Words: Elissa Friday Pictures: Rebecca Hosking

A Melbourne girl, a European boy – and now a life together on the Surf Coast…

Hugh Marc Best and Deborah Ellen Campbell’s Aireys Inlet Wedding

Where they grew up
Deb was raised in the suburbs of Melbourne.
“My parents have had a place in Aireys Inlet since 1990 and we have been taking trips there since the early 1980s, because my great-aunt previously owned the house her parents now have,” Deb says.
“Hugh was born and raised in Amsterdam, his Mum’s family are from Yorkshire, UK, and he spent many summers there while growing up.
“He has a strong connection to his British side as well,” she says.

How they met
Hugh and Deb met in Amsterdam in 2008 when she was living there for a year. They both attended a Toastmasters meeting, “our one and only”, and hit it off just as friends.
“Hugh will be the first to tell you that he would’ve liked something more but alas, I was not available,” Deb says.
Deb moved back to Australia in 2009 and Hugh moved to Canada in 2010 and they stayed friends.
“If communicating every now and then via Facebook can be counted as friends,” she says.
“We finally got together in 2014 while I was still in Melbourne but planning a trip overseas,” she says.
Hugh was living in Geneva, Switzerland, by this point and they began their relationship via Whatsapp messages and Face-time calls, while living on opposite sides of the planet, she says.
“I visited Hugh in March 2015 and moved there in July 2015.”

The proposal
“On an earlier trip to Australia in March 2016, Hugh had asked my father for permission – this was a tradition that was very important to him,” Deb says.
In April 2016 they had already organised a trip to Venice and Hugh decided to use this opportunity to propose.
“Italy was one of the first places we went to on holiday together, so it holds some wonderful memories.
“We were there from Thursday night until Sunday and Hugh proposed after lunch on the Friday.
“He chose possibly the busiest bridge in Venice to do it – the bridge from which you can see the Bridge of Sighs – and got down on one knee in the hot sun, after having carried around his jacket all day (with the ring inside) in hotter than normal April temperatures.
“He did his best to incorporate elements from my all-time favourite book series, Anne of Green Gables, by proposing on a bridge and talking about my ’carrot-like’ hair even though I am blonde. Points for effort,” Deb says.

The wedding planning
Deb and Hugh started planning the wedding in June 2016 from Geneva, Switzerland.
“We decided early on that we wanted to do it in Australia and I eventually chose Aireys Inlet as the venue because I have always loved the area and it has such a strong connection to my family,” she says.
Their original plan was to hold the ceremony at the lighthouse but this was eventually changed to Deb’s parents’ backyard.
“My mum was massively helpful in helping find everyone from our photographer to the person who did my hair.
“Without her help, everything would’ve been 10 times harder as we flew in just 10 days before the wedding and were doing everything else via Skype with a 10-hour time difference,” she says.
“Mum and Dad also did our food and wine tasting,” she says.
Deb put together a video for their wedding invitation.

Hens and bucks party
Deb had a low-key lunch a week before the wedding with close female friends and family at the Ripponlea Estate in Melbourne.
“Hugh’s two groomsmen surprised him with four days in Tasmania.
“They flew in early from overseas to meet him and I dropped him off at an airport hotel in Melbourne after having packed his suitcase without his knowing,” she says.
“Then they flew into Launceston and went to Cradle Mountain, Wineglass Bay, Port Arthur and Hobart.”

The dress
“My dress is white lace with a tulle underlay and was made by a designer in Leicester, England,” she says.
Deb also wore a long veil with lace trim.
“I bought my dress at a boutique in Dublin, Ireland – my sister lives there so she accompanied me on a two-day shopping tour to try and find the right one,” Deb says.
Deb hadn’t had done any research beforehand and didn’t know what she wanted, but as soon as she tried this one on, she knew.
“I had that magical ’bride moment’ where I just knew it was the right one.”

Bridesmaids
Deb’s bridesmaids were her sister Merrilyn Campbell, who flew over from Ireland, also her sister-in-law Kristian Campbell, who lives in Melbourne.
“They both wore long blue dresses, my favourite colour,” Deb says.

Groomsmen
Both groomsmen flew in from Amsterdam for the wedding.
“Hugh’s best man was Francesco Gianni who is also Hugh’s closest friend since they were babies.
“Their mothers were best friends and so they grew up together and have remained close friends ever since,” she says.
“The second groomsman, Inaki Genovesi, is a close friend of Hugh’s from university.”

The ceremony
“The ceremony was held in my parents’ backyard,” Deb says.
The couple had 67 guests. Guests had flown in from Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Amsterdam and London to attend.
“Our celebrant was Nettie Hulme,” she says.
Some of her girlfriends created a temporary aisle using bamboo sticks, flowers and tulle.
“I walked down the aisle with my father to Christina Perri’s ’A Thousand Years’ and we had a short ceremony with two readings,” she says.
“I and the bridesmaids carried absolutely gorgeous floral bouquets from Great Ocean Road Flowers and my flower girl was my niece, Ellie Campbell, who threw rose petals as she walked down the aisle.”

Photography
Deb and Hugh’s wedding photographs were taken by photographer Rebecca Hosking.
“Rebecca Hosking did an absolutely magnificent job,” Deb says.
“We took pictures of friends and family in the backyard immediately following the ceremony and then the bridal party drove up to the lighthouse to take shots inside and on the top of the lighthouse,” she explains.

The engagement
“We were engaged for eight months, didn’t have an engagement party and were living in Geneva for most of this time,” she says.
Shortly before the couple married they moved from Geneva to Amsterdam and then flew onto Australia for the wedding – “a rather hectic couple of weeks”.

The rings
“The rings are by Georg Jensen in Copenhagen,” Deb says.
“Hugh’s ring is also from Georg Jensen and is a simple platinum band and mine is white gold with diamond brilliants,” Deb explains.
“We visited Copenhagen at the end of 2015 and Hugh already knew that he wanted to propose and so when we wandered into the Georg Jensen store and I happened upon a unique design of an engagement ring set inside the wedding ring, he took note,” Deb says.
“After receiving permission from her dad, Hugh then ordered it to be delivered to Geneva from the store in Copenhagen.
“Of course, he got the size very wrong and it had to be exchanged after he proposed – he had secretly had it measured against another ring I own that was actually for my index finger,” she says.

The wedding reception
The wedding reception was held in the bistro of the Aireys Pub.
The couple had “simple mason jar and flower centrepieces” surrounded by tea lights. The colour scheme was blush pink, blue, silver and white.
“I cannot speak more highly of the staff and the food – both were excellent.
“We had a two-man band (the James Sidebottom Duo) who played in the background during dinner and then got almost everyone up on the dance floor once the formalities were over – including my dad who never dances,” she says.
“We had short speeches by me, Hugh, the best man, Hugh’s mum and both my parents, and my dad read out one of his own poems as he is a writer.”

