June 27, 2025
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Winners are grinners
(Ivan Kemp) 485240_34
North Shore coach Mark Hounslow (pictured) was all smiles after a nailbiting win against Lara last Saturday. It’s been a tumultuous 12 months for the Seagulls. The club wasn’t even guaranteed to be competing in the Geelong Football Netball League this season with AFL Barwon expressing concern over the club being able to field senior and reserves footy teams. But the club rallied and was given a reprieve. However, it has been a horror season on field with regular heavy losses. But last Saturday at Lara’s Bisinella Oval, the Seagulls defeated their fellow cellar dwellers by 14 points after surviving a late rally from the Cats. Hounslow has remained upbeat all season and was justifiably happy when Ivan Kemp took this photograph after the final siren. See page 25 for all the photos from the game and page 27 for Justin Flynn’s match report and interview with the North Shore coach.
Budget delivered By Justin Flynn Free two-hour parking, the removal of a ‘permit to burn’ fee and an increase in funding for Pako Festa highlighted City of Greater Geelong’s budget for the next financial year. The final budget, which was adopted on Tuesday June 24, gives council an operating surplus of $509,000, which differed from the proposed $3.4 million deficit in the draft budget. “It is small, very tight, but it’s a surplus,” Cr Andrew Katos said. “Which is what we want. We don’t want to be running deficits unless we have to. And there are no new
borrowings planned for the next financial year, which is important.” Council’s debt is $157.6 million and forecast to be $136 million in 2028-29. “Had we not made the correct decisions this year, that would have been over $200 million of debt in 28-29,” Cr Katos said. “It’s a balancing act - we’ve got to show some financial responsibility, but we also need to, as best we can, meet the needs and expectations of the community. “That can be difficult. We can’t fund everything, as much as we wish we could, we’d like to provide every service we could and find everything that’s out there, but we have a limited budget and scarce resources
so we have to make decisions.” One free two-hour parking session per vehicle, per day in 2P zones is intended to support local businesses, especially in central Geelong while helping to reduce the cost of living. “In my own personal calendar, I’ll be proclaiming the 24th of June as World Geelong Free Parking Day,” Cr Eddie Kontelj said. The fire prevention burning-off fee will be scrapped while Geelong West’s multicultural Pako Festa will receive an extra $20,000, up from $80,000 in the draft budget. “Food is the way communities come
together,” Cr Ron Nelson said. “I was a chef for 20-something years. There’s nothing better than sharing food and sharing stories with the community because that’s what brings the community together.” North Shore and Barwon Heads Football Netball Clubs also benefited from the budget. Safety netting totalling $95,000 will be installed at North Shore’s Windsor Park while $20,000 was included to subsidise maintenance of Barwon Heads’ Howard Harmer Reserve. Continued: Page 3.
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