Councillor Column: Trent Sullivan from the City of Greater Geelong, September 17

I WANT to start this column by extending Council’s heartfelt condolences to the family of two-year old Anna Greaney who was last week laid to rest following a tragedy in Portarlington.
It’s understandable that many people may be struggling with this difficult news, on top of stressors from the pandemic, so I encourage anyone in need of emotional support to reach out to one of the free professional counselling services available.
Griefline can be accessed online at griefline.org.au or over the phone on 9935 7400. Beyond Blue is also available on the web at beyondblue.org.au or on 1300 224 636.
As a Portarlington resident myself, the community is grateful for the efforts of the first responders and emergency services workers who did everything they could to help.
Small towns have big hearts and ours is well and truly with all who have been affected. Now is a time for us all to look after and be kind to ourselves, our loved ones and each other.
Infrastructure and projects
Given this is my final column for the Bellarine Times before the council elections in October, I’m in a reflective mood and want to put a spotlight on the many council highlights for the Bellarine Peninsula lately.
I’ve been so proud to advocate for the delivery of a new 50-metre pool on the north Bellarine, something residents have been calling for, for some time.
Last month, Council selected the Drysdale Sporting Precinct on Grubb road as the site, because it’s the best point for all northern Bellarine residents to access within a 10-minute drive.
This is a massive step forward in delivering this facility, paving the way for work on detailed designs and costings to kick off.
The federal government has $10 million earmarked for this project and council is chipping in $750,000 from this year’s budget.
Council adopting the 10-year Shared Trails Master Plan has started the ball rolling on creating a fully connected network of shared trails, which will make getting outdoors a safer and more enjoyable experience.
Locations along the Bellarine have been identified in the plan’s priority list, including new trails from Drysdale to St Leonards, Portarlington and Ocean Grove.
The adoption of Amendment C395, which implements the Geelong-wide Settlement Strategy and the Northern and Western Geelong Growth Areas Framework Plan into the planning scheme, has been another significant piece of work.
This means the Bellarine Peninsula is no longer considered a long-term growth area, ensuring the protection of our unique townships into the future.
The $13.3 million Bella Wiyn Birralee Family Centre in Drysdale opened in April to some very excited kids and families.
The centre offers long day care, kindergarten, maternal and child health services and a large multipurpose community space.
The people and places we turn to for new ideas, laughs, history, inspiration and entertainment – our local arts, cultural and heritage sectors – are facing incredible challenges at the moment due to the pandemic.
I’ve had a chance as chair of the Arts, Culture and Heritage portfolio to speak with our region’s creatives about their needs one on one and through the Geelong COVID-19 Arts Recovery (G-CAR) Advisory Panel that council set up.
We’ve kicked in $510,000 to support employment opportunities, grants and skills and training.
Visit geelongaustralia.com.au/covid19 for details on all of council’s COVID-19 support measures, totalling around $12.8 million.
Have your say
There are still a few days left to share with the city how you use Blue Waters Lake Reserve in Ocean Grove and how the space can be improved.
This feedback will form part of a discussion paper on this beloved, unique habitat wetland before a draft master plan is developed.
Head to yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au to give your two cents.
Consultation has just ended for Drysdale Regional Library Hub, which will inform the design of the space in the town square.
An architect is on the books and stakeholder engagement is ongoing.
Stay positive
It’s great to see playgrounds and the 50-metre outdoor pool at the Kardinia Aquatic Centre re-opened, after restrictions eased in regional Victoria.
Many Bellarine residents made the drive over when the City opened this facility outside of its regular season during stage 2 restrictions in June and with the warmer weather returning, doing laps this time around will be much more pleasant!
Finally, I want to encourage you to stay positive and stick with the restrictions in place, hygiene measures and physical distancing.
If we continue to do the right thing, the sooner numbers drop and restrictions ease further.
Stay safe.
Cr Trent Sullivan
Bellarine Ward, City of Greater Geelong