Words: Elissa Friday

Wife, mother, radio host and exercise freak. Paula Kontelj tells ELISSA FRIDAY why she just can’t keep still.

Tell us about your childhood.

I grew up in Geelong. My mother was a school teacher and my father was a butcher. It was very humble working-class beginnings and a tight family unit.

I was very close to my grandparents. I have fond memories of family times with them. My grandfather headed up the Chilwell police station, which was on the corner of Pakington Street.

Great stories from my grandfather including when he picked up a kangaroo, nursed it back to health and released it back to the wild right there at the police station. He had a love of animals and so do I.

How did you and husband Stretch meet?

My best friend at the time said, ‘I know someone that would be perfect for you’. It was about 1989 that my friend finally got us together.

When Stretch and I met we hit it off straight away, so our friends were right.

Tell us about your first date.

We had lunch at the Mecure hotel, which is now Rydges.

Stretch kept leaving the room to use the phone. In those days there were no mobiles, so he was using a landline. Later on I found out he was cancelling his following work legal appointments for the day in order to spend more time with me.

When and where did you get married?

We got married in 1993 in Geelong at the Holy Family Church on Separation Street, Bell Park.

Tell us about your family. You have three children?

I’ve got three children and two grandchildren: Georgia, who’s married with two children; Paris, who’s working at Cotton On’s head office; and David, who’s starting his third year of a double degree in commerce/law at Deakin University, which are subjects just like his dad studied.

How long have you worked in local radio?

I did 25 years of mostly breakfast radio but in the last couple of years I’ve done drive in the afternoons.

I began back in 1988 on 3GL. After winning an aerobic championship they got me involved in discussing aerobics on the radio.

I did more and more. They saw I had the gift of the gab and then eventually after a few years I went on to doing breakfast radio.

I also dabbled in infomercials on the TV show Mornings with Kerri Anne.

Who was good to interview?

The best interview and one that most exited me was interviewing Olivia Newton John. I interviewed her with Laurie Atlas, whom I worked with on the radio for 12 years.

She was so friendly and welcoming. She spent over an hour with us at her hotel in Melbourne. I’ve always been a bit of a fan of Olivia.

What made you laugh and what made you cry?

I used to laugh every day, which was the best part of my job. We’d often be in stitches over the smallest things. The more tired you are the funnier the situations seem.

September 11 made me cry. I had to come into work that morning and we were covering the whole incident as best as we could from Geelong and watching the footage unfold.

We were crossing live to New York that morning. People’s raw emotion was really moving.

Both Laurie and I were shaken and very upset on air that day.

What were the best and worst parts of your job?

The worst bits were getting up early. I was perpetually tired.

The best bits were getting access to the microphone to express your view, which you hoped would reflect and challenge the views of others.

I’m still grateful that I had that opportunity for so many years. I’m in talks with radio stations to do some presenting over on the Channel Islands. The last time they had an Australian on air there she was reading the news and some of the locals put a petition together to get her off because they didn’t like her accent, so I’ve got a bit of a challenge ahead of me.

Any tricks of the radio-trade to share with us?

The key is just be yourself. You’ve got to be who you are and be true to yourself because if you try to fake it in any way sooner or later you’ll be exposed or come undone.

Why do you spend part of the year across in the UK’s Guernsey?

Stretch was appointed global legal director of Specsavers over there.

We love it there. The summers are mild and the views are beautiful.

Connecting within the community is our challenge and we’re starting to do that. I raised money for a local charity and I’m planning to do that again – it was well-received.

Had you been to the UK prior?

I’d been there a few times but that’s very different to living there.

The proximity is great. We can go to Italy or Spain for the weekend at very little expense.

It’s effortless in Europe to go to another country for the weekend, which a lot of people do. They catch a flight in the same way we in Australia would catch a bus. .

Endured a chilly British winter yet?

No but Stretch has. I’m living the endless summer.

He came back to Geelong at Christmas time.

We’ve found the key to a happy marriage: six months together and six months apart, ha ha.

Bet you haven’t worn down a pair of thongs since the UK summer’s so brief.

No not quite. I don’t wear those.

What you can’t wear in the UK are stilettos here on the cobbled streets.

Tell us about your fitness class you’re conducting,

Strong. Sounds like a heck of a workout.

Well, I’ve been teaching fitness classes since 1981 since I was at high school. I never thought I’d teach them all these years later. It’s has kept me sane and healthy.

In 2017 I did the Strong training. Strong by Zumba has done the music but the moves have been done by the devil himself.

It’s a high-intensity, interval training class, otherwise known as HIIT class. I’d describe the Strong class as body attack meets body combat but slowed down.

