The Barwon South West region now benefits from six new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that could help people with cardiac arrest.

The 24-hour publicly accessible life-saving machines were installed in Anglesea and Aireys Inlet thanks to the Anglesea Lions Club and Anglesea Community Banks fundraising efforts.

Ambulance Victorias Anglesea Branch team manager Matthew Van Der Ploeg said he was grateful for the generous donations of AEDs from the local groups.

Every day, around 20 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest and only one in 10 survive, he said.

Minutes matter and the sooner a person receives cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation from an AED, the better their chances of survival.

Mr Van Der Ploeg said the device meant the possibility of returning more patients suffering from a medical emergency where a persons heart suddenly stops beating their loved ones.

A defibrillator is a lightweight, battery-operated, portable device used to shock the heart back into rhythm, he said.

Simply open it and follow the instructions. They are safe and easy to use and will not deliver a shock unless necessary.

Not only will it potentially save a life, but if it is used, Ambulance Victoria will replace the pads for free to ensure its ready to go again.

The new AEDs in Anglesea include the Anglesea Community Bank and Anglesea Pizza and Pasta at 63 Great Ocean Road, Go Ride a Wave and Four Kings Coffee and Food at 143B Great Ocean Road, and Anglesea Tennis Club at 19 Cameron Road.

Airey Inlet received AEDs at Strapper Surf on 83 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet Community Garden at 2 Fraser Drive, and Aireys Inlet Community Hall at 6 Great Ocean Road.

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The Bellarines Community Red-capped Plover Monitoring and Engagement program is helping further raise sustainable beach behaviour awareness thanks to a state government Coastcare grant.

The program started in 2017 and will share more than $350,000 in funding from the 2022-23 Coastcare Victoria Community Grant to educate people about red-capped plover breeding sites.

Bellarine Bayside coastal projects officer Jane Shearer said she was thrilled that they could continue helping the birds that relied on the beach to incubate their eggs and raise their chicks.

Red-capped plovers spend their entire lives on the beach, and they breed and raise their young during the busy spring and summer period when we humans like to flock to the beaches too, she said.

It can be difficult for them to have success in fledging their chicks. Programs like the Coastcare help us to support these lovely little creatures continue to thrive on our coasts.

Ms Shearer said the grant would help Bellarine Bayside support Birdlife Australia to educate the community on the local beach-nesting birds and red-capped plovers in particular.

The grant will help support the incredible work our passionate and committed community volunteers undertake, she said.

They collect invaluable data on the local colonies that helps Birdlife Australia obtain a clearer picture of the red-capped plover conservation status.

Ms Shearer said people should walk along the waters edge, put their dogs on a lead and move through the area quickly in temporary beach fencing areas to protect the birds while breeding.

The Coastcare Victoria program is in its 29th year of supporting coastal community groups and volunteers, funded by the $16.9-million VicCoasts program.

Bellarine Bayside can be contacted through social media or contactus@bellarinebayside.com.au for more information or to be involved in the red-capped plover protection program.

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The sun will shine on Queenscliffs Cottage By the Sea following the installation of a solar system and an electric vehicle (EV) charging unit which will together reduce its energy bills by almost a third.

Global low carbon energy and services company, ENGIE commissioned the fitting of the solar system and EV charger to the Queenscliff based charity using its subsidiary, Simply Energy.

The 22.4kW rooftop solar system will generate enough power to meet approximately 30 per cent per cent of Cottage by the Seas annual energy needs. An EV charging unit has also been installed, in anticipation of the organisation switching some of its vehicles to EVs in the near future.

Cottage by the Sea is an Australian childrens charity that aims to give more children more opportunities to have fun, be inspired and broaden their horizons. Founded in 1890 in Queenscliff, it provides tailored programs within a holiday environment.

The responsibility lies with us all as individuals and organisations to do what we can to reduce our impact on our beautiful planet, Cottage by the Sea chief executive Adam Wake said.

This is more than just funding, it has provided the impetus to help Cottage by the Sea move into this space, to use our large roof, and to create a carbon free facility with confidence. This all has a significant educational benefit for the children on our programs.

Simply Energy chief executive Shannon Hyde said while there were significant short-term cost advantages arising from the installation, environmental and educational benefits would also flow in the longer term.

Cottage by the Sea do incredible work with children to keep them engaged in education and community and most importantly have some fun, he said.

Were hoping the solar system and EV charging infrastructure can help to reduce their energy bills and free up some funding for future projects that benefit the families they support.

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Aireys Inlet firefighter Andrew Wilson is doing more than fighting fires to help the community by making his first-ever blood donation.

Mr Wilson took part in the 2023 Red Cross Lifeblood Emergency Services Blood Drive by donating his blood to the program that runs from June 1 to August 31.

He said the process was quicker than he thought it would be and that the donation was another way for him to help others.

I was inspired by my wife, who is a regular blood donor, Mr Wilson said.

Ive wanted to do it for a long time, so I thought it was time to step up and do it myself and take part in the drive.

Aside from the interview beforehand to determine your suitability, the actual blood draw took me less than 15 minutes.

