Locals resolve: year of change

WE’VE all had a crack at them. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.
But, hey, what’s the new year all about if not trying to improve on last year, especially if you’ve had a dud 12 months?
The Independent has tackled some of Geelong’s colourful characters to come up with the following cross-section of 2013 ambitions.
Ford worker Daryl O’Connor: “I promise not to drink any more. I won’t drink any less but I just won’t drink any more.”
Artist and poet Robert Drummond: “I’m hoping to re-read Herman Melville, Dostoyevsky. I’d also like to travel to Sydney to see the Francis Bacon exhibition.”
Cats legend Doug Wade: “My golf handicap is 16, I’m happy to keep that if I can and to play as much golf as I can.”
Concreter Vito Defran: “Spend more time with my little girl Amelia, she’s 13 months. Plus, I’m going be a dad again.”
Chook’n’Hook Belmont’s Dianne Griffey: “I’m hoping to travel more if I can.”
Entrepreneur Darryn Lyons: “Relax more and stress less. I also need to give up smoking, which has been my resolution every year for far too long.”
Bandidos national secretary Kim Sloan: “I’ll be trying to give up smoking.”
Neuropsychologist Sarah Loughran: “Appear in newspapers less often, eat more ice cream and chocolate eclairs and work less.”
CFMEU’s Gerard Benstead: “Run a marathon. I ran a half-marathon this year, I want to do a full marathon in 2013.”
Bellarine Storm junior basketball coach Brendan Matthews: “It’s always the same one – trying to get healthy and fit – and this year to beat Geelong.”
Geelong Hospital nuclear medicine head Daniel Bucki-Smith: “I’m hoping to finish off some research projects at work, there’s some stuff I’ve got to write up.”
The Anthropologists musician Fidel Monk: “Play more banjo but get less heckled and read more Greek tragedies.”