It includes burpees, planking, push-ups and star-jumps, all perfectly synced to the music.

How long have you been teaching it?

About a year. It’s the latest fitness trend across the globe.

It’s becoming very popular in Europe and the United States. Geelong’s Gym is the first in our region to conduct these classes.

I teach there on Tuesday nights and Wednesdays mornings. I’ve recently started teaching classes on Monday at Fernwood Waurn Ponds.

What made you choose Strong over other classes?

I just did the training out of curiosity. I’ve taught every format, including body pump, body balance, step, Zumba, spin, Pilates and this is the most effective, the most thorough and the most exciting class structure I’ve ever taught.

I really love it. It truly does make you strong.

There’s a lot of body weight exercises involved in strong class you spend as much time crawling around on all fours, as you do jumping about on your feet. I absolutely became stronger because of this class.

How important is fitness to you in your life?

It’s a very high priority. To me exercise is as important as brushing your teeth.

I did jazz and ballet when I was younger, so I suppose it stems from that. I find it very hard to sit still when I hear a good song playing.

I’d like women and men who are middle-aged or feeling like their best years are behind them to realise that may not be the case. I feel like I’m as fit as I was when I was 35 since doing this strong class and now I’m 55.

People need to recognise that we’re going to live a lot longer than previous generations, so if we put in the effort and if your body is strong and functional you’ll feel happier and healthier and more motivated.

But you’ve got to put the effort in. You can’t just buy a membership and expect it all to happen, you have to turn up to three or four times a week to achieve the results.

You don’t have to look like a supermodel but so long as you feel fit, strong and healthy, then you’ll feel happier and more positive about yourself. Eighty per cent of success is simply turning up.

What would surprise our readers to know about you?

I became a marriage celebrant about six years ago. I do the occasional wedding here in Geelong but it’s hard to do more as I’m not based here twelve months of the year.

Furry or feathered, scruffy or scaled, all manner of marvellous animals make up the Geelong region’s menagerie of pets. ELISSA FRIDAY checks out the range.

Pet: Teddy, golden retriever-poodle cross

Age: One

Owners: Angie Hilton, husband Braith Cox and their children, Sonny and Scarlet Cox, of Newtown

’It took 10 years of convincing Braith to get pets because he had never had any before.

We picked the groodle crossbreed because they don’t shed and they look like a big Teddy bear.

When we brought him home he immediately ended up on the television show I work on, What’s Up Down Under. When they saw Teddy they created a role for him instantly.

Every time we come home he looks around the house for a present to give us.

Pets are the best for children because they show them a sense of responsibility.

A dog can change your life. If you’re having a bad day Teddy’s right there beside you, letting you know you’re not on your own.

I get out of the house so much more and you make more friends when you have a dog because they strike up conversations.

Now Braith loves the dog, too. He talks to it like it’s his baby.

When he takes him for a walk I say how Teddy’s a chick-magnet, so Braith likes walking him for the attention, ha-ha.’

Pet: Pete, carpet python

Age: 16

Owner: Paul Jackson, of Newcomb

‘My best mate and a bunch of other people organised Peter. They surprised me with a big tank enclosure and a voucher after my sister cheekily put a licence application form for a snake in front of me and I signed it.

I didn’t know anything about snakes. When I went to the store with the voucher they had carpet pythons and children’s pythons, so I chose the carpet python, which is a constrictor.

When I got him he was 10cm or 15cm but now he’s a little over 2m and about as thick as my wrist.

I hook him out of the enclosure and he just crawls around my arm and hangs on. Sometimes we let him on the carpet and he goes for a cruise but I keep a close eye on him so he doesn’t hide somewhere.

I feed him a thawed frozen rat from the pet shop once a month or so and he also has a water bowl, so I can go on holiday without having to organise a pet sitter.

Pete has a really good temperament. He’s never bitten or snapped at anyone, he’s pretty cruisy.’

Pet: Ginny and Hermione, rabbits

Age: Thee and a half

OWNERS: Amity and Ella Jacobson, and mum Bianca, of Fyansford

‘A friend had what they thought was a de-sexed rabbit from a rescue centre, so when it had bunnies we decided to get two of them.

The reason we said yes to rabbits was because we were renting at the time and rabbits live outside, so it was easier to convince a landlord.

It meant a lot to both my daughters, especially Amity who’s always been fond of rabbits.

I do all the caring, litter trays and so on. It all falls on me.

The rabbits do come inside the house on hot days because they don’t tolerate heat well.

We have tiled flooring but they tend to stay on the rug because they don’t like smooth surfaces.