Mr Wilson said giving blood was like volunteering with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) as it allowed him to give back and help people.

Its easy, just do it plus, you get all the treats at the end, he said.

Its an extension of what we do at CFA. While it might not be in our direct community, its still helping others.

Its pretty neat, you get a text message a few days after your donation, and it tells you where your blood has gone, and mine was sent to the Mornington Peninsula.

You get a milkshake at the end, which is something to look forward to, but its super easy and probably sounds a lot scarier than it actually is, so pull together and join in the cause.

More information on the Red Cross Emergency Services Blood Drive and how to donate blood is available at www.lifeblood.com.au.

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Fresh off a career-high 32 disposals against North Melbourne on Sunday, Geelong Premiership player Gryan Miers has inked a new three-year contract extension that will see him remain in the hoops until at least the end of 2026.

The 24-year-old, who plays his 100th AFL game against Essendon on Saturday night, has enjoyed a career-best season in 2023, averaging 19.25 disposals and 1.75 goal assists per game.

This season, Miers role in Geelongs forward line mix has come into the spotlight, with a league-leading 28 goal assists whilst also sitting in the top 10 for score involvements with 110.

Renowned for his unique, effective kicking style, Miers has become one of the Cats most consistent performers this year.

A local Grovedale product, Miers was recruited out of the Geelong Falcons under 18s program with Pick 57 in the 2017 AFL National Draft.

Geelong Cats head of list management Andrew Mackie said the club was thrilled to see Miers commit for another three years.

Gryan is part of a very exciting, hard-working and talented group of young players coming through our AFL program, Mackie said.

Gryan has proven to be a very important player in our attacking half of the ground, he is a selfless footballer and a player who creates plenty of scoring opportunities. We are very pleased that he will be with us for at least the next three years.

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Ocean Grove Evening VIEW Club celebrated its 11th birthday recently at 360Q.

The night focused on the 1000 Hearts Kindness Project which started in 2016 in Kingston, Tasmania because Sarah, the founder, wanted to spread caring and compassion.

Small pocket hearts, which are handmade from wool felt and stitched with love, and good intentions are handed out for people to carry as talismans of love, courage, hope and comfort.

A number of our creative and crafty members of the Ocean Grove Evening VIEW Club took on this project making hearts for all 150 members of our club as a way of saying thank you for all the work we do in raising funds to support the education of young people in need, OGEV president Lea Preece said.

A number of these hearts were distributed at our 11th birthday celebration, which included dinner, a band and a birthday cake.

We also celebrated Annie Webber, who was nominated and accepted for a Make a Difference award as she is a fabulous role model of our VIEW values in her support and care of others in our community.

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A pulsating Battle of the Bridge was played in some of windiest conditions ever seen at Ray Menzies Oval and while the Barwon Heads took the four points back over the river, there was perhaps more to like from the young Ocean Grove side.

With a howling northwesterly blowing pretty much across the oval, players from both sides, understandably, struggled to adapt to the conditions.

Barwon Heads booted two first-term goals and Ocean Grove didnt even score.

Things were tight in the second quarter until the Seagulls booted a flurry of late goals and took a 22-point lead into the sheds and almost anyone could have been forgiven the result was a foregone conclusion.

Anyone, but Ocean Groves players and coaching staff that is.

The Grubbers slammed on six goals to leave the Heads shellshocked and with a boisterous home crowd urging the side on, it looked like an upset was not only possible, but probable.

The Grubbers employed a more direct kicking game and clever use of short handballs to get them out of congestion had Barwon Heads in all sorts of trouble.

The Seagulls forward entries were haphazard and Ocean Groves defensive intercept marking was a highlight.

Halfway through the final term, Ocean Grove held onto a slender lead, but some Ollie Wiltshire magic saw the brilliant youngster boot two goals and the Seagulls won by 14 points.

In the end, perhaps Barwon Heads just knew how to win and Ocean Grove didnt.

No doubt belief and trust in your plan and teammates is one of the intangibles you get mostly from winning games together, Ocean Grove coach Dave Farrell said.

Barwon Heads have been doing that for a fair while so I guess that helped in a critical time of the game.

The trust our players have in our game method and each other continues to grow week in week out and our coaching group draw more from stats, vision and experiences than we do the scoreboard, I guess thats why coaches often review the losses harder.

Farrell said the club hadnt set a win/loss figure at the start of the season, but anyone who has watched his team over the course of the year would have been left in no doubt that the improvement has been obvious.

This season we didnt set a win/loss metric for what success looks like, player retention and development of our list have been our focus and were positioned well with five games to go finish with a pass mark for both, he said.

In the end it took a bit of Wiltshire brilliance and the difference between the two sides on Saturday wasnt great.

Yeah, hes a super talent and they have a spread of players of that calibre right across the ground so it is hard to keep on top of them all of the time, Farrell said.

For Ocean Grove, Jye Walker was a constant threat up forward all day.

He is our playing midfield coach and playing forward of centre the last couple of weeks has given him a different...

Voice photographer Ivan Kemp was at Ray Menzies Oval on Saturday July 8 for a pulsating Battle of the Bridge clash between Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads.

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