The wedding cake
Deb and Hugh chose cupcakes.
“Half of which were decorated with flags representing our three different backgrounds – Australian, Dutch and English,” she says.
“It was delicious and made by Sweet Designs in Geelong.”

A second wedding celebration
“We are having a second wedding celebration in two weeks in Ilkley, Yorkshire. It will be a fun and relaxed chance to celebrate with the friends and family who couldn’t make it to the first one,” Deb says.
“I will wear my dress again and we will have a mock ceremony with one of Hugh’s actor friends pretending to marry us, followed by a lunch.”

ELISSA FRIDAY checks out three Geelong businesses with very different offerings.

After three decades in his domain of wine and spirits, Dale Cooper sure knows a thing or two about heady scents.
The operator of Wine Domaine has worked in sales and marketing for Louis Vuitton’s high-end alcohol range as well as with prestigious brands including Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinard and Moet.
But studying at France’s Hennessey Academy a few years ago instilled his “love of all things Cognac” – especially its aroma.
Now Dale’s East Geelong store is one of the few in Australia selling a perfume based on the scent of the popular French brandy, and six other liquors as well.
Dale’s range is from French family brand Frapin, one of the oldest Cognac houses in the world, dating back to 1270.
“They’re a family and brought out their own range of perfumes,” Dale explains.
“In three days I sold out of the Frapin 1270 perfume at $229 across the board – I’m the only store that has both the Frapin alcohol and the perfume in-store.
“There’s no weak concentration, they’re as concentrated as you can get, being eau de parfum.”
Dale’s Frapin perfume range includes L’Humaniste, representing gin and tonic.
“The main constituent in gin is juniper berries and that’s what you can smell and what’s prevalent in that particular perfume,” he says.
The perfumes’ arrival in-store initially intrigued customers, Dale says.
“When I was first stocking the perfumes some people said, ‘Why would you want to smell like you’ve just had a drink?’” he chuckles.
“It can be a bit confusing, although the perfumes don’t smell boozy. It’s actually about flavour profiles and the aromas of the perfumes picking up the aromatics of the fruits and the grapes.”

“I suppose I have an eye for design, as a horticulturist,” says Olivia Thwaites.
The Manifold Heights mum of two young children grew up on a farm in the Otways, which she attributes for her “hands-on” approach to life and love of the outdoors.
Now her background also inspires Green Hip, Olivia’s brand of work-wear for women.
She developed the concept after finding only men’s work-wear available when she began a horticulture apprenticeship in 1997.
“Someone needed to do something about it,” Olivia says.
“It’s quite demoralising as a woman to walk down the street having to wear the big boots, baggy shorts and shirts – people often comment not so favourably,” she says.
Olivia began designing her range in 2005 after moving to Bangkok for three years following her marriage. She found some help from a tailor, researched factories, and finally put it all into practice, manufacturing Green Hip clothing in China.
“It was a bit of a lonely road because I didn’t come from a design background,” Olivia says.
Green Hip launched in 2010. Olivia now has a consultant to help with graphics, as well as a colleague with a design background.
“I designed alone for many years but about four years ago I employed a fantastic girl, Angie ,who has a background in fashion and retail and marketing. She helped me design and refine the new cargo style.”
Olivia still checks her Green Hip size guide against measurements of customers’ favourite clothing items.
“It’s tried and tested method, so I’m not changing it,” she laughs.
Green Hip’s range covers pants, shirts and headwear.
Olivia’s garments were the first work-wear to use cotton-stretch fabric, she says.
“The clothing really empowers women to feel good while at work.”
With Green Hip now stocked in 15 stores around Australia, Olivia plans to introduce new garment colours and designs.
But, as a horticulturalist, she remains “really passionate about gardening”.
“I always thought I’d have my own gardening business.”
But volunteering “manpower” for every garment sold helps keep Olivia involved, with her father and others, in horticulture through the revegetating of farmland
“Last year we planted a mixture of 2000 grasses, shrubs and trees on a dairy farm in the western district. It’s a way of me keeping connected to my roots and caring about the environment.
“It’s also a great to get to know the community.”

After working as a nurse for the 24 years, Marsha Davies headed for Geelong to expand on her experience with cosmetic injectables.
As a dialysis nurse with theatre and clinical-teaching experience, she arrived in Geelong from Benalla two years ago.
Now she’s opened Lip Lab, which offers injectables along with the rare offering of custom lipstick, mixed while customers wait.
Clients choose from a variety of colours and bases, including cream, butter, vegan or matte, along with flavours like hazelnut chocolate.
“We use a blending machine that spins the lipstick for 16 seconds,” Marsha explains.
“Then we put the lipstick into either a classic or gothic mould and from there it takes five minutes to set. If you choose your colour straight away, a lipstick can be made in a little as 20 minutes.
“All lipsticks cost $55 and additives such as pink champagne cost an extra $3. You can also create your own lip gloss for $30.”
Marsha’s young daughters love visting her work to create lipsticks with the “cool” Lip Lab process.
Her huband is also involved in the business, helping by doing the books.
“We met at university and have been married 20 years,” Marsha says.

From modelling for the big fashion houses to promoting some of Australia’s best-known brands on TV, Jan Juc’s Sally Williams has now embarked on a new career in the name of love. ELISSA FRIDAY caught up with busy Sally at home on the Surf Coast.

