars. 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. 12.30pm Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. 1.30 Baywatch. 2.30 Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: Highlights. 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: Walking Tall. (2004, M) 11.05 NBL: Overtime. 12.05am Jane The Virgin. 12.55 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 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 10.20 Bull. (PGal, R) 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

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Tuesday, November 3 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6am Morning Programs. 10.00 Aust Story. (Final, R) 10.30 Planet America. (R) 11.00 The State Of Man. (Final, M, R) 12.00 News. 1.00 Beyond Paradise. (PGa, R) 2.00 Back Roads. (R) 2.25 You Can’t Ask That. (Mals, R) 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGa, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Aust. (PG, R) 4.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 10.10 Luke Nguyen’s India. (R) 11.10 Susan Calman’s Grand Week By The Sea. (PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Every Family Has A Secret. (PG, R) 3.05 Weekend Escapes. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Endurance: Race The Pole. (PGn, R) 5.05 Jeopardy! 5.30 Letters And Numbers. (R)

6.00 Sunrise. 9.00 The Morning Show. (PG) The latest news and views. 12.00 Horse Racing. The Big Dance On Cup Day. From Royal Randwick, Sydney. Melbourne Cup Raceday. From Doomben, Brisbane. 5.00 The Chase Australia. Hosted by Larry Emdur.

6.00 Today. 10.00 Horse Racing. Melbourne Cup Carnival. Melbourne Cup Day. 2.30 Horse Racing. Melbourne Cup Carnival. Melbourne Cup Day. Race. 3.30 Horse Racing. Melbourne Cup Carnival. Melbourne Cup Day. 5.30 WIN News. [MELB] Tipping Point Australia. (PG, R)

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 GCBC. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 10.50 Big Brother Australia. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork: Pick Of The Crop. 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 Ages Of Ice. (Premiere, Ml) 8.55 Making Life On Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure. (R) 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) 3.25 Dr Karl’s How Things Work. (R) 4.00 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli. (PGl, 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? Aisling Bea. (PG) 8.40 Norwegian Odyssey. (PG) Lorraine Kelly sails along Norway’s stunning coastline. 9.35 Going Places With Ernie Dingo. (PG, R) 10.35 SBS World News Late. 11.05 Cold Summer. (MA15+v) 12.05 A Body That Works. (Ml, R) 3.20 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGa, R) 4.30 Auction. (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 community comes together to support Alf. 7.30 My Kitchen Rules. (PG) Contestants critique each other. 9.15 Off The Grid With Colin And Manu. (Ml) Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel head north for a catch and cook at the Poor Knights Islands. 10.15 The Amazing Race. (PG) Hosted by Phil Keoghan. 11.45 Happy’s Place. (PGa) 12.15 The Path. (MA15+adlv) 1.15 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) 8.30 Jamie Durie’s Future House. (Return, PGl) Jamie Durie explores how to build stronger homes and a more secure future. 9.35 Love Island Australia. (Mlns) The villa gets a text. 10.45 9News Late. 11.15 The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. (Mhs, 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, R) 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 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 starts working for Evelyn. 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. 3.25 Wiggle And Learn. 4.00 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 The UnBelievable. 2.00 Jimmy Carr’s I Literally Just Told You. 2.55 Forged In Fire. 3.50 WorldWatch. 5.50 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.40 Jeopardy! 7.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats. 8.30 MOVIE: Kill Bill: Vol. 2. (2004, MA15+) 11.00 MOVIE: Ninja Assassin. (2009, MA15+) 12.50am Brassic. 1.55 NHK World English News. 5.00 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. 11.05 Escape To The Country. 12.05am Bargain Hunt. 1.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Secret Life Of The Auction House. 1.00 MOVIE: I’ve Gotta Horse. (1965) 3.05 Antiques Roadshow. 3.35 MOVIE: Raising The Wind. (1961) 5.30 Secret Life Of The Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 New Tricks. 8.40 Grantchester. 9.50 Wong & Winchester. 10.50 Cold Case. 11.50 New Tricks. 1am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30pm Becker. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Farm To Fork: Pick Of The Crop. 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. 5.30 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 The Declaration. 12.15pm MOVIE: Jedda. (1955, PG) 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 Tales From Zambia. 7.30 Cold Justice. 8.05 Bring Her Home. 9.05 MOVIE: Mystic River. (2003, MA15+) 11.30 My Mother My Son. Midnight Treaty Road. 1.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.15pm Bridge Of Spies. (2015, Malv) 2.55 Discovering Film. 3.40 Notorious. (1946, PGa) 5.40 The Darkside. (2013, PGadl) 7.30 The Big Short. (2015, Mln) 9.55 The Empty Beach. (1985) 11.40 My Father Is A Hero. (1995, MA15+v) 1.35am Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2021, MA15+v, Mandarin, English) 3.25 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Aussie Gold Hunters. 2.30 Gem Hunters Down Under. 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. Midnight American Resto. 12.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 Seinfeld. Noon Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. 1.30 NBL: Overtime. 2.30 Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: Highlights. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 Big Bang. 8.30 Seinfeld. 9.30 MOVIE: Arrival. (2016, M) 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 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. (Mv, R) 10.20 Bull. (PGal, R) 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 13

Wednesday, November 4 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6am Morning Programs. 10.45 Making Life On Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure. (R) 12.00 News. 12.30 Press Club. 1.35 Media Watch. (PG, R) 2.00 Back Roads. (R) 2.30 Take 5. (R) 3.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (PGv, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Aust. (R) 4.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 10.10 Luke Nguyen’s India. (R) 11.10 Susan Calman’s Grand Week By The Sea. (PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 1.00 PBS News Special: US Midterms. 2.00 Bollywed. (R) 3.00 Weekend Escapes. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Endurance: Race The Pole. (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 America Decides 2026: The Midterms. 12.30 1 Euro House. (PG, R) 1.30 Explore TV. (R) 2.10 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 GCBC. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 10.50 Big Brother Australia. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork: Pick Of The Crop. 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. (Final, PGs) The teams try to identify famous historical figures. 9.00 Crime Night! (Final, PGa) 9.30 Small Prophets. (Final, Mal, R) 10.00 Planet America. (R) 10.35 ABC Late News. 10.50 The Business. (R) 11.05 Dustfall. (Mals, R) 12.00 Murdoch Mysteries. (Mav, R) 12.50 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. (PG, R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.30 Bill Bailey’s Korea. (PG) Bill Bailey heads to Gyeongju. 8.30 Killing Sherlock With Lucy Worsley: Shadows And Sleuths. (PGh, R) Lucy Worsley explores the character of Sherlock Holmes. 9.30 Apollo Has Fallen. (Final, MA15+av) Yuri’s associate infects Valeria in a stadium full of people. 10.25 SBS World News Late. 10.55 The Old Man. (MA15+v) 11.50 Classified. (Mlv, R) 4.00 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGl, 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) 7.30 The 1% Club UK. (PG, R) Hosted by Lee Mack. 8.30 A Taste For Murder. (Malv) Joe discovers a hand found in a dead shark as he struggles to come to terms to Angelica’s decision. 9.30 House Of Wellness. (PG) A team of industry experts, media personalities and wellness advocates shares insights and experiences to highlight living well. 10.30 Chicago Fire. (Mav) 11.30 Australia’s Most Dangerous Prisoners. (MA15+av, R) 12.30 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. (PGl) Hosted by Jess Eva. 8.40 Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo: Hello Hari. (PG) The keepers condition water buffalo and Hari, a 1.7-tonne rhino, for major transfers. 9.40 Love Island Australia. (Mls) A new bombshell makes her way into the villa. 10.50 9News Late. 11.20 The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. (Mhv, 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) Six contestants answer multiple-choice questions that escalate in cash-prize value. 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. Survive to the end at a Highland castle and win 100,000 pounds for charity. 10.10 10’s Late News. Coverage of news, sport and weather. 11.10 The Cheap Seats. (Mal, R) 12.10 Two And A Half Men. (PGas, R) 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. 3.25 Wiggle And Learn. 4.00 Gardening Australia Junior. 4.30 SuperKitties. 5.35 Kangaroo Beach. 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. 12.05pm DW The Day. 12.35 The UnBelievable. 2.15 We’re All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel) 2.50 Forged In Fire. 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. 9.20 Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable. 10.15 Ramy. 11.25 Misadventures Of Romesh. 12.25am Secrets Of Penthouse. 2.05 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. 10.45 Escape To The Country. 11.45 Bargain Hunt. 1am The Real Seachange. 1.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 My Favorite Martian. Noon Secret Life Of The Auction House. 1.00 New Tricks. 2.00 Grantchester. 3.00 Antiques Roadshow. 3.30 MOVIE: Strange Invaders. (1983, 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 Cold Case. 11.40 As Time Goes By. 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 Farm To Fork: Pick Of The Crop. 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. 5.30 Late Programs.

