MA

IN

WIN A HOLIDAY IN HOLLYWOOD: SEE PAGE 22

17THE VOICE OF GEELONG SINCE 1840

$1.20 including GST

geelongadvertiser.com.au

BEST DRESSED

$1.20 including

GEELONG CUP

8-PAGE FASHION LIFTOUT

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN$500

Friday, October 25, 2013

RIDERS ALMOST FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE HERE

STOP THISSTOP THISDEADLYDEADLYCYCLECYCLERoad safety campaigner Jared Dunscombe spent his life fi ghting for road safety, a life that was cut short while cycling in Geelong. As new fi gures reveal cyclists are almost fi ve times more likely to die on our roads than anywhere else in Victoria, the Addy says it’s time to stop these senseless deaths on our streets and honour Jared’s legacy. SPECIAL REPORT: PAGE 4EDITORIAL: PAGE 35

WEATHER Page 42

Jared Dunscombe

158 MCKILLOP STREET,GEELONG VIC 3220— (03) 5221 3707 —WWW.ENC.NET.AU

ENQUIRIES@ENC.NET.AU

LIVE BANDS

SAT 26 OCTJUKEBOX HEROES

9.30PM—MIDNIGHT

LIVE JAZZ

SUN 27 OCTYATEY'S

MATIES 3—6PM

TRIVIA FROM 8PM

$20 SEAFOOD, CHIPS & ASAHI NIGHT

THANK GUINNESS IT’S FRIDAYS

PARMI & POT NIGHT STARTS SUN 3 NOV

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SUNDAY

from 6pm(main bar only)

ALLMEALS $20

IncludesGlass Of WineOr Pot Of Beer

MONDAYS

TUESDAYS&

Ring Alan at the Pub for more details

MONDAY 4TH NOVEMBER

Dangerspot tolight upGREG DUNDAS

A NEW set of trafficlights will be installedon a crash prone sectionof the Geelong-Torquayroad.

The lights will beadded to the Surf CoastHighway at the easternend of Kidman Ave inBelmont.

They are one of sev-eral safety improve-ments being made onKidman Ave, home toOberon High School,over the next threeyears.

Liberal MPs AndrewKatos, Gordon Rich-Phillips and Sarah Hen-derson announced the$1.4 million works yes-terday.

The right-turn laneonto Settlement Roadwill also be extended atthe western end of Kid-man Ave.

‘‘Over 20,000 vehiclesper day travel the SurfCoast Highway, so it isimportant to createfurther opportunitiesfor right turning motor-ists, which will improvethe traffic flow and re-duce rear end crashes,’’South Barwon state MPMr Katos said.Our deadly cycle

ANTHEA CANNON

Riders almost five times more likely to die here

SPECIAL REPORTFAMILIES of cyclists killedin Geelong have called for anend to the death toll as fig-ures reveal cyclists are almostfive times more likely to dieon our roads than the rest ofVictoria.

A special investigation bythe Geelong Advertiserreveals the City of GreaterGeelong has the highestnumber of fatalities of allVictorian local governmentareas this year, and over thepast five years.

There have been six deathsin Geelong since the start of2009, while Bendigo and Bal-larat have been fatality-freein the same period.

In our region, since thestart of 2009, there has beenan average of one cyclingfatality for every 40,000people. In the rest of the statethat figure is one in every195,000 people.

Department of Health’s2012-13 statist ics showemergency department pres-entations for cycling injuriesin Geelong have soared 52 percent, while state-wide figuresare down 9 per cent on2008-09 figures.

The statistics come afterthe release of Coroner RonSaines’ report into the 2011d e a t h o f D a v i d ‘ A n d y ’Sidebottom, 53, who was hitfrom behind by a driver onMurradoc Rd in Drysdale inJanuary 2011.

Coroner Saines recom-mended the number ofpeople cycling in the area beinvestigated to help securemore funding to boost roadsafety.

A n d y ’ s b r o t h e r P h i lSidebottom said, with agrowing population, coastaltourism and a lag on infra-

structure upgrades, moreneeded to be done to supportthe region.

‘‘It’s inevitable more peoplewill die because people(councils, governments,authorities) can’t movequickly enough and budgetsnever have enough money,’’Mr Sidebottom said.

‘‘If some other lives couldbe saved (by awareness fromAndy’s death) it would benice to think another familyhas avoided this (heart-ache).’’

One of the two fatalities in2013 was Mornington roadsafety campaigner JaredDunscombe, 31, who was hitby a truck on Wharf Rd inCorio.

