2020 Year in Review: October-December

OCTOBER 1: THEATRE star Bert LaBonté was to play a leading role at this year’s Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival after being named as official MC of the annual event. The award-winning stage and screen actor said he was thrilled to be part of the literary festival as it moved to an online format being livestreamed across three days from November 20-22.

OCTOBER 8: THE Coalition said it had put jobs and investment at the heart of the latest Federal Budget. The Budget includes $292 million towards the $365 million duplication of Barwon Heads Road from Settlement Road to Reserve Road and more than $600 million fo r stage 2 of the Geelong rail duplication between Waurn Ponds and South Geelong.

OCTOBER 15: THE Geelong Racing Club prepared for a very different Geelong Cup on October 21, with coronavirus restrictions preventing the usual flood of racegoers to the event. The cup was to be the highlight of the nine-race meeting, but no public crowds or members would be allowed at the track this year.

OCTOBER 22: MORE than 20 new police officers started across Geelong, Colac and the Surf Coast since July as part of the biggest investment in regional policing in Victoria Police’s 167-year history. In March, Victoria Police announced the Geelong and Surf Coast Police Service Areas would receive 63 extra police over the following 12 months – the most new police provided to the region in one allotment.

OCTOBER 29: THE economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic was one of the defining characteristics of the City of Greater Geelong’s performance over the past financial year, according to the council’s annual report. Between March and June, the council allocated $10.8 million through four separate support packages, committing to deliver targeted assistance measures across a range of areas to both community members and business owners.

NOVEMBER 5: LOCAL accommodation providers and hospitality venues anticipated a surge in business when the “ring of steel” around metropolitan Melbourne was removed on November 9. The Pier Geelong general manager Gillian Costa said many venues would otherwise still be operating at a fraction of their normal capacity.

NOVEMBER 12: NAIDOC Week celebrations continued despite COVID-19 compromising the usual festivities. This year the theme ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’, pronounced “Yannan-ik Yannan-iyu” in Wadawurrung language, underpinned the annual week celebrating the history, culture and achievements of First Nations people.

NOVEMBER 19: THE State Budget was to be handed down, and councils and business organisations in the Geelong region had a clear idea of what they wanted from it. Recently re-elected City of Greater Geelong mayor Stephanie Asher said the Northern Bellarine swimming pool in Drysdale and the Northern Aquatic and Community Hub in Norlane continued to be top funding priorities for the region.

NOVEMBER 26: THE Geelong Football Club was gaming-free after completing the historic sale of The Brook, and planned to make up the deficit by investing positively in the community. “It took a long time, but we got there eventually,” Cats chief executive officer Brian Cook said. “We started six or seven years ago. We had two venues and we had 100 machines at the stadium. This week we finalised the last 80 in the sale of The Brook out at Point Cook.”

DECEMBER 3: LOCAL residents fought to prevent an “iconic” bluestone cottage from being torn down on Barwon Heads Road. The McAteer’s Bluestone Cottage was a prominent part of the Marshall community for more than 150 years but now faced demolition to make way for a duplication of Barwon Heads Road. Major Road Projects confirmed plans to improve the traffic flow to the area by duplicating four kilometres of the road, removing a level crossing and improving the existing intersections.

DECEMBER 10: OUTDOOR dining was approved in Geelong just in time for summer, with the City of Greater Geelong confirming 38 temporary permits across the municipality. Hospitality businesses received a much-needed boost with free permits being handed out in a bid to increase the number of customers seated at restaurants and cafes.

DECEMBER 17: DAN Murphy’s, KFC and Hungry Jack’s were to open to the growing population at Armstrong Creek in less than a year with the retailers taking prime position on the Surf Coast Highway. Ground works of Stage Two at Armstrong Creek Town Centre began

DECEMBER 24: THE latest feature on the Geelong waterfront will allow people to take a 440-metre journey over the waters of Corio Bay. The $10.1 million wave attenuator – which has been named Wangim Walk, “boomerang” in the Wadawurrung language – is among Australia’s longest on-water walkways and is expected to be a drawcard for the Geelong community and visitors to the region.

DECEMBER 31: A VICTORIAN GP was recognised for his service and support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities after he was awarded a prestigious Victorian Rural Health Award. Acting medical director Dr Ed Poliness was honoured for his work at the Geelong-based Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative.