March 2025
Say goodbye to Summer and g'day to Autumn, we're now a quarter way through 2025! This month's update is jam packed with fun, we hope you find something that interests you.
Contents:
Footy tipping competition
Free fishing fun
Free online learning resource
Clean up Australia Day
International Women's Day
Bellarine Agricultural Show
Northern Nights Festival at Norlane ARC
Big Vinyl Dig
PAWS for GAWS
The Companion Group's 2025 Footy Tipping Competition - Sign up today!
In case you missed it, TCG are hosting our first ever footy tipping competition with free entry for all staff and clients. The deadline for the first round is approaching, make sure to get your tips in before kick off on the 6th of March. First prize is $400 cash, join the fun today!
How to join:
1. Go to iTipFooty and register a user account if you don't already have one.
2. Login with your user account (or create a new account) and click the 'JOIN COMP' button.
3. Enter Comp # 126665 and Comp Password TCG2025
4. Click 'Join Comp'
5. You're now ready to enter your tips!
See previous email for full terms and conditions, or email info@thecompaniongroup.org with any questions.
Learn to fish with FishAbility
FishAbility sessions are part of an inclusive program FREE to Victorians living with a disability.
Designed specifically to cater for all levels of ability, this accessible Fishing Event seeks to promote time in nature, social interaction, rehabilitation, & fun via Fishing.
Supported by our Fishcare Victoria staff and volunteers, all fishing gear is provided, including adaptive options to suit specific physical needs.
They do request that support workers accompany all participants, and play an active role in the overall well-being of the individual throughout the session (We have plenty of support workers who would love to join you!)
Free parking and accessible toilets nearby.
Upcoming times:
7 March 2025, 10:30am-12:00pm, and 12:00pm-1:00pm - Barwon Valley Park Belmont, VIC 3216
Unassessed Online Learning
This resource has been recommended to us by one of our TCG community, and who can pass up a free learning opportunity?
Unassessed Online Learning is a free, tutor-led online education platform created by Dr. Bruce D. Watson. Designed with accessibility in mind, it caters especially to those who are aged, immobile, ill, or feeling isolated, offering a welcoming environment for anyone eager to learn without the pressures of traditional schooling. The site features complimentary courses- each spanning 2 hours over 8 weeks-that are delivered via secure Microsoft Teams accounts, ensuring privacy and high cybersecurity. In addition to interactive classes, the platform provides free video talks, community feedback opportunities, and a supportive space for learners to engage with diverse subjects, even if you have no prior knowledge.
Clean Up Australia Day
Clean Up Australia Day is Australia's largest volunteer environmental initiative, uniting communities each year to tackle litter and protect natural spaces. Since its inception in 1990, the event has inspired millions to gather at local parks, beaches, and streets to clean up their surroundings, fostering a sense of community and environmental responsibility. It's a day to celebrate the collective effort towards a cleaner, greener Australia-so why not join the movement and make a difference in your own neighborhood?
Locations and Dates:
2 March 2025, various locations and times
Women's Wellness High Tea for International Women's Day
Celebrate International Women's Day with Lifeline Geelong!
This inspiring afternoon will celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women while raising essential funds to support the life-saving services of Lifeline Geelong. Be Inspired by Remarkable Stories Special guests, Nikki Everett, author of Uncomfortably Comfortable and dedicated Lifeline Crisis Supporter, and Sophie Marshall, Founder of Gentle Habits, will share their journeys as guest speakers. Together, they'll explore themes of mental health, wellbeing, resilience, and the power of embracing challenges. Hosted by Geelong's own Roxie Bennett, this promises to be a truly uplifting and empowering event.
Make a Difference for Your Community
Enjoy the chance to support an essential cause through raffles and silent auctions, with proceeds directly benefiting the Lifeline Geelong centre. Every dollar raised helps train more crisis supporters and answer more calls from people in crisis.
An Afternoon to Remember
Indulge in delicious afternoon tea and refreshments in the Captains Room at Geelong Football Club. This isn't just an event - it's a movement to uplift, empower, and bring hope to our community.