Teenagers Road AccidentGroup (TRAG) chairmanT e r r y H o u s e s a i d M rDunscombe, who survived acar accident as a child andused the experience topromote responsible driving

in young people, would be thefirst to hope something couldbe learnt from his death.

‘‘He was an inspiration andto lose him this way was just atragedy,’’ Mr House said.

‘‘It really shouldn’t havehappened. Deaths on ourroads are a waste of lives.’’

Bike Safe chairman Bartonvan Laar identified 16 roadsin the Geelong, Surf Coastand Queenscliff region withsimilar risks to Murradoc Rd,which the organisation hadalready deemed dangerousbefore Mr Sidebottom’sdeath. ‘‘Our region has beenneglected for too long and theprice we are paying is toogreat,’’ he said.

‘‘Geelong is the secondlargest city in the state yet welag well behind in cycling in-frastructure when comparedto most other cities in Aust-ralia.’’

Mr van Laar said the Prin-ciple Bicycle Network, devel-

o p ed w i th au th o r i t i es ,needed investment to makethe roads safer for all users.Cyclists were not above thelaw and many could work ontheir attitudes, as coulddrivers, he said.

Publ ic Transport andRoads Minister Terry Muldersaid cycling was critical to thestate and a new ‘‘black area’’program would target spend-ing toward upgrading infra-structure where there was ahistory of crashes.

Earlier this year the StateGovernment launched Vic-toria’s Road Safety Strategyand Action Plan and hadc o m m i t t e d m o r e t h a n$30 million this financial yearto develop bicycle networksand make cycling safer byseparating cyclists frommotor vehicles, where poss-ible, he said.■ Read more about Geelong’s pathto cycling safety in the Addy’sWeekend Extra tomorrow.

Fake $50from ATMMEAGAN ROOTH

POLICE have remindedresidents to check theauthenticity of theirmoney after a BelmontA T M d i s p e n s e d acounterfeit $50 note yes-terday afternoon.

A man withdrew $800f r o m t h e C o m m o n -wealth Bank machine onHigh St when he noticedone of the notes didn’tretract after folding it.He immediately con-tacted bank staff.

Geelong police actingsergeant Peter Quicksaid: ‘‘If you get a count-erfeit note, go to the bankor bring it to police.’’

A C o m m o n w e a l t hspokesman urged anyonewho receives counterfeitmoney from ATMs tocontact their bank.

2013: Ebenezer Nur 2013: Jared Dunscombe 2011: David Sidebottom 2010: Mark Jimmink 2009: Rex Sizeland 2009: Ron Thompson

A distraught cyclist sits on the roadside after the death of Rex Sizeland at Connewarre. Police carry away the bike of Ebenezer Nur.

4 I GEELONG ADVERTISER, FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER 2013 www.geelonginfo.com

MA

IN

A long, uphill slogCYCLISTS in the Geelong region are almostfive times more likely to die on our roadsthan any others in Victoria. ANTHEACANNON navigates the road map to safercycling in the wake of the latest coronialinvestigation.

DAVID ‘‘Andy’’ Sidebottomloved the Tour de France.

In his garage in Ballarat, hewould perch on his bike in hislycra, fan blowing in his face,volume up high, acting outevery great climb, sprint anddescent.

‘‘It sounds ludicrous buthe just loved it,’’ brotherBruce says. ‘‘Cycling wassuch a big part of his life.’’

But Andy Sidebottomnever got to see the cyclist hemost revered – Cadel Evans –win the historic road race inJuly 2011.

Seven months earlier, heset out from his CliftonSprings holiday home to ridehis Portarlington Loop cir-cuit but never came back.

On Murradoc Rd he washit from behind and thrown20m by a car travellingapproximately 80km/h as itovertook him on the then-shoulderless road.

The driver and a nearbyproperty owner performedCPR but Andy died at thescene.

‘‘He was known as Andyb e c a u s e D a v i d a l w a y ssounded too formal, he wasquite hilarious and veryrelaxed,’’ Bruce says.

‘‘He was such a gentle soul,I never heard him curse any-one. He lit up any occasion orroom and we’ll rememberhim for being so generousand deeply thoughtful in somany ways.

‘‘He is still very muchmissed by us all. It was anincredible loss.’’

The driver was not chargedand the crash has been ruleda terrible accident.

