September 29, 2023
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Lions and Tigers rule Thousands flocked to Leopold Memorial Park on Saturday September 23 for the Geelong Football Netball League grand finals. In perfect weather conditions, Leopold knocked off South Barwon in the senior footy and Colac scraped home in a one-goal thriller against Newtown & Chilwell in the A Grade netball. For the Polders, it went a long way to erasing the disappointment of last year when they lost the grand final to St Mary’s. And for Colac, it was was a second consecutive flag and consecutive losses for the Eagles. The Eagles have dominated the competition with seven flags in a row from 2013, but a changing of the guard appears to be happening. ■ See pages 24 and 25 for footy and
netball pictures and page 27 for stories. Also see page 19 to see how the fans enjoyed the occasion. The Leopold team celebrates winning the Geelong Football League premiership. (Ivan Kemp) 361506_27
Geelong divided on Dan By Matt Hewson As shockwaves reverberate through the state after the unexpected resignation of the Victorian premier, the opinions of local political, business and community leaders are, predictably, divided when it comes to Daniel Andrews and his legacy. In his nearly nine-year tenure as premier, Mr Andrews has earned himself both fervent admiration from his supporters and scathing criticism from his detractors. Depending on who you ask, Mr Andrews could be either praised or vilified for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, infrastructure and capital works projects, the abortive 2026 Commonwealth Games and his
focus on results over transparent process. When it came to the Geelong region, the Andrews government delivered on many, but not all, of its promises. Geelong Region Alliance (G21) chief executive Giulia Baggio said Mr Andrews’ defining legacy in Geelong was his government’s “massive investment” in the region, but some issues such as public transport required prioritising. “There have been many local positives, including the transformation of Geelong Arts Centre, the Big Battery, the new convention centre and other City Deal projects,” Ms Baggio said. “However, public transport remains underdone in our region and we’ll be looking
to the new premier to work closely with us on this.” Committee for Geelong chief Michael Johnston echoed Ms Baggio’s comments regarding public transport, and said while Geelong’s growth had “accelerated” due to tough decisions made by Mr Andrews during the pandemic, not everyone in the region had been a winner. “Some benefited from the (Andrews) government’s approach, while others were worse off; we are still seeing the effects in Geelong’s CBD,” he said. “The Victorian government’s commitment to the Geelong City Deal…continues to deliver important investment into Geelong and the region, most recently with the commencement
of the Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre. “(But) the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games will be remembered as a lost opportunity for Geelong and regional Victoria.” The relationship between the premier and Geelong council was extremely strained at times. In 2016 the Andrews government sacked high-profile mayor Darryn Lyons and his council group, while last year tensions grew when local Labor MPs wrote a letter to councillors with Mr Andrews’ backing, claiming Geelong council had delayed or mismanaged government-funded projects. ■ Continued: Page 3.
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