Encouraged by Make Music Australias winter solstice annual Make Music Day, Ocean Grove Chord Club performed an outdoor concert on June 21.

Make Music Australia celebrates music making always, everywhere, but particularly on June 21.

Ocean Grove Chord Club members mostly live on the Bellarine and Geelong and enjoy playing music and singing together, learning songs, and then playing them in a supportive group.

The clubs concert was held on a cold day on The Terrace in Ocean Grove and was well received.

We decided not to bring our portable amplifiers, letting our voices and acoustic instruments carry the music down the shopping strip, coordinator Jac Renzenbrink said.

We were encouraged by the smiles and applause from passers by, who stopped to listen.

Lucky for us the rain and wind held off. Many of them had a very cold strumming hand as it was 12 degrees.

After our 10 songs we walked back to the Ocean Grove Senior Citizens Centre, for a cup of tea and to warm up.

Fourteen members played music on the day: Ian Baldock, Terry Tormey, Cheryl Hann-Wooldock, Peter Frequin, Frank Bernadelle, Trevor Gibbs, Dave Pownall, Ray Leigh, Jac Renzenbrink, Barbara Spiller, Stan Rusiniak, Marjorie Milligan and David Cook.

Chord Club is a subgroup of the Seniors Citizens at 101 The Terrace and meets there at 4pm every Wednesday.

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A major milestone was reached last week as the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre starts to take shape.

Building works on the outdoor 50-metre pool are nearing completion as it fills with water in preparation for final steps before it will be ready to open to the public later this year.

On Friday June 23, mayor Trent Sullivan and Member for Corangamite Libby Coker toured the stage one facility near Drysdale as the pool reached 60 percent capacity of water. Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant also joined the tour.

The eight-lane heated pool has received substantial funding, with $10 million provided by the Australian government and an additional $5.5 million from council.

The North Bellarine Aquatic Centre project has expanded into the northern end of the sports precinct with its own access road off Peninsula Drive.

The pavilion building, a prominent component of the aquatic centre, is nearing completion with the installation of external cladding, screens, and final minor works underway.

The changerooms have already been completed internally, with minor external works remaining on the building roof. The pool plant room and landscaping are ongoing and will be the final items to be finished.

Mayor Trent Sullivan said he was excited to see the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre taking shape.

The filling of the outdoor 50-metre pool at North Bellarine Aquatic Centre marks a significant milestone, bringing us one step closer to providing our community with a world-class swimming facility, he said.

This new aquatic centre means residents of the surrounding Bellarine community will no longer have to travel to Geelong to access a 50-metre pool. Were bringing the joy of swimming right to their doorstep.

The collaboration between council and the Australian government has enabled us to realise the vision of the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre, a space designed to foster health, wellness, and inclusivity for all.

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Voice photographer Ivan Kemp was busy on Saturday June 24. He went to the Geelong West vs Ocean Grove Under 18s footy game at West Oval, Geelong West, and was at Ray Menzies Oval, Ocean Grove, for the seniors footy, B Grade netball and 15 & Under Division 1 netball clashes against Portarlington.

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Beloved Australian performers Normie Rowe and Denise Drysdale have returned to the stage together in their new show The Two of Us, a trip down memory lane coming to Geelong this weekend.

The pair have known each other since the 60s, when Rowe was an emerging pop star and Drysdale was a go-go dancer on pop music TV show Kommotion.

While Drysdale went on to enjoy a long-running and continuing career as one of Australias television darlings, Rowe was drafted into national service at the height of his pop stardom in 1968.

While anti-war sentiment effectively put an end to his pop career after his return, Rowe continued to perform, adding television and musical theatre roles to his repertoire and participating in many charities and community groups.

Rowe said he and Drysdale were both delighted to be working with each other again.

Weve been really good friends since we were teenagers and both of us are in our 70s now; if anything lasts a long time its got to be good, he said.

(In the) early days, we were just I guess 17 or so when we met. Denise had been doing some dancing on television and Id just started to hit my straps with a television show called the Go!! Show.