But there have been toomany terrible accidents, andhearing Bike Safe presidentBarton van Laar give evi-d e n c e a t l a s t m o n t h ’ scoronial inquest in Geelongleft Bruce ‘‘absolutely as-tounded’’.

There have been twodeaths in the region so far

this year – with five state-wide – and hospitalisationsare up 52 per cent in 2012-13compared with 2008-09,while the state figures aredown 10 per cent.

The six local deaths be-tween 2009 and today rep-resent a one in 40,900 mor-tality rate, while the 28deaths in the rest of Victoriaare one in 195,153 per head ofpopulation.

‘‘Cyclists are a hardy lot,but any tumble is potentiallylethal,’’ Bruce says. ‘‘Theyare the totally vulnerableparty.

‘‘My son rides to work inMelbourne and my wife and Idon’t want to think about it,but he’s so fit and the ben-efits are beyond worthwhile.We just need to improve themix of risk and reward.’’

One of the what-ifs Andy’sfamily members are spared isthat of preparedness. Theyknow Andy had all the rightgear for his own safety andfor his visibility as a roaduser. But, on an undulatingroad with no shoulder and ahigh speed limit, there wereother factors he couldn’tcontrol.

‘‘He was very religiousabout his reflective suits,’’Bruce says.

‘‘Even on the day I foundhis rear reflector still flashingbright. It was a pretty power-ful moment. I couldn’t be-lieve it – sitting in the grass.It was another symbol of howcareful he was.

‘ ‘ I p i c k e d i t u p a n dswitched off his light.’’

Coroner Ron Saines foundbeing hit from behind wasthe most common type ofcollision resulting in cyclistfatalities and rural roads ac-counted for more than half ofAustralian cycling deaths.

He quoted a previouscoronial finding that, regard-less of who was in the right, itwas the cyclist who wouldalways come off worse in a

collision, which put a specialresponsibility on to drivers.

That finding read: ‘‘Thechallenge is to foster this ap-preciation of the risk for thecyclist without being seen tofavour cyclists or risk motor-ists feeling like they are beingasked to give up any entitle-ment.’’

Mr Saines’s investigationfound a lot of work wasalready being done by theCity of Greater Geelong to

improve cyclist safety, with afurther 82km of off-road bikepaths and 116km of on-roadpaths planned to create atotal network of 473km and350km of training tracks.

But he recommended theCoGG, other regional coun-cils, VicRoads and TAC in-vestigate whether there is adisproportionately high levelof recreational, sporting andcommuter cycling in theGeelong, Bellarine and Surf

Coast area and use the re-sults to secure extra stateand federal funding to up-grade infrastructure andpromote road safety.

Above all, he warned allroad users to drive and ridecarefully as the summertourist boom approaches.

After three years of holdingup the damning statisticsand lobbying for change, Mrvan Laar welcomed the cor-oner’s recognition that the

region needs special assist-ance.

He has called on council-lors to support the PrincipalBicycle Network and theFederal Government to up-hold the $1.037 million forbike paths from the CBD tothe Barwon River, commit-ted by the previous govern-ment but now in limbo withother Regional DevelopmentAustralia projects.

‘‘Planning is well on the

weekend extra

HAVE YOUR SAY

Marketing-GAD@news.net.auWhat do you want to ask? Email your candidate questions to

QUIZ THE CANDIDATES

ON THE NIGHT

Your chance to hear from our Mayoral candidatescome to...

6:30pm - Wednesday 6 NovemberGPAC Playhouse Theatre

To get your FREE TICKETS call the GPAC box office on 5225 1200 or go to www.gpac.org.au

30 I GEELONG ADVERTISER, SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER 2013 www.geelonginfo.com

MAIN

2111030G-5DB44

Win one of 15 prizes consisting of four day tickets to Adventure Park - valued at $152.

For your chance to win, visit geelongadvertiser.com.au/competitions

enter your details and the codeword: ‘ADVENTURE’

For full terms and conditions visit geelongadvertiser.com.au WWW.ADVENTUREPARK.COM.AU

OPENS

NOV. 1

TICKETS FOR YOUR FAMILY TO ADVENTURE PARK

Splash into summer at Adventure Park which opens for another action-packed season Friday November 1.

to safer cycling‘I was careful but I’m far more careful

now. I look at road edges more. Itshould be easy to avoid (accidents)but people are always in a hurry.— CYCLING VICTIM ANDY SIDEBOTTOM’S BROTHER PHIL

w a y a n d t h e P r i n c i p a lBicycle Network, developedin conjunction with theauthorities, offers a blue-print for priority routes,’’ hesays.

