5 AUGUST, 2026
Band to make annual stand Hobson Bay City Band has been going strong for 30 years and will mark the milestone with its annual concert on Sunday 23 August at the Altona City Theatre. Billed as ‘Light and Colour’, the concert promises a big afternoon of exciting live band music ranging from popular artists such as Adele, Beach Boys and The Doors to classic and evocative band music. Conductor Wayne Bowden has put together a diverse and challenging program and said the band had so far risen to the challenge. “I am very impressed with the way in which the musicians have accepted the challenges put to them for this fabulous variety of repertoire,” Bowden said of the band he has led since 2018. Bass clarinet player Murray Smith said he loved the the challenge of playing a wide range of music and the camaraderie amongst the band members. “Wayne has been working with us to reach a higher and higher standard and we’re proud of the music we’re making,” Smith said. Details: www.hbcb.org.au Hobsons Bay City Band members (L-R) Queenie Lim, Wayne Bowden, Murray Smith and Robin Zakharov are preparing for their annual concert on 23 August. (Damjan Janevski) 568810_06
Shirt stirs storm By Cade Lucas The owners of a Footscray record store have defended the suburb after the previous occupant of their shop released a T-shirt emblazoned with ‘Footscray is a Shithole’ and claimed he had to close due to the area becoming an “absolute dumpster fi re”. Kynan O’Meara and Jason Richmond opened their record store and cafe Coco Bananas in Chambers Street, between the Nicholson Street Mall and Maddern Square, in October 2023 after the closure of Counterweight Vinyl and Espresso. On Saturday 25 July, a picture of a white T-shirt splashed with dark blue, baseball-style font denigrating Footscray
was posted to Counterweight’s Instagram account, its fi rst post since November 2023. “We were forced to close down our store in Footscray mall due to the absolute dumpster fi re that it has become,” the post accompanying the photo read. “It has risen to our attention that wearing this T-shirt makes us feel better, evidently others too. “If you would like to own one DM your size and colour $40.” It’s unknown what prompted the post and attempts by Star Weekly to contact the former owner of Counterweight Espresso and Vinyl have so far been unsuccessful. While the post garnered plenty of attention, including many comments
agreeing with its assessment of the Footscray CBD, others have hit back, including the owners of the record store and cafe which now occupies the same premises. “Our view is that we love the people of Footscray. We think it’s an amazing pace to do business,” Coco Bananas co-owner Kynan O’Meara said. “We’ve had nothing but affection and appreciation from the people who’ve taken us into their hearts and that’s what we’ve seen since we started here.” Speaking on behalf of his co-owner Jason Richmond, Mr O’Meara didn’t deny that the Footscray CBD had problems, but denigrating it wouldn’t help.
ADVERTISEMENT
12887454-JD30-26
“There’s problems all over Melbourne, but that doesn’t mean that you need to resort to blaming people who live in an area. “There’s every reason to be proud to do business in Footscray,” he said, adding that he and Mr Richmond held no hard feelings towards their predecessor. “I do believe that he gave it a really good shot and he was believed by the people of Footscray,” Mr O’Meara said. Nearby venue Pride of Our Footscray Bar has since launched T-shirts with a more positive spin on the suburb such as “Footscray is Character Building,” and “Footscray has Great Personality,“