NITV (34)

SBS WORLD MOVIES (32)

7MATE (64, 73)

9GO! (82, 93)

10 DRAMA (53, 12)

6am Morning Programs. 1.25pm Coniston Muster. 2.00 Kriol Kitchen. 2.30 The Cook Up. 3.00 Jarjums. 5.00 Amplify. 5.30 News. 6.00 Bamay. 6.40 Tales From Zambia. 7.30 Friday Night Thunder. 8.30 Pro Bull Riding: USA. 9.30 Ocean Warriors: Mission Ready. 10.00 MOVIE: What We See. (2023, M) 11.30 Finding Family. Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 2.10pm Go! (2020, PGalv) 4.05 Scrapper. (2023, PGav) 5.40 Golden Years. (2016, PGals) 7.30 O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000, Mv) 9.30 Mona Lisa. (1986, MA15+ansv) 11.30 Infinite Summer. (2024, Madlns) 1.05am Of An Age. (2022, MA15+ls) 3.00 My Father Is A Hero. (1995, MA15+v) 5.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Rugby League. World Cup. Group Stage. Pool B & C. Tonga v Samoa. Replay. 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. 11.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.30 World’s Greatest Natural Icons. 12.30pm Top 20 Funniest. 1.30 Baywatch. 2.30 Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: Highlights. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 Big Bang. 8.30 Seinfeld. 9.30 TBA. 11.35 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 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. (M, R) 10.20 Bull. (PGlv, R) 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

SIGN UP NOW! 12753709-FR09-25

Thursday, November 5 ABC TV (2)

SBS (3)

SEVEN (6, 7)

NINE (8, 9)

TEN (5, 10)

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Crime Night! (Final, PGa, R) 11.30 Small Prophets. (Final, Mal, R) 12.00 News. 1.00 The Forsytes. (PG, R) 2.00 Back Roads. (R) 2.30 Take 5. (PG, R) 3.00 Frankie Drake. (PG, R) 3.45 Grand Designs Aust. (Final, PG, R) 4.40 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 5.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R)

6am Morning Programs. 9.15 For The Love Of Dogs. (PG, R) 10.10 Luke Nguyen’s India. (PG, R) 11.10 Susan Calman’s Grand Week By The Sea. (PG) 12.00 WorldWatch. 2.00 Bollywed. (R) 3.00 Weekend Escapes. (R) 3.40 The Cook Up. (R) 4.10 Endurance: Race The Pole. (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 Getaway. (PG, R) 12.30 Horse Racing. Melbourne Cup Carnival. Oaks Day. From Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne. Hosted by Eddie McGuire, James Bracey and Francesca Cumani.

6am Morning Programs. 8.00 Lingo. (R) 9.00 The Finish Line. (R) 10.00 GCBC. (R) 10.30 Ent. Tonight. (R) 10.50 Big Brother Australia. (R) 12.00 Farm To Fork: Pick Of The Crop. 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) 7.00 ABC News. 7.30 7.30. 8.00 Grand Designs New Zealand. 8.45 ABC Young Performers Awards. The Grand Final of the ABC Young Performer Awards. 9.50 Dustfall. (Mals, R) 10.45 ABC Late News. 11.00 The Business. (R) 11.15 Frankie Drake Mysteries. (M, R) 12.00 Long Lost Family. (PG, R) 12.50 Rage. (MA15+adhlnsv) 3.30 Dr Karl’s How Things Work: Boots. (R) 4.00 Creative Types With Virginia Trioli: Richard Tognetti. (PGv, R) 4.30 Antiques Roadshow. (R) 5.30 7.30. (R)

6.00 Mastermind Australia. (R) 6.30 SBS World News. 7.35 Tucci In Italy. (PG) 8.25 Inside Sydney Fish Market. (PGal) The Sydney Fish Market faces its first Good Friday. 9.20 Blue Lights. (Mlv) Sandra enlists help to expose Gerry’s secrets. 10.25 SBS World News Late. 10.55 Cry Wolf. (Malv) 11.50 Babylon Berlin. (MA15+v, R) 2.25 Legacy List With Matt Paxton. (PGv, R) 3.30 Auction. (R) 4.25 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) Justin and Abigail celebrate Richie’s news. 8.30 Glenn And Mick’s Celebrity Intervention. (Ms, R) Glenn Robbins and Mick Molloy perform a surprise intervention on Dave Hughes. 9.40 Christmas House Wars. (Premiere, PG) 10.40 Renters. (PGal) Jared deals with unwanted squatters. 11.10 Gatecrashers. Takes a look at the week in racing. 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 Victoria Decides 2026: The Great Debate. Hosted by Alicia Loxley. 9.00 Paramedics. (Mlm) A fun motorbike ride ends in disaster. 10.00 Love Island Australia. (Mls) Everyone is abuzz about the new bombshell. 11.10 9News Late. 11.40 The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. (Mhv, R) 2.00 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. (Final) 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. 11.05 Sports Tonight: The Weekly Kick-Off. A panel discusses Australian soccer news. 11.35 Two And A Half Men. (M, R) 12.00 Home Shopping. (R)

ABC FAMILY (22)

SBS2 (31)

7TWO (62, 72)

9GEM (81, 92)

