July 25, 2025
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Youth Sailor of the Year Geelong sailor Will Farnell, 16, has been named Ocean Racing Club Victoria’s Youth Sailor of the Year for 2025. Salt water is is Will’s veins; a member of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, where his grandfather once served as Commodore, sailing has been part of his life ever since he can remember. Will has dedicated himself to the sport of sailing, accumulating a multitude of experiences on the open ocean most teenagers can only imagine. He has competed in two cadet sailing World Championships, made the ocean voyage to Sydney twice and has visions of sailing around the world one day. Will spoke to the Geelong Independent about the impact sailing has had on his life; turn to page 4 to read more about his remarkable journey so far. Victoria’s ocean racing Youth Sailor of the Year Will Farnell with his father’s Adams 10.6 Valiant. (Louisa Jones) 491377_17
Family’s terror ordeal By Jena Carr An Indian family living in Grovedale has been left afraid for their safety following an allegedly racist attack over the weekend. Aziz Rahman, his wife, and their three children, aged 8, 6, and just over 1 year old, were home on Sunday, July 20, when two teenage boys wearing hoodies knocked on the door at around 4.30pm. Mr Rahman said the boys, aged between 15 and 18, started verbally abusing him and telling him that his family should “go back to India”, with one of the boys filming the incident on a phone. “One of the guys, he had a Scottish
accent, started saying ‘f**k you’. I asked the boys, ‘what do you mean?’ and ’why are you saying that?’ but they kept saying, ‘f**k you’,” he said. “One of the guys was holding a box, but I didn’t know if something was in the box. I asked, ‘What do you want?’ and tried to open the door. “The boys then ran off down the driveway, with one of the guys yelling, ‘go back to India’ and ‘f**k you’. He then took a knife out (of the box) and tried to wave it like they were going to kill me.” The boys eventually ran off, only to return later that night at around 8pm, where they allegedly threw a rock at Mr Rahman’s house, which broke a window.
“I ran outside to have a look but there was no one there,” he said. “I saw the guy come back from the corner of the street, so I ran after him, but he disappeared. I talked with owners of the corner house, and they said they saw two young guys run past them. “The whole night, the kids can’t sleep. I tried to tell them that they were bad guys and not to worry about them... but every time we heard something, like a little knock on the door, everybody would wake up.” Mr Rahman said the family have lived at their Grovedale property for close to two years, possibly longer, and had no issues with anyone before the incident.
“We walk down the street every day and take the kids outside, so we know most people nearby, but I have never seen those boys before,” he said. A Victoria Police spokesperson told the Independent that an investigation into the incident has commenced and remains ongoing, which is being managed by Waurn Ponds Police Station. The spokesperson also said there were no current suspects but that police would conduct a CCTV canvass of the surrounding area. Anyone with information to assist with the investigation is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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