After decades on TV promoting some of Australia’s biggest brands, all Sally Williams really wants is a “simple, quiet life”.
“I don’t need or want for a lot and I don’t like to over indulge,” the marketing star explains in the comfort of her Jan Juc home.
When she’s not fronting cameras as the national face of Brand Power, the mum of two enjoys the coastal lifestyle, walking the local beaches daily with Olly, her 13-year-old Staffy.
But now Sally’s meandered into a surprising new career course, adding the title ‘civil celebrant’ to her resume.
Serving as bridesmaid at a friend’s 1992 wedding in Palm Springs provided the initial inspiration for the new role, Sally says.
“I absolutely loved being involved in the occasion and the celebration,” she remembers.
“I loved it so much that years later I decided to begin training as a celebrant at The Gordon.”
Now she has a Certificate IV as a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant.
“I researched broadly which course to do and discovered that this one was one of the best in the state for people who wanted to do celebrant work interstate,” Sally says.
The course of almost eight months equipped her with knowledge to prepare and deliver all aspects of a wedding ceremony.
“A lot of attention was placed on the legalities, content and communication, including writing, preparing and presenting six case studies,” Sally explains.
Now she’s putting in practice her new skills, which extend beyond weddings to conducting funerals and other significant occasions.
“I do vow renewals and baby-naming days too,” she says.
Sally and her then-young family moved to Bells Beach from Melbourne around 15 years ago when twins Jake and Angelica were five.
But the family home was sold five years ago when life “went in an unexpected direction”, Sally says.
“Our marriage came to an end which was very sad,” she reflects.
“It was tough for the kids, it was tough.
“I’m not ashamed of it at all. We did the right thing and it’s a good thing in some ways.
“I don’t think people expected me to go into celebrant work after that but it didn’t change me one bit. I’m a total believer in love and marriage – the important part is focusing on it being right.”
Sally’s extends this focus to the contentious issue of gay marriage, declaring herself willing to conduct same-sex weddings.
“Love is love and all love needs to be celebrated,” she says.
“Two people who are in love and who want to unite in wedlock, who are we to deprive them of that?”
Sally makes a pretty face conducting weddings but admits that some friends “couldn’t believe” she would choose to also work on funerals.
“I think it’s a privilege to celebrate someone’s life, just as it’s a privilege for me to be of service in the most important day of two people’s lives.
“I’ll always do both weddings and funerals.”
Sally traces the start of her 22 years as the face of Brand Power back to her late teens when she kick-started her career modelling for the likes of Portmans, David Jones and Myer.
“I really wanted to travel, so modelling was a way for me to do that, I got to travel and work,” Sally tells.
“I modelled in Germany and Japan, then went to Spain and then back to Japan.”
Sally’s eight years of modelling included a stint as the face of Ford Australia in the late ’80s.
“I was the first ever woman to be the face of Ford,” she says proudly.
“That’s how Brand Power found me to be their presenter, from seeing me as the face of Ford.
“But there was obviously a bit of a conflict of interest, so I had to make a call. I said ‘no more’ to Ford and went with Brand Power because I believed in how they advertised.”
Sally briefly parted company with the company around eight years ago for a job as a Channel 7 presenter but resumed her role as the face of Brand Power three years back.
“Coming back to Brand Power was like coming home really – we’re joined at the hip,” she laughs.
Sally hopes her celebrant role “grows organically” in the same was as her work for Brand Power did over the years.
“I connect and communicate with people and that’s what I do,” she says.
Along with her two jobs, Sally is also an ambassador for Smiling Minds, a not-for-profit online meditation service.
“It’s about mindfulness, self-awareness and understanding who you are at the moment,” she explains.
Sally also describes herself as “conscious” of the environment, which she attributes to her father’s passion for fishing.
“He would talk about lines caught around fish,” she says.
“He has a real respect for nature and he instilled that in me.”
Sally’s particularly concerned with stopping the use of plastic bags, which she blames for killing sea life.
“It starts with the individual, so I made a decision to stop using plastic bags,” she declares.
“I’m an animal lover and I’d like to help people become more conscious about what they do.”
Sally says she already helps shoppers “buy better”, so now she wants to use her profile to encourage people to “bag better” through the use of re-useable bags.
“I don’t want people to feel guilty or as though I’m judging them in any way because that was me, using plastic bags, six months ago,” she explains.
“I love life – it’s my turn to give back.”

Comedy, theatre, circus, burlesque, cabaret – and accountancy – is there anything Emma J Hawkins can’t do despite her “short stature”? ELISSA FRIDAY finds out.

Where in Geelong do you live?
My fiance Ryan and I used to live in live in Melbourne and now we live in Grovedale with our energetic staffy dog called Hank. Ryan went to uni here and I went to uni in Ballarat. Most of my family are from England, I just have my brother and my mum and dad here in Australia.
We just bought our first home last year in February, which is very exciting. Ryan and I plan to get to married next year, hopefully in April.

Do you mind if I ask your age?
I’m 39 – I don’t mind you asking at all.

What type of performing do you do?
Well, some people call themselves a triple threat performer but I kind of have more than that because I do circus performing and other things as well, kind of out of necessity because there’s not enough work for a performer these day, you really have to diversify a bit. I worked for Circus Oz which was one of the mainstream shows that I did.

What inspired you to perform?
I decided when I was 10 years of age that performing is what I was going to do. I’m not sure where it came from. It just came out of the blue. My parents had pretty normal jobs so it was something a little bit different to do.
I think I did school plays as a child and remember enjoying being on stage. It has been a driving force for a long time.

When and where did you do your first performance?
I think I was 10, I remember chasing a boy with a frying pan. I think we were doing a captain cook re-enactment at primary school, it’s all a little bit of a blur. Then in high school I did musicals, then I went on to do amateur theatre, then I studied at Ballarat and then became a professional.

How many shows have you done to date?
I have no idea! Well I did eight musical shows a week for a whole year. Probably a good 30 or 50 singular shows maybe. I’ve also created my own work quite a bit, when I’ve had gaps in performing work.

Have you had opportunities to travel with your work?
I’ve travelled a lot around Australia, and I think a lure of living out of a suitcase is diminishing somewhat as I get older. I’ve been pretty lucky with getting on with the people I work with. I’ve been overseas before with shows. I took my own show called One More Than One to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and it won some awards there. I also toured an Arena theatre show called Eat Your Young, that was about 15 years ago, that I won in Singapore. It was about a futuristic look at how children are treated in an institution. It was a strange title.
Last year I toured three months in America with a show called Big Bad wolf and I went to Canada as well. I didn’t get time to look around, though, it’s pretty hectic on tour, and we had to drive the set around with us too. People think its glamorous lifestyle but it’s not.

Have any of the shows involved anything risky or risque?
I’ve done burlesque, so that’s risqué I suppose, so I’ve done that and can tick that off my list. The circus was probably a little dangerous. I didn’t do aerial, so it wasn’t overly dangerous, I was doing acrobatics. I was even on a revolving stage, so it all has the potential to be dangerous.
A few times in the circus you get knocked on the head, but you just keep going, I’ve not had any blood or broken bones.
You performed in The World Side Show Festival that was held in Ballarat during May appearing in a show called The Wild Women of Sideshow, which has been described as a ‘celebration of girl power’, tell us more?
I have an act now on the walking globe. You walk and balance on it. The Wild Women of Side-show was all women doing amazing things. Often women can be overlooked, and it was nice to have all women and strong women. We were all varying ages too, so it’s nice that we can all still be seen. It’s the second time it’s been on and hopefully it will happen again.

Tell us about your solo show, I Am Not a Unicorn, in which you play a wicked queen
As a short-stature person people were curious about my life, so I decided to create a show around it using fairy-tale characters to depict the show. People do look at me like I’m a unicorn sometimes when I’m walking down the road, so that’s where all that came from.
I created I Am Not a Unicorn with director Maud Davey. It’s a humorous play, a comedy show where I tell stories. It’s been going four years this year.
Being a 50 minute solo show, it is much harder than being in a team because you have no-one else to play off.
It will probably have another season this year sometime in Melbourne. I performed it at the LA Fringe last year. I also performed it at the Melbourne Comedy Festival the year before that.