10 COMEDY (52, 11)

6am Children’s Programs. 1.50pm Kangaroo Beach. 2.30 Monster Makes. 3.00 Play School. 4.00 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 The UnBelievable. 2.10 The Swiping Game. 2.35 Insight. 3.40 WorldWatch. 5.40 Curse Of Oak Island. 6.30 Jeopardy! 7.30 Soccer. Aust C’ship. Sydney Olympic FC v Oakleigh Cannons FC. 9.30 History’s Deadliest With Ving Rhames. 11.10 James Brown: Say It Loud. 12.50am Secrets Of Penthouse. 2.40 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 Father Brown. 1.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Secret Life Of The Auction House. 1.00 Midsomer Murders. 3.05 Antiques Roadshow. 3.35 MOVIE: Carry On Regardless. (1961) 5.30 Secret Life Of The Auction House. 6.30 Antiques Roadshow. 7.30 Shakespeare And Hathaway. 8.30 The Assassin. 10.35 Harry’s Law. 11.35 Shakespeare And Hathaway. 12.35am Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 11.00 Millionaire Hot Seat. 11.30 Ridiculousness. 12.30pm Becker. 1.00 Friends. 3.00 Frasier. 4.00 Farm To Fork: Pick Of The Crop. 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 Stompem Ground 2022: Yatangal. 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 Tales From Zambia. 7.30 Going Places. 8.30 Rabbit Fall. 9.00 MOVIE: Donnie Darko. (2001, M) 11.00 The Last Of The Nomads. Midnight Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.25pm The Empty Beach. (1985) 2.05 The Darkside. (2013, PGadl) 3.55 Satellite Boy. (2012, PGal) 5.35 Story Of A Love Affair. (1950, Italian) 7.30 True Grit. (2010, Mv) 9.35 The Black Dahlia. (2006, MA15+alsv) 11.50 The Killing Of A Sacred Deer. (2017, Masv) 2.05am Mona Lisa. (1986, MA15+ansv) 4.00 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. Noon Caught On Dashcam. 1.00 Talking W. 1.30 Rugby League. Women’s World Cup. Group Stage. Pool A. Aust v Wales. Replay. 3.30 Cricket. WBBL. Strikers v Heat. 7.00 Cricket. WBBL. Thunder v Scorchers. 10.30 MOVIE: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. (2005, MA15+) 12.15am American Resto. 12.45 Storage Wars. 1.30 Late Programs.

6am Morning Programs. 12.30pm Surfing Aust. 1.00 Cards And Collectables Australia. 1.30 Baywatch. 2.30 Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: Highlights. 3.30 Big Bang. 4.30 Addams Family. 5.30 News. 6.00 Seinfeld. 6.30 Baywatch. 7.30 Big Bang. 8.30 Seinfeld. 9.30 MOVIE: New Year’s Eve. (2011, M) Midnight Rugby Heaven. 1.00 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 JAG. 3.30 Bull. 4.30 JAG. 6.30 Bull. 7.30 NCIS. (Msv, R) 8.30 Law & Order: SVU. (Mav, R) 10.20 Bull. 11.15 JAG. 1.15am Shopping.

14 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

GEELONGINDY.COM.AU

NEWS

Sue Scott with Teddy.

Alex Barrios and Sandy Khun.

Kerry Kennedy with grandson Rufus and Stanley.

Max certainly knows how to dig a hole.

Anna Portelli and daughter Fontaine.

Out and about at the beach Independent photographer Ivan Kemp went to Ocean Grove main beach on a cool

spring day on Tuesday 27 October to see who was out and about.

David Colson at Dunes cafe.

Dylan Forras about to hit the surf. Archie Merriman hoping for a wave or two.

Keiko Hayashi ready to hit the water.

Jane Craig out for a walk.

Charlie Le-Hage taking time to relax.

Liam Bergman and Chiara Macleod from Newcomb Secondary College.

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 15

networkclassifieds.com.au networkclassifieds.com.au

Trades & Services DEADLINE

PLUMBING

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ADVERTISERS, in this section are qualified practitioners and offer nonsexual services.

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Lic No: 110483

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0481 306 669 7day/w

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• Hot Water Service

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• Taps & Toilet Repairs

CHURCH NOTICES

PROFESSIONAL

FROM THE BIBLE

DISCRIMINATION IN ADVERTISING IS UNLAWFUL

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which GOD has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Cor. 2 :9.

The Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 1995 makes it unlawful for an advertiser to show any intention to discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, race, age, marital status, political or religious belief or physical features, disability, lawful sexual activity/sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status or on the basis of being associated with a person with one of the above characteristics, unless covered by an exception under the Act. As Network Classifieds could be legally liable if an unlawful advertisement is printed, Network Classifieds will not accept advertisements that appear to break the law. For more information about discrimination in advertising, contact your legal advisers or the Equal Opportunity Commission.

PETS & SERVICES ADVERTISERS PLEASE NOTE Anyone advertising a puppy, dog, kitten or cat in Victoria for sale or re-homing will need a source number from the Pet Exchange Register and a microchip identification number. It is now an offence to advertise unless the source number and microchip identification number is included in the advertisement or notice. For further information, call 136 186 or visit animalwelfare.vic.gov.au

Find your special occasion needs in our

Celebrations section of Network Classifieds.

“Geelong’s Finest Ladies”

• Excavations

201 Malop Street, GEELONG Phone (03) 5229 9456 www.lorrainestarr.com.au ls@lorrainestarr.com.au

• Tip Truck Hire

Unit 28/8 Lewalan St, Grovedale | Mobile 0417 528 348 Plumbing Contractor REG No 40608 ABN 401 5880 8130

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Employment

12893156-EB34-26

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Breakwater www.bellarineremovals.com.au

General Classifieds

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12855042-RV13-26

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Local professionals in our

Finding a wife.

Trades & Services section of Network Classifieds.

Phone Nick - 0416 241 687

CARPENTERS

CARPENTER & ODD JOB SPECIALIST

LC CARPENTRY & MAINTENANCE SERVICES

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0402 632 039 |

| lccarpentry21@outlook.com

sales@networkclassifieds.com.au

1300 666 808 16 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

12913167-AF44-26

Services offered • Internal lock up • External lock up • Fix out • Letterbox Installs

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ABOUT US Small moving company but still very experienced growing fast, only hire nice workers

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Employment section of Network Classifieds.

Motoring CARAVANS & TRAILERS

MOTOR VEHICLES

VISCOUNT CARAVAN

2018 Holden Astra LS 6 speed automatic, 4D Sedan, colour pearl white, spotless cond. (A Reluctant Sale)

HOLDEN

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Price: $6,500 Phone 0409 241 558

$9,900 ono Enquiries invited 0439 212 830

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$12,000 Ph: 0410 024 386

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9-LETTER WORD 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'.

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WORDFIT 3 LETTERS ADO AGE ANT ART AVO BEE BOA DAY DEW EAR EAT EEL END ERR GAG HEM ILL LAP LID PAT TOE TOW TWO WAR

No. 313

B E E 5 LETTERS ABOUT ADOBE AGILE AGREE ALGAE AWARE BELOW CAVED CLINK CLUMP CRUDE DELTA DEMON DOLES DRESS EAGLE ELUDE EVILS FACTS FIGHT GRAPE

4 LETTERS BLOT BONE BYTE CASE DINE ESKY GLEN HOPE IDOL ISLE SEWS SPOT STAY TIDE

GRUEL HEADY HEART IGLOO LARGE LATCH LAYER LINGO MAPLE OCEAN ODOUR ORDER PERIL PIVOT PRONE RENEW RINSE SERUM SLAYS SLEPT STEPS STERN

STRUT TASTE TOMES TONAL TREES VIRAL WEDGE

7 LETTERS ANAEMIA ASTRIDE AVOCADO CHORTLE ENAMELS SHUNNED

6 LETTERS LEAPED SOLDER TEPEES WELLED

8 LETTERS FLAGPOLE LICORICE PARALLEL YOURSELF

30-10-26

Insert the missing letters to make 10 words – five reading across the grid and five reading down.

Which airline has been rated the ‘World's Best’ in the Skytrax World Airline Awards the most times?

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NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

The book-gifting program Imagination Library was founded by which musician?

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Dannebrog is the name for the national flag of which country?

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The 2014 song Bang Bang by Jessie J features Nicki Minaj (pictured) and which pop artist?

