State funeral to be held for Frank Costa

THE Costa family has accepted the Victorian Government’s offer to hold a state funeral for Frank Costa.

The memorial service will be open to the public and held next week in Geelong, at his beloved Cats’ home ground of GMHBA Stadium.

Mr Costa was a legend in Geelong, and beyond. Renowned for his entrepreneurial acumen, Frank was also a noted philanthropist, and gave generously to his local community.

Perhaps his most well-known contribution was as president to his beloved Geelong Football Club. Serving the club for 30 years, Mr Costa helped lead the Cats to one of the club’s most successful eras, winning two premierships and breaking a 44-year drought.

More recently, he was named as the club’s 26th Legend and the first non-player to receive this honour.

Mr Costa is survived by his wife Shirley, his daughters Rona, Laurelle, Gillian, Caroline, Suzanne, Geraldine, Edwina and Kate and their families, including his 24 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Family, friends, colleagues and members of the public are invited to attend the service to celebrate Frank’s life and reflect on his many contributions to Victoria and the Geelong region.

The service will be held at GMHBA Stadium on Wednesday, May 12 at 2.30pm. Tickets will be available from noon on Monday, May 10.

In lieu of floral tributes, people may wish to consider making a donation to support the Anam Cara House, SecondBite or the Geelong Community Foundation.

The state memorial service will be held in line with COVIDSafe requirements and will be livestreamed.