‘‘We believe 30 per centcould be completed by allauthorities working togetherand more efficiently, withinexisting budgets. The bal-ance of funds required needto come primarily from fede-ral and state governments,

with councils contributingtheir share.

‘‘We recognise cyclistscan’t have it all their ownway and that there are manydemands on the publ icpurse, but our region hasbeen neglected for too longand the price we are paying istoo great,’’ he says.

Mr van Laar says while cyc-lists need to be accepted aslegitimate road users, bothcyclists and drivers could do

with an attitude check tounderstand each other bet-ter and share the road prop-erly.

His list of 16 roads withsimilar risks to Murradoc Rd– which Bike Safe argued wasin desperate need of an up-grade before Andy’s death –could now receive fundingunder the State Govern-ment’s new ‘‘black area’’road safety strategy.

The program will channel

funding into areas with a his-tory of crashes, while alteredspeed zones will also be onoffer where risks to ped-estr ians or cycl ists aredeemed high.

Publ ic Transport andRoads Minister Terry Mulderhopes the strategy will helpturn the tide of injuries andhelp reduce tension betweencyclists and drivers, withmore than $30 million beingbudgeted to extend bike net-works and provide off-roadpaths, where possible.

He has pledged to reviewM r S a i n e s ’ r e c o m m e n -dations, labelling cycling‘‘critical’’ to the state’s tour-ism, health and transport.

TAC and VicRoads havebacked Bike Safe.

VicRoads regional directorWilliam Tieppo says prioritycycling routes are beingidentified for improvements,including road widening –but there are always moreplans than funding.

‘‘Over the past few years,VicRoads has undertakensignificant resurfacing activi-ties such as resealing andasphalting on Barrabool Rdin Wandana Heights andForest Rd in Lara,’ ’ MrTieppo says.

‘‘In 2012, road wideningand sealing of shoulders wasc o m p l e t e d o n t h ePortarlington-QueenscliffRd and improvements havebeen made to the round-about at the intersection ofMurradoc Rd, includinggreen bike lanes.

‘‘VicRoads is also workingwith Bike Safe to identify im-provements to other keyhigh-speed, high-traffic vol-ume routes including ShellRd, Thirteenth Beach Rdand Portarlington-Queens-cliff Rd and all proposals willbe considered in future roadimprovement programs.’’

On council-controlled riskroads, CoGG city servicesgeneral manager Gary VanDriel says no funds havebeen allocated to Thacker St

in Ocean Grove, GhazeeporeRd in Waurn Ponds, orfurther along ThirteenthBeach Rd, but the council isseeking state governmentassistance for improvementsto Ewing Blyth Drive, whichlinks into Thirteenth Beach.

‘‘These roads are regularlyinspected as part of a pro-g r a m m e d m a i n t e n a n c eschedule and, if safety prob-lems are identified, workswould be done to make themsafer,’’ Mr Van Driel says.

In the wake of Andy Side-bottom’s death, his familyset up a memorial fund withthe hope they could createsome small change.

They welcome the upgradeto Murradoc Rd as ‘‘a littlepoint of satisfaction’’ butnow hope for a wider mentalchange prompted by theshocking statistics.

Brother Phil Sidebottomwishes everyone could haveh i s n e w f o u n d h y p e r -awareness and insight whenon the roads – without thepain of losing a loved one.

‘‘I was careful, but I’m farmore careful now,’’ Phil says.‘‘I look at road edges more. Itshould be easy to avoid (acci-dents) but people are alwaysin a hurry.

‘‘If some other lives couldbe saved, it would be nice tothink another family hasavoided this (heartache).’’

There ’s a lso a much-needed physical change.

‘‘It would be good if widen-ing was done on other roadsand there were dedicated railtrails and bike paths, buteveryone knows it costsmoney and there’s neverenough and it just doesn’thappen,’’ Bruce says.

‘ ‘How do you set thewheels in progress? I wouldlove benefactors to get be-hind the formation of dedi-cated bicycle paths. Thatwould be the greatest mem-ory, the greatest achieve-ment after his loss.

‘‘I hope everyone who goesout comes home safe.’’

SAFETY PLEA:The heartbrokenfamily of David‘‘Andy’’Sidebottom(above) ismaking a plea forcyclists to bemore aware ofsafety when outon the roads afterthe tragic loss ofMr Sidebottom ina collision onMurradoc Rd,Drysdale (left).RIGHT: MrSidebottom withwife Leearne.