You played Fleck in Love Never Dies and it was nominated for a Green Room Award.
Yes, I was in the Andrew Lloyd Webber show. I played the role for a year, so that’s what people would know me from. It was pretty exciting that it was nominated.

We are intrigued by the The Divine Miss Em, who is she? Please introduce her to us.
Ha ha ha, she’s someone I tend to use in festivals and events. I have two main career progressions, the mainstream and the alternative. I tend to use her for the alternative things. She’s more out there than me. Known for her dancing, she does the side-show MCs and things like that, she’s wacky. She’s homage to a favourite actress of mine, Bette Midler.

Tell us about your skills at number crunching.
Oh ha ha, that’s something I recently learnt to do. I’m a fully-fledged accountant now and I have a small business called Small Fortune, a play on words. My clientele is mostly creative artists. I love it. It’s so different from the creative world, because numbers are so certain, there should only be one answer.
It involves a lot of maths and spread sheeting. I felt like I needed something a bit more reliable workwise, now I have a mortgage and other adult things like that.

What do you like doing in your spare time?
I’m in to sci-fi and murder mystery novels. My family and my partner love it too. I like Agatha Christie novels. I like days when I can just stay at home in my jammies. That’s the great thing about working from home I can stay in my jammies, ha ha ha.
We just planted winter vegetables in our veggie garden. It’s pretty nice to grow your own veggies. We’ve got broccoli, eggplant, Asian greens. The dog and the garden and the house are new roots in Geelong for us.

What’s next for you Emma?
I haven’t really cracked the film and TV, that’s something I would like to do as I get older. Even playing a role that has nothing to do with my height, like an accountant or something.
I’m about to do a show with the Malt House which is very exciting. That’s coming up in August, which is called the real and imagined victory of the Elephant Man, which is a pretty amazing story to put on stage. I’m very excited to be part of that.
I haven’t really talked about the fact that I’m an artist with a disability.
I just think it deserves to be seen on film, TV and stage, and just like a real world, we’re out there too. So it makes sense to me that disabilities are depicted in our art forms as well.
It’s more interesting to see different types of people. We need to push accessibility in all areas, on and off stage.

Words: Luke Voogt

Highton songstress Isabella Khalife started singing as soon as she could talk.
“I loved singing when I was little and I think my voice just developed naturally though my childhood,” the 20-year-old says.
But she only started performing “seriously” during Year 9, after an older student walked in on her singing in her school’s music room.
“(He) asked me if I’d help him perform a song he’d written especially for (an Anzac Day) ceremony,” she says.
So Isabella made the “scary decision” to sing in front of the whole school.
“The funniest thing was people’s reactions,” she says.
“I didn’t realise how many minds I’d blown because everyone knew me as a super-shy person.
“As soon as the assembly ended I had people running up to compliment me, which continued for the whole day.”
Isabella chased her musical dreams with newfound confidence, and a few singing lessons, performing at open mic gigs and events like Pako Festa.
“I love being able to bring a full room to silence when I perform – it’s both nerve-wracking and really exciting knowing everyone has been drawn in to the song I’m playing.
“I’m definitely not a naturally-confident person … but when it comes to performing a song, the nerves disappear.”
Isabella released her soulful, self-titled debut EP in 2016. Her favourite song, Monster, explores her fight with mental illness.
“I also hoped it would explain what mental illnesses can feel like to the people who don’t experience it themselves.”
She has written another two songs this year and hopes to record a second EP.
“When I first started, I was only performing covers as I was clueless when it came to songwriting,” she says.
“Now I like to experiment as much as possible when it comes to writing and arranging songs.”
A skilled guitarist and pianist, Isabella dreams of a duet with Ed Sheeran and making a living out of music.
“Having a job that I love is the most important thing to me.”
But finding paid gigs can be tough for young artists, Isabella says.
“There are a lot of venues who believe that being paid in exposure is acceptable, but for an artist wanting to develop and build their career, this is not enough.”

A new sculpture celebrates an epic community journey from the You Yangs to the sea. SHANNON BRYAN meets the artist behind Remnant Canoe.

A permanent legacy of Geelong’s Mountain to Mouth (MtM) biennial extreme arts walk has been installed at Big Rock in the You Yangs Regional Park.
Internationally renowned artist Benjamin Gilbert created a sculpture in honour of his ephemeral Canoe, carried by MtM participants over 80km from the mountainous You Yangs through Geelong to the mouth of the Barwon River before being set alight in May 2014.
The new sculpture, Remnant Canoe, was unveiled at a twilight picnic at the You Yangs in May.
Gilbert’s passion for sculptural form began in his father’s old green shed where a metal table and an antique vice were the tools of his childhood imagination.
“I grew up having a shed with absolutely no rules,” says Gilbert of his early life in Yackandandah, a country town in north-east Victoria.
“We made a lot of cubby houses!”
Following his passion for creating things with his hands, coupled with the practical sensibility of a rural upbringing, Gilbert went on to study furniture design but managed to fail sculpture.
“In the end, failing sculpture was a good prerequisite for doing well as a sculptor,” says Gilbert, who shuns usual artist pretensions to thinks of his work more as a trade.
“I like to make new things every day – to repeat things would send me mad.”
Gilbert found a home for his work in civic sculpture, which he believes is more about architecture than traditional sculpture because he has to consider safety elements and ergonomics, as well as aesthetic.
“Saying, ‘Don’t touch the sculpture!’ really stinks, it’s got to be safe to play on,” he explains.
“I design objects for the young and the old to enjoy.”
Gilbert started his company, Agency of Sculpture, between ice carving competitions in Scandinavia and Russia – an unlikely outcome for someone from hot, dry rural Australia.
These days Gilbert is commissioned by architects to design and produce an alternative to the status-quo of civic play spaces. Some of his most well-known pieces are in play spaces around Australia, such as the famous aerial acorns made for Canberra’s National Arboretum.
His Humpback Gunship, made with smoothed edges in case tiny fingers explore the metal surfaces, was bought by a council in the Danish city of Arhus in Denmark with encouragement from Princess Mary.
A slew of awards has followed Gilbert throughout his career, from his maiden first prize in 1997’s Alvar Aalto design competition at University of Tasmania to his 2015 Vic Health Community Art Project.
“It’s a real delight to do works that are meaningful and part of a much bigger project,” says Gilbert of his work with City of Greater Geelong on Canoe.
“I remember the event having a softness to it and people of all walks of life were gentle with each other and with Canoe, like they were carrying a fragile egg.”
Gilbert believes it’s what we do as groups that really bonds society and lets it grow, which is why the Mountain to Mouth concept resonated with him on many levels.
“It was a wonderful experience and created a chance for strangers to meet – that doesn’t often happen in our culture outside of sport,” he says.
“People were quiet and respectful, which is rare for Australians as we normally make so much noise and talk a lot!”
Gilbert says the original brief for Canoe was something that could be wheeled, was robust and could take on a mythical nature as an object – like a theatre mask that represents a face.
“The idea for me was for it not to be too easy to carry so that people needed each other to make it work and that it would be OK for people of any height to find their place within the group.”
Remnant Canoe is made from stainless-steel bars using the same base and wheel of the original Canoe.
“As a country boy it’s such an honour to make something permanent for a regional park – to be enjoyed by generations to come,” Gilbert says.
“I’ve tied it into the You Yangs with stainless-steel bars creating a teepee structure under the canoe, like the sticks the children use in the park to create their cubbies from nature.”
Mountain to Mouth returns in May 2018 for a two-day, 80km journey creating a contemporary songline from the You Yangs to Barwon Heads.
Along the way, walkers and communities will come together to share arts experiences that celebrate our connection to the land.