Hermione is the more social one, always the first to run up and see what you’re doing. Ginny’s just more happy to be touched.

They’re surprisingly affectionate and always want to know what you’re doing. They like to be close to us. Their hutch is near the house and they can see us through the window, which they seem to like.’

Pet: Flapper, chicken

Age: Six

Owner: Elaine Janes, Ocean Grove

‘I have four chooks and two silky chooks who are as cute as and used to going out and about in the basket.

Flapper is the diva, so I don’t take the others out too often. I just keep it secret so they don’t get jealous. Flapper’s precious and knows it.

She loves modelling and is so good at it. She can hold a pose and just loves it.

Flapper’s on the front cover of the Borough of Queenscliffe’s 2018 Bellarine Calendar. I only entered her in the cover competition for fun and she was the winning photo.

Flapper loves going out and about. She’s a social butterfly. She loves going to Point Lonsdale, Queenscliff and Barwon Heads but we don’t go to Ocean Grove beach because of the dogs off leads.

The latest thing we’ve done is going on the big Ferris wheel in Geelong.

You can train a chook. The first word I teach them is ‘stay’.

They know the house rules by the tone of my voice and eye contact.

My chooks are my only family, so that’s why they’re treated the way they are.’

Pet: Chappo, blue-fronted Amazon parrot

Age: Unknown

Owner: Nathan Langsford, of Leopold

‘We adopted Chappo two years ago from family friends who unfortunately could no longer look after him.

He’s mine and my wife Kim’s pet but I’m the favourite. He can get quite aggressive with Kim because he’s formed a fairly strong relationship with me.

He’s also got a fairly big personality and is quite needy. He needs a lot of attention.

Parrots can get destructive if people don’t entertain them.

His favourite spot in the house is on my shoulder and he loves climbing up my shirt. He has a big outdoor aviary that he loves to climb around in, and an inside play gym that’s essentially a bird stand full of toys.

His main diet is fresh fruit and veg but we use almonds to train him.

We’re still doing some basic training like stepping up and stepping down onto my shoulder, just overall obedience training.

He speaks and, being a parrot, he’s quite good at parroting you.

His favourite song is Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. He’s happy to whistle it and he’s able to sing some of the words.’

Pet: Mimi, Birman cat

Pet Age: Fifteen

Owners: Victoria, Raoul, Oliver and Sarsha Grinter, of Highton

‘We kind of did a family vote and got a cat. A dog was going to be too high maintenance.

Went to a breeder of these particular Birmans and Mimi was the first one to come up and greet us, so she was the one we chose.

She was a bit of a doggy cat and would fetch things when she was younger. The kids would roll up tissues and throw them and she’d bring them back.

She’s had a harness ever since she was a kitten, mainly because we have some beautiful birds in the garden and want to protect them.

Her two cousins actually live over the road and as kittens they’d come over and play together.

Mimi is quite high maintenance because of the white fluffy coat. She needs grooming daily and I Dyson her – she loves it and purrs and isn’t frightened of the noise.

Her favourite toy is a rubber squid on a fishing line. It looks gross, but she likes it because it moves a lot. She means everything to us. She brings us a lot of happiness.’

Words: Elissa Friday Pictures: Rebecca Hosking

From working in the outback to marrying in the Otways then sailing the seas, ex-Torquay girl Vanessa Beach and Melburnian husband Ian Pinniger prove that some loves travel very well indeed.

WHERE THEY MET

“We were both working up at Ayers Rock in 2014,” Vanessa says.

“Ian was flying helicopters and I was working at the airport for Qantas. It was a small town.

“We knew each other’s friends and I’d see him every now and then.”

“I checked him into an airline flight and gave him a good seat. That was the first conversation we had and how we met, I guess.”

The pair returned to Victoria in 2015 when Vanessa joined the navy. Ian joined her aboard two years later in a logistics role.

THE PROPOSAL

“We used to have a joke that, because helicopter pilots didn’t get paid very well, if Ian proposed he’d save three months’ wages and still afford only a Cheezel for an engagement ring,” Vanessa laughs.

“So when he did propose he gave me a whole box of Cheezels as a joke.”

Vanessa helped Ian choose a ring at a shop at Torquay.

“He had the final choice,” she says.

“My ring has an aquamarine on it, which is his birth stone. Also, it’s historically supposed to keep sailors safe at sea, so it had that extra meaning to it, which is why he chose that stone.”

THE ENGAGEMENT

“We didn’t have an engagement party or anything,” Vanessa admits.

The couple was engaged in September and married by March.

“It was bit of a rush,” Vanessa says.

