Ocean Grove Voice - 3rd April 2026

Give that they may grow

The Geelong region raised more than $580,000 for the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Good Friday appeal last and the call has gone out to beat that amount this year.

Generous locals and organisations tipped with the Tin Shed in Barwon Heads raising $90,000.

Drysdale and Ocean Grove raised a combined $76,300.

The Good Friday Appeal raises funds to enable The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne to provide world class care to our children.

Pictured at University Hospital in Geelong is August and Ruby, who were paid a visit by the Easter Bunny (aka Zoe Gill).

Funds raised also go to regional healthcare and since 2024, more than $8.5 million has been committed to regional health services across Barwon South West, Gippsland, Hume, Grampians and Loddon Mallee, funding vital paediatric equipment, specialist training, scholarships and innovative care programs.

NEPT crisis claims

By Matt Hewson

ThelocalbranchofStJohnAmbulance(SJA) Victoriahascomeunderfirefromagroupof employees.

In a statement emailed to the Independent, a collective of anonymous employeesclaimingtobefrontlinemedical, operational and administrative staff raised what they call “grave concerns” about the viability of SJA’s non-emergency patient transport(NEPT)service.

SJA’s NEPT service provides clinical transport for patients who require medical supervision, monitoring or assistance but donotneedemergencyambulanceservices, transporting patients between hospitals, from home to hospital and to outpatient or specialistappointments.

StaffmembersclaimedtheNEPTsection’s alleged financial situation impacted workersandcontractors.

Staff said they feared SJA would close its Ballarat and Geelong branches, causing significantlay-offs.

However, an SJA spokesperson denied the claims saying the organisation was not considering closing any branches and remained focused on “strengthening and expanding our services, including growing our presence in regional Victoria as part of our mission to lead the state in first aid and medicalresponse”.

In the statement received by the Independent, signed by “ambulance insiders“, the authors claim that NEPT is

“allegedly in severe financial difficulty and is reportedly seeking a government bailout toremainoperational“.

They also claim “widespread“ instances of employees being underpaid and that paymentstoseveralmechanicalcontractors havebeendelayed.

The staff members emphasised they were “frontline workers, not professional agitators” who had received “minimal answers” from management about their concerns and were worried the “current trajectoryofStJohnNEPTisunsustainable”.

The SJA spokesperson said that the “the NEPT arm of St John Ambulance has not sought a government bailout to remain operational.“

“We’re currently undertaking a

comprehensive payroll review within NEPT, which was proactively initiated by St Johnaspartofourcommitmenttoensuring accuracy and compliance,“ they said. “We have maintained open communication with affected employees throughout the process and will address any findings as appropriateoncethereviewisfinalised.”

Staff also referred to an alleged incident where an NEPT crew struck a group of kangaroos.

“It was revealed that SJA appears to hold only basic roadside assistance rather than comprehensive insurance or towing,” the statementclaimed.

The SJA spokesperson could not confirm the specific incident, but said all NEPT vehicleswerecomprehensivelyinsured.

Speed limit reverts back

The speed limit on Sheepwash Road in BarwonHeadshasrevertedbackto50km/h after community feedback criticised the change.

The speed limit was lowered to 40km/h last October, but was changed back to 50km/h.

ThesidestreetsconnectedtoSheepwash RoadwillreceiveArea40signage,whichapplies to all roads within a designated zone.

The signage works are part of the broad-

er Local Area Traffic Management project in Barwon Heads to improve community safety, reduce crash risks, manage increased traffic flow, and discourage non-local and through-traffic from residential streets.

Raised intersections on Ozone Road at Margate Street and Seaview Avenue have been installed to help slow down vehicles and improve safety. Speed humps have also been added on Seaview Avenue. A

mini roundabout has also been installed at Hitchcock Avenue and Geelong Road.

The works have been funded through the Victorian government’s $210 million Safe Local Roads and Streets Program.

Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant said the road upgrades would increase safety for all users.

“Upgrades across Barwon Heads are nearing completion, helping improve safety and making it easier for people to walk,

Sing out, stand up at pop-up performance

By Matt Hewson

Sometimessmall,positivechangescanhave life-changing results.

That’s the ethos behind a pop-up performance next week in Queenscliff aiming to raise awareness of family violence.

Organised by the Bellarine-based Shedding the Blues music and wellbeing collective, Sing Out, Stand Up Against Family Violence will feature some of the region’s best-loved musicians, including Sarah Carroll, Andrea Robertson, Rob Grundel and Tess Duddy, leading a choir of 30 people.

The performance will include songs

themed around peace and love, such as Ben E King’s Stand By Me and All You Need is Love by The Beatles, and people’s experience of family violence, including Lucinda William’s Change the Locks and Archie Roach’s Walking into Doors.

SheddingtheBlueschairpersonDesGorman said the collective’s core mission was inclusion, support and well-being through music.

“We thought one way to build awareness (of family violence) was to run workshops, butweprobablyonlygotadozencommunity members coming along,” he said.

“So then we thought, well, our best voice

is using music; it resonates with people, reaches their emotions, their thoughts, their souls.

“We’re not there to bash people over the head with it, but family violence is happening and if you just stand by you’re condoning it.

“We want people to go away thinking ‘that was fun’ , but it’s a pretty strong message. If we can provide people with just a slight change to their mindset, then that can be built on over time.”

Sing Out, Stand Up Against Family Violence is at Wirrng Wirrng (Queenscliff Hub) at 10.30am on Saturday 11 April.

Council signs new kindergarten plan with the state government

AnewinfrastructureplanwillhelpGeelong’s smallest residents get the best start to their education.

The City of Greater Geelong and the Victorian government have co-signed a Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan (KISP) for the region, signalling a joint commitment to improve access to early childhood education services.

The KISP is intended to help the City and early learning providers understand community needs, guide service planning and kindergarten program expansion and provide fair and equitable infrastructure capac-

ity now and in the future.

Mayor Stretch Kontelj said the infrastructure plan would help improve livability for families.

“Greater Geelong is a wonderful place to raise children,” he said.

“The Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan will help us better understand community needs and ensure that we can plan for services that continue to maintain our current high standards.”

Councillor Andrew Katos, chair of the city planning portfolio, said preparing for growth would help ensure Greater Geelong

cycle and move around the town,“ she said.

Connewarre Ward councillor Elise Wilkinson said the community played a big part in advocating for the safety upgrades.

“The Barwon Heads community shared its concerns with us about traffic, parking, and active travel,” she said.

“From that feedback, we’ve been able to develop solutions that will make the area a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists and all road users.”

Have a good yarn

A new show will celebrate yarn, fibre and handmade artistry in Geelong, honouring the region’s vibrant wool history.

The Geelong and Bellarine Yarn Show (GABYS) will make its debut this month with stalls and demonstrations showcasing the best in knitting, crochet, and fibre art.

Event organisers Andrea Clements and Tess Vandekolk said Geelong had a long history in the wool trade, with the region once home to many industries involved in wool processing.

“The show will take into consideration the region’s historical perspective, as (Geelong) was a central part of wool production and shipping in Australia and internationally,” Ms Clements said.

“You can still see all the different facilities around the waterfront and along the river, like old shipping buildings and scouring facilities,” Ms Vandekolk said.

GABYS was designed to be about more than just yarn, and aimed to inspire connection, creativity and community.

“It helps calm down the part of the brain that reacts to external and internal stimuli and stress while helping to re-engage the top part of the brain, so it helps to decrease anxiety,” Ms Clements said.

remains an attractive location for young families.

“As more people choose our region as their place to call home, we need to make sure our infrastructure keeps up,” he said.

“To do this, we need a clear picture of what the community needs, and where.

“The Kindergarten Infrastructure and ServicesPlanwillhelpusdoexactlythatand ensure our smallest residents have spaces where they can learn and grow.”

Visit geelongaustralia.com.au for more information on the Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan.

“Having a market where you can go and feel the materials is a really nice way for people to come out and see what they like most...as sometimes you really need to touch a fibre before you knit or crochet with it,” Ms Vandekolk said.

GABYS will be held at Deakin University’s Geelong Waterfront Campus from 9.30am to 3pm on Saturday 18 April, with a door entrance cost of $5.

Hooded plovers fight back

The vulnerable hooded plover has fought back with five chicks defying the odds and successfully fledging on local beaches.

With approximately 750 hooded plovers in Victoria, each hatched chick stands only a 2 percent chance of surviving to fledgling age.

‘Hoodies’ spend the first five weeks of their life unable to fly and are highly vulnerabletopredatorssuchasotherbirds, cats, foxes, dogs and humans.

This season’s fledglings were recorded at Ocean Grove’s Buckley Park Foreshore

Reserve, Breamlea, and a surprise chick was discovered on Sand Island near Queenscliff, marking one of the strongest seasons in recent years.

City of Greater Geelong’s environment and animal management teams worked closely with Barwon Coast and Friends of the Hooded Plover volunteers at Buckley Park Foreshore Reserve, increasing monitoring, visitor education and on-groundsupportthroughouttheseason.

Friends of the Hooded Plover regional coordinator Tash Verspeek said the team

was thrilled with the outcome.

“It’s really important and very exciting that we’ve managed to help support the hoodies in their breeding success,” she said.

“There are lots of threats to hooded plovers, but on a stretch of beach that allows dogs, what we are asking people to do is to keep their dog on a lead. We’re very happy to say that most people were obliging and supportive, so thank you.

“It’s probably our biggest win for the hoodiesthisseasontohavehadanincrease

Ride the quacking wave to raise funds

The yellow tidal wave will descend from the Barwon River Bridge to help raise money for theregion’scommunitygroupsandschools.

Rotary Club of Ocean Grove will host the 24th Great Barwon River Duck Race from 1pm on Saturday 4 April, with close to 2500 ducks of varying colours and sizes launched fromthebridge.

Duck Race Committee treasurer Lisa Hanley will don the big yellow duck suit during the event and said the event was alwaysafuntimeforthecommunity.

“They then float upriver on the incoming tide, about 300 metres to the Ozone Jetty, where volunteers from the 13th Beach Surf Life Saving Club and local canoe club will scoopthemup,”shesaid.

“Outofthose,thefirst10fastestswimming or floating ducks get a prize, and then there’s alsoabunchofluckyduckprizes,soifyou’re not the fastest duck, you might still be the luckiestduck.”

Ms Hanley said all the proceeds from the event would be donated to charities,

community and environmental groups and schoolsacrosstheregion.

“Ilovetheevent’scommunityatmosphere withmanypeopleoutontheriver,alongwith all the kids and parents coming along to watchtheducks,”shesaid.

“The yellow ducks (Major Race) are a highlight of the event, but there are also the littleblueducks(QuackerKidsrace),whichis a race aimed more for the younger kids, and the Corporate ducks race, where businesses cansponsoranddecorateaduck.”

New feature film explores the Geelong region’s colonial past

A new feature film will explore the story of a Wadawurrung woman and an escaped British convict.

Australian film Magic Lands: Purra and Buckley’s Chance, centred on the regions of Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Barwon River in the early 1800s, has entered pre-production.

The film tells the tale of escaped convict William Buckley and Wadawurrung woman Purranmurnin Tullawurnin, two people bound by love who struggled to survive in the early years of colonisation.

In the development and research phases for the past six years, the film’s screenplay has been completed and is set to enter production in September.

The $5 million production will be shot over 42 days on location in Western Victoria, showcasingthelandscapesofWadawurrung Country.

Purra and Buckley’s Chance will be the first feature project from Magic Lands Alliance, a cultural initiative focused on sharing the truth of Indigenous and colonial history.

Producer, writer and actor James Vegter said the film represents an opportunity to reconnect audiences with an important and largely untold chapter of Australian history.

“This region holds one of the most extraordinary and largely untold stories in Australian history, set during the early formation of Geelong and Melbourne,”

in the collaborative approach with the City of Greater Geelong.”

Long-time volunteer John Murray, who has monitored a stretch of the Bellarine coastline for two decades, said the fledglings represent a major boost to the local and statewide population.

“This breeding season there were 21 nests between Ocean Grove pub and Point Lonsdale, and out of those we had four chicks that successfully made it through the 35 days until they’re mature enough to fly,” he said.

Bev McArthur MP survives challenge

Liberal upper house leader Bev McArthur survived a challenge on SaturdayfromformerGeelongmayor Trent Sullivan for her top spot on the Liberals’ Western Victoria ticket.

Former Burwood MP Graham Watt won second spot.

“For more than 50 years as a member of our great party, I have not only respected grassroots democracy - I have welcomed it,” Ms McArthur said.

