Get the latest news to your email inbox FREE!

REGISTER

Get the latest news to your email inbox FREE!

REGISTER
HomeIndyDouble Take

Double Take

Some Cats fans think he might have been shown the door prematurely but few would have concern for the post-footy career – or should that be careers – of Jimmy Bartel.
Armed with a business degree, he’s launched his own footy boot company, has a series of ambassadorships with various brands and dabbles in media commentary, among various earners.
This week he was promoting an annual baby search competition under the umbrella of undies giant Bond.
There he was (pictured), all stubbly good looks with adorable son Aston in arms, both looking a million bucks.
And worth even more!

From success in the endorsements world, another Geelong figure is rising through the ranks in a very different field.
Hamburgers, to be exact.
And who else but A Cut Above Family Butcher’s Daniel McCarthy, the same bloke who supplied the turkeys for the Indy’s Talkin’ Turky competition before Christmas.
With a state title already in hand for his store’s ‘Bonza Burger’, Daniel’s off to Tasmania this weekend to compete for the Australian Industry Meat Council’s national best hamburger prize.
“It’s a tough competition, so we’re a little bit nervous,” he said.
Go, Daniel – give ’em one with the lot!

The funeral of Geelong’s Anthony Costa this week summoned many touching tributes.
One of the brothers behind the Costa Group empire, he was variously described as “warm and friendly”, a “loyal, caring, kind friend” and an outstanding family man.
But he was also extremely courageous, as brother Frank explained on Channel 7’s Gangs of Oz series in 2010.
The topic was the Costas’ dangerous wrestle with the Calabrian mafia in the early ’90s, on behalf of Coles. The supermarket chain had enlisted the Costas to help it escape the mafia’s 50-cent tax on each box of fresh produce.
The plan was for the family to take over the business, restoring fair pricing. The bad guys were unimpressed.
The death threats began. The stakes were high and the risks very real.
The brothers decided to fight fire with fire – and Anthony was the torch-bearer.
“I said to Anthony ‘you go back tomorrow morning and tell that (mafia) guy that anyone in our family gets touched, a hair on their head, exactly double that for that group’,” Frank told the program.
“And we’d start with that guy’s family first. You have to bluff them – and it worked.
“Anthony’s a big, burly bloke anyway, so he went and delivered that and that stopped it.”
Delivering in person a death threat to the mafia! Unbelievable!
Vale, Anthony Costa – and thanks for our fruit and veg prices.

Digital Edition
Subscribe

Get an all ACCESS PASS to the News and your Digital Edition with an online subscription

Gold for Jakara

Barwon Heads star Jakara Anthony has won gold in the newest Olympic event, Women’s Dual Moguls overnight. This adds to her moguls victory from Beijing...

Community calendar

More News

Fatal crash leaves driver dead

Police are investigating a fatal crash in the Geelong suburb of Thomson this evening. Emergency services were called to reports a car had crashed into...

Reviving a long-distance relationship

Geelong has welcomed an international delegation in a first step to reigniting a long-standing inter-city relationship. Delegation members from Japanese city Izumiotsu, led by Mayor...

New name for beloved venue

The performing arts jewel of the Bellarine has a new identity. The Potato Shed in Drysdale launched its 2026 season last week, simultaneously announcing its...

New light shines on the Bellarine

The North Bellarine has a new haven for people who need a shoulder to lean on, a new jumper or just a hot cup...

Aussie kids salt risk

Research from Deakin University has suggested most Australian children are at risk of developing high blood pressure at a younger age due to eating...

Experience live Celtic music

Multi-instrumentalist Rennie Pearson is bringing the warmth and mystique of Celtic music back down the highway to Little River and Geelong this month. Channelling the...

Bowls community rallies for mental health

With more than two in five Australians estimated to experience mental illness over the course of their lifetime, mental health is one of the...

A run for love

The Portarlington community will show off its love of racing during the Flying Brick Bellarine Sunset Run on Valentine’s Day. The light coastal...

Valentine’s Day dip

Bellarine community members can gather to watch as hundreds of swimmers take a dip in Indented Head on Valentine’s Day. Wreck2Reef Open...

Living with CoHD

Geelong’s Leah Kolega has a lot on her plate as a mum of four kids, including two boys living with childhood-onset heart disease (CoHD)....