THE RINGS

“My engagement ring is a bit different and modern. I wanted some colour in it,” Vanessa explains.

“That’s why I ended up with that stone with the meaning behind it.”

However, the nature of their careers with the navy prompted Vanessa and Ian to choose something more simple for their wedding rings.

“Because of the work we do often we can’t wear rings, so we went for more practical types of rings to wear at sea,” she explains.

“Mine’s a plain white gold band.”

THE WEDDING PLANNING

Vanessa was still in training in the months before the big day, so she had minimal spare time.

“Ian chose the venue without me seeing it,” she reveals.

“I did get to see it before the wedding but we’d already booked it.”

The couple crafted some of the wedding furniture themselves.

“We made some of the tables out of old doors and tins from beer cans and stuff like that,” Vanessa says.

With Vanessa unsure of how much time she would have to spend on the planning, the couple opted to employ a wedding planner to help.

HENS AND BUCKS

“My sister insisted I had a hen’s, even though I wasn’t going to have one,” Vanessa says.

Vanessa partied in Melbourne with family and a few friends, some from her school days, others colleagues in the navy.

The hens enjoyed a life-drawing experience before dinner at a restaurant and “a few drinks”.

“My husband had a buck’s but it was quite low key. They all just wanted to catch-up, so they went go-carting and to the pub.”

THE DRESS

Vanessa enlisted an auntie for her mission to find the right dress.

“I liked a few but nothing grabbed me,” she recalls.

Then Vanessa looked online, finding an image of a dress in a Gold Coast shop, meaning she couldn’t try it on first due to the travel restraints. It was online or nothing.

“I was nervous buying over the internet”, she says.

“But mum said, ‘That’s your dress and I think you should just get it’.”

Vanessa sent her measurements and soon received her dress, trying it on for the first time at her parents’ house.

“It was comfy,” she says.

“I knew that this was my dress.”

BRIDESMAIDS AND GROOMSMEN

“I had my sister and my best friend, who’s male,” Vanessa says.

“I said to my sister I wanted something vintage but that I didn’t really mind what she wore.

“Ian had two groomsmen. One was his best friend from kinder and the other was a friend from airforce cadets.”

THE CEREMONY

The couple held their ceremony on the property at King Parrot Cottages, at picturesque Pennyroyal in the Otway Ranges.

With a lot of the couple’s friends from interstate, around half of the wedding guests stayed overnight within accommodation on the property.

“We had people sitting on chairs and hay bales,” Vanessa says.

Vanessa walked down the aisle to the tune of Great Big Sea’s Walk on the Moon.

“My sister’s friend’s dad married us,” she says.

The couple wrote their own vows, including references to the time they would spend apart due to their navy careers.

“Ian was just about to start as a logistics officer. I was already in the navy as a communications sailor.

“Since we’ve been married we’ve lived with each other maybe six months in two years.”

PHOTOGRAPHY

“We were a bit pressed for time with the light, more than we thought we would be,” Vanessa remembers.

The couple had their photos taken at a creek, on a hill and at an “interesting toilet block”.

“We also had photos taken with some of the animals up in the paddock,” Vanessa adds.

The shoot didn’t all go to plan – never work with animals and all.

“The lama spat on my face, and the horse picked up my dress in his mouth and started to eat it, so that was quite funny,” Vanessa giggles.

“I think my dress was ripped and stuff by the end of the night but I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll only wear it once’.”

FLOWERS

The couple chose purple and cream flowers.

“We got them in Geelong and had so many comments, like how they did a beautiful job,” Vanessa says.

The couple also had bouquets and flowers for the table and a hanging overhead piece of branches, flowers and lights.

THE RECEPTION

“We had the food served from the paella dish and we bought heaps of cheese and had a big lolly and dessert bar that was set up beautifully by Kara for us,” Vanessa says.

“We also had a truck serving food for ages and meringues from a Geelong company on the dessert bar. We still have lollies left!”

Ian’s auntie made the cake, which was decorated by a florist.

Musician Cameron Capp performed throughout the reception and ceremony.

The couple adorned the outdoor site with picnic rugs and festoon lights to create a relaxed atmosphere.

“We only had a couple of tables where people were seated,” she says.

The couple’s first dance was to A Life That’s Good, by Lennon and Maisy.

“That’s a song from a TV show we both watch. I really love Lennon and Maisy’s music,” Vanessa says.

THE CAKE

“Ian’s auntie traditionally makes all the cakes in their family,” Vanessa says.

The couple wanted something simple, so Ian’s auntie whipped up a white and dark chocolate mud cake with rustic icing.