Danger zones●

HAZARD roads in theGeelong region, asidentified by Bike Safe in2013

DEFINITION● High-use roads forcyclists and motorists.● No shoulders or bikelanes, or shoulders in astate of disrepair.● Bad surfaces and poormaintenance.● Narrow in places, vehicletravelling at high speeds,double lines, poor sightlines.

GEELONGBarrabool Rd, WandanaHeights (C136, VicRoads)Forest Rd South, Lara(VicRoads)Ghazeepore Rd, WaurnPonds (City of GreaterGeelong)Lower Duneed Rd, MountDuneed (C122, VicRoads)Wharf Rd/Shell Pde, Corio(C115, VicRoads)

BELLARINE PENINSULADrysdale Portarlington Rd,Bellarine (C123,VicRoads)High St, Drysdale(C123,VicRoads)Portarlington-QueenscliffRd, Swan Bay (C126,VicRoads)Thacker St, Ocean Grove(City of Greater Geelong)Thirteenth Beach Rd,Barwon Heads (City ofGreater Geelong)

SURF COAST/OTWAYSBlackgate Rd, Torquay(Surf Coast Shire)Coombes/Hendy Main Rd,Torquay (Surf Coast Shire)Deans Marsh-Lorne Rd,Lorne (C151,VicRoads)Forest Rd, Anglesea (SurfCoast Shire)Forrest Apollo Bay Rd,Skenes Creek (Colac OtwayShire)Horseshoe Bend Rd,Torquay (Surf Coast Shire)

RECENT DEATHS INGEELONG AND ON THESURF COAST2013: 2 – Ebenezer Nur,May 27 at Corio;Jared Dunscombe,February 22 at Corio2012: 02011: 1 – DavidSidebottom, January 2 atDrysdale2010: 1 – Mark Jimmink,August 2 at Torquay2009: 2 – Rex Sizeland,December 22 at Torquay;Ron Thompson, October20 at Mt Duneed

www.geelongadvertiser.com.au GEELONG ADVERTISER, SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER 2013 I 31

MAIN

ANIMALS GALORE

+�HARRY’S FARMYARD

+�THE FAMOUS RACING PIGS

+�CUTE, CUDDLY, WEIRD, WONDERFUL

Tickets available at participating Australia Post retail outlets.

royalgeelongshow.com.au

Proudly Supported by

FIND US ON

2128297G-5D397

Plans forKiss torock atSimondsPETER BEGG

MEGA rock band Kiss andlead singer Gene Simmonsare set to rock and roll allnight in Geelong.

The Geelong Advertiser be-lieves the world famousgroup is close to signing adeal that would see it play toa large audience at SimondsStadium next year.

Kiss, which last touredAustralia early this year, hasspent years on the road afteroriginally being formed inNew York 40 years ago.

City Hall’s major eventscouncillor Ron Nelson said hecould not comment at thisstage.

‘‘In all honesty I can’t com-ment on major events thathaven’t been announced asyet,’’ he said.

Cr Nelson said, if such anevent did occur, it would bemore likely be at this time ofyear after the venue was clearof its football commitments.

The City of Greater Gee-long had been playing up thep r o s p e c t s o f S i m o n d sStadium hosting other sportsbesides football and also con-certs since the new venuelights were turned on in Junethis year.

The band, known for itsover the top make-up andcostumes, faded out in theearly 1980s, but had a reuniontour in 1996.

The band’s two leaders,Simmons and Paul Stanley,have been the only constantsthroughout the 40 years ofthe band’s existence.

The Australian leg of theirlast tour began on February28 this year in Perth and ranthrough until mid-March inMackay. They were joined byMotley Crue, Thin Lizzy andDiva Demolition.

Family’srelief atguiltyverdictANTHEA CANNON

A LEOPOLD man who fan-tasised about killing some-one for fun has been foundguilty of murdering hisfriend Russell Hammond.

After six days of evidenceand almost six hours of de-liberations, the jury yester-day returned a guilty verdictagainst Gareth Giles, 26.

The Geelong Advertisercan now also reveal Giles’co-accused ChristopherCoulter, 19, who was lastmonth ruled unfit to standtrial due to mental impair-ment , was found by aspecial hearing to have com-mitted murder.

Both men will be sen-tenced later this year.

Mr Hammond’s motherHelen, who appealed forhelp to find her son’s killersmore than two years ago,said the family was very re-lieved by the verdicts.