It’s a glamorous job – but someone has to do it. ELISSA FRIDAY meets some of the people behind Avalon Airport and its chief tenant, Jetstar.

Justin Giddings, Avalon Airport chief executive officer
“Airports are exciting places.
When people are flying out, they’re normally happy, often visiting families or holidaying, so it’s a good environment to be in. There can also be pressure because we work to very tight schedules.
I live in Lara and it takes 15 minutes to drive to work at Avalon Airport. There’s just one set of traffic lights and rarely do I get caught, but if I get stuck at the level crossing going through Lara, it could add five minutes to my journey.
It’s my ninth year now at Avalon Airport. I became CEO in December 2008 and before that I worked at Essendon airport as a commercial manager. Before Essendon, I was working at Avalon Airport as an aircraft maintenance engineer.
On an average day, I arrive in the office anywhere between 8am and 9am, I look at our figures, load factors and get an idea of what is happening in that regard. Normally I have meetings starting at 10am, ranging from suppliers to airlines to consultants and meetings with other members of staff. So, every day is really different.
I travel to Melbourne two or three times a week and I’m out a lot at night at a lot of functions representing Avalon. We do a lot of sponsorships and advertising and marketing. Sponsorships are probably the main thing, sponsoring a lot of sporting groups and different events and that’s a key element of the way we market the airport.
We try and position ourselves as a friendly and family-orientated airport, and therefore we look at events and clubs which are consistent with those values.
Today I’ve had a board meeting in Melbourne. I’ll have some lunch and then drive back down to Avalon. Then I have a meeting scheduled with Shell Aviation, later on I’ll be doing paperwork and tonight’ I’ll be going to the Cats match – we’ve got a staff management-team function at the footy!
The most memorable moment in my whole career, would be announcing to the staff that we secured Jetstar on a long-term agreement to operate to Avalon. The worst memorable moment was getting a phone call from Qantas informing me they were pulling their heavy maintenance operations out of Avalon.
One of the good things about my job is that I get to travel a lot and I’m going overseas in two weeks. I also get to spend a lot of time with senior members of government and it’s a pleasure them being so supportive.“

Jeremy Smith, Avalon Airport retail catering manager
“Working at the airport really is great.
I manage the operation, but it’s the team that make it a success.
The airport has really taken on the cafe as its own now. Before that it was managed by an outside company.
Opening and operating day on 14 December 2009 was a memorable time, because the brand-new kitchen facility opened up with the bar and before that it wasn’t a dedicated bar facility.
I live in Lara and it’s fantastic that it takes me approximately 10 minutes to drive to work. I relocated to Avalon Airport from working at Brisbane Airport. Since back in 1998 I’ve worked in different levels of management in the hospitality and retail sector, in both domestic and international terminals. I’ve worked across Brisbane the Gold Coast and Alice Springs.
So, I start operations at 6.30am to 7am and the team starts at 4am. We’ll have seven flights to service for the day. All of our sandwiches we prepare fresh for the day and we will serve every departing flight. We have also recently opened a cafe at the check-in area, enabling us to reach customers prior to the security area, those just dropping off friends or family. There’s also 40 minutes’ free parking available, which is handy.
My day finishes between 4.30pm to 5pm, if I’m not picking up my daughter around 3pm, and the cafe team will continue to operate until 8.30pm or 9pm.
Avalon Airport is definitely different to larger airports; it’s more fun and challenging. Volume fixes everything. It’s great, with the wonderful team working with us, we find ourselves in different customer service situations on a daily basis.
We like to decorate and theme the bar here for various occasions, and when the Geelong Cats are playing up in Sydney, we find a big influx of passengers coming into the cafe and bar.
Here at the cafe we’ve recently installed wi-fi, power points and USB charging facilities at our benches.
Being a small airport, customers are automatically at ease; there’s no overwhelming rush, they’re relaxed and they always have positive things to say about the terminal.
We also have a very unique circumstance here at Avalon, being the same venue as the Avalon International Air Show. We were fortunate enough to do some catering for the international clients for the first time this year. It was interesting challenging, fun and very rewarding for my team, which helped prepare the meals and took them out to the international aircraft. We were even able to go aboard an RAAF plane to deliver their catering requirements.
During my time here the airport itself has always been striving to expand and they have their master plan in place for expansion.“

Nicole Evans, Avalon Airport aviation assistant
“Working at Avalon’s great. We’ve got a small team here and its convenient being only 10 minutes from my home in Lara.
Before I came to Avalon, I worked in sports administration for just under 10 years. I’ve been working at Avalon since October 2012, so coming up to five years now.
The best part of my job is the diversity of my role. It’s an operational and administrative role. I do all the administration for access control into the airport and also I do the vehicle driver’s licences, for anyone who drives airside.
My job entails recording all of the aeronautical flight movements at the airport. It’s an accounts receivable role essentially. I listen to the flight recording between air traffic control and the pilots and determine what landings they’ve done. I listen to the recordings based on what the aircraft has done and then I invoice the operators for landing fees. I listen to the recordings after the flight and can listen to them at any time.
Day to day I don’t have a need to go to the terminal in my role, we are in a separate building.
My job is very flexible, I’m also a mum, I have two children and I work part-time, 9am to 3pm typically two days a week.
A highlight for me is the Avalon Air Show and I’ve become a bit of a plane nerd having developed an interest in planes.
Also, since I’ve started here at Avalon Airport, general aviation, freight and the flights have increased, there are now seven flights a day.
Whenever I can, I fly out of Avalon. I choose to because it is so convenient being so close to my home and it’s just a short walk from the car park in to the terminal.“