Tickets are on sale now!
Everyone is welcome to join us for this meaningful celebration. Secure your seat today: https://wwht-2025.raiselysite.com/
Where and When:
· 05 March 2025, 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM - 370 Moorabool St, South Geelong VIC 3220
Cost:
Admit one: $100.00 - 1 x High Tea Ticket
Group booking: $1000.00 - Table of 10 x High Tea
Accessibility:
Catering and/or dining
Parking available
Toilets available
Undercover areas
Wheelchair accessible
Bellarine Agricultural Show
The Bellarine Agricultural Show provides an important forum for the rural community to gather together to showcase their wares, share their skills and educate the wider community. A prime example of this is the extensive array of produce, art and handcrafts on display throughout the pavilions. An opportunity for young children to discover farm animals and see farm machinery as well as participate in events such as:
Gumboot toss competition
Horse competition
The Kid's Trail
Enjoy the live entertainment, watch various demonstrations from sheep-shearing to lace-making.
Where and When:
09 March 2025, 09:00 AM - 03:30 PM - Portarlington
Recreation Reserve
Accessibility:
Catering and/or dining - We have a selection of food vendors, plus an Aussie sausage sizzle and devonshire tea provided by the local Girl Guides Association
Children's activities - The Kid's Trail including face painting, jumping castle and giant slide, tractor and trailer rides, gumboot toss, baby animal nursery and a free science show with Fizzics Education
First Aid available
Seating/viewing areas
Toilets available
Wheelchair accessible
Northern Nights Festival at Norlane ARC
Enjoy a night of live music, community performances, food trucks and market stalls. Entry is free*, so bring your friends and family to enjoy great entertainment and yummy food. Support local vendors, discover unique products and make the most of this community event in a vibrant festival setting.
Headline Act:
Taylor Henderson
Entertainment:
Find a list of entertainment announced here soon!
Stallholders and Food Trucks:
Find a list of participating vendors announced here soon!
Follow Swim Sport & Leisure on
Instagram @SwimSportGeelong or Norlane ARC on Facebook for event reminders and highlights! *Free entry to Northern Nights Festival. Casual gym, group exercise and aquatic entry fees apply.
When and Where
21 March 2025, 04:00 PM - 08:00 PM - Norlane ARC
Accessibility:
Catering and/or dining
First Aid available
Parking available
Toilets available
Undercover areas
Wheelchair accessible
Big Vinyl Dig
Back in the brilliant Geelong West Town Hall which will be chock full of quality vendors hailing from Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra, Vic Country, Melbourne & Geelong bringing with them their absolute best A-Grade stock. Once again it's going to be a cratedigger's paradise with 50,000 LP's, 45's & CD's to sift through that cover all eras & genres. Just so you know, the title for the biggest attendance at a Victorian record fair in 2024 proudly belongs to Geelong. Thing is, you now have Ballarat and Shepparton nipping at your heels.
So we are throwing out the challenge to everyone in the Bellarine and Surfcoast region to get along in your droves to maintain that prestigious title in 2025. You won't be disappointed, we can assure you of that fact. Doors open at 12noon SHARP and it's free entry for everyone.
When and Where
2 March 2025, 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM - Geelong West Town Hall
PAWS for GAWS
WALK FOR THE DOGS AT GAWS 2 MARCH, 2025
Join Geelong Animal Welfare Society to March 2, 2025 for a vibrant celebration of our four legged friends, our community, and our shared commitment to animal welfare in our region. PAWS for GAWS aims to generate significant funds to support the amazing work GAWS (Geelong Animal Welfare Society) undertakes to promote the welfare and value of companion animals to improve the health and wellbeing of the wider community.
When and Where
02 March 2025, 09:00 AM - 02:00 PM - Eastern Park BBQ Area
Cost
Adult: $35.00 Per person
Child: $15.00 Children under 18 years of age
Concession: $15.00
Family: $70.00 Includes 2 adults and 2 children