The green room was a great place to meet each other; waiting to go on to do your bit. People like Johnny Young, Olivia Newton John, Pat Carroll and Yvonne Barrett, Joy Lemmon, Ronnie Burns and Ronnie Charles, Billy Thorpe and Ray Brown.

(Drysdale) is just a hilarious person; what you see is what you get.

Rowe said audiences responded to the natural warmth between the two friends.

We started this show towards the end of last year in Queensland, and we found that there was such a wonderful synergy, he said.

The general vibe is sit back, relax, have fun and just enjoy the night. From my point of view, I want to bring some memories.

Were really excited about coming to Geelong, the whole area is just a marvellous place. When you get outside the major cities people are less stressed and ready for a great nights entertainment.

The Two of Us will be at Geelongs Sphinx Hotel on Saturday, July 1. For tickets and more information visit events.ticketbooth.com.au/event/the-two-of-us-starring-normie-.

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Modewarre champion Josh Finch was given the perfect way to celebrate his 300th game with a rousing win against Bellarine Football League flag contenders Barwon Heads.

In a major upset, the Warriors won by 22 points and although Barwon Heads were decimated by injury and unavailability going into the clash, nothing was going to stand in the way of Finchs milestone victory.

In a low-scoring affair, Connor Joseph booted four goals for Modda while Darby Schilder and Nat Matthews were best.

For the Heads, Ollie WIltshire continued his stellar season with five of his sides seven goals in a scintillating performance from the young gun.

The win puts Modda within reach of the five, just a small amount of percentage behind Geelong Amateur.

Barwon Heads remains in second spot and with reinforcements to come back, will still feature heavily at the business end of the season.

Drysdale dug deep to defeat Queenscliff by four goals.

Jack Hargreaves (five) and Ben Fennell (three) combined for eight of the Hawks 11 goals and were named their sides best. The Hawks are only half a game shy of second spot on the ladder.

Lachie Kidd, Jordan Wilson and Che Durran were Queenscliffs best as their side faces a real challenge to claim a finals spot being a game behind Ammos and Modda.

Torquay remained unbeaten with a comfortable 53-point win against Anglesea.

Sheldon Ham and Ben McNamara were Torquays best while Max Virgona and former Barwon Heads youngster Noah McGregor-Dawson were the Roos best.

Anglesea stayed in fourth spot on the ladder, but hopes of grabbing third place and the double chance come finals time is diminishing.

Tony Mirabellas first match in charge of Newcomb almost netted the club an upset win.

Mirabella replaced Mitch Troy, who stood down from the head coaching role last week and the Power played their best game of the season, going down to Geelong Amateur by only eight points.

Newcomb led by 14 points at the first change after kicking with the wind, but Ammos hit back to lead by 19 at half time.

With only three points in it at the last break, Ammos booted three goals to one to retain fifth spot.

Ocean Grove notched its fourth win of the season with an 87-point triumph against Portarlington.

Josh Wooding kicked five goals for the Grubbers and skipper Joe McDonald was superb in the midfield and booted three of his own.

Former Ocean Grove forward Tom Richardson was Ports leading goalkicker with three.

The league will pause for a general bye this weekend before resuming on July 8.

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Fresh from two wins from its past three games, Ocean Grove faces the Bellarine Football Leagues toughest challenge over the next two rounds.

A huge Battle of the Bridge clash against second placed Barwon Heads awaits after a general bye this weekend while it gets even harder after that with an assignment against the undefeated and all-conquering Torquay.

Ocean Grove was gallant in a 44-point loss to third placed Drysdale in round 11 and on Saturday June 24, put away bottom side Portarlington to the tune of 87 points.

Ocean Groves four wins this season have come against Newcomb and Portarlington, which fill the bottom two rungs on the ladder.

Grubbers coach Dave Farrell was not shying away from the mammoth task ahead, but refused to be drawn on whether his side needed a win against a side that is above them on the ladder.

Barwon Heads then Torquay on the back of that is as big a task as there is in local footy right now, but the timing of it is perfect for our group to keep growing, he said.

The timing of the Barwon Heads clash actually couldnt be any better.