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Which poet has won the Pulitzer Prize the most times, with a total of four awards?

QUICK QUIZ

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No. 420

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crept, cusp, cutpurse, erupt, erupts, lupus, pelt, pelts, pert, pest, plus, puce, pule, pules, pulse, pure, purest, purl, purls, purse, pursue, pustule, puts, scruple, sculpt, SCULPTURE, slept, slurp, spelt, spruce, spur, spurt, step, super, upset, usurp

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Built by children on the beach (10) Nightmares (3,6) Heading to one's job (3,2,4) Protruding teeth (5) Posture (6) 1988 animated Japanese sci-fi film set in Neo-Tokyo (5) Swarm (4) Submissive (6) People who holiday on Saturday and Sunday (10) Make reprisals (9) Blood type (1-8) Cordial (6) Postpones (6) Fragrance (5) Italian sauce containing basil (5) Contraction for ‘is not’ (3’1)

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Backup (coll) (3) Competitor (10) Dozes (4,3) Holiday destination (7) Hallways (9) Blue printing colour (4) Tony Hawk’s ride (10) Uncommon (4) Drunk (4) Pad of drawing paper (10) Storm (4) Rhythmic vibration (9) Rainfall events (7) US singer, dancer and actor, Fred – (7) Displaces (10) Emergency rooms (abbr) (3)

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In Mario Kart games, what colour shell automatically targets and attacks the lead racer?

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What name is the biennial Test match between Australia and England known by?

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The Head of Franz Kafka is a kinetic sculpture located in which city?

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What is the endpoint of the Melbourne Marathon?

10 What is the second highest rank of British nobility? ANSWERS: 1. Qatar Airways 2. Dolly Parton 3. Denmark 4. Ariana Grande 5. Robert Frost 6. Blue 7. The Ashes 8. Prague 9. Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) 10. Marquess

ACROSS

No. 313

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

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

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

SUDOKU

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 17

MOTOR

Quick, but you pay a price By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring It’s the IM5 and if you’re wondering who or what that is, so were we. IM stands for Intelligence in Motion and it is the upmarket division of MG (like Lexus is to Toyota), with vehicles that have been developed jointly with the likes of SAIC Motor and the Alibaba Group. In Australia, the brand is known officially as IM Presented by MG Motor. Most punters however refer to the car as the MG IM5. Good luck with that. The all-electric IM5 sedan/coupe appears to be targeted primarily at the Tesla Model 3. The IM6 SUV at the Tesla Model Y.

Styling There are three grades from which to choose: Premium, Platinum and Performance. Premium is priced from $60,990, Platinum from $69,990 and Performance from $80,990 – all plus on-roads. At a glance, the three appear to be almost identical. You need to dig a little deeper to work out the differences, most of which are confined to the drivetrain department – rather than the equipment list. Premium is powered by a single electric motor that delivers 217kW of power and 450Nm of torque to the rear wheels, with a 75kWh battery and range of 490km. Mid-range Platinum is also rear-wheel drive, but with a more powerful 300kW/500Nm electric motor, and a larger 100kWh battery and range of 655km. Range-topping Performance adds all-wheel drive to the equation, with two electric motors that offer 200kW/320Nm at front and 372kW/500Nm at the rear, with a 100kWh battery and range of 575km (it takes more effort to drive four wheels). Of note Premium is built on 400-watt architecture, while Platinum and Performance share the more advanced 800-watt format that in theory means faster charging, providing you can access a compatible charger. Those range figures by the way are under the newer, more realistic WLTP testing procedure. Our test vehicle was the Performance model, apparent from the 20-inch wheels and P-Zeros plus the fact it blazes out of the gates like a Space X rocket. Creature comforts include synthetic leather, two-zone climate air with rear vents, an air quality system, heated seats front and back, plus cooling for the front, heated steering wheel, heated/cooled console box, a full-length glass roof and power operated tailgate. There’s also air suspension, LED lights front and back, push-button hands-free parking. IM5 is covered by a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty, plus eight years on the battery, with service due every 20,000km or 12 months.

Infotainment Infotainment comes in the form of dual 12.3-inch screens, with a third 10.5-inch screen that sits in the console. There’s Bluetooth, Hello IM voice control, satnav, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, CarPlay and Android Auto. Sound comes from a 20-speaker audio system that includes four small roof-mounted speakers. It’s described as a 7.4.1 setup based on the fact it has 7 x ear-level channels, 1 x subwoofer channel, and 4 x height/ overhead channels. There’s also wireless phone charging, a card reader, three USB-C ports (2 x front and 1 x back) and a 12-volt outlet virtually hidden at the rear of the lower console.

Iron out the niggles and MG could be on to a good thing. (Pictures: Supplied)

Safety IM5 scores a full five stars for safety, with dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard. Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and a speed sign recognition system, are standard equipment.

Engines/transmissions Performance model boasts two electric motors, with a total 572kW of power and 820Nm of torque on tap, with drive to all four wheels via a reduction-style single-speed transmission.

Driving The IM5 is quick, that’s for sure. But it’s not the most practical car we’ve ever driven. With pop-out door handles and a key fob with a complete lack of labels, the first task is to work out how to get in and out of the thing. Sitting low to the ground, with an equally low roofline, that can require some athleticism. Rather than stick your foot in first, it’s more a case of pivoting 90 degrees and planting your bum on the seat, then swivelling sideways and swinging your legs in – being careful to duck as you do. Once in, there’s no starter button, the system is live from get-go and so it is simply a matter of moving the column-mounted gear selector up or down to select drive or reverse. And a word of caution here. Mistaking the gear selector for the indicator stalk can send the car shooting forward, scaring the pants off you – because this engages cruise control.

18 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

This oversight is not confined to the MG or IM and is really something that needs to be addressed. IM5 is 4931mm in length, 1960mm wide and 1474mm high with a 2950mm wheelbase, and weighs in at 2300kg in top spec. There’s 457 litres of luggage space in the boot with another 18 litres under the front bonnet where you’ll find the tyre repair kit secreted. Rear storage expands to 1290 litres with the second-row seats folded. A 12V outlet for that fridge is provided in the back. Depending on what grade you go for dictates the drivetrain supplied. Premium sits on 400-watt architecture with a 75kWh battery, Platinum and Performance boasts an 800-watt figure, with a larger 100kWh battery to boot. Premium and Platinum are rear-wheel drive, Performance is all-wheel drive. The easiest way to tell them apart is by the wheels. Entry Premium sits on 19s, while Platinum and Performance score 20s (the latter fitted with expensive Pirelli rubber). IM5 is equipped with what the company describes as revolutionary bi-directional rear-wheel turning technology, offering up to 12 degrees of rear-wheel articulation. First off, it’s been around off and on for almost 40 years, since its introduction with the third-generation Honda Prelude 4WS in 1987. Mazda also offered it at one stage. An industry-leading feature, MG says this advanced system dramatically reduces the turning circle and transforms the driving experience, making it comparable to that of a compact hatchback. It helps, but let’s not get carried away – if the effect was that dramatic it would be standard on just about every car. The 10.5-inch touchscreen in the centre console is better described as the control screen, because just about everything is operated from here.