“It was decorated with flowers,” Vanessa says.

“We did have a cake topper but in the commotion of the day it wasn’t put on the cake.”

WORDS: LUKE VOOGT

From playing a heroine not seen in Melbourne for years, to singing for 88,000-plus at the MCG, Lee Abrahamsen is Geelong’s opera rising star.

Lee starred in February as the lead performer in the first Melbourne production of Tristan and Isolde in 17 years.

“Isolde is a gift of a role,” she says. “So many wonderful Idols of mine have achieved greatness playing her.“

But it took a while to build the confidence to belt out classic operas on stage, admits Lee, who started singing at age 16.

“I was such a shy girl, my parents and teachers encouraged me to join the choir to build my confidence,” she says.

“The girls kept teasing me about how my voice didn’t blend.

“My teacher took me aside and said I should do some vocal lessons as my voice was obviously more suited to being a soloist.”

Lee has since proven her vocal talents, performing in major operas, singing across the world and winning a “rare” standing ovation at St Martin in the Fields in London.

“I can’t think of anything else I would rather do,” she says.

She has had little difficulty getting into character for roles such as Isolde, despite many of the operas being more than a century old.

“Obviously I am not an Irish princess who has been abducted by the English King!” she says.

“But more often than not, the operas are about love, death, family, illness, infidelity and so on. These are all subject matters we deal with in the 21st century.”

Although she says there is one major difference – the fashion.

“I don’t like wearing corsets!”

Lee recently moved back to her childhood home of Geelong, buying a house in Newtown with her young family and teaching music at schools across the city.

“I have so many fond memories from my youth of spending days on the beautiful Eastern Beach, swimming in Torquay, riding my horse at Mt Duneed.”

She was thrilled to sing the National Anthem for the Ashes test at the MCG on Boxing Day.

“Apparently Hugh Jackman loved my high note as he was commentating,” she says. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it!”

By Mayor Bruce Harwood

How good is Geelong looking?!

Exciting projects like the Johnstone Park Tiered Raingarden are really adding colour and life to our central Geelong space.

We’re already seeing clear benefits from the work that’s been done so far – the upgraded laneways at the west end of Little Malop Street being a prime example.

With new public art, improved lighting, new paving surfaces and street furniture, our CBD now offers vibrant places both day and night.

They’re attracting more retail and hospitality operators, which in turn creates employment. The Green Spine, once finished, should produce a similar boost for Malop Street.

The flow-on effect of this revitalisation is that large organisations will increasingly view Geelong as an attractive place to do business.

The NDIA’s decision to build its headquarters here is a good example, and this is extremely important for sustainable growth – especially given our rising population.

Central Geelong will be a great place to visit, which will aid tourism, and a great place to live – our aim is to eventually have 10,000 people calling the CBD home.

It’s exciting seeing the various projects come to life, and once the entire vision is complete, the overall result will be significant for Geelong’s future.

The council, in partnership with the Victorian Government, will continue to build on the great work so far, as we further position our city as a vibrant, engaging environment.

Geelong’s laneways culture is thriving with visitors enjoying the new alfresco spaces, trees, public art and improved lighting at the western end of Little Malop Street.

Funded by the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Geelong, the upgrade includes a greater number of outdoor eating options, a projection wall with opportunities for installations and exciting street art – along with trees and planter boxes that all contribute to the enjoyment of this thriving city hub.

The project has created a vibrant laneways experience and an extension to Geelong’s exciting cultural precinct. Theatre patrons and art aficionados are loving the chance to enjoy the restaurants, cafes and bars before or after a seeing a show at GPAC or an exhibition at the Geelong Gallery. The laneways are also building a reputation as an entertainment precinct and a magnet for music-lovers seeking a dose of live music.

If you fancy sampling the perfect coffee, a superb glass of vino, a meal to remember, or simply experiencing an eclectic mix of traders, Geelong’s laneways will be at the top of your destination list.

The laneways are bustling day and night and this cosmopolitan precinct rivals Melbourne’s popular laneways, and adds to the many reasons to live in, work in or visit central Geelong.

Back in 1917, as war raged in Europe, Geelong’s leaders shared a creative vision to transform the ragged, dank and neglected Johnstone Park reserve into ‘a suitable civic centre and city approach’.

Led by the energetic mayor of the day, Cr Howard Hitchcock, the City of Geelong sought competitive public designs for the former Western Gully that would include ‘landscape gardening’ and ‘an architectural treatment’.

The £50 council prize was won by local architects Percy E. Everett and Messrs Laird & Buchan: the same team that designed many of Geelong’s finest civic buildings, including the Johnstone Park Peace Memorial in 1922.