“In Western Victoria, our members have spoken, and I thank them for it. They have emphatically backed an experienced, united team by preselecting Graham Watt and me as their top two Upper House candidates for the forthcoming state election.

“They have said yes to a united team. Yes to politics of conviction. And yes to winning the state election.

“Now our job continues: holding the worst state government in the nation to account and standing up for our forgotten farmers, families, and country Victorians.

“I thank our leader Jess Wilson and my scrutineer and outgoing colleague Joe McCracken for their support, and I look forward to helping Jess form and lead a government that restores hope and opportunity to Victoria.”

Ms McArthur polled 75 votes with Mr Sullivan polling 26.

Victorians head to the polls in November, with the coalition vying to end 12 years of Labor rule.

he said. “William Buckley lived with the Wadawurrung people for more than three decades,butattheheartofthisstoryisPurra, whose voice has rarely been recognised.

“This film is about bringing that story to light with care, accuracy, and in partnership with Traditional Owners and First Nations advisors.”

Vegter said the production team is now actively raising finance and forming partnerships to bring the film into production.

“We are currently seeking sponsors, philanthropic partners, organisations and investors who wish to align with the project and help bring this important story to screen.”

Diving into life with sharks

Louisa Graf is a PhD candidate researching the behaviour and ecosystems of sharks and rays in waters near Point Lonsdale. She speaks with Jena Carr about her research and what inspired her to get up close and personal with animals that many people fear.

LouisaGrafhasfeltdrawntotheocean foraslongasshecanremember,with sharks and rays at the centre of her curiosity.

Louisa had all the shark and ocean books when she was a kid, and her mum wouldmakehershark-shapedcakesforher birthday.

She would also wear a wetsuit, goggles, a stethoscopeandcarryaroundasharkbook (which was her idea of a shark researcher’s toolkit) to every career day at primary school.

“Ispentalotoftimedownatthebeachas a kid, so I feel as though it has always been a part of me,” Louisa said. “I honestly can’t put a pin on the time that sparked my love for the ocean, as I’ve always been drawn to it ever since I was small.

“As a kid, I must admit I loved the funky-looking ones (sharks and rays) and my favourite was the deep-sea goblin shark and, as an adult, I have a broader appreciation for their (sharks) diversity.”

Louisa has gone on to channel her passion into a career as a graduate marine scientist and current PhD candidate specialising in shark and ray research at Deakin University’s Queenscliff Marine Research Centre.

“I am drawn to their (sharks and rays) elusivenature,andthisfiresmypassionfor research,” she said. “I want to know where they go, what they eat, and what drives their behaviours. So, why not channel my passion into my career?

“My PhD focuses on creating a comprehensive ecological profile of the banjo shark (also known as the southern fiddler ray), which is a mesopredatory ray.

“Thismeanstheyareconsumedbylarger sharks, but are also predators themselves, therefore playing key roles in keeping the food web balanced.”

I feel honoured to be able to get up close and personal with some of the most incredible and graceful animals in our oceans

- Louisa Graf

The ecology and movement of southern Australian coastal sharks and rays in Port Phillip Bay forms most of Louisa’s research, which requires getting up close and personal with the animals.

“The process for catching, tagging and tracking sharks and rays can vary depending on the species we are working with,” she said.

“For example, with banjo sharks, I will hopintothewaterandcatchthembyhand, right in Swan Bay.

“When we are targeting multiple shark and ray species at once, we head out onto a boat and catch them using a hook and line.

“To tag the shark or ray, we insert an internal tracking device, no larger than your index finger, under the skin of the animal, and, after that, we release it back into the water and watch them swim away.

“We have started to deploy underwater listening stations in the bay and along the coast, so when a tagged shark or ray swims within range of one of these, their tag will ping, and from this we can track their movements.”

Louisa said she loved the idea of being able to track sharks and rays.

“I think catching and tagging my first ever sharks and rays will always stick with me as some of the most pivotal moments for me,” she said. “Some people tend to think scientists spend all day, every day, at their desks, but I’ve spent hours out on and in the water, which never gets old.

“I wanted to be one of the many researcherswhoaredirectlyinformingour marine conservation and management, so that is why I chose to research, ask questions, find answers and communicate that with the public.

“We need to understand the ecology of our local shark and ray species as our climate continues to change, so that’s why I am using tracking technologies and diet studies to understand why and how they move.”

When she tells people what she does, they often think she’s crazy, but for Louisa, it’s the best job in the world.

“I feel honoured to be able to get up close and personal with some of the most incredible and graceful animals in our oceans,” she said.

“When we are working with a shark or a ray, from start to finish, it is exhilarating, and the feeling of releasing a shark back into the ocean is unbeatable.

“We also get to see a range of them, from

cutebabyPortJacksonstobeautifulbronze whalers.”

Sharks are an animal that many people fear due to their unpredictable nature, physical appearance, and representations in film and media.

“It’s time we shift the narrative from fear to understanding and, whenever I can, that’s the story I try to tell,” Louisa said.

“Whenyouthinkofashark,whatcomesto mind? Jaws? For decades, sensationalised media have shaped how we see these animals, and not always accurately.

“Somesharkspeciesmaycauseincidents, but they are incredibly rare, and, in fact, vending machines cause more incidents per year than sharks do.

“What often gets lost in the fear is their importance, as sharks and rays play critical roles in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems.”

Louisa said people depended on sharks and rays more than they realised, with the animals regulating the ocean’s functions.

“Within their marine ecosystems, many sharksandraysarehigher-orderpredators; this means that they sit towards the top of the food chain,” she said.

“If we take away the top, everything below starts to crumble, creating an irreversible imbalance in our oceans.

“But why do we care about this? Well, 50 per cent of the air we breathe comes from the ocean, and over three billion people depend on marine and coastal resources for their livelihoods.

“So, you might not care for sharks directly, but if you care about breathing or creating a livelihood; then you already do.”

Louisa works alongside supervisor Dr Samantha Sherman, who shares the PhD candidate’s passion for sharks and rays, along with a mutual focus on revealing the animals’ behaviour and ecosystems.

Youth leaders have ideas

By Matt Hewson

Geelong’s new crop of young leaders presented their first report at City Hall this week.

Inducted in January and taking part in their first meeting in February, Geelong council’s 2026 youth council announced their four priority areas for this year through junior mayor Vignesh Ram at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

To guide the work throughout 2026 the youth council will focus on youth health and wellbeing, protecting native land, skies and waterways, inclusivity and safety in the community and economic

equality and opportunity.

Junior mayor Ram said he and the youth council group were “grateful for the trust placed in us” and would “lead with integrity and respect to ensure that every member’s voice is valued”.

“We understand that across Geelong young people are navigating increasing mental health challenges,” he said.

“They are deeply concerned about climateandenvironmentalsustainability. They want communities that are safe, inclusive and equitable across all suburbs.

“And they are, perhaps surprisingly, increasingly aware of the financial

Hop into art over Easter

By Jena Carr

CreativeswillhopintoDrysdaletocelebrate Easter through an art show that showcases artworks across many mediums.

Bellarine North Rotary Club will host a celebration of talent, community and generosityduringits47thAnnualEasterArt Show and Expo this weekend.

Coordinator Caroline Rickard said the event was about more than art, as every visit, purchase and moment spent during the show would support fundraising work.

“The funds that we raise from the Art Expo are going to our local community, but they also go to overseas projects,” she said.

“In the past, we’ve sent funds over to establish a chicken farm in Nepal, which is known as Cluckingham Palace, and we’ve

supported a library over in Cambodia as well.

“People can expect to see just under 300 paintings of various mediums, along with a cameraclubdisplayofphotosandaFestival of Glass display and demonstrations.

“It’s a relaxed way of viewing art, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder as far as art goes, so there may be some things up that you’ll love, and others that you won’t.”

Bellarine North Rotary Club’s Annual Easter Art Show and Expo will be held from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 4 April and Sunday5AprilatChristianCollegeGeelong Bellarine Campus’ Sports Stadium.

Tickets will be available during the show, with entry at $10 for adults, $18 for families, $6forchildrenover12,andfreeforchildren under 12.

All

abilities players put on show

This April GMHBA Stadium plays host to an event proving football is more than just a sport.

All-abilities football teams from Bell Park, Geelong West Giants, Newcomb, Newtown and St Joseph’s will kick off their 2026 season at Victoria’s premier regional football venue on Saturday 11 April.

Presented in partnership by AFL BarwonandKardiniaParkStadiumTrust (KPST),theeventwillincludefourgames overanafternoonfocusingonfun,safety and inclusivity.

AFL Barwon’s All-Abilities Football Netball League focuses on providing equal opportunities for individuals with varying abilities to participate in a competition designed to develop their skills, be part of a supportive team and enjoy playing the game.

AFL Barwon commercial partnerships and communication manager Sean Atkinson said being able to play round one of the competition at GMHBA

pressures shaping their futures and impacting their families. These insights will guide our work and reinforce the importance of our role this year.”

Councillor Anthony Aitken praised the youth council for its list of agreed values.

“It may come as a shock to some of the councillors here, but number two (on the list) is to ensure everyone gets to contribute and speak,” he said.

“I encourage youth council members, keep that value for the rest of your life. Don’t use governance or other reasons not to listen to people…if you can keep that value it will influence better decision-making.”

Stadiumwasa“reallyspecialmomentfor everyone involved”.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the naming rights partner Kardinia Park Stadium Trust for their support in making this possible,” he said. “It provides an outstanding opportunity for our participants to experience the game on a premier stage, and it’s something the players consistently describe as a highlight of their season.”

Chief executive Gerard Griffin said KPST, a major partner of the All-Abilities Football Netball League since 2024, was excited to welcome the All-Abilities football onto GMHBA Stadium again in 2026.

“Providing opportunities for our community to be out on the field is a key commitment of our diversity, equity and inclusion action plan, and partnering with AFL Barwon on this initiative is a highlight on our calendar,” he said.

Gates open on Saturday 11 April at 2.30pm. Entry is free.

Celebrating all things Ford

Voice photographer Ivan Kemp was at Eastern Gardens in Geelong on Sunday 29 March for All Ford Day with more than 1500 Ford vehicles on display.

Check smoke alarms

By Jena Carr

A family-friendly event will encourage families across Geelong and the Bellarine to check their smoke alarms this long weekend.

CFA’s Free Easter Community Event will provide community members with the opportunity to meet volunteers, enjoy activities, and learn about the importance of maintaining smoke alarms.

South West Region community engagement coordinator Michael Dillon said the event would feature face painting, a colouring station, a real CFA fire truck, and helpful safety information.

“As Victorians change their clocks this Easter Weekend, it is a good time to make sure your smoke alarms are in working order,” he said.

“The event is a great opportunity to have fun with people, but also to provide some up-to-date and relevant information around what’s protecting them in their homes.”

MrDillonsaidafirewas“fourtimesmore likely to be fatal” if working smoke alarms weren’t installed, and that smoke alarms were the “best defence against preventable residential fires”.

“When you are asleep, you can’t smell smoke, so a working smoke alarm may be the only thing that would potentially wake you up in case of a fire,” he said.

“By law, you’re required to have smoke alarms in between each sleeping area and the rest of the house, plus one on each level if it’s a double storey, but the CFA recommends that smoke alarms be installed in every living area and bedroom.”

CFA’s Free Easter Community Event will be held at Geelong West’s Sparrow Park

ENTERTAINMENT

from 10am to 1pm on Saturday 4 April, with people across the Bellarine invited to attend.

Phones banned for all students

Students across Geelong and the Bellarine will not be able to access mobile phones in the classroom, except for medical reasons, under new legislation.

Mobile phones will be banned in every school across the state from January next year, which will also cover wearable devices, like smart watches and wireless earbuds.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll said the state first banned mobile phones in public classrooms in 2020, with the ban extended to non-government schools under the new legislation.

“The evidence shows it worked and now we’re going further, so every Victorian student, in every Victorian school, can put their phone away and focus on learning,” he said.

Sacred Heart College Geelong principal Anna Negro said the legislation would help provide a “healthier digital culture” in the school environment.

“We need responsible student use of technology...as we have seen firsthand the harm associated with misuse of personal devices at our school,” she said.?

Personal audio devices will not be able to be used during school hours, and wearable devices must have notifications, cellular connection, and recording functions switched off under the legislation.

There’s a new Slim in town

By Matt Hewson

Folk-punk firebrand Slim Krusty has been describedasa“powerhouse”,a“rawtalent” and a modern “bush-punk poet”.

Hailing from the Grampians region, the tattoo-covered Slim combines clever wordplay,powerfulvocals,guitarworkthat ranges from delicate to fingernail-tearing and plenty of swearing to drag audiences along on a wild ride.