The Seagulls suffered a shock loss to Modewarre on the weekend, but had 14 senior players missing due to injury and unavailability. While the Seagulls can expect to have players back for the game and are still clear second favourites for this years flag, it represents an opportunity for Ocean Grove to knock over its arch nemesis.

Farrell, however, preferred to focus on what his team can do rather than buy into whether his sides arch rivals are gettable.

We are still searching for a complete four-quarter performance, he said.

Theres real clarity around how we want to play and what our best footy looks like, but were implementing some subtle changes to the way we play.

We have a young group and by the halfway point of the season had played 36 players. The back third of the season is exciting and well go into games with a heightened confidence and are looking to build on the four wins to date.

Against Portarlington, skipper Joe McDonald was superb with three goals in a best afield display.

Joe McDonald was super again (he) sets the standard for workrate and two-way running which resulted in him hitting the scoreboard but as importantly, some high value rundowns and pressure acts, Farrell said.

Josh Wooding booted five goals to make it nine from two games and Tom Chalkley provided rebound from half back.

Tom Chalkley (is) growing into a really influential running half back, hes got a great eye for the game and makes really solid decisions, Farrell said.

Ruckman Ed Dayman was prominent, youngster Jet Kneebone continued his successful transition from under age to senior footy and Dyan Moroney rounded off the best players.

OCEAN GROVE defeated Portarlington by 82 in the reserves and is a game and percentage clear of Modewarre in fifth place....

Tanuli Vithanachchi left her home in Sri Lanka in 2022 to study engineering more than 8300km away in Geelong.

The 22-year-old is now one of Major Road Projects Victorias intern engineers and is following in her mothers footsteps earning a six-month civil engineering internship.

Tanuli drew career inspiration from her mother, who works as a civil engineer back in Sri Lanka.

With a month of her internship remaining, Tanuli said it had been an excellent learning experience working on the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade.

Working for Major Road Projects Victoria on the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade is my first professional job, she said.

There were a lot of things I didnt know when I first started, but my manager and the rest of the team were very patient and taught me what I need to know.

The Barwon Heads Road Upgrade team is helping me develop in my chosen career so I can go to a higher level after I finish my internship.

Tauli hopes to find permanent work as a project engineer in sustainability and renewables after graduating from Deakin University next year.

Tanuli is urging any woman wanting to become an engineer to pursue their dream.

She advised that women hoping to study engineering could gain support and information from Geelong STEM Hubs Girls As Leaders in STEM and National Association of Women in Construction.

If becoming an engineer is something you really want to do, and you have the skills, you should definitely go for it, she said.

Tanuli is one of the 41 interns gaining on-the-job experience as part of the MRPV Internship Program for 2023, which offers hands-on experience to the next generation of transport infrastructure professionals.

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Risky Business: A little show and a big conversation comes to Geelong this Wednesday, June 28, offering the opportunity to ask all those questions about disability that you have been too afraid to ask.

Presented by Raspberry Ripple and Geelong Arts Centres Creative Engine, Risky Business is part performance, part conversation, giving audience members to the chance to witness performers with disability engage with their art, discuss their practice and answer questions.

Featuring facilitator Zoe Boesen and award-winning disabled performers Andy Jackson, Eliza Hull and Olivia Muscat, the show invites the audience to become an active part of the conversation around disability.

Director and show creator Kate Hood, a veteran of Australian stage and screen, has worked in both mainstream and disability performing arts.

I have the experience of having been a non-disabled actor for most of my life and I became a wheelchair user in my 40s, Ms Hood said.

It became very clear to me, the difference between my life before and my life after becoming a wheelchair user and the incredible lack of access for artists with a disability in the performing arts.

I decided after some time that I wanted to set about changing that. So Risky Business is all about that.

Ms Hood said the world had reached its tipping point regarding disability, with people ready for change but hesitant to discuss the issue for fear of offending.

People feel really afraid of offending us, so rather than asking the difficult question they say nothing at all, she said.

That means that what weve got is a blank space around disability because everybodys petrified of getting it wrong.

Its all about exploring and asking the question that you really want to ask. And if you offend us, well tell you, but Im pretty difficult to offend, personally.

For tickets and more information visit geelongartscentre.org.au/creative-engine/risky-business.

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