Jessica Mazza, Jetstar customer service officer
“I really like working here at Avalon Airport because we’re like a family-based airport. Everyone looks out for each other here, we spend Christmas, Easter and birthdays all together here, and it’s like your second family. Its great hearing different customers’ travel stories.
I live in North Geelong and it only takes me about 20 minutes to get here, which is really good in comparison to travelling to Tullamarine. I can’t complain.
I’ve been at Avalon for two years now and it feels like it’s gone so quickly. Every day is always something new.
I’ve been working with Jetstar for almost five years now, and for the first three years I was at Tullamarine Airport, which is larger. It’s still family based there but not quite as much as Avalon. It’s a bit more relaxed here – we all know everything about each other. I love coming in to work every day.
When I started here, we only had the Sydney flight. We’ve had three destinations introduced here in the last three years: the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Hobart.
My job is on a rotating roster, so you never get the same days off. The first flight opens at 4am, so that’s the start of our first shift, and the latest shift is 4pm until about 11.35pm. If we get delays we can stay longer.
Everyone goes above and beyond here and they are willing to stay back and help each other.
Usually I’m on morning shifts, so I get up about 2.30am to get here for my shift at 4am. Our morning starts at 4am checking-in customers and getting them ready to board their flight. Generally at that time it’s our Sydney flight. Once everyone is checked in we all go down to the boarding gate where we have someone marshal outside, to ensure all of our customers are safe when entering onto the tarmac to get to the aircraft. Also to ensure there are no hazardous items in the way and that everyone is following the correct path.
We then have someone at the boarding gate to make sure all customers have correct boarding passes. If we have any non-able-bodied customers we organise them to be priority and so we arrange with our ramp staff to get them on board first.
I remember when I had a voucher that the company had given to all the staff members to give to someone, to help them with their next flight. I gave the $50 voucher to an 80-year-old lady, who was so sweet. She was probably my favourite of many experiences I’ve had here. I think it’s really cool the company does that.“

Harrison Springfield, Jetstar cabin crew
“I love working at Avalon, I think it makes the whole experience easy, how travel should be.
Just being able to pull up 10 minutes before I sign on and walk from the car park straight to the crew room takes 30 seconds. It’s just an easy experience working out of Avalon, and I know everyone I work with.
I moved down to Avalon in January 2017, so I haven’t been here very long, but I love it down here. Everything at Avalon is a lot easier and it’s a lot less stressful. You don’t have to park your car and catch a bus to the terminal and being a small team here we all know each other.
I work about three shifts a week out of Avalon and I also work out of Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. I prefer late shifts – I can’t function in the morning – so I sign on at 3pm every day. Then we have cabin crew brief to talk about safety, the loads of passengers we are taking and any situations that may come up during the day. Then we also have a brief with the tech crew, who are the pilots and first officers, about weather conditions and what to expect on our trip.
There are four cabin crew members per flight, a cabin manager and three cabin crew staff, so it’s a really small team to be stuck at 35,000 feet with for the day. I love to work with my team, they are so diverse and there’s no-one I’d rather be stuck with at 35,000 feet.
So, out of Avalon, I fly with passengers to Sydney and to the Gold Coast every day. It’s a fairly long day, we go to Sydney then from Sydney to the Gold Coast then we come back to Sydney, then back to Avalon. Then I sign-off around midnight.
During school holidays, especially with destinations like the Gold Coast, we often have a full flight of 180 passengers on board. Sometimes we have some celebrities on our flights, especially when we fly to Maroochydore. I get to meet so many different customers, such a broad range of people every day.“

Kieran Donovan, safety and security head of operations
“Every day’s different here at the airport, so it’s a very rewarding job.
In terms of what we do at Avalon, operationally we are a very capable airport and we work well together in a small team.
I’ve been working here nearly four years.
I live in Southbank, so it takes approximately 40 to 45 minutes to get to Avalon.
My job is the day-to-day operations of the airport. Making sure passengers and aircraft and freight gets to where it needs to be in the safest and most efficient and secure manner.
No days are the same. I’m on call effectively 24/7. My day starts at 7am then I carry on with tasks for the day and any carried over from the day before, including compliance work and liaising with regulators, aviation safety regulators and liaising with police and emergency services. As well as, liaising with Jetstar regarding any operational issues that have arisen and liaising with air traffic control. I normally I get home around 7pm in the evening.
A memorable moment in my job is one of the biggest projects that we have undertaken here at Avalon which is the runway overlay. It cost more than $10 million and we did that on night shifts in 2016. It took us approximately eight weeks, six nights a week. It was a fantastic project and it’s a very rare opportunity that you get to lead a project of that nature and scale.
My first air show was in 2015 and we co-ordinated the airport function of the air show, which meant that we had to maintain business as usual in and among the ongoing air show, which is quite a challenge.
My aircraft team is also responsible for aircraft fuelling. We check that the correct amount of fuel is delivered to any aircraft which requires it. The operations team start at 4.30am and finishes at midnight, that’s over two shifts.
Everyone performs multiple roles, and we are a highly capable team and I’m continually impressed with the people who I work with.
I absolutely love my job. It’s the complexity and the highly dynamic nature of the role and it can change in a heartbeat.“