That wouldn’t be so bad if the controls and their locations were more intuitive. Two roller buttons are also provided on the steering wheel but are not labelled. We were unable to find a control for something as simple as resetting the trip computer which says a lot. Shaped like a car, the key fob has no attachment points, so can’t be added to a key ring and runs the risk of ending up in the wash. At times, it simply refused to work. Every time we got into the car, we were accosted by a privacy nag that required ticking a box and hitting another button before control screen access was granted. Then there’s the satnav. To get it working you have to pull over, put it in Park, tick another box, scan a QR code, then read and sign off on a privacy statement – we just couldn’t work out how. Most of the time we also had to manually reconnect our phone because the system simply ignored it. Talk about frustrating. Rear and over-the-shoulder vision is a challenge, particularly through the tiny rear window, which is better described as a porthole. Then there’s the incessant bings and bongs from the various driver warning systems. As a temporary fix, put a band aid over the camera that is mounted on the driver’s side roof pillar. Buy the car and we’d recommend surgery. The dash from 0-100km/h can be dispatched in a Ferrari-quick 3.2 seconds, with a top speed of 268km/h. E n e r g y consumption is a claimed 19.7 kWh/100km (we were getting 20.5 kWh after more than 350km of mixed driving). While ride quality is impressive thanks to adaptive air suspension and continuous damping system fitted, the car feels more at home on the super smooth pavement offered by the motorway. This despite the staggered, ultra-low profile 245/40 and 275/35 series Pirelli P-Zeros. It’s also incredibly quiet in the cabin thanks in large part to noise cancelling technology. Like other high-performance EVs, the IM5 is almost unbeatable off the line, making short work of all comers. On the rise and fall of country roads, however, it feels disconnected and unpredictable at times, lacking the connection between car and driver. Cornering as such is not the problem, it’s setting up the car for the corners that is the challenge. Braking is a bit of a lottery, not so much in effect but more in application – sometimes they bite hard, sometimes they don’t. It’s problematic. Sure, the IM5 goes fast, not so much around corners but in a straight line – but at the end of the day is that enough?

Summing up The IM5 is a lot of cars, it’s just not the car for us. We’d also consider the Platinum variant, which is also pretty quick and has the advantage of greater range at 655km. Iron out the niggles, make the info system more intuitive, get rid of the constant driver warnings and MG could be on to a good thing. By the way, we’re still waiting to hear why the doors on the Cyberster won’t open when the car is parked on a slope.

SPORT

Devil of a partnership Corio pair Ben Strachan (108) and Bradley Jones (105 not out) piloted their team to 5/361 against Bannockburn on Saturday 24 October with a 136-run partnership. Another big one from Anthony Grace (88), who made a big century last week, and the Devils are poised to take the points in GCA Division 3. North Geelong opener Ned Cooper will resume on 116 with more than 20 overs remaining against St Peters in Div 1. Rain shortened some games on Saturday and wiped out two altogether across turf and hard-wicket comps. Manifold Heights’ Matthew Pratt made 134 from just 64 balls in Division 4, while Newcomb & District’s Daniel Harrison was the only bowler to take five wickets across the four top grades with 5/25. In the Bellarine competition, Paddy McKenna made 124 for Ocean Grove and Jan Juc’s Peter Buszard made 104 not out and Queenscliff’s Frank Mileto and Newcomb’s Jack Scanlon each took five wickets. GEELONG CRICKET ASSOCIATION Division 1 Highton 206 (D. Brew 45, L. Campbell 43, B. Somers 30, W. Ruddell 4/33) vs Grovedale 1/45 South Barwon 109 (K. Bienefelt 33, D. Moroney 4/34, L. Molyneux 3/33, J. Garner 3/37) vs East Belmont 101 (Lachlan Inglis 30, N. Deep Pottabathini 4/12, K. Bienefelt 3/23)

North Geelong 2/248 (N. Cooper 116no, P. Visser 78no, L. McCann 30) vs Lara St Joseph’s 8/224 (J. Casey 75, Z. Keighran 44, J. Stokes 4/60, J. Sorgiovanni 3/42) vs St Peters Division 2 Newtown & Chilwell 5/128 (N. Keast 78no, T. Dunn 2/26) vs Torquay 81 (H. Finch 4/27, J. Lewis 2/12) Leopold 6/184 (T. Treble 74no, C. Hall 30, K. Thalati 2/31) vs Bell Post Hill Bell Park 213 (M. Mills 35, S. Elliston-Buckley 35, N. Berry 34, B. Corps 4/18, M. Lester 4/64) vs Waurn Ponds Deakin 2/47 Geelong West 9/172 (T. Holt 56, M. Cherry 3/29, N. Grimmer 3/34) vs Geelong City Division 3 Marshall 8/236 (S. Grazotis 76, B. Dubbeldam 51, M. Richmond 3/38, H. Wright 3/39) vs Little River Corio 5/361 (B. Strachan 108, B. Jones 105no, A. Grace 88) vs Bannockburn Alexander Thomson 80 (D. Anderson 35, X. Dew 4/36, E. Ridgway 3/5) vs Thomson 2/20 Lethbridge vs Murgheboluc - no play possible Division 4 Guild St Mary’s 7/250 (B. Dubb 46, G. Randhawa 46, DS Thomas 36, A. Singh 4/52) def Surf Coast 97 (R. Dawes 37, AS Chhina 4/20, S. Saini 3/29, M. Vicary 3/39)

Marshall’s Conor Harvey is about to be caught by Little River’s Hunter Wright. (Justin Flynn)

Meredith 153 (J. Butler 47, W. Young 46, J. O’Hanlon 4/26, R. Procter 3/32) drew with Modewarre 2/67 (B. Clarke 48no) Manifold Heights 7/324 (M. Pratt 134, M. Bartlett 86, M. Campbell 4/59) def Teesdale 9/165 (D. Warnock 35, A. Percy 3/37) Newcomb & District 0/84 (A. Quarrell 47no) def St Albans/Breakwater 94 (M. Blain 39, D. Harrison 5/25, A. Quarrell 3/6) on DLS method with revised target. BELLARINE PENINSULA CRICKET ASSOCIATION A1 Grade Anglesea 7/150 (L. Taylor 45, S. Umbers 34, R. Sauni 3/31) def Winchelsea 9/149 (A. Korth 64, D. Taylor 3/23, K. Eskrigge 2/7) Jan Juc 3/227 (P. Buszard 104no, B. Smith 53, T. Kearney 31) def Armstrong Creek 6/226 (C. Mulgrew 55, J. Maclean 43no, B.

A2 Grade Ocean Grove 6/247 (P. McKenna 124, S. Fankhauser 63, C. Snookes 39, Jude De Jong 2/37) def Collendina 9/223 (S. Beasley 77, R. Brown 40, C. Walter 32, H. Wingrave 32, P. McKenna 3/42, T. Kent 3/44) Portarlington 3/168 (P. McGrath 62no, J. Baldi 56) def St Leonards 164 (T. Griffin 38, J. Barwick 4/35) Inverleigh 9/122 (W. Collins 46, J. Scanlon 5/18) def Newcomb 121 (S. Chahal 37, D. Midolo 3/21)

27 def David Priddle, M. Coulter, S. McDonald, J. Fitzgerald 19; D. Banks, C. Papastergiou, P. French, A. Sampson 28 def S. McLachlan, C. Polwarth, R. Priddle, B. Prior 14; D. Kitchin, K. Hazelhurst, J. Howarth, P. Williams 16 def by A. Lee, S. Macklin, D. Kiss, S. Shuttleworth 19; B. Ott, D. Tudor, R. Milesi, D. Cairns 16 def by Dan Priddle, J. Kiss, T. Hickey, D. Klemke 21.

