The best place To Live - City of Greater Geelong

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10 the best place to live www.geelongaustralia.com.au february 2009 A Fairfax Media Custom Publication Windows to the past, present and future The manager of the Geelong Heritage Centre, Mark Beasley, has a rich and colourful view of Geelong’s cultural heritage. There are 1.7 shelf-kilometres of historical documents housed at Geelong’s Heritage Centre, each document telling a different story and each providing a window to Geelong’s cultural past. With newspaper archives, a 40,000-strong photo and image library, a significant sale notices collection and maps and plans of the region situated there, the heritage centre is the place to go to tap into the region’s history and taste a little of the culture that the region offers in spades. In recent times, the Geelong region has clearly emerged as a destination of cultural significance, with museums, theatres, galleries and a thriving coffee lifestyle. And with an ever-increasing multicultural population choosing the region as its home, as well as a growing artistic population finding inspiration from Geelong and its surrounds, that cultural identity is only intensifying. The manager of the Geelong Heritage Centre, Mark Beasley, says there has been a surge of interest in people delving into their cultural pasts, researching their histories and tracking their family trees, making the heritage centre a hive of cultural activity. “The growth in genealogy and family history is quite remarkable,” he says. “It was thought that when things were digitised and put online that people wouldn’t want to come to reading rooms any more, but in fact it’s gone the other way. I’d say probably two out of every three people here would be researching something to do with family or their Geelong cultural history or something of that nature.” Mr Beasley says the Geelong region’s community has embraced its cultural past and wants it to be recorded for future generations, thus increasing the patronage of the heritage centre. “In terms of people wanting live: Geelong’s Heritage Centre has become the centre of thriving cultural activity to learn about and access the cultural history of Geelong, I’ve found people here are really interested in it,” he says. “Geelong has such a diverse cultural history and a fantastic depth of its history, and I’ve found that people are passionate here about not only depositing their history but accessing it for the next generation.” Geelong’s Heritage Centre is Victoria’s largest regional archive and sits within Geelong’s cultural precinct, as does the Back to Back Theatre group, an ensemble-based, avant-garde theatre group, whose work contributes to Geelong’s cultural identity. Back to Back Theatre artistic director Bruce Gladwin, who writes and directs the group’s productions, says being Geelongbased is integral to its identity. “Our company is made up of actors who have an intellectual disability, so our work has a unique social and political commentary on contemporary society because it’s not a mainstream voice,” he says. “Being a part of Geelong definitely defines who we are. ‘Geelong is on the way up and our multicultural population has a lot to do with that’ The Geelong Region has the highest number of General Practioners (GPs) that surf in Victoria. “We continue to make work for Geelong and make work with people in Geelong. All our actors from the company are from Geelong, and who we are is really defined by our base here in many ways.” Mr Gladwin acknowledges that his theatre group, which has been recognised internationally for its work, is part of a thriving cultural scene in Geelong. “The harder it is for artists to support themselves in cities like Sydney or Melbourne, the more appealing it is for an artist to come and live and work in regional centres like Geelong. Having the City of Greater Geelong really recognise and develop policy in regard to arts and culture is really encouraging artists to thrive in Geelong. “We’ve seen that cultural rejuvenation in the inner city of Melbourne in areas like Fitzroy and Carlton but it’s often not viable for artists to support themselves in those areas, so people are looking further afield. “The fact that there’s an arts and culture department within the City of Greater Geelong – and a lot of councils don’t have one – and that they’ve been employing people to support arts and culture and recognising it as being a really important dynamic to make the area an appealing place to live and work in, is just fantastic.” Michael Martinez, chief executive of Diversitat, an organisation that provides community services to the Geelong region in the areas of immigration, welfare, community development, youth, training, aged care and employment, says the large multicultural population that lives in the Geelong area also contributes to the cultural identity of the region, most notably through cuisine. “What I love about Geelong is that it is the home of so many varieties of food now,” he says. “It’s all there: Japanese, Indian, Greek, Italian and a whole lot more. There are now 39 ethnic groups that create the Geelong Ethnic Communities Council so we are greatly influenced by this large multicultural population. “The biggest single community is the Italians, who have had a fair bit to do with the growing coffee culture here in Geelong. And then there’s the Chinese and a growing Indian population that is diversifying the cuisine of the area, as well as a whole lot more. The food is really changing. “But a bit of the untapped story is the emergence of the wine and fresh produce industries outside of Geelong in the Bellarine Peninsula and around Bannockburn, whose red wines are regularly listed in the best restaurants of Australia. “Then you’ve got things like olive production that is on the increase, and a lot of boutique poultry and meat industry establishments and many good restaurants right down the coast. Geelong is on the way up and our multicultural population has a lot to do with that.” The City of Greater Geelong’s manager of arts and culture, Di Shaw, says the city has indeed recognised the importance of developing the Geelong region’s cultural identity. “Our strategy is to develop Geelong as a region of creative innovation,” she says. “Some cities see that as a competitive advantage, not of how people see the city from observation, but how they engage with the community – and that is what our community does very well. “Supporting creativity within the region brings a real vitality to our community.” a www.geelongaustralia.com.au www.backtobacktheatre.com www.diversitat.org.au