Having toured internationally, playing festival shows to massive crowds alongside big name acts, it’s the smaller shows and dive bars that he lives for.

“I’llalwayspreferahouseshowoverabig show,” he said.

“Don’t get me wrong, some of the ones (during a recent tour of) Canada were

like, holy f***, there’s thousands of people, what the f*** is going on? It was an unreal experience in itself, but the intimacy of a

small show…that’s the bit I love.

“There’s no goal to try to make this massive, I just want to see places. I don’t care if I play small bars, that’s all I want to do.

“At festivals there’s a bit of a separation sometimes. It’s cool, but there’s not that intensity that you get from being real close and all that.”

Intensity and being up close are what Slim is all about; as often as he can, he will play on the dancefloor rather than the stage itself.

Slim’s work ranges from the comediche has recorded a remake of the Beatles’ Blackbird about getting on the gear and heading to notorious Melbourne venue Revolver - to the heartfelt.

HislatestsingleSleepDoesn’tWriteBack

Teen dance show celebrates 10 seasons

Geelong Arts Centre will host a spectacular live production of an iconic Canadian television series turned global phenomenon.

Celebrating 10 years of the much-loved series The Next Step, which debuted in 2013 and concluded with its final season last year, The Next Step: Legacy World Tour is a brand-new live dance show featuring fan-favourite cast members from the original and current seasons..

Influenced by reality television, the mockumentary-style show focused on The Next Step Studio, following a group of elite dancers as they trained and competed and

therehearsals,romancesandrivalriesthey experienced.

The teen drama was a hit not just in Canada but around the world, particularly in the UK, and has sent live productions around the globe since 2015, including a stop in Geelong for the Absolute Dance tour in 2019.

The show was responsible for launching the careers of a number of well-known dancers, including Victoria Baldesarra, Trevor Tordjman and Briar Nolet, who will feature in the Legacy World Tour.

Boat Rocker Studios president of global rights, franchise and content strategy Jon

Rutherford

“The Next Step has been electrifying fans around the world since 2013 with its high-energy performances and talented, awe-inspiring cast,” he said.

“We are thrilled to partner with (official promoter) MRG to take the show on the road and give audiences around the globe a front-row seat to the artistry and athleticism that have made the series such a smash success.”

The Next Step: Legacy World Tour 2026 is at Geelong Arts Centre for two shows on 9 April. Visit geelongartscentre.org.au for tickets and more information.

is an example of the latter, a Pogues-like ballad that begins delicately doleful, but swells to become an epic singalong of despair and loss.

“The sad stuff has probably been there longer than the other, I just never put it out,” he said.

“I saw it as a bit of a contradiction; ‘Oh, I’m f***ing sad, come and see me play’. But I’d be at kick-ons, we’d be jamming and I’d playsomeofthesadsongsandpeoplewere like, what? Do that.

“I’ve always dealt with those perils of life by making a joke out of everything, but there is that underlying thing…Music’s definitely helped a lot with that”

SlimKrustyisatMedusaBaronThursday 9 April. Visit slimkrusty.com.au for tickets and more information.

Environment plea

By Cr Elise Wilkinson

I have often talk about how vital it is for us to protect our natural environment, here on the Bellarine, and across all of Greater Geelong.

We are home to unique, rich ecosystems and incredible biodiversity, with our municipality’s natural wonders spanning the rugged You Yangs, the expansive Bellarine coastline, and our lush local grasslands.

Protecting these assets is integral to the futurehealthofournativefloraandfauna.

As chair of Environment & Circular Economy, I am delighted that council has endorsed the Draft Plan for Nature 2026–2036forpublicengagement.

This document is our north star, setting the future direction for biodiversity programsinGreaterGeelongforthecoming decade.

The plan is the product of significant collaboration between the City, community environmental groups, local conservationists, agency partners, Corangamite CMA, and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners. This extensive engagement, spanning from 2021 to 2025, ensures the plan is grounded in local knowledgeandsharedvalues.

This strategy is informed by sobering findings that highlight why protecting and managing our nature is more important thaneverbefore.

Our region is experiencing significant population growth, while climate change continues to bring drier conditions and a warmerfuture.

Thedatabehindthisplanshowswhythis

workissoimportant.

Currently, only 18 per cent of the municipality’s original remnant vegetation andwetlandsarestillpreserved.

Meanwhile, only 9.7 per cent of the City’s land sits within a conservation estate, well below the national goal of protecting 30 per cent.

More than 90 per cent of the City’s ecological vegetation classes are listed as rare,vulnerable,orendangered.

These are just some of the many reasons this plan is vital to future-proofing the protectionofourenvironment.

Whileadecade-longstrategyisambitious, it is sign-posed with a detailed series of measurable goals that will be reviewed every two to three years to ensure we stay ontrack.

One goal includes plans to establish wildlife corridors across the region, linking existinghabitat.

Another goal includes opportunities

for us to support community groups and landholders in undertaking nature restoration works and engage in nature projects.

We will also be measuring the success of long-term stewardship and protection programs which are aimed at land conservation.

We know that our community has a deep appreciation for the natural environment andconservingouruniquefloraandfauna.

I had the pleasure of attending the One Planet Festival in Ocean Grove last week, and the turnout demonstrated just how much people here care for our natural environment.

There is a powerful desire to identify, protect, connect, and restore the natural worldthatissoprecioustous.

If you care about our local environment anditsfuture,pleasetakealookattheDraft PlanforNatureandshareyourthoughts. Whilereadingthroughtheplan,consider the elements of our local environment that mattermosttoyou.

We also have two upcoming community engagement sessions providing an opportunitytospeakdirectlywithourteam andshareyourfeedback.

Come join us at Wurriki Nyal civic precinct, 137–149 Mercer Street, from 9.30am to 11.30am or 3pm to 5pm on Thursday16Apriltolearnmore.

We want to do everything we can to preserve what we love most about the Bellarine, and all corners of Greater Geelong.

To have your say, visit yoursay. geelongaustralia.com.au/planfornature by Monday27April.

A trip to northeast Victoria

I’mwritingthisinadingylittlemotelroom inWangaratta,whereI’vespentthelastfew days.

I wanted to travel to this region as I’ve heard from many people how lovely the bird watching is in the Warby Ranges, which are located around 15km west of Wangaratta.

I spent two days exploring the recommended birding spots there and I’ve hardlyseenabird.

This is probably due to the time of year, whereconditionsarestilldry,andthegum treesarenotflowering.Still,itwaslovelyto explore the area and experience the quiet bushenvironment.

I also spent a few days driving north to Chiltern, where there’s a great birding spot known as Bartley’s Block about 2km north oftown.

I’ve been to this spot a few times now, and it gets better each time. I’ve seen some great birds such as red-capped robins, jacky winters, yellow-rumped thornbills, white-browed babblers, yellow-tufted honeyeaters, Horsfield’s bronze cuckoos, mistletoebirds, little friarbirds, and one speckledwarbler,tonameafew.

Bartley’s Block has a long grassy area surrounded by box-ironbark forest. There are many shrubs in the understory where small birds can be seen, and up high in

the tree canopy many honeyeaters were seen flying around, and it was difficult to identifythematsuchaheight.

I’ve also had a few lovely walks along the Ovens River, where there have been both brown and white-throated treecreepers. These interesting birds have such huge toes in comparison to their size which allows them to grip onto the bark of trees and climb up the trunks while feeding on insectsunderthebark.

I also visited a dam near Chiltern. When I drove into the car park I saw a peaceful dove,whichwasagoodstart.Afterparking the car, I looked to the left and noticed a small bird with a vivid red rump bouncing

Jen’s white-throated treecreeper at Ovens River (left) and speckled warbler at Bartley’s Block (above right). Below right: Pete’s powerful owl at Crib Point, and Jen’s diamond firetail near Chiltern.

around in the grass. I knew immediately thatitwasadiamondfiretail,asred-browed finches have a red rump, but the plumage colourismuchduller.

I managed a few photos of this magnificent bird before it flew off to greenerpastures.

I did not see one raptor for three days, which was most unusual seeing as I drove 250km and spent a few days looking for birds.

Luckily today I saw two raptors, namely a lovely dark morph little eagle and a brown goshawk. I spoke to some other birdwatchers who also noticed the lack of raptorsontheirdrivefromMelbourne.

There’s been some great local news that five hooded plover chicks fledged on the Bellarine Peninsula this breeding season, whichisthemostrecordedforseveralyears. ThankstoTashandFriendsoftheBellarine HoodedPlovervolunteersforallofthetime they spent on the beach this season. Other bad local news is that the duck shooting season is in full swing despite the dry wetlandconditions.Enoughsaid. I received a message from Pete, who was staying with family in Crib Point on the Mornington Peninsula, when at night he heard a powerful owl calling. He grabbed the camera and ventured outside and was thrilledtoseetheowlina nearbygumtree.

Easter School Holiday Activities Easter School Holiday Activities

Crafty Easter fun

Craft lover Stephanie Martinez shares an egg-citing craft project designed to inspire and spark creativity this Easter.

Stephanie starred in the first season of Making It on Network 10, where she discovered and ignited her passion for crafting.

Follow Stephanie’s instructions to create an Easter chicken bonnet.

Easter chick bonnet

Materials

3x A4 yellow sheets of paper

Orange paper

White paper

Black paper

Coloured feathers

Equipment

Ruler

Pencil

Scissors

Glue stick

Step 1: Create the brim and strips

Place a yellow A4 sheet in portrait. Measure 6cm in from one long edge and draw a straight line from the top to bottom to form the brim. On the larger section, draw vertical lines every 3cm to create 10 strips. Cut along the lines up to the brim, then cut off every second strip. Repeat with the second sheet.

Step 2: Form the hat base

Glue the sheets together side by side, slightly overlapping one sort edge. Curve to fit your head and glue the ends together to form a circular hat.

Step 3: Create the bonnet top

Bend the strips up and over the top, glue them together in the centre, then continue with the remaining strips.

Step 4: Decorate your chick

Classic tale comes to life

An original and reworked children’s pantomime will keep the whole family entertained these Easter School Holidays at Bellarine Arts Centre (formerly known as The Potato Shed).

Theatre 3triple2 4 Kids will present the classic tale Hansel & Gretel (with some kookynewtwists)fromTuesday14Aprilto Thursday 16 April at 10.30am and 1.30pm daily.

Brother and sister Hansel and Gretel are on school holidays playing games, learning a song or two and practicing the famous ‘slap dance’ …. oh, and trying to stay out of trouble. That won’t be easy though, when on a journey through the woods they end up losing their way. Is that a house made of sweets? Who could

live there? Surely no one who lives in such a nice house could be bad? …. and who is ‘precious’?

With plenty of audience participation, silliness and laughter, music and singalongs and you can even learn the famous ‘slap dance’ This is a show which issuitableforallages,notsoscaryandjust lots of good fun.

The Theatre 3triple2 crew has years and years of experience both on stage and off, and we can’t wait to bring this classic fairytale (with a few modern twists) to the stage. Tickets are on sale now for $15 each, $50 for a group of four and it’s free for under twos.Bookon52511998orviatheQRcode in the advert.

Scan QR code and follow the creative fun.

Cut out circles for the eyes (white and black), an orange beak, and glue them onto the chick. Cut two yellow wings and glue them to the sides and add some feathers to the top.

CELEBRATING SENIORS

Tip on bulk cooking and freezing meals for the elderly

Eating well is essential at every stage of life, but for older people, making healthy food choicescansometimesbechallenging.

While supermarkets offer a wide range of ready-made microwave meals, many of theseoptionsarehighinsalt,sugar,fat,and unnecessary calories. A more nutritious and cost-effective alternative is meal planning, bulk cooking, and freezing meals inadvance.

As we age, changes in taste, smell, and chewing ability can affect food preferences and enjoyment. For this reason, meals should focus on softer textures, balanced flavours, and gentle seasonings rather than overly spicy or hard-to-chew foods. Preparing meals with the right cooking methods can make a significant difference tocomfort,nutrition,anddigestion.

Braising, boiling, slow cooking, and steaming are excellent techniques for elderly meals, as they help keep foods moist and tender. Boneless, skinless meats are preferable, and care should be taken to avoid foods that are tough, dry, stringy, sticky, or crumbly, as these can be difficult tomanage.

When bulk cooking for an elderly loved one, it is important to consider individual food preferences, storage capacity, and how easilymealscanbereheated.

Airtight glass containers are a practical choice, as they can go directly from the freezerorfridgeintotheovenormicrowave.

