Walk, scoot, skate or ride

DID you know the number of Australian children walking and cycling to school has dropped 75 per cent since 1970?

Not only is being active before school good for growing bodies, it is also essential for children’s learning and development.

By walking, scooting, riding or skating to school, kids learn the important foundational skills that will allow them to independently and safely get around.

These road safety skills will also become important when they are adolescents and learning to drive.

With all this in mind, the City has launched its Walk, Ride, Scoot and Roll Geelong program to encourage more Geelong families to use active transport to get to school.

The program is funded by $110,393 from the Victorian Government’s Kids Active Travel Program and up to $10,000 from Council.

The City will deliver the targeted 12-month program in partnership with Bellarine Community Health and Active Geelong.

Children from grades three to six from four local schools will participate in the program over two phases.

During phase one, St Leonards, Leopold and Portarlington primary schools will develop evidence-based active travel initiatives tailored to each community’s needs.

This could include bike parking and storage, travel-friendly technology, safety education programs, and signage to promote safe travel routes to school.

Phase two will introduce some of these initiatives to Newcomb Primary School, which also has a keen interest in active travel.

Throughout the program, Council will continue to support all four schools and assess the effectiveness of the various initiatives.

This project builds on previous work with three of the four school communities on active travel and the positive benefits of increased physical activity.

Meanwhile, the Portarlington Football and Netball Club is celebrating its 150th year this month.

According to the club’s records, the club was formed on 1 August 1874 when 27 locals gathered at the Bayview Hotel to create the first football club on the Bellarine Peninsula.

The club continues to be an integral part of the town and is represented by several football and netball teams.

Recently, the club also unveiled its new digital scoreboards.

The scoreboards at both the football oval and netball courts are the first in a series of improvements at Portarlington Recreation Reserve, which are jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian governments and delivered by the City of Greater Geelong.

For those who haven’t seen the scoreboards, they look fantastic and undoubtedly improve the matchday experience for players and spectators.

I’m now looking forward to seeing the following stages of the project come to life, as I’m sure many others in the Portarlington community are.

The next stages planned include the redevelopment of the pavilion and improvements to the reserve entrance and car park.

All of the work is in accordance with the master plan for the reserve, which was endorsed by Council in 2022 after extensive input from the local community.

Thank you to both the Australian and Victorian governments for their support in helping this reserve meet the needs of its tenant clubs and the wider Portarlington community well into the future.

This is an excellent example of all three tiers of government working effectively together.

As always, I enjoy hearing your thoughts and suggestions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Cr Jim MasonBellarine Ward,

City of Greater Geelong