the february best 2009 place to www.geelongaustralia.com.au the best place to live www.geelongaustralia.com.au 11 A Fairfax Media Custom Publication Business leaders get together for Geelong’s future In 2001, a group of Geelong business leaders established the Committee for Geelong to help make a positive contribution to the long-term interests of the Geelong community. The committee runs a Leaders for Geelong program to equip a new generation of business and community leaders with the skills, knowledge and networks to manage the City of Greater Geelong’s future responsibly and sustainably. One of the program’s participants is Anthony Barnett, a regional manager in the Geelong area for Telstra. As part of his development through the program, Mr Barnett is driving the establishment of a new community project. “The time comes when you want to use the things you feel passionate about to help make positive change in the Geelong region,” he says. One of Mr Barnett’s passions is education for children. After consultation with key government and community stakeholders, Mr Barnett and his fellow participants were inspired to inaugurate an annual Geelong Children’s Literacy Festival aimed at promoting awareness of the importance of early learning, specifically reading. “There are quite a lot of stand-alone literacy and reading programs in Geelong, but they are not linked,” Mr Barnett says. “We felt this centrally coordinated initiative would be an excellent idea.” His group is in the process of drafting the framework for the literacy festival, with plans to present the proposed format to community leaders, parents and potential implementation groups in April this year. It will be recommended that the inaugural Geelong Literacy Festival be held in mid-2010. The Leaders for Geelong program coordinator, Jean Paul, says the program aims to develop participants’ skills through exposure to business and community leaders, interaction with other participants and discussion of case studies. Participants are introduced to issues relevant to sustainability, prosperity and social cohesion, she says. Themes covered include law and order, water and sustainability, science and technology, energy, ethics, welfare and poverty, transport and logistics, education, health and cultural diversity. a www.committeeforgeelong.com.au Where the living and lifestyle are easier They might work outside the region, but they wouldn’t live anywhere else Radio personality Ian Cover moved to Geelong as a lad in 1963, the same year the Geelong Cats won their sixth VFL/AFL Grand Final. “We had to wait 44 years for another premiership, but it was worth it,” he says. “You cannot overestimate what winning did for this town in 2007. No other provincial city in Australia would be capable of being the base for an AFL team.” Ian is Geelong through and through. He was educated in Geelong and his first job was as a reporter for the Geelong Advertiser. He also represented Geelong in the Victorian Parliament from 1996 to 2002. “I grew up here. I can’t help but like the place. I once lived in Williamstown, but I called it North North Geelong. You won’t get me to cross the (Westgate) Bridge to live,” he says. These days his family is settled at Barwon Heads, on the coast. “Greater Geelong just offers such a full range of services from education to health to employment and, of course, sport and recreational facilities.” He travels to Melbourne at weekends for his role as one of ABC radio’s Coodabeen Champions. “The single most significant infrastructure project in the past 10 years was the Geelong Road upgrade and now we’ve got the Geelong Ring Road too,” he says. “They make Geelong even more accessible for people who live and work here.” As general manager of Village Cinemas Australia, Chris Shine commutes to his Melbourne office by train or car; and he works outside peak times to avoid traffic LEARN: snarls. “And I use the Avalon Aiport if I need to fly for work.” The Shine family moved from Melbourne to Geelong for the relaxed lifestyle 10 years ago. “My wife Lynne and I looked around and we liked Geelong because it was not a contrived town, and it still had a provincial feel,” Chris says. “We loved the civic design with the glorious waterfront, the accessibility to amenities and the culture.” And the property prices didn’t hurt either. “We basically swapped our living from a townhouse in Kensington for a four-bedroom home overlooking the Geelong Botanic Gardens.” Chris estimates they secured the Geelong home for about half what it would have cost in Melbourne. The Shine family, which includes two primary school children and a dog, use the local beaches and parklands extensively. Chris, Chris Shine and family love nothing better than heading to the beach; a far cry from Chris’ office role as general manager of Village Cinemas Australia based in Melbourne. who enjoys sea kayaking, can be found at Ocean Grove or Torquay on most weekends. “We would use the waterfront in a social or recreational way at least four times a week.” Cinematographer Ian Baker regards his home on 1.2 hectares near Lorne as a haven from the hurlyburly of international film making. He and his family live on a property that faces the Great Ocean Road, on the Melbourne side of Lorne. In the Geelong region there are: 22,059 primary school students, 18,704 secondary students, 7061 university students and 5195 TAFE students. (Source: 2006 census) “It’s a rare bit of land, and we are very lucky to be here,” he says. Although he was Melbourne born and bred, Ian always felt drawn to the country. He bought the Lorne property after his first home at Mount Macedon was destroyed in the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. The film-maker, whose credits include The Russia House, Evil Angels, Roxanne and Japanese Story, works on movies in all corners of the world. “My family travel with me but, when I am not on location, our youngest daughter goes to school locally, and my wife is constantly involved in community activities,” he says. “I am based here when I am in Australia. It is the perfect antidote to the big city environment, and the high-pressure world of film-making. “I can relax, enjoy my garden and perhaps have some meetings or read. And I’m an avid gardener. I only grow things you can eat, so we have 20 fruit trees and a huge vegetable garden.” For footy legend Billy Brownless, it’s the little things that make living in Geelong special. “You don’t get caught in traffic, and you can usually get a park out the front wherever you stop, often for no charge,” he says. “If you do have to pay to park somewhere, it doesn’t cost you a fortune. I know it’s not popular to say it, but Geelong is a little bit country. I’m from Jerilderie so I should know.” Billy’s association with Geelong started in 1986 when he first played with the Cats. He finished playing in 1997, but never considered moving to Melbourne. “I married a Geelong girl and we have four kids at school and they are very settled. I’ve lived in Geelong now for 20 years and I think I’m just about regarded as a local. “Geelong is the best of both worlds, with Melbourne just an hour away and Torquay and other beach spots 20 minutes down the road. And of course, this town has a great footy team to support.”
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The best place To Live - City of Greater Geelong

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