Plasticcontainersofferflexibilityinsizeand stack easily, while foil trays are convenient when containers don’t need to be returned. Ziplock bags work well for individual portionsofsoupsorsauces.

Withalittleorganisationandpreparation, you can support your loved ones to enjoy

healthy, nourishing meals that meet their changingneeds.Afulllistofnutritionaland healthy recipes can found by scanning the QRabove.

Ifyouorsomeoneyoucareforisexploring aged care options in Geelong or the Bellarine, our admissions team is available todiscussyourindividualcircumstances.

Please call 1300 104 663 or visit our website www.homestyleagedcare.com.au for more information.

Don’t make assumptions

National Seniors Australia (NSA) has released research into the annoying and contradictory assumptions made about older people.

More than 2000 people aged 50 plus shared their views on assumptions that annoy them about older people’s bodies, brains, values, lifestyles, and more.

Some people objected to the stereotypes of older people as frail and incapable, bad with technology, resentful of change, or unable to contribute to society.

Such assumptions were countered with comments about older people’s “enormous unpaid contribution to society and economy”, the fact they “still want to be a punk rocker”, or their “lifelong history of protest”.

Other people objected to the counter-stereotypes that older people are all fit, technology savvy, and excited about change.

NSA head of research Dr Diane Hosking said the research reinforces older people are extremely diverse and while some are sharperandfitterthanever,othersdoneed support and consideration.

“The research shows how ridiculous it is to make assumptions about people based on age,” Dr Hosking said.

Objections to assumptions about Baby Boomers were common as well. Such assumptions include the contradictory ideas that Baby Boomers hoard wealth or are conversely a “drain on the public purse”.

CELEBRATING SENIORS

The professional team providing every level of care

Whether you need constant in-home support or just some assistance with gardening, Just Better Care Geelong is here to help.

Thepersonalisedhomecareserviceoffers something for everyone, while supporting people to stay safe, happy and independent at home for longer, with no task too big or too small.

Just Better Care Geelong understands that many people are still very independent and may not require drastic support like daily showering or medication assistance.

The caring team is happy to assist with everydaytasksandlife’slittleextras,whether that’s light support like gardening, meal preparation, or even some physiotherapy.

Just Better Care Geelong can assist with personal care, cleaning, meals, transport, respite, overnight support, dementia care, palliative care or post-hospital care.

If you don’t need care, but could use support with everyday living, they can also help with gardening, meals, allied health, and so much more.

With local support workers and nurse-led caremanagement, JustBetterCareGeelong provides personalised support that’s built around what matters most – their clients.

When you choose home care in Geelong, you also want a provider that listens, shows up and understands your community.

Just Better Care Geelong’s nurses and support workers live locally in the Greater Geelong region, ensuring that you get practical support that fits your lifestyle.

Thereisnosuchthingasaone-size-fits-all approach when it comes to home care, with support available for every situation.

Personalised support services are available across aged care, social

experiences, lifestyle activities and private care, with a detailed plan made for each person.

Just Better Care Geelong is now offering care via the Support at Home program that streamlines in-home aged care into a single program, with services tailored to people’s individual goals and needs.

Services available through the program include clinical care, like nursing, allied health and continence support, along with independence support, like personal care, medication prompts, transport and respite.

Everyday living support with cleaning, gardening, shopping and meal preparation, alongwithcaremanagementwithplanning, coordination, and regular check-ins, is also available through the program.

Short-term support is also available through the Restorative Care Pathway, End-of-Life Pathway and Assistive Technology, and Home Modifications.

The benefits of Support at Home with Just Better Care Geelong include staying at home longer with tailored support services, adjusting services as needs change, fair and

Support at Home Package Provider

transparent funding, and quality-assured person-centred care.

Just Better Care Geelong supports 40 areas across the Greater Geelong region, with privately funded or governmentsubsidised services available.

Start your journey with Just Better Care Geelong by visiting justbettercare.com/ Geelong, calling 5222 1518, emailing mailge@justbettercare.com, or speaking with the team at 114a Mount Pleasant Road, Belmont.

Round 1

Saturday 4th April V Anglesea HOME

Round 2

Saturday 11th April V Modewarre AWAY

Round 3

Saturday 18th April V Drysdale HOME

Round 4

Saturday 25th April V Newcomb AWAY

Round 5

Saturday 2nd May V Torquay AWAY

Round 6

Saturday 9th May V Geelong Amateur AWAY

Round 7

Saturday 16th May V Queenscliff HOME

Round 8

Saturday 23rd May V Portarlington HOME

Round 9

Saturday 30th May BYE

Round 10

Saturday 6th June

V Surf Coast Suns AWAY

Round 11

Saturday 13th June

V Barwon Heads HOME

Round 12

Saturday 20th June

V ANglesea AWAY

Round 13

Saturday 27th June

V Modewarre HOME

Round 14

Saturday 11th July

V Torquay HOME

Round 15

Saturday 18th July BYE

Round 16

Saturday 25th July

V Drysdale AWAY

Round 17

Saturday 1st August

V Queenscliff AWAY

Round 18

Saturday 8th August

V Newcomb HOME

2025 2025 2 2026

Round 19

Saturday 15th August V Surf Coast Suns HOME

Round 20

Saturday 22nd August V Barwon Heads AWAY

FINAL SERIES Finals Commence 29th August

Grand Final Saturday 19th September

Anne’s story wins opening writing comp

This is the 8th year of the Bellarine Writing Competitionandforourfirsttopicthisyear we received 28 entries, a record number. Hopefully this is because we extended our poster advertising to Leopold, Queenscliff and Barwon Heads. Look for the advertisement for Topic 2 on this page. - Alan Cobham

Judges comments

RumBoy was a realistic, gripping story that shows survival skills, highlighting the stoic nature of the grandmother, Deb, left with the family dog RumBoy in a perilous situation. Note also the use of text messaging and the subtle reference to her ‘drinking days’.

Anne Whisken

Anne is a librarian and teacher librarian who has retired to Portarlington on Wadawurrung Country.

Her PhD focused on ways that information literacy might be taught as part of subject learning. She maintains a keen interest in libraries, including library services to the northern Bellarine.

Portarlington Neighbourhood House writinggroupshavehelpedhertrycreative writing.

RumBoy

By Anne Whisken

The dog bristled and whined. Startled from her doze on the verandah, Debpeeredthroughthedark.‘Isitcoming, RumBoy?’ He raised his nose. Suddenly,thewindchanged,allheatand noise.

Deb woke her four grandchildren and forced them into woollen clothes and

goggles.Yawning,sweatingandprotesting, they stumbled to the old farm ute. She squashedthemintotheinsulatedcabin,its footwellstackedwithwaterbottlesandwet blankets.

The night sky lit up with an angry red glow beyond the ridges. Smoke, fresh and close.

“We can’t all fit“ said 15-year-old Lucy. “Get out!“ she told her younger brothers. “Get in the tray and let Granny and RumBoy in.“

“No-one survives in that tray if the fire

• 750 words max

Entries close Friday 8th May

Sunday 10th May • Please include phone number with your entry STORY PUBLISHED IN THE OCEAN

FRIDAY 15TH MAY

hits, Lucy. Leave them in the cabin,“ Deb said quietly.

Lucy’s lips quivered. “Where will you and RumBoy sit?“

“We’re staying Lucy, no room and no argument.“

“Who’s gonna drive?“

“You are.“

The boys shrieked, panic-stricken.

“But Granny, she can’t drive off the farm. It’s not allowed.“

“Your mum took the automatic for her night shift, remember? And I can’t drive this manual bugger with my bloody leg,“ growled Deb, pointing at her walking frame. “That’s why I taught Lucy.“

Instant silence. Granny didn’t swear. Ever.

“You know where to go, Lucy.“ Calm voice. “Follow the wheel marks through the paddocks to the bottom gate, then out ontotheroadtotownandyou’vegotaclear run to the footy oval. Your mum’s there but they won’t let her through.“

“But what about you, Granny?“ whispered Lucy, gripping the steering wheel, teeth set.

“I’ll go to the Last Resort, Luce. Better therethancaughtintheopenwiththisleg.“ She leaned in to kiss her granddaughter. “I trust you to get the boys there, baby. Now go.“

As the ute gunned into action, Deb struggled through a maelstrom of flying debris up to an old gold mine in the mountainside. She anxiously watched the car’s lights cross the dirt-bare paddocks. RumBoy whimpered.

“Yeah, I know. It’s taking forever.“ At last, she saw them turn onto the road and race off towards town.

“Lead-footLucy,“shegrinned,andsenta text message to her daughter Megan. “On way to footy oval.“

The air crackled, electric with a storm of the fire’s own making. A jet engine roar screamed across the ridge. All was black now. So black, Deb couldn’t see her hands before her face.

“Close,“ she murmured, turning on the torch, desperately waiting for Megan’s text reply. She let out her breath when it came through. They’d made it.

“Mum WTF whrRU? Yr alone can’t bear it.“

“NotalonegotRumboy,“shetextedback. “In last resort luv u.“ Deb turned off the phone and bent into the mine’s entrance.

Abandoning her walking frame, she crawled awkwardly through the narrow, twisting tunnel, searching desperately for the trapdoor she knew was there somewhere. She hadn’t visited since Tom died. Heat and smoke chased her heels. RumBoy clung to her side, his worried old eyes constantly seeking her face.

Her scrabbling fingers found hinges in the dirt floor. Fighting panic, she lifted a metal flap, and shone her torch into the dark space below.

“Jump, RumBoy!“

The dog leaped – he remembered this game. A yelp and splash as he landed. Deb shakily lowered herself down rusty rungs into chest-high water, closing the flap behind her.

Bag of supplies held high, she grabbed RumBoy’s collar, urging him to swim towards the other side of the pool where torchlightshowedaledgeabovewaterlevel. RumBoystruckoutstrongly,shiveringwith coldandanxiety.Usinghimforbalanceshe hauledheruselesslegthroughthefreezing water, and they climbed up onto the ledge.

Deb was glad of RumBoy’s hairy warmth as she wrapped them in an old blanket. She took a 40-ounce Bundaberg Rum from a crevice and sprinkled it over a dish of crumbled dog biscuits. As the dog tucked in, she raised the bottle and chuckled, “Here’s to you Tom, and here’s to me and RumBoy. Old habits, eh?“

It was 12 hours before the firestorm’s charred remnants cooled enough for Deb’s frantic daughter and the rescue team to reach the flattened house. They climbed to themineentranceandthroughthesmokey tunnel to the trapdoor.

Megan closed her eyes, prepared for the worst. She pulled on the rope to raise the flap.

From deep within reverberated the unmistakable sound of human and dog snores.

Winter is a season of rich flavours and cosy indulgence

When winter rolls in over Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, the vineyards take on aquiet,mysticalcharm.

Thecrowdsofsummermayhavethinned, but for true wine lovers, this is the season that reveals the Bellarine’s soul. Crisp sea air, misty mornings, and crackling fireplaces set the scene for an immersive tasting experience - welcome to Winter WineontheBellarine.

A cooler climate, a richer pour: The Bellarine Peninsula is known for its maritime climate, and in winter, the cool conditions slow down the ripening process of grapes, deepening their complexity. This region produces some of Victoria’s finest cool-climate wines, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Pinot Gris. Winter istheperfecttimetoexperiencethesewines at their expressive best - with bold reds and oakedwhitestakingcentrestage.

Wineries like Scotchmans Hill, Oakdene, Jack Rabbit, and Leura Park are open year-round,offeringtastingsoftheirseasonal releases alongside hearty winter fare. Whether you’re into a peppery Shiraz or a buttery, barrel-aged Chardonnay, winter on theBellarineisamasterclassinbalanceand body.

Fireside tastings and cellar door charm: There’s something magical about sipping wine beside a roaring fire, and Bellarine cellar doors lean into that magic with cosy, intimatesettings.Manyofferindoortastings with sweeping views of the peninsula’s wintry landscapes - all mist-covered hills andruggedcoastline.

white wine, or a charcuterie board heavy withcuredmeatsandwarm,crustybread.

Off the beaten track: Winter also offers the perfect excuse to explore the smaller, lesser-known vineyards that dot the Bellarine’s back roads. These boutique producers may not have the size or fame of their bigger counterparts, but they often deliver unique varietals, experimental blends,anddeeplypersonalstories.

PlaceslikeBanksRoadVineyard,YesSaid The Seal, and Terindah Estate each bring something different to the table, whether it’s minimal-intervention winemaking or a coastalvineyardstrollbetweentastings.

