By Mandy Oakham
Everybody’s favourite Geelong grandfather Frank Costa has looked into his crystal ball and said the city’s future looks bright.
Mr Costa has identified for the Indy his Fabulous Five things to ensure a successful future for Geelong.
And he’s added in a sneaky sixth issue that needs to be worked on.
According to Mr Costa, Geelong’s key to success is all its wonderful lifestyle, especially for growing families.
“I was born here and grew up and enjoyed all the wonderful things about Geelong, then my children grew up here and enjoyed all the wonderful things, and now my grandchildren are growing up here enjoying the wonderful lifestyle.”
Frank’s Fab Five are:
1. Education
“Just think, we have on offer here in the region first class education right through from primary school to university. And we can never underestimate the important role Deakin plays in our city. Fantastic!”
2. Employment
“We’ve come a long way from the dark days of the collapse of Pyramid and every day you hear about new developments and new opportunities around Geelong. It’s important we continue to ensure the employability of our young people and that a wide range of employment opportunities are available to them.”
3. Health
“We have top-class medical and health facilities and with the arrival of the Epworth things have only got better.”
4. Recreation
“We have the Surf Coast, the Otways, the Great Ocean Road all on our doorstep and throughout the city and the region we have the best sport and recreational facilities alongside terrific parks and beaches – what more could we want?”
5. Affordable housing
“Everyone thinks the prices of housing is expensive but look down the road at how much it costs in Melbourne. We have to remember just how lucky we are and must work hard to make sure young families can always afford homes in Geelong.”
Mr Costa said transport is the only area needing significant work.
“It would just be the icing on the cake if we could just get Avalon operating to its full capacity and that fast train between Melbourne and Geelong, then everything would be just perfect.”
And as for his beloved Cats?
“They’re in an excellent position to win but if anyone had told us we’d be second on the ladder at this point in the season I think we’d have been surprised but very happy.”