DIVISION 1 Highton 99 (18) def Leopold 66 (0) M. Cavanagh, D. Cameron, M. Couzens, D. McGregor 30 def M. Willis, P. Staines, P. Shuttleworth, S. Ashby 15; R. Wilkinson, R. Burrage, T. Driscoll, P. Jones 18 def L. Cameron, B. Shaw, S. Seear, D. Seear 17; T. Moore, J. Fry, H. Gilmore, D. Monk 23 def N. Shortis, M. Gregg, C. Sproal, T. Salisbury 15; O. Landry, N. Oakes, A. Kiss, P. Monk 28 def C. Heard, R. Nichol, D. Rudge, A. Hardisty 19. Belmont(1) 82 (14) def Bell Post Hill 70 (4) J. Harris, J. Clark, C. Bassett, G. Smith 27 def A. Pratt, N. Hill, G. Logue, T. Rufus 12; S. Davies, B. Clark, S. Wilkinson, M. Koulkoudinas 15 def by D. Gercke, P. Standaert, F. Clayson, A. Firth 18; D. Ross, G. Davies, P. Newton, D. McManus 18 def by D. Gillett, G. McInerney, R. McInerney, J. Ray 19; R. Agg, R. Kent, M. Davies, H. Dahler 22 def B. Bottrell, A. Lewis, G. Pearson, S. McDonald 21. Portarlington 99 (16) def St Leonards 68 (2) B. Lockyer, N. Cherry, D. Roberts, P. Fisk 26 def M. Kennedy, B. Auld, D. Barnett, A. Doyle 19; G. Reed, T. McNamara, L. Reed, W. Takarua 22 def T. Long, S. Lund, A. Marston, G. Lund 17; T. Demaria, L. Schmidt, J. Taylor, T. Freeman 16 def by A. Hills, J. Doyle, J. Coe, B. Culph 23; D. Dunlop, M. Jones, R. Malcomson, J. McNamara 35 def D. McDonald, R. Michael, F. Aston, P. Garlick 9. City of Geelong 115 (18) def Belmont(2) 58 D. Vogele, K. Gooley, R. Gray, D. Wombell 33 def J. Reed, M. Claassen, C. Ryan, S. Rundell 16; S. Khruapanich, R. Sneaker, R. Wright-Janocha, S. Somerton 21 def D. Abrahmsen, N. Gemmill, A. Murrell, J. Smith 11; N. Craven, L. Simpson, S. Simkus, A. Hyatt 26 def J. Musco, H. Volkers, K. Blain, B. Parsons 17; J. Shell, N. Robinson, D. Radoslav, M. Nitchie 35 def A. Gemmill, S. Kelly, K. Sullivan, P. Mellross 14.

Around the rinks Results from Geelong Bowls Region’s top two divisions from round 2 on Saturday 24 October. PREMIER DIVISION Players named in order of skip, lead, second, third. Ocean Grove(2) 82 (16) def Eastern Park 64 (2) Alan Drury, P. Entwhistle, L. Price, C. Verrier 24 def S. Young, M. Sherwell, K. Mitchell, K. Petzierides 8; R. Brehaut, J. Le Cerf, D. Meeny, Jason Bertrand 12 def by S. Field, B. Wilson, D. Jackman, M. Coleman 25; S. Avery, L. Humphries, Jodie Bertrand, M. West 23 def T. Balchan, S. Webb, G. Pavey, G. Connolly 15; O. Clark, D. Ryan, D. Henery, B. Spaven 23 def A. Munro, R. Sherwell, T. Scorpo, P. Scorpo 16. Drysdale 113 (16) def Lara 59 (2) M. Godbolt, J. Fry, P. Wells, A. James 23 def S. Hedger, H. Tump, S. Tump, B. Emond 19; A. Rees, M. Hommelhoff, M. Johnson, B. Howie 31 def D. Cotter, J. Macgavin, M. Fedyk, A. Gilmore 10; B. Toner, M. Speed, J. Toner, D. Washington 36 def D. Grellet, J. Tyley, T. Farrar, S. Grellet 6; J. Monahan, C. Cox, M. Rees, M. Sloper 23 def by M. Kelly, G. Hinch, P. Cook, S. Emond 24. Queenscliff 90 (18) def Ocean Grove(1) 60 (0) S. Monahan, W. Visser, J. Mahoney, S. Sullivan 23 def J. Rudd, M. O’Reilly, A. Forster, Z. Abro 17; R. Butler, R. Cameron,

Rodney Swan plays his last bowl for this end for Clifton Springs in Division 3. (Ivan Kemp)

J. Issell, N. Bell 23 def T. Cromie, C. Rippon, S. Renshaw, T. Joel 16; M. Hocking, C. Saunders, B. Gladman, J. Reilly 22 def M. Flapper, H. Clark, W. Frith, H. O’Reilly 11; B. Russell, A. Green, W. Macleod, N. Dixon 22 def B. Pavey, R. Hunt, C. Burrell, K. Bourke 16. Torquay 87 (14) def Highton 73 (4) Z. Lugg, J. Di Fiore, K. Weiner, P. Anderson

Norgrove 36, J. Powers 3/46) Barrabool 8/171 (T. Scott 64, L. Clift 31, F. Mileto 5/17) def Queenscliff 8/169 (H. Illingworth 49, L. Philp 42, K. Leathem 30, L. Clift 2/32) Drysdale drew with Barwon Heads, no play possible.

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 19

SPORT

Venom strikes at home By AAP Chinese import Han Xu received a warm welcome in her first game for Geelong and put on a show against the Melbourne Southside Flyers after just two practice sessions. The Venom comfortably won 74-69 in front of their largest ever crowd and soldout Microkeeper Arena on Saturday afternoon. But angst riddled the Geelong team on the eve of the game with Bec Cole ruled out with a lower leg issue. Adding insult to injury, Maddy Rocci who had 33 points in the opening round was pulled just hours before tip-off with a foot problem. It was the debut of Chinese import Han Xu who supplemented the fractured list at the first jump ball. The New York Liberty star is the second-tallest player in WNBA history and won Defensive Player of the Season last campaign with the Perth Lynx. The 211cm centre towered over the 196cm Sakima Walker in the opening jump ball and made the tip-off look as easy as the opening basket she made 15 seconds later. Melbourne’s Hannah Hank set the tone when she made a driving layup at Xu, and forced the global star to concede her third foul halfway into the second quarter, forcing the Chinese superstar to the bench until the second half. “[Hank] just competes every possession,” coach Sam Mackinnon said. “We put her on Han just to sort of be physical, and all game, she did a really good

Men’s Open Winner Tully Wylie. (Ang Zorica/ Surfing Victoria)

Wylie claims victory Han Xu marked her Geelong Venom debut with 16 points and 8 rebounds in a 74-69 win over the Southside Melbourne Flyers in front of a record sold-out crowd at Microkeeper Arena. (Running Point Media)

job of that, of limiting her impact around the basket. “But it’s hard to do for a full 40 minutes.” Xu was the focal point and it opened up space for Lilly Rotunno to dominate, Mackinnon added. “She controlled the tempo, got after our guards and we didn’t do a quick enough job of freeing up our guards to get into our stuff,” he said. Rotunno came in for Cole and also impressed Geelong coach Cheryl Chambers.

“How good for Lily to come out and show she belongs in this league,” Chambers said. “Everyone had to step up. It was huge.” The Venom bit down late in the second term with a 13-0 run and the Flyers never made up the deficit. Xu finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. “I’d only practised two times with this team with a little bit of practice,” Xu said. “But I never would have thought we would have played like that.”