At the time, Cr James Austin observed their design would turn the “slatternly reserve” that was “a disgrace to Geelong” into a “model garden”.

The winning architects’ vision for Johnstone Park, featuring grassed concert lawns, gravel paths, a new bandstand and a miniature lake, captivated the citizens of Geelong.

Exactly a century on, Johnstone Park retains its splendour as a tranquil and beautiful oasis framing the formal entrance to Geelong’s civic precinct.

To further enhance the park, in 2017 the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Geelong partnered to construct a $1.85 million tiered raingarden – as part of the Revitalising Central Geelong Action Plan.

The project has involved building a series of terraced ponds that naturally filter stormwater flowing in from Geelong West – to remove nitrogen, oils and other pollutants that would otherwise end up in Corio Bay.

Beneath the park is a 350,000-litre tank to store this filtered stormwater flowing in from Geelong West and a new retriculated drip system waters all the trees, lawns and plants around the park.

This now meets about half the park’s annual irrigation needs – a huge saving on water.

“This is a great project that will be a meeting place for the local people of Geelong for years to come,” Member for Bellarine and Minister for Water Lisa Neville says.

“It will activate what is public space through integrated water senstitive urban design.

“I’m proud to help deliver this and the many other Revitalising Central Geelong projects to deliver a more vibrant and liveable city,” she says

Member for Geelong Christine Couzens agrees “Johnstone Park is the green heart of Geelong and this project ensures it remains a place for the community to relax and enjoy.“

Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood is equally impressed.

“The new works have seen the park’s old steep ramps replaced by gently sloping all-weather pathways, which means everyone can access and enjoy this beautiful environment – regardless of their mobility,” he says.

“I’m also delighted with the restoration of the famous Medici Urns, the extra shrubs and trees, and the new improved lighting that makes the park even safer for pedestrians at night.”

All this seems a natural way to mark the 100th birthday of an iconic Geelong space, and a very clever and creative environmental statement for the region’s future.

By Luke Voogt

With Caruggi meaning Little Laneway in Genovese, Geelong’s laneways precinct is the perfect location for Amanda and Massimiliano Magnanis’ northern-Italian restaurant.

Amanda says the precinct has completely changed since their arrival, but that’s one of the benefits of their location, as well as being so close to the arts precinct – including the revitalised GPAC, the gallery and the award-winning library.

“We have a lot of people coming pre-theatre or after as well, when there’s one of the many great exhibitions at the gallery, and talks the library host … so I see the whole area as being quite vibrant in the arts sector.”

Amanda says people are excited to visit the precinct and she shares their enthusiasm.

“I like that it’s small and quite funky and unique.

“It’s also very friendly amongst the traders and people are very excited about visiting it because it’s a new feature for Geelong … it’s something that’s a little bit different and quirky, so people seem to really welcome the transition that (the Laneways Project) has brought,” she said.

Amanda also encourages people to visit many times.

“Go to an exhibition, come and have a coffee, go to a show, have dinner before, have a cocktail afterwards – it’s an all day and all night experience, so you can definitely fill a day or fill a night just in this little area, which has a huge amount of offerings, really quality offerings too,” she added.

An exciting blend of dining experiences has emerged with the revitalisation of central Geelong, earning the area a reputation as one of Victoria’s most exciting new foodie hubs.

Yeti and Dee Kumbukage, owners of Rook: Sri Lankan Fusion “jumped at the opportunity” to open their restaurant in central Geelong.

“We’re in the hub of Geelong,“ Yeti said.

“Geelong is growing and with the Deakin University students here Geelong is being exposed to a younger generation, and at the same time the older generation is getting to experience something new.”

The trees are Yeti’s favourite feature of the new Green Spine outside his restaurant, and he loves to see families sitting amongst the greenery enjoying lunch and coffees. In fact, he starts every day outside on the Green Spine with a coffee and the paper.

Their coffee has become so popular, they have opened a coffee window to make service more convenient for passing pedestrians.

The added benefit is the window takes the Rook experience to the street as people hear the music and smell the aromatic spices.

The recent Easter trade was so busy, Yeti said by Sunday they had nothing left to sell.

He encourages people to continue to support the traders in Malop Street.

“While change is often spoken about negatively, this change is ultimately going to benefit Geelong,” he said.

With Caruggi meaning Little Laneway in Genovese, Geelong’s laneways precinct is the perfect location for Amanda and Massimiliano Magnanis’ northern-Italian restaurant.

Amanda says the precinct has completely changed since their arrival, but that’s one of the benefits of their location, as well as being so close to the arts precinct – including the revitalised GPAC, the gallery and the award-winning library.