Make a weekend of it: A winter wine tour of the Bellarine isn’t something to rush. Fortunately, the region offers plenty of charming accommodation options - from vineyard stays to seaside cottages - making it ideal for a romantic weekend escape or a laid-backroadtripwithfriends.

Wake up to misty vineyard views, spend your days hopping cellar doors, and your nights wrapped in blankets under the stars with a glass of red in hand. It’s the kind of winter getaway that feels luxurious without theneedforextravagance.

Some venues go further, hosting winter wine events, from winemaker dinners to live acoustic sessions in the barrel room. These are unhurried experiences, where you can talk to the people behind the wine andexplorelimitedreleasesthatoftendon’t makeitpastthecellardoor.

LEURA PARK ESTATE

Artisan wines without compromise

• Sensational setting

• Stunning pizzas, platters & fresh local fare

• Live Music Sundays

• Wine Tastings

• Open Thurs - Sunday 11am - 5pm

1400 Portarlington Rd, Curlewis 03 5253 3180 leuraparkestate.com.au

12606035-SN21-23

Winter food pairings: Winter on the Bellarine isn’t just about wine - it’s about what goes with it. The peninsula is home to incredible local produce,

FLYING BRICK CIDER CO

Funky, Fabulous, Fun.

• Landmark Bellarine venue

• Innovative space

• Delicious food

• 100% naturally crafted ciders

• Luxurious grounds & vineyard

• OPEN 7 Days 11am-5pm 1251 Bellarine Hwy, Wallington 03 5250 6577

flyingbrickciderco.com.au

12606701-KG21-23

and wineries often pair their pours with seasonal dishes like slow-cooked lamb, creamy mushroom risottos, and rich, local cheeses. The cool weather is perfect for indulgent pairings that elevate both the foodandthewine.

Many cellar doors offer winter-specific menus, turning a simple tasting into a long, lazy lunch. Think local mussels steamed in

VINEYARD

• Iconic Bellarine winery

• Unrivalled panoramic views

• Contemporary a la carte

• Sophisticated wines

• Lunch / Wine Tastings

• OPEN 7 Days

85 McAdams Lane, Bellarine 03 5251 2223 jackrabbitvineyard.com.au

12606706-RR21-23

Final sip: Winter on the Bellarine is for those who love their wine with depth, their meals with warmth, and their weekends with a touch of rustic elegance. It’s about slowingdown,divingdeepintoflavour,and discovering what makes this coastal wine regionayear-roundgem.

Sograbyourcoat,roundupyourfavourite people, and follow the scent of oak and spice to the Bellarine - where winter is just anotherreasontoraiseaglass.

Finesse your form or just for fun.

• Lunch / Dinner / Snacks

• Burger, Beverage & Balls packages

• Barista coffe, beer, wine & cocktails

• OPEN 7 days 1201 Portarlington Rd, Curlewis Ph 5251 1111 curlewisgolf.com.au

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED? Community Calendar is made available free of charge to not-for-profit organisations to keep the public informed of special events and activities. Send item details to Voice Community Calendar, 1/47 Pakington Street, Geelong West, 3218, or email to newsdesk@voicegroup.com.au. Deadline for copy and announcements is 5pm Tuesday.

Geelong Fibre Artists

Tides of Change exhibition, House Gallery, Queenscliff Neighbourhood House, 3 Tobin Avenue, Queenscliff, Monday-Thursday 9.30am-3pm, Friday 9.30am-1pm, Saturday & Sunday & public holidays 11am-4pm, until 12 April. Maggie, 0448 700 890

Soccer

Ocean Grove Soccer Club is recruiting players for the Under 15/16 girls team for the upcoming season with free registration for players. Girls turning 14, 15 or 16 this year. Playing kit provided, female coach. Training Wednesdays, 5.30-6.30pm, Shell Road reserve. oceangrovesc@gmail.com

Bellarine Historical Society

Open to the public. Discover the area’s past. Closed Easter Sunday, open Sunday 12, 19 & 26 April, 10.30am-12.30pm. Courthouse Museum, 11 High Street, Drysdale. bellarinehistory.org

Ocean Grove Day VIEW

Meets second Wednesday of the month at 360Q, Queenscliff, 10.30am for 11am. oceangroveday.viewclub@gmail.com

Ballroom dance

Leopold Hall, 805-809 Bellarine Highway, Saturday 4 April, 7.30-10.30pm. Admission $10 includes supper. Music: Charles. Sunday 5 April dance cancelled. 0400 500 402

Ocean Grove Snooker Club

Avenue Avengers are a snooker team who play for Ocean Grove Snooker Club. The club, which has 12 teams, has been playing for 49 years. Matches are highly competitive but played in great spirit, with refreshments and supper at the end. This year’s 50th season is highly anticipated and celebrations are being planned. Avenue Avengers are looking to bolster numbers. 0448 391 366

Leopold Book Club

Meets second Tuesday of the month at 6.30pm in Leopold. Very friendly group, new members welcome. Shirley, 0488 055 969

Portarlington playgroup

Experience play in an unstructured, relaxed environment. Large indoor space with toilets and baby change facilities. Suits 0-4years. Free to attend. Wednesdays 10-11.30am, Parks Hall Portarlington.

Ocean Grove Library

Closed 3 to 6 April

Wednesday 15 April, 2-3pm: book chat Wednesday 22 April, 5.30-6.30pm: author talk with Anne Vines

Tuesday 28 April, 2-3pm: fact checking online

Mondays 10.30-11.30am: preschool story time

Tuesdays 4-5pm: youth collective (ages 12-18)

Wednesdays 9.30-10am: toddler time

Thursdays 11.30-11.50am: baby time Thursdays 3.45-4.45pm: after-school program

Thursdays 3-4pm: tech help - drop in session for basic tech needs

Bellarine Presbyterian Church Services Sunday 10am, Ocean Grove Senior Citizens’ Clubrooms, 101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove. Rev Brett Cummins, 0438 218 864, secretary, Neil Mansfield 0405 064 976

The Big Read Meets every other Wednesday from

Writers’ group

The Hub writers’ group meets at Arts Hub, Clifford Parade, Barwon Heads, on the first Sunday of the month, 2-4pm. New members welcome. dorothy.johnston@hugonet.com.au

February 5, 10.30am-noon, Ocean Grove

Senior Citizens’ Club, 101 The Terrace. Paul, 0425 110 792

Barefoot bowls

Point Lonsdale Bowls Club every Friday and Sunday evening during the holidays. Live music every second Sunday. 5258 1150

Live music

Bellarine Country Music Group meets Friday nights at Belmont Park Pavilion, music 7-10pm, $10 entry all welcome.

Ocean Grove Soft Tennis

Friendly group of active women retirees who have played soft tennis for many years. The game is similar to Pickleball. Ocean Grove Memorial Hall, 123 The Avenue, Mondays 1.30-3.30pm. No experience necessary. Just a desire to keep fit and have fun. Megan, 0439 317 344

CWA Nightlights Ocean Grove

Meets the first and third Monday of the month, 2.30pm, Seniors Club, 102 The Terrace, Ocean Grove. All welcome. Kareen, 0419 246 346 or Janis, 5255 4585

Bellarine Women’s Workshop Portarlington Girl Guides Hall. Meets every second Thursday, and second Saturday of the month.

Facebook: Bellarine Women’s Workshop for further details

Book club

Leopold CAE book club meets second Tuesday each month from 6.30pm. Very friendly group. New members welcome. Shirley, 0488 055 969

Chess clubs

For chess fun simply come along and see

yourself, play some chess, meet some members, with no obligation to join. We welcome players of all abilities. Ocean Grove, Tuesdays at 1.30pm at 101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove; Portarlington, Mondays at 9.30am, Parks Hall, 87 Newcombe Street, Portarlington; and St Leonards, Thursdays at 9.30am, unit 2 1375-1377 Murradoc Road, (on Blanche Street), St Leonards. Ralph, 0431 458 100 (Ocean Grove), Rob, 5259 2290 (Portarlington), Lyn, 5292 2162 (St Leonards)

Carpet bowls

Leopold Hall 805-809 Bellarine Highway, Leopold, Wednesday and Friday, 1-3.15pm.

Admission: $4 includes afternoon tea. 0400 500 402

Scottish country dancing classes

GOG Scottish Country Dance classes

7.30pm Tuesdays at Leopold Hill Hall, $5. No partner needed, just comfy casual clothing and flat shoes.

Barbara 0419-511

Ocean Grove Senior Citizens

101 The Terrace, Ocean Grove

Weekly

Tuesday: 1pm snooker, chess, indoor bowls

Wednesday: bingo 1.15pm, ukulele class

1.30pm, Chord Club jam session 4pm

Thursday: social afternoon, cards 500 1pm Friday: art classes 9am, social art group 1pm.

Fortnightly

1st & 3rd

Monday: CWA, 2pm Paschal, 0426 889 456

Wednesday: Book club, 10.30am Paul, 0425 110 792 5255 2996 or groveseniors101@gmail.com

Springs TOWN

Springs TOWN Club (Take Off Weight Naturally) meets Mondays, 9-10.30am

at the Community Hub, 23 Eversley Street, Drysdale. Weigh-in, group therapy and regular relaxation sessions. $5 per session, $54 annual fee.

Bev, 0421 636 830

Bellarine TOWN

Bellarine TOWN Club meets Wednesdays, noon-2pm at Ocean Grove Community Centre, 1 John Dory Drive. Affordable, supportive group for those trying to lose weight.

0478 615 683

Drysdale Day VIEW

Supporting The Smith Family for fun and friendship while supporting disadvantaged students. Meetings at Portarlington Golf Club for lunch on the fourth Friday of each month. Margaret, 0431 636 090

Ocean Grove Evening VIEW

Meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6.30pm. Supporting disadvantaged children through education. oceangroveevening.viewclub@gmail.com

Drysdale Ladies Probus Club Meets at 10.30am on the fourth Monday of each month at the Clifton Springs Golf Club.

Raelene, 4244 0376

Afternoon tea dance

Life Activities Club [Geelong Inc] hosts an afternoon tea dance on Thursdays, 2-4pm, at Belmont Park Pavilion. Entry: $5. 5251 3529

CWA Drysdale

Meets Drysdale RSL, Princess Street, Drysdale on the second Tuesday of the month. Meetings start at 1pm followed by afternoon tea. Friendly group looking to recruit new members. Jenni, 0452 258 333

Out & about at Point Lonny

Voice photographer Ivan Kemp got out and about at Point Lonsdale on Monday 30 March and found many others doing the same thing.

PUZZLES

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember, no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

ACROSS

1 State of bliss (5,4)

6 Impartial (4) 10 Append (3)

11 Decked out in decorative coverings, as a horse (11)

12 Casanova (8) 13 Marketplace (6)

14 Visage (4) 15 Secure (7)

20 Eurasian country (7)

21 Sport (4)

25 Incarnation (6)

26 Altered (8)

28 Unkempt (11)

29 Business abbreviation (3)

30 Merit (4)

31 Invaluable (9)

1 Categorise (8)

2 Heavy artillery (8)

3 Tractable (6)

4 Contrive in emergency (9)

5 Corn spikes (4)

7 Yearly (6)

8 Horsemen (6)

9 Chagrined (7)

16 The masses, according to the Greeks (3,6)

17 Bigger (7)

18 Definite (8)

19 Leads an orchestra (8)

22 It might provide light at a vigil (6)

23 Former Roman consul, Julius – (6)

24 Provoke (6)

27 Sub (4)

3

5

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural nouns ending in “s”.

Today’s Aim:

12 words: Good 18 words: Very good 24 words: Excellent

390

1 Sadie Sink (pictured) plays which character in the Netflix series StrangerThings?

2 What country has been the birthplace of the most number of Popes?

3 The Jimny is a type of car made by which company?

4 The hyoid bone is found in what part of the human body?

The Australian lake Kati Thanda is also known by what name?

The Kay Scarpetta books are written by which author?

7 Florsheim is a US company that makes what product?

8 Which famous composer wrote the music and lyrics for the musical KissMe,Kate?

9 Approximately how many kilograms does a standard men’s shot put weigh?

10 In the Shinto religion, the Inari Okami is the deity of rice, sake and what animal?

SPORTS QUIZ

1. Serbian NBA player

Nikola Jokić is famously passionate about his love for which animals?

2. Since 2008, Nintendo and Sega have co-developed a video game franchise about Mario and which other character at the Olympics?

3. Australian tennis coach and former player Marinko Matosevic was recently handed a four-year ban for what reason?

4. Footwork Arrows was a Formula One racing team based in which country?

5. What kind of animal does Frankie Muniz voice in the 2005 sports comedy movie RacingStripes?

Essendon FC recently released a minidocumentary subtitled ‘Spend a day with ...’ who?