Hamlyn Park finish runner-up at nationals By Lou Arzanovski The first edition of the National League Finals was held on the Gold Coast, bringing together 31 premiership winning teams from across the nation for three days of competition. Having tasted success at state level in April, Hamlyn Park H.E.AT. journeyed to the Sunshine State to participate in Open Section 2. H.E.A.T. opened its campaign against the highly fancied and fellow Victorian team Bulleen. Strong performances from the team’s top doubles pairing of Cameron Harris and Angelo Traficante, recording two set wins, 8-3 and 8-2, ensured an upset win decided on games, sets shared. This set the trend for the rest of the tournament with H.E.A.T recording four straight wins with three of those being tightly contested encounters decided on games.

Hamlyn PARK H.E.A.T: Lou Arzanovski, Fletcher Allen, Angelo Traficante, Joseph Traficante, Cameron Harris, Todd Morgan. (supplied)

Highlights included a comeback win by Fletcher Allen and Lou Arzanovski against South Australia’s Memorial Drive. Starting slowly and being 1-4 down, the duo was able to regroup and win seven consecutive games to take the set 8-4. In the same tie, Todd Morgan, alongside partner Harris, faced defeat at 5-6 down, but

they were able to deliver a crucial hold on serve and swing the set and tie in Hamlyn Park’s favour. The 8-6 set win for Morgan and Harris secured the tie for H.E.A.T. In a fitting end to a well organised event run by Tennis Australia, which is sure to become a marquee event on the tennis calendar, the two undefeated teams H.E.A.T. and Greenacres Dragons from South Australia met in the final round to decide the section winner. Greenacres triumphed with Hamlyn Park H.E.A.T. declared runner-up. National League Finals tournament director Sean Spralja reflected on the success of the event. “The National League Finals provides a pathway for all players participating in team tennis – no matter their playing standard or location,” he said. “The 2026 edition was incredibly well received, and we look forward to making the event bigger and better in 2027.”

Magpies are aiming for four straight flags North Geelong will be out to win its fourth T20 cricket premiership in a row with the fixture and group teams released this week. The Magpies are on a 17-game winning streak and will open their T20 season with an away trip to Lara. North Geelong and Lara are in Group D in the Division 1 & 2 competition along with Bell Park and Geelong West. Each team will play three round robin games with quarter-finals and semi-finals to follow and ending with the final on Tuesday 26 January. Defending Division 2 champions Lethbridge are in Group A with Winchelsea, Meredith and Teesdale. Division 1 comprises GCA first and second division teams while Division 2 will be played between Division 3 and 4 sides along with seven Bellarine Peninsula Cricket As-

sociation clubs. Divisions 1 & 2 Group A: South Barwon, St Peters, Geelong City, Leopold Group B: Highton, St Joseph’s, Newtown & Chilwell, Bell Post Hill Group C: Grovedale, East Belmont, Torquay, Waurn Ponds Deakin Group D: North Geelong, Lara, Bell Park, Geelong West Divisions 3, 4 & BPCA Group A: Winchelsea, Lethbridge, Meredith, Teesdale Group B: Thomson, Newcomb & District, St Albans/Breakwater, Queenscliff Group C: Alexander Thomson, Jan Juc, Anglesea, Surf Coast Group D: Corio, Murgheboluc, Guild St Mary’s, Little River Group E: Bannockburn, Modewarre, Arm-

20 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

North Geelong won the Division 1 & 2 T20 competition last season to make it three in a row. (Ivan Kemp)

strong Creek, Anakie Group F: Ocean Grove, Marshall, Manifold Heights, Wallington Round 1: Tuesday 24 November Round 2: Sunday 8 December Round 3: Sunday 15 December Quarter-finals: Tuesday 12 January Semi-finals: Tuesday 19 January Final: Tuesday 26 January

Surf Coast local Tully Wylie claimed victory at the latest state round of surfing over the weekend. The Men’s Division came down to a high-scoring, nailbiting finish with WSL Qualifying Series (QS) surfer Wylie demonstrating exceptional form to take top honours with a total score of 14.34. Wylie narrowly held off a fierce challenge from runner-up Willis Droomer (14.23) to win by a mere 0.11-point margin. Kai Nudd took third place with a strong 14.00 total, while Harry De Roth placed fourth with 7.17. “Stoked to get the win after a super close final,” Wylie said. “It was a great battle out there. Everyone was putting up solid scores, so to find that wave right at the end to get the score was huge. “Saturday was epic with pumping waves at Bells Bowl, and while Sunday turned into a real grind with the rain and wind, it made the win even more rewarding. “A massive shoutout to the Surfing Victoria team for putting on a great event. I’m super stoked to secure the win and grab a spot in the trials.” In the Women’s Division, Peninsula Boardriders’ Rose Holland pulled off the ultimate upset performance. Facing a stacked lineup that included World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series competitors Ellie Harrison (Barwon Heads) and India Robinson (Jan Juc), Holland put together a dominant strategy to secure first place with an 11.30 total score, finishing 1.46 points clear of her nearest rival. Harrison finished in second place with 9.84, followed by Arabella Wilson (8.63) and Robinson (8.07). The weekend showcased outstanding performances across changing conditions, starting at Bells Beach/Djarrak in clean 3-feet waves on Saturday before a weather system change prompted a venue move to Jan Juc for Sunday’s finals. Men’s Division 1. Tully Wylie – 14.34 (Torquay) 2. Willis Droomer – 14.23 (Jan Juc) 3. Kai Nudd – 14.00 (Torquay) 4. Harry De Roth – 7.17 (Phillip Island) Women’s Division 1. Rose Holland (Peninsula) – 11.30 2. Ellie Harrison (Barwon Heads) – 9.84 3. Arabella Wilson – 8.63 (Jan Juc) 4. India Robinson – 8.07 (Jan Juc)

SPORT

Steve Bryant follows through on his bowl.

Michael Jenner plays the forehand.

Denis Brincat plays a beauty with a toucher and holds on which was the winning margin for the end.

Adele Ryan leads off for Ocean Grove. 583512

Grovers get up in Division 3 Ocean Grove defeated Clifton Springs at home in Division 3 bowls on Saturday 24

October and Independent photographer Ivan Kemp took these pictures.

Marilyn Fisk watches her bowl closely.

Nick Baskharon opens the end for Clifton Springs.

Ian Donald leads on the forehand. Lorraine Kirk attempts to win back the head.

David Leggett works on his line.

Ray Bensch leads off for Clifton Springs.

John Gibcus plays the backhand for position.

Shane Thorley delivers his bowl.

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 21

SPORT

Campbell Snookes drives Jude De Jong for a single.

Shaun Fankhauser drives during his innings of 63 for Ocean Grove.

Paddy McKenna is bowled by George Every for a magnificent 124 off 127 deliveries.

Ryan Simmonds is run out. 582758

Grubbers home in derby Ocean Grove defeated Collendina in a high-scoring BPCA A2 Grade match at Collendina Recreation Reserve on

Saturday 24 October and Independent photographer Ivan Kemp caught some of the action.

Campbell Snookes drives down the ground for four. Sam Beasley takes a catch just inside the midwicket boundary to dismiss Campbell Snookes for 39.

Jacob Taylor plays this ball into the ground. Jude De Jong thinks about his next delivery as he walks back to his bowling mark.

Shaun Fankhauser is run out by George Every for 63 off 76 deliveries.