‘‘We feel justice has beendelivered,’’ she said outsidethe Supreme Court in Gee-long yesterday.

‘‘The whole thing is verysad, two young men havewrecked their lives as well.We’re relieved at the ver-dict, but there’s nothinganyone could be happyabout.’’

Mrs Hammond said thefamily sat through both

hearings to be there fortheir son and brother and tosee the case through.

‘‘It’s been a very long pro-cess,’’ she said.

‘‘Now we will gather ourthoughts. It’s still not overyet and we’ll wait for the fin-ality of the sentencing.’’

Mrs Hammond said herson had friends all aroundthe world and in the regionwho were awaiting the out-come.

‘‘We still feel a very strongsense of loss,’’ she said.

The court was told Gilesand Coulter blamed eachother for strangling MrHammond at his Drysdalehome on January 5, 2012,and burning his body at avacant lot turned moto-cross track in Corio.

But both men were foundcomplicit in the crime re-gardless of who held therope ligature.

Two chilling step-by-stepguides to murder thatwere found on Giles’ com-puter were read to the jurywith 11 of 18 dot pointsmatching the events of thecase.

The court heard a furthert w o w o u l d a l s o h a v ematched, had the pair’splan to bury Mr Hammondin the You Yangs not beenthwarted by a locked parkgate.

Dreamlineron the wayAFTER a five-year delay, thefirst hi-tech Dreamliner hasleft the Boeing factory inSeattle bound for Australia.

A short time before take-off, Qantas and Jetstar chiefexecutives Alan Joyce andJayn e Hrdl icka cu t anorange ribbon at an orange-carpet ceremony.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamlinerwas meant to have joined theQantas group’s fleet in 2008,but will instead be arrivingin Melbourne today. It is thefirst of 14 on order.

‘‘The past three weeks havebeen really intense and we’rejust ready now to bring themhome,’’ Ms Hrdlicka said.

Victim’s act of kindness repaid with murderANTHEA CANNON

TRAGICALLY, it was anact of kindness that sealedRussell Hammond’s fate.

Driving home, the shy,thoughtful 49-year-old sawhis friend Gareth Gileswalking along the side ofthe road and offered him alift home.

It was January 3 last year.Giles later told police the

chance meeting made himrealise he wanted to

reconnect with the manwhom he’d befriended at awork for the dole programand who had generouslyoffered him a room whenGiles was having problemsat home.

But what Giles really sawthat day in the driver’s seatwas his perfect victim.

At 168cm and 57kg, MrHammond was ‘‘wiry’’, hismum Helen would lovinglytell the jury.

He enjoyed bushwalking

and keeping fit. But he wasno match for the taller,heavier Giles and Giles’friend Christopher Coulter.

Giles had been planningthe slaying for years.

When his younger andmore social neighbourRyan Hall would take himout on his photographytrips over the years,the two would engage indeep moral conversationsand hypotheticals.

Except Giles’ foray into

the topic of murder, statingthat it was OK to kill aninnocent person, was notwell received by the teen helooked up to and had hopedwould join him as a hitman.

He poured his thoughtsout onto his laptop,refining his plan to a22-point option and an18-point option and, onseeing Russell Hammondthat day, decided to kickthe plans he knew so wellinto action.

Recruiting his sister’sboyfriend Coulter, he setout with murderous intentand a backpack full of ducttape, rope and shackles.

In the face of his killers,Mr Hammond was kind yetagain, welcoming hismurderers inside andoffering them drinks.

They repaid him withunrelenting violence.

Now it is up to the courtto say whether Giles will beshown kindness again.

THE VICTIM’S PARENTS: Helen and Brian Hammond.

KILLED: Russell Hammond GUILTY: GARETH GILES

‘The whole thing isvery sad, two youngmen have wreckedtheir lives as well.We’re relieved at theverdict but there’snothing anyone couldbe happy about.’

– HELEN HAMMOND

4 I GEELONG ADVERTISER, WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER 2013 www.geelonginfo.com

MA

IN

04 NEWS SATURDAY DECEMBER 14 2013 GEELONGADVERTISER.COM.AU

GATE01Z01MA - V1

Light up this Christmas...discover where to find the best home Christmas light displays in the region

INSIDE MONDAY

her problems both before andafter the crash, had refused tohand over her keys to a con-cerned friend on the day of thecrash and offered up “unbe-lievable’’ statements to policeand in evidence.

“My overwhelming im-pression is that you had devel-oped a lifestyle where youenjoyed the euphoric or seda-tive effect of prescriptionmedication,’’ she said.

