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HomeIndyDouble Take

Double Take

Inflatable abstract rabbits.

A bloke digging in sand on all fours as a sculpture.

And now, “Spidergoat”.

Yes, the Geelong region has certainly developed a reputation for artistic oddities over the past few years but the latest addition possibly reaches a whole new dimension.

Unusual art installation Spidergoat & The Insect Electro features at Geelong’s National Wool Museum this weekend thanks to an unlikely inspiration.

Artist Kathy Holowko has based her work on USA research breeding goats with spider genes, which surely must rank as one of the most unlikely pairings in nature, or even weird science for that matter.

Apparently the researchers use ol’ spidiegoat’s milk for the production of incredible strong artificial silk. As you do.

Anyway, the museum says arts patrons will be guided through Holowko’s odd installation with “light-filled cocoons and electro beats”.

Just don’t forget the Mortein!

Family, friends and more than just a few fans have farewelled legendary Cat Russell ‘Hooker’ Renfrey, who passed away aged 94 last Saturday.

Mourners gathered for his funeral in Highton on Thursday, remembering a bloke with a deservedly fine reputation both on the footy field and off.

After joining the Cats in 1946 following his first experiences of Aussie Rules while a solider in the Australian army, Hooker went on to play 201 games for Geelong as a ruck-rover in a team replete with champions.

As well as a dual premiership star, he still holds the record as the only VFL or AFL player to feature in 26 straight wins, which he accumulated during the Cats’ dominant 1952 and ’53 seasons.

Fellow Geelong legend Bob Davis once described Renfrey as the club’s “lifeblood”, a “father figure and undoubtedly the most-popular bloke at the club”.

After footy Hooker took his hard-work ethos into business, developing a successful trucking firm whose vehicles emblazoned with the family name became a common sight on local roads.

Truly an achiever off the field and on, Renfrey was also known for his good humour and generosity, still helping out with the club’s past players group well into old age.

Vale, Russell Renfrey, truly a local legend.

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