Words: Luke Voogt

Age was never an issue when Brook Mckeon started recruiting talented musicians from Geelong and Surf Cost for The Burbs.
“A few of the young guys are more experienced then me,” the 31-year-old Melbourne singer-songwriter says.
The band features the versatile Lachlan Brown, 22, bassist Ebony De Lima, 18, and drummer Danny Valitutti, who at 17 is making his first foray into the industry.
Recently The Burbs scored a six-month contract with Melbourne-based Piquant Records.
“It’s amazing someone believed in us enough to make an investment in us,” Mckeon says, an hour before a packed Geelong gig.
“Things were picking up in the lead up to that – three weeks ago we booked in stacks of recordings.”
The Geelong gig was the beginning of a tour which saw The Burbs perform across the Surf Coast, Melbourne and Adelaide.
“Gigs are the most fun thing you can imagine doing,” Brook says. “We had so many people come to the Victorian shows, they went off.”
But the band might have to ban one of its biggest fans from the mosh pit, Brook jokes.
“My mum was pretty raucous in Brunswick. She’s always been embarrassing. I’ve stopped encouraging her to come to my shows.”
The Burbs are an eclectic mix ’90s grunge and ’60s pop that sounds like the lovechild of Nirvana and the Beach Boys.
Brook started recruiting band members in 2016, starting with lead guitarist Tom Walker.
“He played in a pretty well-known band called The Half Pints,” Brook says.
“I asked him to join three times but he said no. I just bugged him that many times until he gave up.”
“Eventually we got him over the line but everyone else was easy.”
Brook and Tom, 25, had previously toured Adelaide and back as solo artists.
The pair has some “fun” memories, like narrowly avoiding a koala at 110km/h on a late-night drive or coaxing a snake out of their room with a water bottle.
“I was woken up by Tom screaming ‘holy dicks, holy dicks, holy dicks, I’ve got a snake in my room!’ and, no s**t, there was a tiger snake under his bed.”
The next recruit was Danny. Brook met the young drummer while his sister was playing a Geelong gig.
“He’s more committed than any of us is,” Brook says.
But just three days before The Burb’s onstage debut, Danny broke his wrist.
“I was pretty sad,” the 17-year-old says. “I was pretty keen to play.”
Danny is juggling Year 12 with touring with Burbs.
“This is the best band I’ve ever played with,” he says wryly. “But rehearsing twice a week cuts out a bit of study time.”
Danny has returned to playing with The Burbs but fellow drummer and “bedroom pianist” Lachlan stepped in while he was out injured.
Brook invited Lachlan into fold at a party on Boxing Day 2016.
“He said ‘do you want to learn all these songs in nine days?’” Lachlan remembers. “It was quite intense.”
“When Danny came back Lachie was really keen to be in the band and we were keen to have him too – so we made a fifth spot,” Brooks says.
Lachlan is now the band’s go-to man on keys, percussion and backup vocals.
Last was Lorne bass player Ebony De Lima.
“(Brook and I) were already friends,” Ebony says.
“He asked me to come have a jam. I fit in well – I’ve been one ‘of the boys’ for a while.
“I like all the boys – except Lachie,” she says, fixing him with a dubious death stare.
Ebony plays in indie band Children of the Sun, “who are trying to break through as well,” she says.
She says being part of the “incestual pool of bands” is a reality for young artists “these days”.
“It builds this sort of family where if somebody is going well you just sort of play each other up.”
Brook’s mum is not the only parent at the band’s gigs – Ebony’s dad makes a regularly appearance too.
“He looks like a Brazilian version of Snoop Dog,” she says.
And as for the man who put the band together:
“I just sing and try to play guitar,” Brook says.

Georgie Gall left Geelong to chase her professional dreams, but reconnected with her childhood home through art.
As LUKE VOOGT discovers, you can take the girl out of Geelong, but you can’t take Geelong out of the girl.

Georgie Gall’s windswept seascapes help her stay connected to her childhood home.
“A lot of my work comes from memories,” she says. “Every summer we would spend time at Anglesea and Barwon Heads.”
The Seaview Gallery artist regularly returns to the coastal surrounds of Geelong, like “the banks of the Barwon River”, in her artistic journeys.
“Some of my paintings are definitely based on the Bellarine Peninsula,” she says. “It helps me stay connected to the region.”
The 49-year-old grew up in Newtown but left Geelong in 1987 to chase her career in Sydney.
“I went as an accountant but came back as an artist,” she says.
She began taking art classes in 2002, to escape the pace and pressure of professional life in the big smoke.
“It was an outlet and a bit of fun with a couple of girlfriends,” she says. “I just got tired of the work.”
Later Georgie would discover Impasto, a form of painting whose exponents include art legends Vincent Van Gogh and Rembrandt.
Layers of paint and resin create three-dimensional shapes in her work, which seem to “jump out” at the viewer.
“I certainly started with flatter painting,” she says. “I found my niche through the texture – I think I stumbled upon it.”
Georgie says her work is “better in the flesh” and likes how light can alter it.
“The painting takes on a different look and form, it changes throughout the day and night.”
The effect on viewers is most pronounced in her portrayal of a wheat field in Euroa, she says.
“They think the wheat’s been dipped in paint and stuck on.”
Georgie has frequently returned to Barwon Heads and Anglesea to visit her family since leaving Geelong.
“I bring down sketch books and I take lots of photographs,” she says.
She based her latest body of works, Late Afternoon Sun and Towards the Bluff, on Curlewis and Barwon Heads.
“Lake Connewarre and Swan Bay also provided some inspiration for green salty wetlands riverbank landscapes,” she says.
“And Point Lonsdale front beach has featured in some of my seascapes in the past.”
Georgie married husband David at the Geelong Art Gallery and both great-grandfather Horace Frank Richardson and grandfather Frank Evan Richardson were Geelong mayors.
She says her move to Toorak (Melbourne) two years ago has strengthened her connection to Geelong – along with her art.
“I think it’s flourishing more now because I’m closer to where I grew up.”

By Elissa Friday

They’re young, they’re gorgeous and they’re all from here. ELISSA FRIDAY meets four locals quickly finding their feet in modelling.

Name: Greer McLeod
Age: 21
Lives: Newtown
Work: Model, dental nurse.

How were you discovered?
Actually, Jacqui at Affinity model agency was my boyfriend’s mum and she asked me if I wanted to apply for a Danni Minogue at Target Petite range, modelling job. I was 18 at the time, I didn’t think I was going to get it, I’d never thought about modelling before because I thought I was too short.

Do you have a favourite fashion label?
I do like Kookai. I like simple clothes, nothing too crazy. I wouldn’t dress in bright colours.

What’s the most interesting shoot you’ve done so far?
Probably for the Target petite range, I really enjoyed it.

How do you stay in shape?
I’ve been going to F45 in Geelong West at least once a day doing mini-workouts, like push-ups followed by weights and so on.

Do you have a skin-care regime?
Mine’s pretty simple. I use organic face-wash because I have sensitive skin. Then I use a toner to remove all of what I didn’t get off with the face-wash and lastly I use a moisturiser.

Do have any wardrobe staples?
My black leather jacket, because I can wear it with dresses, skirts and jeans.

Name: Thomas Bruce Wright
Age: 18
Lives: Barwon Heads
Work: Modelling, fishing charter boat deckie.

How did you get discovered?
I was in Melbourne central with my family; the manager of the woman’s league at IMG scouted me. They called me a couple of days later and then I went to the agency in Sydney about a week later with my mum. I’m with IMG Models and signed with Giant Model Management in Melbourne about a year and a half later because it’s closer to home and they can get me more work in Melbourne.

Do you have a favourite fashion label?
Ksubi, it’s a general pants store, because there’s quite a lot of plain simple cool clothing that I like.

What’s the most interesting shoot you’ve done so far?
I did a shoot for Barney Cools, which was pretty fun, because they were all surfers and chilled out, and I like their clothes as well.

How do you stay in shape?
I just run mainly. I find running works best for me, two or three times a week on a track along the beach.

Do you have a skin-care regime?
Salt water helps with clearing up my skin when I go surfing. The salt water is really good for my skin.