Which two races did Australian runner Jessica Hull win medals in at the World Athletics Indoor Championships?

Which team defeated Arsenal to win this year’s Carabao Cup?

After defeating Team USA, which country has won its first ever World Baseball Classic championship?

Tennis world No.1

Carlos Alcaraz was beaten by which player in the third round of the Miami Open?

Moana Pasifika is a team which competes in which sporting league?

12. Which F1 driver scored his first career podium for Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix?

13. Which golfer won the Australian WPGA Championship at Sanctuary Cove by four strokes?

14. A MotoGP race descended into chaos after sinkholes were discovered on the track in which country?

15. The Australian Test cricket team will play four matches against which rival for the 2026/27 Test summer?

16. Which Parramatta Eels NRL player will miss the rest of the season due to an ACL knee injury?

17. Which current F1 driver won the 2026 24 Hours of Nürburgring, only to be disqualified after the race?

18. Former Test cricketer Brad Haddin has been named the new coach of which state?

19. During an NRL game at Canberra Stadium, glass shattered in the coaching box, injuring which coach’s hand?

20. In chess, the player with which colour pieces always begins the game?

21. Which nation will Australia play in the Qualifying Round of the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup?

22. Future AFL team Tasmania Devils recently made their debut in which football league?

23. And in what year will the Devils debut in the AFL and AFL Women’s?

24. A large number of injuries to what part of the body have occurred in the opening rounds of the 2026 AFL season?

25. Which nation will host the 2029 AFC Women’s Asian Cup?

26. AAMI Stadium was a former AFL ground located in which state?

27. Which country defeated

28. March Madness is an annual US tournament in which colleges compete in what sport?

29. Which Matildas player was awarded the Player of the Tournament Award at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup?

30. Approximately, what percentage of an Olympic gold medal is actually gold?

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FUNERAL DIRECTORS Kings Funerals 5248 3444

Sheahan Funerals5251 3477 Tuckers Funeral and Bereavement Service 5221 4788 GARDEN & HOME

Jim’s Mowing 13 15 46

It’s a lot of car for the money

By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring

Another week, another Super Hybrid to drive – this time the Omoda 9 plug-in hybrid.

Omoda, which is now a separate brand, is part of the Chinese Chery group which includes Jaecoo.

In fact, Omoda and Jaecoo share the same dealerships. Some dealers also offer Chery-branded vehicles.

The Omoda name represents sporty crossovers while Jaecoo is associated with more rugged SUVs.

The Omoda 9 is also sold as the Exeed Yaoguang (or RX for export markets). It’s all a bit confusing.

Styling

The five-seat SUV is offered in one generously equipped variant Omoda 9 SHS Virtue AWD, priced from $61,990 plus on-roads.

A full width light bar links projector LED headlights with narrow vertical LED daytime running lights.

The rear also features a full-width light bar.

Standard equipment includes leather-appointed seats, two-zone climate airwithrearventsandcontrols,heatedand cooled power-adjust front seats, heated outer rear seats and heated, power-adjust steering wheel and coloured interior lighting.

There’s also head-up display, adaptive cruise control, LED lights front and back, auto high beam, speed sign recognition, built-indashcam,cooledconsolebox,auto lights and wipers, auto-dimming interior mirror, front and rear parking sensors and automatic parking and a powered tailgate.

A panoramic sunroof tilts and slides, with a powered sunshade and can be opened and closed with voice commands.

Omoda 9 comes with an eight-year unlimited kilometre warranty, eight-year unlimited kilometre warranty for the batteries, eight-year capped-priced servicing, and eight-year roadside assistance.

Infotainment

Infotainment consists of an integrated panel with dual 12.3-inch screens, eschewingthetrendtowardsfree-standing screens. It feels dated.

The system features Bluetooth with voice control, built-in navigation, AM/ FM and DAB+ digital radio, wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while sound comes from a 14-speaker Sony-branded audio system, including two in the driver headrest.

There’s USB-A and -C ports front and backaswellasa12-voltpowersocketinthe front (but none for the luggage area). Wirelessphonechargingisalsoprovided.

Safety Omoda 9 is yet to be rated for safety by ANCAP, but gets a five-star rating from Euro NCAP.

Occupants are protected by reverse and 360-degree cameras, eight airbags including a front centre bag and a full suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems which includes Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Forward Collision Warning (FCW).

Two ISOFix and three top tether child seat anchor points are fitted.

Engines/transmissions

The petrol engine produces 105kW of power and 215Nm of torque, while the electric motors produce 75kW/170Nm, 90kW/220Nm and 175kW/310Nm (front to back).

Combined output is a prodigious 395kW and 700Nm with the dash from 0-100km/h taking a rapid 4.9 seconds.

That’s better than Ford or Holden’s much-lamented V8 heroes in case you’re wondering.

Getting power to the ground is all-wheel drive,withthemorepowerfulelectricmotor turning the rear wheels, via a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).

Driving

Omoda bills the 9 as premium, a luxury model even and the flagship of the Omoda-Jaecoo range.

But we’re not buying it because there’s plenty of generic, hard black plastic on show.

Apart from some fancy stitching on the door panels, it’s all a bit meh (not counting the deep pile floor mats).

At 4775mm the 9 is exactly the same length as the BYD Sealion 6 PHEV that we tested previously, but a little wider.

Even so it feels significantly smaller inside.

However, the 9 offers a greater load capacity at 660 litres with the rear seats in place and 1783 litres folded.

While handy for storing items, the large, two-tier centre console consumes much of the cabin space.

The door-mounted seat controls are a lift from Benz, but fore and aft control is for show only in the rear.

Oddly, the doors have both physical and push-button latch releases.

The seats are narrow and pressed into our thighs and buttocks, with limited legroom in front.

Rear legroom seated behind my own 183cm frame is comfortable.

In terms of performance, one thing we

cansayabouttheOmoda9isthatitgetsout of the gates pretty quickly for an SUV.

And it should, with a hybrid system that consists of a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine and three electric motors – two at the front and another one at the rear.

Quad tailpipes, a pair at each corner of the rear bumper, promise something special from this car and it delivers in spades.

The main thing that separates this car from the other super hybrids that we’ve tested is the larger battery which at 34 kWh and is sufficient to provide a pure electric range of about 145km (WLTP).

With an equally large 70-litre tank, energy consumption is a claimed 19.3 kWh/100km and fuel use is 1.4L/100km using premium 95 unleaded, with a combined range of up to 1100km.

AC charging (6.6kW) takes 5.5 hours for 30-80 per cent. DC fast charging (70kW), again from 30-80 per cent takes a claimed 25 minutes.

The trip computer in the Omoda 9 is a little confusing, but the maths is quite simple.

With a fully charged battery and the car in hybrid or a blend of petrol and electric power, we used 11.8 litres of fuel over a distance of 288km which in our book equates to 4.1L/100km (or very low fuel consumption).

For those intending to make frequent use of the car’s significant electric range, it could be enough to get it across the line in front of a dedicated EV.

Otherwise, it can simply be driven as a self-charging hybrid, with three levels of regenerative braking to top up the battery.

A round control knob in the centre console lets you switch between EV (electric) and HEV (hybrid) modes.

8

8

There are six drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow, Sand, and Off-Road.

There are plenty of other options contained in the menu system, but no physical volume or temperature controls. You may however inadvertently bring up the aircon page with a vertical swipe, but you’ll need to wait two or three minutes for it to disappear during which time the screen remains locked. It wears thin.

Atthefairleftofthescreenresidesalarge virtual volume dial.

For a branded system, the Sony audio lacks depth, with frequent radio signal dropouts.

With continuous damper control the ride quality with the low friction 20-inch 245/50 series Michelin E Primacy tyres is fine on smooth bitumen and surprisingly good on secondary roads, with judicious use of the throttle sorting out any sideways movement at speed.

Throttle response is excellent in the mid-range for overtaking, but lags from a standstill, taking two to three seconds to hook up occasionally.

Backing off is sufficient to control corner speed and if things start to get out of shape, it’s simply a matter of giving it some more juice, but be careful not to give it too much.

The four-wheel ventilated disc brakes are great, but can sometimes be abrupt. A tyre repair kit is provided in the event of a puncture.

Summing up

It’s rare to get performance and low fuel consumption in the same package, but that’s the promise from the Omoda 9. With 395kW of power it’s quicker than a V8 muscle car for those missing the V8 Ford or Holden.

It’s difficult to believe but true.

Fairytale win for Leopold

By Justin Flynn

Leopold completed a fairytale season, winning the GCA Division 2 premiership after just sneaking into the finals.

Highton went into the match as favourites, but Leopold played better for longer and came away with a 111-run victory.

“It’s amazing,” Leopold captain Tom Treble said.

“A lot of spectators, a lot of people that are around the cricket club that were all wishing us well, so to be able to get that win for them.

“Just a great feeling and there were a lot of guys there that had played a lot of junior cricket for Leopold and for them to reap the rewards of all their hard efforts - it was a great moment once that final wicket went down.”

Wicket-keeper Joey Vallelonga’s form this season has been ultra consistentandhedelivered on the big stage, making a terrific 88 from 224 balls of pure concentration and resilience. Sam Mitchell made 52 in the middle order and a final total of 259 all out was extremely competitive.

“It was probably very early in the season against Highton in the second eleven, he (Vallelonga) made an amazing hundred where wickets were falling around him and he just held his nerve and stayed there and batted with the tail,” Treble said.

Division 2 grand final

Saturday March 28 &

Sunday March 29

Lawn Addicts Oval, South Barwon Reserve, Belmont

Highton vs Leopold

Highton won the toss and bowled

Leopold

H. Hatswell lbw Young 1 (6)

J. Le Maistre c Somers b Bird 13 (60)

H. Butterworth c Bird b Elliott 17 (27)

J. Vallelonga c Cook b Young 88 (224)

T. Treble c Somers b Bird 20 (80)

M. Kenneady run out (Gillard/Campbell) 26 (70)

S. Mitchell c Cook b Neeson 52 (82)

R. Plumridge c Bird b Young 0 (2)

B. Horne c Young b Neeson 6 (15)

“He knew how to build an innings from early in the season. Then he’s gone and replicated that on the weekend…and that was clearly the standout knock of the weekend.”

The wickets were shared around for the Heat with consistent seamer Chris Young taking 3/70 from 26 overs, Kiwi off-spinner Isaac Bird snaring 2/50 from 25 and legspinner Fionn Neeson grabbing 3/52 from 19.1.

Highton was 0/13 in reply overnight with Brady Somers and Zac Wills resuming on Sunday morning.

Somers fell for 26 and Wills went on to make a polished 51 from 102 balls, but partnerships were difficult to come by.

Left-arm orthodox spinner Hayden

Inset:

Butterworth(4/36from18overs)madeearly breakthroughs and right-arm finger spinner Treble (3/10 from 10) and seamer Dylan Barmby (2/25) didn’t allow the Highton batters to get comfortable at any stage.

“It’s a bit of a luxury that (co-coach) Reece (Plumridge) and I have that our bowling unit has always been quite strong at Leopold,” Treble said. “If someone’s just slightly off, you can quickly make another bowling change and you’ve got plenty of guys ready to go and give it their all.

“That was the key thing - just making sure that all the guys when they had their opportunity, they’d execute well and keep the pressure on and make it as hard as possible to score.”

Highton was eventually all out for 148 and the celebrations at Leopold continued for several days, all after sneaking into the

Locals qualify for Rip Curl Pro

Xavier Huxtable and Ellie Harrison have secured their wildcard spots in the 2026 Rip Curl Pro.

The trials for the main event wrapped up in an amazing show of talent from Victoria’s best surfers held in tricky conditions at Winki Pop.

Former trials winner and current WSL Challenger Series athlete Xavier Huxtable (Jan Juc) was the man to beat coming into the event.

The final saw Huxtable lock in a heat total of 13.66 against fellow Surf Coaster Willis Droomer (Jan Juc) who finished a close second on 13.30 points.

“Im so frothing, but it’s all a bit of blur,” Huxtable said.

“All year I have been thinking about getting back into the main event and to be back in is amazing. The forecast looks super fun and I can’t wait to go up against the world’s best at home.”

Finishing in third was Lucas Hickson (Rye) on 9.73 points with

Jarvis Barrow (Jan Juc) in fourth on 9.36.

In the women’s final, it was fellow WSL Challenger Series surfer Ellie Harrison (Barwon Heads) who claimed the final spot in the main draw.