“You repeatedly had beenwarned about the dangers ofyour addiction, but did nothingabout it.

“It appears to me that youare not a person who ever ma-tured to be able to accept ad-vice as to how you should dealwith your issues (and instead)developed a pattern of a quickfix by relying upon and abus-ing prescription drugs.’’

Judge Hogan said it wouldmake a “nonsense of the law’’ ifStevenson’s prescription druguse, which the jury found ei-ther partly or wholly contrib-uted to the crash, could be thenused to lessen her accountabil-ity.

She said the crash was a

serious example of the charges,which carry maximum termsof 20 and 10 years, and in-volved a “gross irresponsiblebreach of trust’’ to her youngpassengers.

“Even though in the letterto the court from yourself, youstate that you feel plain andguilt and deep loss for thedeath of your son and, also forJames and Rachel, I am unableto find that you have true re-morse and contrition for whatyou have done, as distinct fromexperiencing sorrow andguilt,’’ Judge Hogan said.

“Unhappily, this letter spellsout to me that you really havevery little insight into the mag-nitude of your offending if youthink it would be appropriatefor a judge to simply send youhome.”

Judge Hogan rejected mostof Stevenson’s plea but re-duced the non-parole periodout of “some mercy’’ for hersurviving son and because her“psychological fragility’’ wouldmake life in the strained prisonsystem especially hard.

She noted it was “pitiful’’that no one had supported

Stevenson or spoken in sup-port of her at the plea.

Stevenson also had herlicence cancelled and was dis-qualified for five years.

Mum jailed over drug crash

TRAGIC CRASH: The scene of the fatal smash on the Colac to Lorne Rd on July 6, 2011, that claimed the life of Joshua Stevenson.Picture: TONY KERRIGAN

‘You repeatedly had been warned about the dangersof your addiction, but did

nothing about it.’J U D G E F R A N C E S H O G A N

ANTHEA CANNONCOURT

A FORMER Barwon Downsmum who killed her son andseriously injured three otherswhile driving on drugs is nottruly remorseful for the “disas-trous’’ crash, a judge has found.

Mandy Stevenson, 40, wasyesterday sentenced to 7½years in jail with a minimum4½ years after a jury found herguilty of culpable driving caus-ing death and three counts ofnegligently causing serious in-jury for the July 6, 2011, crash.

Stevenson had methadone,oxycodone, Xanax and Sero-quel in her system when herunroadworthy car crossedonto the wrong side of Colac-Murroon Rd, spun out of con-trol and hit a tree, crushingJoshua Stevenson, 17, to death.

Her then 10-year-old sonMitchell sustained serioushead injuries while friendsJames Ferrari, then 14, suffereda fractured skull and pelvis andspent two months in hospital,and Rachel Collett, then 15,suffered four compressionfractures in her spine.

Handing down the sen-tence, County Court JudgeFrances Hogan delivered ascathing reality check, tellingStevenson she had beenwarned for almost 10 yearsabout her doctor shopping andprescription drug abuse yet shestill refused to accept she wasan addict and was legally andmorally responsible for thecrash.

Judge Hogan said Steven-son had repeatedly turneddown offers of counselling for

2002 — Stevenson’s doctor shopping for benzodiazepines first noted in her medical history.March 21, 2011 — Stevenson sentenced to a month’s jail for driving offences. Her 19th court appearance since 2003. Appealed and bailed.May 27, 2011 — Stevenson classified as an addicted person with the Department of Health.July 6, 2011 — Stevenson buys oxycodone off the street before crashing her car and killing Joshua, 17, and seriously injuring Mitchell, then 10, James, then 14, and Rachel, then 15.July 8, 2011 — Husband, Clayton Stevenson, jailed for 10 months for assaulting Stevenson in May.December 15, 2012 — Appeal for month’s jail term for driving offences struck out due to non-appearance.January 2013 — Extradited from Queensland to serve one month sentence for driving offences.February 6, 2013 — Mental health care plan developed, but never acted on.September 10, 2013 — Jury finds Stevenson guilty after a six-day trial.December 13, 2013 — Sentenced to 7 ½ years.