Do have any wardrobe staples?
I like denim jackets with the fur collars, because they are something different and not too many people have them. They just look good and cool.

Name: Maddison Nicholls
Age: 22
Lives: Bellbrae Torquay
Work: Modelling, student, medical receptionist, support worker.

How did you get discovered?
I kind of fell into modelling. I was actually having coffee with a friend of mine and I bumped in Jacqui from Affinity Model Agency and she asked if I fit a certain size. Then went to the Cotton On Group for a fitting through the agency and it went really good. It was pretty easy. Now I am a fit model for Cotton On for three years now.
I started doing part-time modelling, because I’ve just finished my three-year nursing degree at Deakin in Geelong.

Do you have a favourite fashion label?
I like Cotton On and the ethics that come with it.

What’s the most interesting shoot you’ve done so far?
A year ago I did a photo-shoot with Rojo snow-ski-wear and have done about three of those shoots so far.

How do you stay in shape?
By trying to keep a decent diet and eating well. I also like to walk a lot.

Do you have a skin-care regime?
Yes I do. Every morning and night I use Skin Medica or Synergie products because they are professional products and they keep my skin looking bright. I used to have acne.

Do have any wardrobe staples?
My vintage blue denim jeans, because they fit well and they are an easy wear.

Name: Tamika Fawcett
Age: 20
Lives: Waurn Ponds
Work: Studying nursing and psychology degrees.

How did you get discovered?
I first did a few modelling jobs when I was about 14, and I got asked to do a shoot when I was 18 for Delphine and my modelling started from there, I was actually looking for acting work at the time and it kind of happened there. I am with Neon Model management which are Sydney and Melbourne based and work as a part-time model.

Do you have a favourite fashion label?
I think Isla is my favourite at the moment, there’s something really elegant about them and their clothes are really high quality.

What’s the most interesting shoot you’ve done so far?
I modelled for Tiger Mist during the middle of last year, and Talluah Le Maison, Stevie May Byron Bay and Ditzy Intimates. I liked working with the people the most, which was really fun.

How do you stay in shape?
Well, I like to eat healthily when I’m motivated to do so. I like running, I run a lot.

Do you have a skin-care regime?
Cetaphil is great. It just works for my skin. Clay face masks are good too, I use them at least once a week.

Do have any wardrobe staples?
My full-length blue denim overalls for sure – they’re just comfy.

29 July
Hot Club Swing
French gypsy jazz band Hot Club Swing will play Jack Rabbit Vineyard as part of its Fireside Jazz Series 2017.
Playing music from 1930s Paris, Hot Club Swing will be the second show of the series before Kissing Harriet on 19 August.
Jack Rabbit Vineyard
Bellarine

3 August
Grinspoon
Post-grunge Aussie rock band Grinspoon is visiting Geelong as part of its national Guide to Better Living Tour.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the same-named debut album, Grinspoon will play all the tracks from cover to cover in a show sure to delight long-time fans.
The Wool Exchange
Geelong

4 August
Tapestry: The Songs of Carol King
Two of Australia’s greatest songstresses will play the music of King’s seminal album after a series of sold-out shows around Australia.
Vika Bull and Debra Byrne describe themselves as long-time fans of the legendary American singer-songwriter, promising an enchanting night of King’s hits from the ’70s.
Costa Hall
Geelong

15 August
Soul Sisters Swing
After more than 30 years performing throughout Australia, local cover band Soul Sister Swing is back.
Playing all the favourites from the ’40s era, the sisters really get any joint swinging with their soulful harmonies.
The Potato Shed
Drysdale

18 August
The Songs of Countdown.
Wogs Out of Work star George Kapiniaris joins Chantoozies member Tottie Goldsmith in this musical comedy tribute.
The pair will reprise some of the greatest songs from the glory days of Countdown in a dinner and show sure to bring back the memories.
Sphinx Hotel
North Geelong

26 August
Pete Murray
With over one million album sales to his name, Byron Bay singer-songwriter Pete Murray will visit Geelong to showcase new and old favourite tracks as part of his 33-date national tour.
New single new Take Me Down will be among the highlights taken from Murray’s sixth studio album, Camacho.
The Wool Exchange
Geelong

1 September
Dan Sultan
Melbourne singer-songwriter Dan Sultan’s on the road to promote fourth album, Killer, out on 28 July.
Sultan says the new album features some of his best songs yet, including singles Hold it Together and Magnetic.
The Wool Exchange
Geelong

Elite Bodies
Now’s the time to start working out for summer – and Elite Bodies’ Ji Cottrill has the perfect formula to achieve dream physiques.
With a degree in sports science and more than 15 years of experience, Ji focuses on training like an athlete rather than cutting calories.
He’s qualified in the Recomposer program, designed to help clients achieve desired body compositions through strict adherence to a scientific method.
More information’s available by phoning Ji on 0431 372 257 or visiting Elite Bodies’ Facebook page.

Scotchmans Hill
Winemakers Robin Brockett and Marcus Holt have turned Scotchmans Hill into one of the region’s premier wineries.
The pair have used their vast experience to help lift Scotchmans Hill into James Halliday’s list of top 100 Australian wineries, so patrons of the estate and its products can rest assured of a quality experience.
The winery is now internationally renowned for the quality of its chardonnay, pinot grigio, pinot noir, riesling, sauvignon blanc and shiraz.
Winter is an ideal time to visit the estate’s cellar door for tastings and sales, with bookings available for groups of 10 or more.
Scotchmans Hill is at 190 Scotchmans Road, Drysdale, phone 5251 3176.

Seaview Gallery
Queenscliff’s charming Seaview Gallery always presents a stimulating exhibitions from a diverse range of artists.
Turning 30 next year, Seaview hosts both contemporary and traditional Australian arts ranging from paintings to sculptures and jewellery.
New and return visitors enjoy browsing the gallery’s six rooms, inspecting works by leading artists such as Emma Hack, Sara Paxton, David Hobday and Robert Holcombe.
Seaview Gallery is open 10.30am to 5pm daily except Wednesdays at 86 Hesse Street, Queenscliff, phone 5258 3645 or email seaviewgallery@eftelnet.au for more information.

Cucina One12
Excellent pizza, pasta and hearty European-style main meals are drawing a growing clientele to Cucina One12 restaurant.
Mates Mark Jakubowski and Michael Carlini opened their venue last year, drawing on their shared expertise built over many years in the hospitality industry.
The recently refurbished interior presents a delightful ambience for enjoying the pair’s delicious dishes.
Cucina One12 is at 112 High Street, Belmont, phone 5243 0333, email cucinaone12@outlook.com.au or visit cucinaone12.com.au for more information.
The restaurant offers a full menu, including lunchtime service. Take-aways are available, along with three rooms that are ideal for functions of various sizes.