March 28, 2025
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Splash of colour for Easter home Torquay artist Kirsten Walsh has created a large-scale mural inspired by artwork from children whose lives had been touched by The Royal Children’s Hospital. The mural is at the 2025 Good Friday Appeal Home in Mount Duneed and honours volunteer tradies and suppliers who helped make the home possible. The spectacular 48sq Juno home by Henley at Villawood Properties’ award-winning Armstrong Mount Duneed estate will go to a no-reserve auction on April 18 at 19 Electric Crescent, Mount Duneed. A giant family street party with food stalls, kids’ rides, music and entertainment is expected to draw up to 1000 people. Pictured are Alan Miller (chief executive Villawood Properties), Evan with his dad Jake Murrell, Kirsten Walsh (artist), Charlotte, Rebecca Cowan (Good Friday Appeal director) and Liz Rand (Henley Homes). See page 5 for more.
Protests soar at airshow Vandalism, protests and bomb threats have marred the lead-up to the Avalon Airshow, with activists continuing to oppose the event this weekend. Anti-war rallies have been organised in North Geelong, Corio and Lara during the Avalon Australian International Airshow’s public days from Friday March 28 to Sunday March 30. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said he was disappointed in the actions people were
taking against the airshow. “The airshow is really one of the great Geelong events and they’re (protestors) not going to get in the way of that,” he said. Activists previously held a blockade along Beach Road from 7am on Wednesday March 26 to stop defence personnel from entering the airshow during its major trade day. Mr Marles’ Brougham Street office was targeted on March 19 with anti-war graffiti that read ‘weapons out of Geelong’ and ‘war crimes start here’, along with a smashed window.
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The bomb squad was also called to AMDA Foundation’s (organiser of the Avalon Airshow) North Geelong office on March 21 after two female protestors dropped off a suspicious package at reception while chanting and filming. A bomb detection robot removed the package at about 1.30pm, which was later found not to contain any dangerous materials. Mr Marles said acts of vandalism and threats were “not making any point” and that “freedom of speech should be exercised with speech”.
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“It’s a small number of people who are really behaving in a way which is so reprehensible, and I don’t think it’s representative of how people feel,” he said. “Along the way, they’re seeking to intimidate people in a completely inappropriate way. Ultimately, the victims are ordinary people in Geelong who are just going about their business. “We live in a society where there’s freedom of speech and people have the right to have an opinion but vandalism and intimidating people in their workplace is not freedom of speech.”
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