“We have a lot of people coming pre-theatre or after as well, when there’s one of the many great exhibitions at the gallery, and talks the library host … so I see the whole area as being quite vibrant in the arts sector.”

Amanda says people are excited to visit the precinct and she shares their enthusiasm.

“I like that it’s small and quite funky and unique.

“It’s also very friendly amongst the traders and people are very excited about visiting it because it’s a new feature for Geelong … it’s something that’s a little bit different and quirky, so people seem to really welcome the transition that (the Laneways Project) has brought,” she said.

Amanda also encourages people to visit many times.

“Go to an exhibition, come and have a coffee, go to a show, have dinner before, have a cocktail afterwards – it’s an all day and all night experience, so you can definitely fill a day or fill a night just in this little area, which has a huge amount of offerings, really quality offerings too,” she added.

One of Geelong’s oldest main streets is being transformed into a vibrant shopping and dining precinct with the creation of a botanic walk.

With its rich mix of native, indigenous and exotic plantings along with shady seating options, Malop Street is fast becoming a great place to eat, sit, relax and watch the world go by – all thanks to the new Green Spine project.

Informed by community feedback, the Green Spine will deliver a linear botanic park to connect Johnstone Park to Eastern Park. This $8 million project has been funded by the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Geelong, and is due for completion mid-year.

The north-side works, now underway, follow the successful delivery of the Green Spine’s south side, with its spectacular eight metre-wide botanic walk and separated bike path. The clever design includes an extensive bank of subterranean growing cells ensuring that the newly planted trees have room to extend their roots without affecting footpaths and road surfaces.

Malop Street was first sealed with bitumen in 1944, and since then this busy thoroughfare has been patched and resurfaced on an ad hoc basis many times. This has ‘lifted’ the road surface up to 60cm in some areas. All this now needs to be removed so the road can be rebuilt properly for future needs.

Whilst these works are underway visitors are encouraged to keep using Malop Street as all businesses are open and well-served with pedestrian access, including a crossing between Westfield and Market Square.

Classically trained and with a bent for the blues. JUSTIN FLYNN tunes into rising Ocean Grove muso Andrea Robertson.

Music has been a part of Andrea Robertson’s life since she can remember.

The award-winning Ocean Grove singer and songwriter is about to embark on a tour of regional Victoria and has a series of gigs booked in on weekends from the end of April through May and June, possibly into July.

“I learnt classical piano as a child but music has just always been a huge part of my life and I’ve been dabbling in songwriting since a very young age,” she says.

“Growing up, my mum was the go-to person if you needed a soloist – weddings, funerals et cetera – and music seemed to always be playing on our stereo. TV took second place.”

In November last year Andrea was announced one of the dual recipients of the Queenscliff Music Festival (QMF) Emerging Artist Grant. Not only did she receive a substantial sum which will go towards a live recording in Point Lonsdale later this year, she also got to join the stellar line up at the QMF in 2017.

“As an artist, receiving an award such as this, it was also incredibly encouraging to know that that people in the industry believe in what I’m doing and want to invest in my future as an artist,” she says.

“I feel this is even more significant given that I’m a ’mature’ female in the industry, and I’m so thankful for the recognition and opportunity.”

Andrea also received the QMF Ross Lipson Award in 2016, which is given to a female in the industry in recognition of their work, particularly amongst young people. She also has a number of songs shortlisted in the ASA National Songwriting Contest in 2016 and 2017.

“I think I always knew I could sing, and I’d find myself singing along to whatever music was playing at the time,” Andrea says.

“If I wasn’t singing along to the lead vocal I was working out harmonies or backing parts to whatever the lead singer was doing. I remember as a kid not being able to understand how people couldn’t hear they were out of tune when they tried to sing along to something.”

Andrea says she often uses her music to express herself.

“Music is my work, but it’s very much an outlet and my go-to place when I need to vent or express myself, be it a positive or negative emotion, and it’s helped me get through some pretty rough times,” she says.

I love creating music and sharing it with others, yet I’m not an extrovert, so I’m not one of these performers who steps into another persona whilst on stage. What you get is what you see basically, and I find I can’t be any other way, whether I’m performing or not. It’s got to be natural for me.”

Andrea doesn’t like to pigeon-hole her music into a specific genre.

“Ah, the dreaded question! I guess the best way to describe my music – blues-influenced folk, rock, alt-country … it really is incredibly hard to peg yourself as an artist because I just write and play what comes to me,” she says.