With her signature trademark carves and laybacks, Harrison dominated heats from the outset and in the final had her two scoring rides in the opening half of the heat.

Finishing on a heat total of 13.33, Harrison took down 2025 Trials winner Carly Shanahan (Jan Juc) who finished on 10.23.

“I feel really good and I’m really happy to be back in the main draw,” Harrison said. “It was a tricky day of competition but I’m happy to be back competing against my idols and the best surfers in the world at home.”

Finishing in third place was Rose Holland (Dromana) on 8.67 with Sophie Wilkinson (Shoreham) on 8.33.

finals by just 0.38 of a point.

“Having the two previous finals games, even the game before the home and away season, we’ve just been playing a lot of intense,high-levelcricketwherewe’vebeen knowingwhatit’sliketogetintothegrindfor the duration of the 100 overs,” Treble said. “We were well prepared, I believe, just going into that final knowing what we needed to do. Whether it was bat or bowl first, we knew that taking our time and putting a score on the board was going to be the best way to go.

“I think from the start of the season our intention was if we can get to finals, we felt like we were going to have a good shot at it. Once we made the finals, I believe the guys just knew that we could go up a couple of levels with our intensity and the way that we go about it.”

D. Barmby c Bord b Neeson 16 (27)

D. Gibson not out 0 (8)

Sundries 20

All out for 259

Bowling

D. Elliott 11-1-1-30

C. Young 26-9-3-70

I. Bird 25-7-2-50

N. McCoach 15-2-0-27

F. Neeson 19.1-1-3-52

B. Somers 4-0-0-12

Highton

B. Somers c Treble b Butterworth 26 (43)

Z. Wills c&b Butterworth 51 (102)

J. Gillard c Vallelonga b Horne 6 (24)

I. Bird c Plumridge b Barmby 16 (26)

J. Cook c Kenneady b Treble 1 (25)

L. Campbell c Barmby b Butterworth 1 (8)

E. Burns c Vallelonga b Butterworth 17 (88)

F. Neeson b Treble 1 (9)

N. McCoach b Barmby 9 (48)

C. Young c Kenneady b Treble 5 (9)

D. Elliott not out 6 (20)

Sundries 9

All out for 148

Bowling

D. Gibson 10-2-0-13

J. Le Maistre 13-4-0-33

D. Barmby 9-2-2-25

H. Butterworth 18-6-4-36

B. Horne 7-2-1-22

T. Treble 10-5-3-10

Leopold won by 111 runs.

Easter opening for footy

By Justin Flynn

Local footy begins this weekend with a full round of Bellarine Football League games and a standalone match in the Geelong Football League.

The GFL begins in Lorne on Easter Saturday with St Joseph’s playing Leopold, which is a round 11 fixture brought forward.

Despite losing seven premiership players,Leopoldhasrecruitedwellwithprolific ball winner Darby Henderson crossing from Lara, which is in recess for the 2026 season. Jett Elek has also crossed from Lara, but VFL and Falcons duties will limit his appearances in the green and gold.

Key tall Adam Enever, who played 18 games for struggling Goulburn Valley League club Tatura last season, is another signing.

Highly rated Charlie Gardiner, who won the Under 18 league best and fairest for St Mary’s last season while Lachie Nash (Mt Compass), Ethan Skene (North Cairns), Ziggy Lee (Redan) and Paddy

Gilbert (Lake Wendouree) are other inclusions.

Runners-up in 2025 St Joseph’s has lost several players including Joseph Chaplin, who was part of Tasmania’s historic VFL opener last week, Luke Webb (Bunninyong), Jack Buckley and Felix Henderson (both Sebastopol) and star forward Oscar Morrison (Bairnsdale).

Mal White returns to St Joseph’s after a stint at North Ballarat, while Queanbeyan’s Jack Jovanovic has nominated Joeys as his club when he is not required for Geelong’s VFL side. Francesco Posterino has crossed from Newtown & Chilwell where he was equal runner-up in the reserves Allthorpe Medal last season.

A Bellarine Football League rivalry begins on Easter Saturday as new club Surf Coast Suns take on Torquay at Banyul-Warri Fields in their first ever match.

The Suns will be led by former North Melbourne and Geelong player Aaron Black while Torquay won the race for former Port Adelaide champion Travis Boak, whose appearances will be limited after

taking on the performance and culture manager position at Carlton.

The season will kick off on Good Friday with Ocean Grove hosting reigning premiers Anglesea and Geelong Amateur welcoming Moddewarre to Queens Park.

Ocean Grove has lost captain Cameron Fowler and Harrison Dolley (Newtown & Chilwell), ruckman Kye Annand and young star Jamison Hallam (South Barwon) and Jace Collins (Barwon Heads) although they have added three very good players in livewire forward James Patterson, former Cat and Swan Gary Rohan, Blake Poyser (South Bendigo) and utility Lorne Waldron (Northcote Park).

AngleseahasaddedtalldefenderJames Fulton from University Blues in the VAFA and tall Ryan Bell from Lara.

Ammos have added 12-game AFL player Hugh Goddard, St Joseph’s premiership player James Hickey although midfielder Blake Sutterby has returned to Newtown & Chilwell.

Modda will be coached by club legend Josh Finch and has picked up key defend-

er Brady Campi from Grovedale while 2018 premiership player Sam Romeril has returned.

On Easter Saturday Barwon Heads hosts Portarlington with the talented Sam Christensen coming from St Mary’s while Jace Collins has crossed over the bridge from Ocean Grove. Mitch Herbison and Sammy Baker have retired and Sam Witherden has gone to St Arnaud.

Portarlington has added Leopold premiership players Sam Scott (coach) and Brock Williamson.

Queenscliff hosts Drysdale in the remaining game with Tom Burgess (Lara), 2015 Liston Trophy winner Nick Rippon, Marshall Rippon and defender Trent Thompson from Leopold.

Among Drysdale’s recruits are Jayden Hunt, who is straight out of the AFL and inside mid Mitch Caddy from Melton.

Newcomb has the bye first up, but is expected to improve dramatically with the additions of Leopold premiership trio Logan Wagener, Luke Justin and Andrew Pepper and Ben Clark from St Joseph’s.

Celebrations for winning teams as premierships decided

LOCAL TENNIS

Donna Schoenmaekers

Seventeen Tennis Geelong Senior Pennant clubs were represented across 17 sections in grand finals with 12 clubs taking home a premiership win.

Moriac started well with Mixed 4 taking a surprise win over Ocean Grove. Moriac matched the minor premiers in the mixed, but with father and son combination of Scott and Riley van der Vliet pushing brothers Jesse and Max Ballagh to 7-5, while Natalie Marino and Chelsea Gielen blasted through the women’s without dropping a game, the difference was the doubles game count, with Moriac ahead by six and tied on sets.

Moriac’s Mixed 5, despite finishing behind Newcomb, held a 2-1 lead going into thematch.ButNewcombprovedtoogood, winning 5-1.

Newcomb went two from three for the day, with their Men’s 1 team winning the first four sets in their match against Highton Blue. Point Lonsdale were just as convincing in Men’s 2 winning their one encounter for the day 6-0 over Western Heights.

Geelong Lawn hosted Newcomb in Open 1, and was level on rubbers and games at the halfway mark, but with Liam Polizzi taking a straight sets win in the singlesandAnthonyWilliamsandSteveTomkins following up in the doubles, Lawn went ahead 3-1 to take the win.

Wandana Heights also won two from three attempts with strong 5-1 wins over Moolap in Mixed 2 and Leopold/Moolap in Mixed 3, but their White Mixed 7 team went down to Winchelsea. Winch managedtwowinsfromtheirthreeencounters, however, Wandana matched them in the first four sets, with one game separating them going into the reverse mixed.

Katrina Wilson and Kurt Jungling put Winch into a great position winning 6-1, while Joanne Law and Joshua Hatisma got up in a tie-break to seal it 4-2.

Moolap fared better in Open 7 against Highton. The teams were level on rubbers, but Moolap had the set advantage at the halfway mark with Moolap winning the first set of the reverse singles and Highton the doubles. Both rubbers were decided in straight sets, leaving Moolap with the advantage and eventual winners.

Open 8 was almost an identical match to Open 7, but All Saints came up trumps

against Highton Blue. All Saints won both encounters through the season and continued their form in the final, led by Walter Pohl winning both his rubbers.

Highton were the best represented with five teams playing, however, it was only Open 3 finding success, but as it was Gold vs Blue teams, the win was guaranteed. Gold had the advantage over Blue in home and away and both finals, ending with a 3-1 win for the flag.

Hamlyn Park Red took out Open 4 with a win over Ocean Grove, with their third 3-1 win. It was the Park’s only outing for the day, whereas Ocean Grove had three, with the remaining two going to the wire.

Clifton Springs had two home finals and will be ruing what could have been in both.

OceanGrovegotofftoagoodstartinMixed

6, up 3-1 going into the reverse mixed, but the Springs fought back to level, but the 6-3, 7-6 results were not enough to close the gap on games with Grove up by four.

In Open 5 against Grovedale Black, it was tied on rubbers and sets and Grovedale ahead by one game at the halfway mark. The Springs won the first setofboththesinglesanddoublesinthe reverse matches before Grovedale won the second doubles in a super tie-break, giving Isaac Graham two wins. The singles was a grind going to a super tie-break, which would decide the winner. The result was 10-2 to Grovedale to come from fourth to take the flag.

Emotions were high when Grovedale Black hosted Bannockburn in Mixed 1, with the passing of teammate Brent May

still fresh in the minds of Grovedale. With a large crowd of family and friends watching on, as expected the sets were close, and at the end of the doubles, the teams were level on sets with Grovedale ahead by one. Grovedale dug in with Jared Bromley and Zoe Duff winning the fifth 6-3 while Michael Best and Abbie Walker did the same in the sixth to remain undefeated for the season. A fitting tribute to their missing teammate.

LikeGrovedale,Surfcoastwenttwofrom two, but opposite ends of the scale. Torquay’s Open 2 finished second at the end of home and away, but built some amazing form coming into finals, dropping only one set in their two finals and having a clean sweep against Moolap to claim the premiership.

Open 6 travelled to Ocean Grove and it was one rubber each, but down 3-1 on sets with two rubbers to play. Torquay started well, winning the first set in both the singles and doubles and went ahead to claim thedoublesinstraightsets.Thesingleswas hard fought with Raf Berra the eventual winner for the Grove in a super tie-break. The result tied the match on rubbers, sets and games forcing the teams into a deciding 10 point tie-break to decide the match. Zakhele Stevens and Sienna Clatworthy, winners of the reverse doubles, continued their success to take the breaker 10-3 to seal the win for Surfcoast.

Heads and Winch celebrate

A1 Grade awaits Winchelsea

By Justin Flynn

Winchelsea will compete in the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A1 Grade competition next season for the first time since promotion and relegation was introduced in 2018/19.

Led by a superb all-round performance by captain Shane Murdoch, the Blues defeated Collendina in the A2 Grade final on 21 and 22 March and will replace Inverleigh in the A1 comp when the new season gets underway in October.

The Blues were the team to beat at the Christmas break, but went on a losing streak and needed to win their final game and hope other results went their way just to scrape into the finals. They would then go on to win their next three games against the top three teams.

“I think it was just a relief,” Murdoch reflected when his side won the game.

“At the start of the season we just wanted to be competitive. Last season we finished sixth and didn’t have the greatest season.

“And obviously we started really well and we were six and two and then hit a bit of a rough patch. But we hit form at the right time and just scraped in. And when you finish fourth and you go on a bit of a run, we obviously knocked off the top three sides to win it.”

Murdoch strolled to the crease on day one with his side in early trouble at 3/26 at Memorial Oval, Ocean Grove, and

proceeded to stamp his authority on the contest.

With the Blues at 4/41, Murdoch and MarkSimonsbeganarescuemissionfrom potentialdisastertoapositionofauthority by the end of play.

The pair shared an 88-run partnership although when Simons departed for a well-made 41, Winch was 5/129 with still some work to do.

Contributions from Shane Currie (14) and Ben Caldicott (19 not out) allowed Murdoch to steer the innings with the skipper eventually falling for 69 from 140 balls. A final total of 9/198 wins most BPCA finals and Winch would have been confident going into day two.

Murdoch said “anything close to 200” would have been a good score on day one.

“If we’d gotten 220, 230 I suppose I would have been a bit more comfortable, but we were four for 30, so I was thinking anything over 170 would have been nice.

“Myaimattheendofthestartoftheday wasjusttobatthe75(overs)andwherewe finish, we finish. To get 200 on the board was really positive.”

