May 1, 2026
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Geelong Medal for Jakara Jakara Anthony is one of the Greater Geelong region’s greatest-ever athletes. The only Australian Winter Olympian to win two gold medals, Anthony followed up her 2022 women’s moguls gold-medal performance in Beijing with an astounding victory in the inaugural dual moguls event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Born in Cairns but brought up in Barwon Heads since she was a toddler, Anthony began skiing at the age of four and debuted on the World Cup circuit at the age of 16. Since then she has won 26 World Cup events – including a record-breaking streak of wins and the highest ever points tally in the sport’s history during the 2023-24 season – and won silver at the 2019 World Championships. This week the 27-year-old Olympic champion received the inaugural Geelong Medal, a civic award created to celebrate the achievement of excellence by a team or individual from the region. Jakara Anthony with Christian College Geelong principal Dr Mathilda Joubert and students Rose, McKenzie, Willa, Mitch and Zara. (Ivan Kemp) 549624_01
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Creche pleas ignored By Matt Hewson City of Greater Geelong councillors and staff faced an outpouring of discontent from the community over the decision to close four creche services at its Swim, Sport & Leisure facilities. Ten members of the public addressed the council group during Tuesday’s meeting at City Hall, pleading with councillors to reconsider a decision that would negatively impact hundreds of families. Many community members said creche services were crucially important to people’s physical and mental health, allowing families with low support and single parents to access fitness facilities. Speakers also emphasised the disproportionate impact the closure would
have on women and lambasted the City’s offer of three months free access to fitness services for affected families - services they could never access without the support of the creches. Community members also petitioned the City to pause the cancellation of the creche services to engage directly with the community. Petition presenter Belinda White urged the City to seek “simple, practical, realistic solutions”. “We deeply care about these creche services…they are essential for mental health, they’re essential for mothers, to our community, to the well-being of our children,” she said. “The evidence is in writing; almost 1000 signatures collected in less than three
weeks opposing this unjust decision. “Please continue the creche services until the end of the fi nancial year, for the period the creche is actually funded for.” Among the pleas to keep providing the services, the chamber also heard from 11-year-old Austin Clark, who has attended the creche at Leisure Link since he was two years old. “I’ve made so many friends at the creche, and the carers are my friends too,” he said. “My mum is fit and healthy and it encourages me to want to be fit and healthy as well.” Austin invited councillors to visit the creche to “see what a wonderful place it is”. He received polite smiles but no responses. The City’s executive director of city life Anthony Basford provided a single, lengthy
response to the 14 submitted questions, noting fi rst that closing the creches was not a council decision, but an operational one made by City officers. “We understand that this decision is at odds with some in our community, however, it has been made for sound reasons, carefully considered prior to the decision,” he said. “There were five key reasons for the decision: changing regulatory compliance requirements; low demand for the service; fi nancial sustainability; providing creches is not core business for Swim, Sport, and Leisure; and strategic misalignment. “When all these factors are taken into consideration, the decision to discontinue the creche service is reasoned, responsible, and strategically aligned.”
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