“It’s not strictly blues, but has blues influences. It’s not strictly folk, but definitely has folk elements. And it can’t be classed as country (mainstream) but at times, there is definitely a country feel to some of my songs. I have many and varied influences and this is reflected in my songwriting.”

Words: Noel Murphy

Bunjil, the wedge-tailed eagle and Kulin nation creator spirit, looks out across his domain with a scrutinising eye. A withering eye if you happen to be his target.

Wings spread six metres across, their tips arched like airplane ailerons, he’s poised to launch into the wild cerulean yonder. Oronto some distant, unwitting prey.

But he’s not actually going anywhere, this ferrous-coloured feathered giant.

Instead, he’s frozen in time, a 3D metallic snapshot of a dynamic Australia icon sentinel over a stand of river red gums and an intricately-designed kids adventure park at Armstrong, the rapidly-growing community between Geelong and Torquay.

Welcome to the work of Folko Kooper, an artist-sculptor who’s melding and welding the rustic and the rusty, the environs and the environment, and bringing art into the ’burbs.

Just as high-end street art is increasingly colouring the streetscapes of inner-urban centres, so too is installation art peppering the palette of suburban design.

Much of it is thanks to the vanguard of Kooper, whose work has set the benchmark for property development across not just Villawood Properties’ Armstrong Mount Duneed but Melbourne and further afield as well.

If his five-metre high corten eagle is impressive so too is his squadron of giant pelicans that’s taken up residence in a man-made wetlands just nearby, along the Surf Coast Highway at Armstrong.

This pod is headed by a triumvirate of these elegant creatures perched high above the ground; one in a maternal clutch with her chick, one at rest and another in a laughing fit.

They’re sublime artistic additions to the riparian surroundings of reeds, H2O, ducks, coots and some 60 species of birdlife in the area.

Spying fish, diving for fish, scoffing fish or squatting fat and full after the job, these pelicans are glorious russet-coloured fixtures in the Armstrong precinct.

They’re as much a part of the Armstrong ecology as the handsome lemon-scented gums or pretty crimson-peppered crepe myrtles lining the streets. As much a part as the gums scattered through neighbouring woodlands or the rich multitude of native flora and fauna in and around Armstrong Creek.

Folko Kooper’s faunal and floral opus includes sulphur-crested and palm cockatoos, falcon, ibis, butterflies, dragonflies, penguins, wrens, lyrebirds, swans, platypus, peacocks, roses, daffodils, oak leaves, tulips, grape leaves and sunflowers.

“I try to have the bird species based on some research to see what is prevalent or native in the area and which of those would make a good shape,” Kooper says.

“I try to make them site-specific in a way that speaks to young and old, and has an element of fun and artistic merit. Like the pelicans, they’re funny things, and they engender curiosity in the environment and in art.

“I built the eagles after sitting down with the Aboriginal representative who explained that the eaglehawk is the totem of the original locals.

“The new ‘plane/bird’ sculptures hark back to when the area was used as an aerodrome.”

Made chiefly of corten steel, his works can also incorporate galvinised steel, bronze, stainless steel, polyethylene, polycarbonate, glass and perspex – even barbed wire.

Folko has been working with Armstrong developer Villawood getting on to 18 years now, punctuating its estates across Geelong and Melbourne with large, eye-catching and evocative installations.

In addition to the efforts mentioned earlier, he’s made three-metre-high stiletto heels with matching handbag, a family of giant emus, massive typographical sculptures with birds attached and innumerable gates, fences and screens. He’s nothing if not adaptable.

Kooper met up with Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe

In 2001 at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Costelloe saw a 400mm sundial he had on show and asked if he could make a two-metre version. He was staggered when Kooper later presented him a sundial made of the metal rim of horse and cart dray wheels with brass arrows and lettering inside.

Kooper’s been designing his masterworks for Villawood ever since then and his works, many much larger, have become signature icons in most Villawood two-dozen and more projects — as well as Costelloe’s Newtown home.

Says Costelloe: “Villawood started to put urban art in its greenfield areas in 2001 in Wyndham and many other developers have followed since. It’s lifted the standard of amenity in building projects.

“That’s driven many councils to accept sculptures in new estates. Geelong council has had an art policy, in more recent years, to try to control the form of artwork.

“The council would like to influence the art. We don’t believe artists should have to work under constraints. The nature of art is that it’s free.

“Folko is our signature and he should have the ability to continue on projects that residents love to embrace.”

“The predominant theme in our communities is reflective of nature: birds, animals and plants which people associate and assimilate and understand.”

Folko Kooper couldn’t agree more: “All in all, the sculptures are not too serious. All I want really is for people, especially the residents, to enjoy them and so enjoy life.”