Music to your ears

I HAVE never been shy about my love of music.

It is a great way to connect to people and it is a universal language.

Recently, Council and Creative Victoria teamed up again for another significant investment into Geelong’s music scene.

The GRID (Grass Roots Indie Development) series has been brought to Geelong to work with local artist for the first time.

This is a free program that links established songwriters and producers with emerging local talent.

The opportunity for the next generation of artists to work alongside current stars in a studio to record their own track is something pretty special.

Artists will also work with a film crew to produce their own documentary, as well as perform live at Pako Festa and a music festival in the region next year.

The performers selected to participate in the program are Daisy Kilbourne, Baraka The Kid Ridzy Ray, Elena Nichols and Wild Gloriosa.

What I love most about this group is their diverse mix of musical interests and cultural backgrounds, representing First Nations, Congolese, South Indian and Samoan communities, and the hip hop, R & B, acoustic folk and neo soul scenes.

We look forward to hearing their tracks and seeing them perform at Geelong events for many years to come.

Christmas in Geelong program

One of the great initiatives of Council in recent years has been our declaration that we are the Christmas capital of Australia.

From a tourism perspective, this is like gold for the city and our entire region.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and our program this year will encourage people from all across Victoria and indeed Australia to visit and experience what is on offer.

This year Corio Bay will once again be home to the hugely popular floating Christmas tree.

The lighting of the tree on Saturday, 11 November officially launches the City of Greater Geelong’s Christmas program and is always a special night.

The tree stands as a symbol of the Christmas season for our city, helping to bring together our community and fostering a sense of togetherness and joy across the region.

Spectacular sound and light shows will be held every night at the tree through to Sunday, 7 January, commencing at 8.30pm and running until midnight.

In addition to this, many of our family favourite activities and events are returning this year, offering something for all ages.

The projections on City Hall are always a family hit, as are our Letters to Santa, the Giant Selfie Trail, with more than 20 locations, competitions and the school Christmas Trees in Johnstone Park.

There are plenty of events for adults as well, and details of the full program are available at the Christmas in Geelong website.

It has been a challenging time for many Australians and people in Geelong are no different.

I hope that our program can bring some happiness to those who need it most this year, and I wish everybody a safe and merry Christmas.

Cr Eddy Kontelj

Brownbill Ward,

City of Greater Geelong