Ryan Simmonds plays this delivery through the onside.

22 GEELONG INDEPENDENT Friday, 30 October, 2026

George Every runs in to take the catch to dismiss Fletcher Long.

George Every in action for Collendina.

SPORT

Bears out of hibernation By Justin Flynn Marshall won just one match in GCA Division 3 last season, but has started the new campaign with two impressive wins and there is a sense of optimism in the air at Lawn Addicts Oval. And with 236 runs on the board going into day two against Little River, the Bears are a chance to make it three from three after a middle-order partnership rescued the side. At 4/26, Marshall was in trouble on its home deck until a 125-run stand between two returning players swung the momentum. Jake Dubbeldam spent two seasons at Alexander Thomson and Stan Grazotis had a four-year stint at Collendina before returning to the club in the off-season. Grazotis made 76 from 137 deliveries and Dubbeldam scored 51 from 148 to guide the Bears out of trouble. “At four for twenty we thought we were in a bit of strife,” captain Jake Hilton said. “I think the Marshall of old would have been all out for 100 and probably bowling 20 overs after tea. To have someone like Stan and Jake come in and show a bit of maturity, to know the situation, and they know their own games pretty well. “Just to come in and be able to steer the ship and not do anything silly, and then obviously just keep that scoreboard ticking over was really good.” Matthew Richmond was swinging and cutting the ball on the Marshall pitch, that received some light rain at the tea break. He put Little River back into the contest by removing both batters and with the score at 7/168, the Redbacks were slightly on top. Richmond and youngster Hunter Wright each picked up three wickets for the Redbacks. “The boys said it (the ball) was darting around a little bit, and he (Richmond) had it talking,” Hilton said. “But they also said the wicket had it doing too much at times and cutting too far, but they said he bowled exceptionally well.” Wallington recruit Billy Gravett (20 off 24 balls) and Xavier Falvey (20 not out from 76) then added a handy 25 runs to take the score to 193 and William Skene finished off with a 26-ball unbeaten 23 to end Marshall’s in-

Stan Grazotis cuts on his way to 76 for Marshall. (pictures Justin Flynn) 586649

Jake Dubbeldam looks to put a short one away during his timely knock of 51 for Marshall.

nings at 7/236 from 80 overs. Hilton said his bowlers in the lower order did a superb job, particularly 16-year-old debutant Falvey.

“Just that little bit of fight, especially the boys coming in at the end,” Hilton said. “The ball was talking, they showed a little bit of heart to get through and get to 240 in the end. That was his (Falvey) debut as well. He’s a 16-year-old lad and to come out and do that towards the end is pretty cool as well.” Still, Hilton knows his bowlers will have to hit their lengths this Saturday against the Redbacks’ deep batting line-up. Skene and Gravett will need to make early inroads while the Bears have several slow-bowling options to turn to including left-armers Grazotis and youngster Liam Vaughan. “He’s (Vaughan) taken his game to another level,” Hilton said. “He’s gone leaps and bounds with his game and has been really good at mastering his craft.”

Hilton said Marshall was a good club to be at with four new faces in Gravett, Grazotis, Dubbeldam and Englishman Conor Harvey. “We’ve added four blokes around the club who are pretty handy cricketers, but they are also exceptional blokes and good family people as well,” he said. CORIO made a mammoth 5/361 against Bannockburn with Ben Strachan (108), Bradley Jones (105 not out) and Anthony Grace (88 off 69 balls) dominating. THOMSON will resume at 2/21 in reply to Alexander Thomson’s 80 all out. It was a quiet day for the scoreboard attendant with the Vikings crawling to their total from 60 overs as Xavier Drew (4/36) and Elliot Ridgway (3/5) did the damage. NO PLAY was possible between Lethbridge and Murgheboluc and the game will revert to a one-dayer this week.

McKenna blasts 124 as Grove beats Dina By Justin Flynn When new Ocean Grove coach Paddy McKenna said he wanted to value his wicket more during his second stint in the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association, he meant it. Scores of 37 and 54 in the opening two rounds set the tone and McKenna then peeled off a 127-ball 124 against Collendina on Saturday 24 October to show why he was one of the Geelong Cricket Association’s most damaging players for Newtown & Chilwell. McKenna’s first stint at Ocean Grove didn’t yield the runs he was expecting, but after vowing to respect his wicket more this time around, the results are more than promising. “It helps having plenty of depth in the batting, knowing that if you do get out then there’s someone else that can step in and play their role,” he said. “It was weird. I got to about 105 and started hitting them awful. “I think all innings you have your ebbs and flows of moments and having periods of 15 to 20 runs where you’re struggling against a bowler or whatever. I probably just got weary and then had a bit of a period where I wasn’t hitting them particularly well

or picking them up as well as I had previously. For what reason I’m not particularly sure. “I was trying to grind through, but at the same time there were only nine overs to go and we had nine wickets in hand. If it was in a two-day game you might sort of go into your shell for six or eight overs and try and work your way through that whereas in oneday cricket I thought I’d just keep going and hopefully hit my way out of it.” The Grubbers made 6/247 batting first with McKenna and Shaun Fankhauser (63 from 76 deliveries) adding 186 for the second wicket and Campbell Snookes putting on the finishing touches with 39 from 23. McKenna said opening the batting and enjoying his cricket was contributing to his early season form. “I’m probably enjoying my cricket more and just more confident in my game,” he said. “I think last time I played I was coming in at about three or four or something like that. Opening the batting is the easiest spot to bat if you ask me. It can be the worst sometimes. You can get a good one early, but it probably helps when you’re playing in a team that’s got a lot of batting depth as well.” Needing more than six runs an over, Collendina started cautiously, but had wick-

ets in hand and was 1/80 at drinks after 20 overs. Corey Walter (39) and Richard Brown (40) fell either side of the break and danger-man Ben Ricardo was dismissed, bringing Sam Beasley to the crease with Harrisyn Wingrave. With 15 overs to go the required run rate was edging close to 10 an over and while Beasley (77 from 45 balls) and Wingrave (32 from 39) tried to salvage the innings, it was a bridge too far. The Cobras finished their 40 overs at 9/223. Three wickets each to McKenna and Tom Kent (3/44 from eight overs) gave the Grubbers their third win from as many starts. “We bowled particularly well for the first 15 (overs, and) the game was over then really,” McKenna said. “Sam Beasley batted very well at the end but he was in a position where he just had to swing. The ball got a bit wet for us as well. “It didn’t rain much in our batting innings, but in their innings it rained at about the 18-over mark and that changed the momentum a little bit because it got a bit slippery and much harder for boys to control their lengths. “We knew from there it was just a matter of getting through the overs to complete the

Campbell Snookes deflects this delivery to the leg side on his way to a rapid 39 from 23 balls. (Ivan Kemp)

game.” McKenna praised the bowling of spinner Tom Kent and with fellow leggie Alex Mann to return to the team, the Grubbers have two quality slow bowlers to turn to. “Tommy Kent, to be honest, has been probably the pick of our bowlers the first three weeks,” McKenna said. “He’s done a fantastic job for a leg spinner. He’s got brilliant control. “And Al (Mann) is probably a bit different to TK in terms of he spins it more and he’s much more likely to grab a wicket. “He’s still got very good control, but TK’s control is definitely his number one asset. They can bowl well in tandem because even though they are both leggies, they’re very different in terms of their skill sets.”

Friday, 30 October, 2026 GEELONG INDEPENDENT 23

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