The Cobras stuck at it, though, with Corey Walter snaring 3/54 from 23 overs, left-arm spinner Stan Grazotis took 1/34 from 21, quick Zac Muir was tidy with 0/27 from 13 and spinner Jacob Gasior took some stick late, but still managed two wickets.

“We probably let them get 20 or 30 too many,” Collendina skipper Corey Walter

said. “We were right on top earlier. We had a few run out chances, a few half-chances that you probably needed taking in grand finals. And sometimes that can be the difference between winning and losing.

“And I don’t think we bowled as well as what we probably had the couple of weeks leading in. Whether that’s the pressure of a grand final, I’m not sure.”

Collendina openers Gasior (21 from 39 balls) and Jude de Jong (21 from 78), who still plays Under 15s, thwarted Winch’s bid for early wickets.

At tea, the Cobras were 2/80 with wickets in hand. At 4/100 with the dangerous Walter and Grazotis dismissed, Richard Brown was still playing well, but when he fell to Murdoch’s left-arm spin for a well-made 48, the Cobras were 6/133

with overs running out.

“It’s one of those things where wickets in hand is always good at the end of the day, but as soon as you want to try and go, if you miss-hit here and there, you’re losing wickets and all of a sudden you’re four or five down with 90 to get,” Murdoch said.

“We didn’t start well with the ball. Probably the first 10 overs were pretty ordinary from us. But (it became) one wicket at a time. Getting the wickets of Corey and Stan were really big for us.”

Collendina needed someone to play a Murdoch-likeinningsandalthoughBrown fulfilled his role, nobody could push on.

“I think the start that we got off to, we gave ourselves a really good chance and set a good platform,” Walter said.

“Everyoneinourtopsevengottodouble figures, but we just didn’t have anyone get that 60 or 70, which probably would have got us over the line. We seemed to lose wickets at bad times and that’s, I guess, the pressure of chasing in a grand final. But, I was pretty proud of the guys. They never gave up and fought to the end.”

Jarrod Groves ended with 4/68 from 27/5 overs and Murdoch was an obvious choice for player of the match with 3/36 from 20. The Cobras were all out for 160 in the 67th over.

“We fielded really well,” Murdoch said.

“I think we only dropped two catches. When you bowl and field well you’re generally winning most games.”

Seagulls win two flags, Kookaburras and Sharks one each

By Justin Flynn

Barwon Heads claimed a second consecutive Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association B1 Grade premiership with a 98-run victory against Ocean Grove at Armstrong Creek Sports Precinct on 21 and 22 March.

The Seagulls prevailed in last year’s decider against Jan Juc and were too good for the Grubbers after winning the toss and batting on day one.

Captain Rob Mackie and Jaxon Mallett (33) got the Heads off to a great start with a 101-run opening partnership, but Grove skipper Billy Foord-Engelsman got his side back into the contest with the next three wickets.

Mackie made a superb 89 from 134 deliveries and middle-order runs from Ande Santilli (30), Miller Moulton (50) and Jason Borg (40 from 45 balls) got the total up to 8/275 after 75 overs. FoordEngelsman produced a huge effort to take 7/65 from 26 overs.

Josh High struck with the fourth ball of the innings on day two and at 2/15, Ocean Grove needed a huge partnership.

Elijah Baran (45) and Ben Hanson (28) dug in, but the partnership never eventuated with Borg snaring 5/60 from 19 overs after also taking five-for in the semi-final. High took 3/16 and despite some late runs from Bailey LeMaistre (20), Ned Thorley (18) and Sam McGlynn (15 not out), the Grubbers were all out for 177.

INVERLEIGH has the B2 Grade premiership cup in its keeping with a 77run win against Surf Coast at Inverleigh Recreation Reserve.

Eoin Flett (48) and captain Leigh Heazlewood (46) got the Kookaburras to 8/198 off 60 overs while a late 30 from 38 balls from Paul Hageman proved vital.

Mathews Pularkalayil Mathew took his season’s wicket tally to 32 with another haul, this time taking 4/72 and Satvir Deol took 2/45 from 14 for the Suns.

On day two, four Surf Coast batters made at least 19, but Deol’s 22 was the top score as Matt Spiller wreaked havoc with the ball. Spiller took 6/39 from 16 overs to help dismiss the Suns for 121.

BARWON HEADS made it three flags for the season with an 84-run win against Barrabool at Armstrong Creek. Ben McCredden (46) and youngster Elliot Gill (54) rescued the Seagulls after some early trouble, but at 5/111 the Bulls were slightly on top. Murphy Moulton made a busy 35 and some last over hitting

from Sam O’Brien got the score up to a handy 8/221. Nelson Gnaccarini followed his semi-final performance of 5/69 from 30 overs with another big day, taking 4/53 from 18.

Wes Grigg (42), Henry Elliss (30) and Jamie Mulholland (19) got top-order runs for Barrabool, but seamer Chris McSween produced another bag of wickets for the Heads with 6/47 from 21 overs with the Bulls all out for 137.

JAN JUC inflicted Collendina’s second loss of the season to win the Divisional D

Grade premiership at Ray Menzies Oval, Ocean Grove. The two winners of the East and West divisions squared off with Jan Juc reaching 6/187 thanks to an unbeaten 92 fromMitchColvinandcontributionsfrom Chris Huxtable (36) and Peter Macdonald (30) while Jye Hearps took 3/33 for the Cobras.

Todd Seidel-Davies (5/12) and James Kernot(2/21)thenhadCollendinareeling at 7/28 and the game was all but over. The Cobras all out for 51 in the 19th over.

Perfect season for Seagulls

By Justin Flynn

As Barwon Heads kept winning, there were a few pundits that told captain/coach Daniel Donaldson that perhaps a loss somewhere towards the end of the home and away season wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

The wins kept ticking over to such an extent that going through the season unbeaten wasn’t just a possibility, but a probability.

And it culminated in the most perfect of ways on Sunday 22 March when the Seagulls defeated Queenscliff by seven wickets in the A1 Grade final at Barwon Heads Village Park.

“I had quite a few people sort of tap me on the shoulder throughout the season and say ‘you guys got to have a loss at some point, I think it’s what’s needed’, including some people in the group,” Donaldson reflected post-game.

“And I said, ‘I don’t believe in that. We’re here to win games of cricket and we were able to keep doing that’.”

The opening over of the grand final didn’t go to script, though. Sema Kamea, who made a massive impact this season with his left-arm pace, sent down three no-balls and Donaldson dropped what he described as ‘an absolute sitter, which I should take 100 times out of 100’.

“My mind straight away ticked to ‘what have I done?’,” Donaldson said.

“Itwasaverydangerousbatsman(Lachie Kidd) that I dropped and I dropped him a couple of overs later and we put down nine chances yesterday.

“We pride ourselves on fielding so much and it was very hard to let go of that and I had some senior players encouraging me to let go of it and eventually I did it about 9.30am this morning.

“But it just shows the squad we have and that we’re able to bounce back and to rally ourselves to get back in the game and to keep Queenscliff to 160 when they were flying at the start.”

Donaldson not only recovered, but went on to snare a player-of-the-match 6/53 from 25 overs to have the Coutas all out for 160 with Hayden Illingworth (44) and Lochie Philp (33) making runs.

Lewy Hyland and Max Melzer have been the Seagulls’ yin and yang at the top of the order all season.

Hyland made 55 on day two off 57 balls and Melzer steeled himself to bat through with a superb 51 from 139 while Matt Bode made 41. Bode said after the game that it was his first ever premiership at any level of cricket.

Hyland’s 598 runs this season came at an average of 42.71 while Melzer’s 457 runs came at 45.70.

“I reckon it kind of makes my job very easy to just have to sit at the other end and just get Lewy on strike,” Melzer said.

“It simplifies it and it’s a bit of a blanket formetobehonest,havinghimscoreatthe other end. And I guess probably the thing that stands out the most, it was genuinely fun opening the batting with him all year.

“It’s always been a bit of a grind opening thebatting,butitwasgenuinelyfunsitting at the other end, watching Lewy hit them over the top.”

“I’ve never played with Maxy before and just the experience that he brings and I know that he can play his shots too, so it’s not all just on me,“ Hyland said.

“But I just know that Maxy’s going to sometimes hold up an end. “A lot of people always say, ‘it must be tough opening up the top’, but I think it’s the best place to bat because I get a free licence because I know that Maxy’s in there, Donald’s (Donaldson) coming in next, Jacko’s (Jacko Mallett) down the order, Bodie (Matt Bode) can bat.

“I think it releases the shackles a bit for metobeabletoplaythewayIliketo-really put the pressure back on the opposition.”

Queenscliff skipper Hayden Illingworth was classy in defeat and heaped praise on the opposition.

“I think we’ll be better off for the experience,” he said.

“I think we’ve accepted that we were just beaten comprehensively by a better team this weekend. We’ve got enough to work with going forward. I think everyone just needs to improve another five percent.

“When it got really tough yesterday, they were just that little bit better. And then today they were willing to do the hard things with the bat and get through tricky periods and that’s what good teams do.”

The Coutas have a relatively young side and there is no reason they can’t be back on the big stage next season.

“I think those young guys will figure out from today where they need to be next year and the years coming,” Illingworth said.

“Barwon Heads have got a lot of guys that have been there, done that before. Talking to Sam Schaller, he’s six from eight premierships and he just knows how to perform in big games.

“So take a leaf out of their book and look at how they go about it in big games and we can definitely learn from that and hope to use it going forward.

“Round 4 onwards, I think, certainly in two-day cricket, we’ve been close to the equal best team in the comp with Barwon Heads. Our two-day form has been fantastic.

“But momentum’s a funny thing in any sport. Once you get it, you feel like you’re just going to roll on and win every week. So we had that feeling in the back half of the year, or the back sort of two-thirds of the year, and it was a good feeling to have within the group.”

Schaller has now played in six A Grade premierships and Mallett four.

There was a genuine family connection at the club with cousins Lewy and Harry Hyland (A1 Grade), brothers Brad and Darren Fleet (C Grade), father and son Matt and Josh High (B1 Grade), father and son Jacko (A1 Grade) and Jaxon Mallett (B1 grade), father and son Rob (B1 Grade) and Angus Mackie (A1 Grade) and brothers Miller (B1 Grade) and Murphy Moulton (C Grade) all played in premierships this weekend for the Heads.

“I think it shows the depth of the club,” Donaldson said.

“I always talk about it’s not just the 11 on the field, it’s all the volunteers behind the scenes. You know, Yatesy (Steven Yates) the president does not stop. I’m actually pretty certain he sleeps at the cricket club.

“Ande Santilli, Al Thompson, Cam Don, Molly Moulton - they all do not stop, so they’re really the ones that we should be celebrating, but very excited for the other two teams to get back here and celebrate.”

GRAND FINAL

Saturday 21 March & Sunday 22 March

A1 Grade at RT Fuller Oval, Barwon Heads

Queenscliff won the toss and batted

L. Kidd b Hewitt 10 (41)

L. Philp c Melzer b Schaller 33 (101)

F. Mileto run out (Kamea/Schaller) 19 (63)

K. Leathem lbw Donaldson 14 (21)

H. Illingworth c Don b Donaldson 44 (114)

B. Thom b Donaldson 3 (18)

M. Minney c&b Donaldson 8 (32)

T. Bakker lbw Donaldson 0 (9)

J. Monahan c Hewitt b Schaller 7 (32)

T. Kidd lbw Donaldson 2 (6)

L. Adam not out 2 (26)

Sundries 19

All out for 160 (75 overs)

Fall: 38 (L. Kidd), 75 (Mileto), 83 (Philp), 94 (Leathem), 98 (Thom), 117 (Minney), 117 (Bakker), 134 (Monahan), 147 (T. Kidd)

Bowling (overs, maidens, wickets, runs)

S. Kamea 7-0-0-26

D. Hewitt 11-3-1-29

S. Schaller 22-8-2-27

D. Donaldson 25-5-6-53

A. Mackie 10-3-0-20

Barwon Heads

L. Hyland b Adam 55 (57)

M. Melzer b Mileto 51 (139)

M. Bode c b Monahan 41 (85)

D. Donaldson not out 1 (10)

A. Mackie not out 8 (5)

Sundries 8

Three wickets for 164 (49 overs) Fall: 74 (Hyland), 146 (Melzer), 156 (Bode).

Bowling

J. Monahan 16-5-1-54

T. Kidd 15-3-0-42

L. Adam 11-2-1-39

L. Philp 4-0-0-21

F. Mileto 3-1-1-2