Year in Review – April to June

Drysdale Football Netball Club hosted Geelong’s first Big Freeze and raised more than $50,000 to help fight MND. (Ivan Kemp) 284310_18

APRIL

Victoria Police and Crime Stoppers launched a campaign in Geelong to get illegal guns off the streets following a 5 percent increase in illegal firearms incidents across the state since 2020.

Ocean Grove Bowls Club became the first club to win both Premier and Division 1 premierships in the same season.

The Commonwealth Games Federation announced Geelong would be one of four regional hubs around the state to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The Torquay community had a win when the state government announced a final statement of planning policy for the Surf Coast Distinctive Area and Landscape, limiting where future developments can happen.

For the first time in more than two years, the City of Greater Geelong’s budget was back in the black, with the Council endorsing a draft budget with an operating surplus of $107,000.

MAY

Anthony Albanese led the Labor Party to victory in the federal election, displacing the incumbent Liberal/National Coalition government by winning 77 of the 151 seats in the House of Representatives.

The state government committed more than $500 million to deliver the Barwon Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

The Australian Automobile Association found that Geelong motorists endured an average weekly fuel cost increase of 38 percent in one year to have the second highest average weekly cost in the country.

The Geelong Arts Centre redevelopment project reached a key milestone when builders placed the last beam on the facility’s four-storey structure.

The City of Greater Geelong formally initiated a conversation about January 26 to understand, respect and acknowledge the experiences of First Nations people and the wider community.

JUN

Bellarine MP Lisa Neville announced she would not contest her seat in the upcoming state election after holding her office for 20 consecutive years.

Drysdale Football Club hosted Geelong’s very own Big Freeze, raising more than $52,000 for the fight against MND.

Stephanie Asher stepped down as City of Greater Geelong Mayor after running as the Liberal Party’s candidate for the seat of Corangamite and losing to Labor’s Libby Coker.

Ocean Grove’s Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes was officially awarded Australia’s best pie for its mushroom and truffle pie despite the pie’s creator, Rolling Pin owner Nathan Williams, not liking mushrooms.

Crime in Geelong hit a 10-year low, with incidents of crime in the region falling by almost 1,000 for the period between April 2021 and and March 2022.