Remember when Geelong’s waterfront was almost totally excavated to create our new tourist precinct – only for workmen to discover a forgotten statue of King Edward VII?
Or when the city decided to bury its ‘Sleepy Hollow’ reputation by holding a New Orleans-style Jazz Funeral on the waterfront? With the mayor, councillors and council officers as pallbearers?
Colin Mockett does, and he has pictures to prove it.
They’ll be part of a new stage show titled ‘Geelong – Pictures Worth 1,000 Words’ which opens next month.
The show features heritage images and old film clips of Geelong shown on a cinema-sized screen with updated 21st century hindsightful commentary as well as live music of the times.
It’s the latest in a series of original history-driven musical shows presented by Colin Mockett and Shirley Power as part of the City’s Morning Showtimes At The Potato Shed.
As well as the waterfront-building images, the show includes film clips of Archbishop Daniel Mannix laying the foundation stone to St Mary’s Yarra Street church, Colac’s first flight, couta fishing at Queenscliff – and the boozy, happy cross-dressing dancing celebrations for 1932 New Year’s Eve which showed that not everybody had a tough time in the 1930s.
It’s clear that if you had a regular job, life was sweet and fun in the Geelong region at that time – for some.
And a couple of those old photographs have an eerie reflection today.
Take a close look at the pictures of the Jazz Funeral to bury ‘Sleepy Hollow’.
You’ll notice one of the lead pallbearers was then-councillor Anthony Aitken, with council’s then-PR manager David Withington.
Both have recently nominated to become councillors in the CoGG’s spring election.
History has a habit of repeating, in Geelong …
Colin and Shirley’s exhibtion Geelong- Pictures Worth 1,000 Words opens at 10.30am at the Potato Shed on Tuesday 12 September.
For tickets and information, phone the City of Greater Geelong 5251 1998.
