Ba-gurrk!
No, it’s not a chook on the loose.
The poultry-sounding word actually begins the title of City Hall’s proposed plan to achieve gender equality.
Yes, council released its draft Ba-gurrk Gender Equality Framework this week for public feedback. Or maybe that should be chickenfeed-back.
According to council, the plan with the unlikely name aims to “ensure all policies, plans, services and programs developed by the City are committed to gender equity principles to achieve a fair and inclusive community”.
Fair enough, but why ‘Ba-gurrk’?
Well, it’s a local Aboriginal word, council explained.
“Ba-gurrk is Wadawurrung for woman, and was incorporated in the framework title to pay homage to Wadawurrung traditional owners,” council said.
Ahh, now it becomes clear.
Double Take commends council’s symbolism and looks forward to the delivery of equality for all the ba-gurrks at City Hall!
While on the subject of Aboriginal terminology, a Geelong academic might have unwittingly inspired a strategy to disrupt the season of Richmond before its likely fateful clash with the Cats in AFL round 20 next month.
Deakin University’s Associate Professor Helen Gardner this week unveiled a series of forgotten Aboriginal names for places in Melbourne, including the home of none other than the rampant Tigers.
Apparently the pre-colonial Wurundjeri-willam locals used the word Quo-yung when referring to the area now known as home to the raging premiership favourites.
And, the professor further explained, Quo-ung meant ‘dead trees’.
So, in the spirit of great reconciliation-inspired re-namings, such as Gariwerd for the Grampians Ranges and Uluru for Ayres Rock, Cats chief Brian Cook should get on the blower right now to demand similar recognition of the Wurundjeri-willam.
Because by the time round 20 comes around, everyone will want to see the Geelong Cats take on the Quo-Yung Dead Trees!
Bring it on!
Meanwhile, the other Cats have acquired a little extra shrubbery of their own – and it sounds a little more comfy than Richmond’s dead trees.
The new Cats Players’ Garden, launching today, will provide Geelong’s best-kept felines with a “multi-purpose green retreat, where the team can kick back, relax with their families over a meal, throw a few hoops or meet with specialist coaches”.
Double Take once owned a cat but when it used the garden it certainly wasn’t to “kick back” or “throw a few hoops”.
Hopefully the new players’ garden also includes men’s and ba-gurrk’s toilets!
Local police’s charm offensive stepped up a gear, or possibly six, in Geelong over the past week.
In the latest leg of Coffee With A Cop, the local constabulary visited Westfield Geelong with a special addition – a Highway Patrol motorcycle on display.
The shoppers enjoyed a cuppa with the officers on duty but, as police conceded, the flashy big bike was probably “the main attraction”.
“Members of the public of all ages wanted to speak with the police and have their photo taken with the motorcycle,” police posted on Facebook this week with happy snaps from the day.
Coffee With A Cop’s next stop is at Market Square Shopping Centre on Monday – no word on whether the organisers will go one better with a pursuit car!