TIMELINE

2009

895

“Where every day is a Sale”Geelong Made Mattresses

FREE MATTRESS REMOVAL

FREE DELIVERY NOW ON

128 Torquay Road GROVEDALE 5243 0756

50 St Georges Road NORLANE 5275 2937

www.sandman.com.aupre CHrISTMAS

delIvery guArAnTeed

DOubLE SIDED PILLOWTOPS AVAILAbLE

AT ThE SANDMAN Sleeping on both sides of your mattress increases it’s life span and helps reduce

body impressions. Don’t be fooled... Always ask for a double sided

mattress

DO YOU LOOK

AFTER SOMEONE WHO HAS A

STORY TO SHARE?At Mercy Place Rice Village, we have a peaceful, caring community for people requiring low care, high care or specialised dementia care.

Our single level complex with lush gardens and private ensuite rooms caters for ageing in place, enabling residents to experience a respectful, compassionate community.

There are comfortable lounges for people to enjoy and visitors are welcome any time. All Mercy Health aged support services are close at hand.

Call us for a personal tour or visit our website.

5241 3686 www.mercyhealth.com.au

Mercy Place Rice Village

2-26 Marshalltown Road, Marshall

26 LIFESTYLE SATURDAY DECEMBER 21 2013 GEELONGADVERTISER.COM.AU

GATE01Z01MA - V1

weekend extra

Drug-addicted mum

Anthea

anthea.cannon@news.com.au

CANNON

the comment. James was trapped next to him for some 20 minutes before being cut free from the wreck.

He was taken to Melbourne andspent six weeks in hospital with a fractured skull, fractured pelvis and bleeding on the brain.

Rachel climbed out of the windowand flagged down help. She suffered compression fractures to her third, fourth, fifth and sixth vertebrae.

Stevenson’s other son, Mitchell, inthe front passenger seat, suffered bruising on the brain and compression injuries to the right side of his head and ear.

Stevenson was uninjured and paced around the roadside “very upset” and asked for a light for her cigarette.

There began the grief. And out came the lies.

The version of events she told thejury did not match her initial comments to police, her official statement or reference to any of even the most mundane elements of any of the six witness statements.

Her extensive medical history showed time and time again the mother of two was not “self-medicating” but lying about non-existent pain to get drugs.

She cried and gasped her way through the trial, deemed herself too ill to attend court during her plea and claimed there was a conspiracy against her.

Even with her life and lies laid bare, Stevenson still refused to admit she was drug-affected on July 6, 2011, or was in any way responsible for the death of her son or for the injuries to Mitchell, James and Rachel.

Since random roadside testing ofillegal drugs began in December 2004, TAC campaigns have shown the dangers of driving on drugs.

But roadside saliva tests do not detect prescription drugs, even when their effects can be as dangerous as illicit drugs.

“People need to understand thatsome prescription medicines, even when they take the dosage prescribed by their doctor, can have the same effect as driving with a BAC of .05 or above,” TAC road safety expert Liz Waller said.

The TAC recently began distributing information booklets and posters detailing the potential side-effects of prescription medicines and how they can impair safe driving.

“We know there are members ofthe community who abuse prescription drugs and use them in combination with other drugs — including illicit drugs and alcohol — and this is particularly dangerous,”

Ms Waller said. “We encourage anyone who is prescribed medicine for conditions like allergies, pain relief, cold and flu, sleep issues and depression to talk to their doctor or pharmacist about the potential to impact on safe driving.”

While the drink-driving messageis starting to get through, Geelong Traffic Management Unit Acting Sergeant Dean Greenwood said too many people were still driving on drugs.

“We do come across people affected by prescription drugs who don’t believe they’re doing the wrong thing but you still can be charged,” he said. “If you don’t feel like you should be driving, don’t. Listen to your doctor or specialist, be aware of side-

effects and pull over if you are tired.”A Department of Health

spokesman said Victoria supported a national scheme for real-time prescription monitoring and was conducting a review of all feasible options in consultation with primary care providers, prescribers and dispensers.

“We have been leading the national effort to establish a comprehensive response to prescription drug misuse, in which real-time prescribing is a component,” he said. “No state has yet fully implemented a scheme to allow doctors to check online if a patient is doctor shopping for prescriptions.”

Stevenson was listed as a drug

dependent person and a known doctor shopper with the department on May 27, 2011 — less than six weeksbefore the crash.

The spokesman said the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act required doctors to apply for permits when treating a drug-dependent person with a Schedule 8 medicine or when a patient had been prescribed the medicine for more than eight weeks.

“The responsibility to ensure thatprescribing is appropriate and safe is upon the doctor,” he said.

On the front line against doctor shopping and the abuse of prescription drugs, GPs are doing all they can, Barwon Medicare Local medical adviser Dr Jane Opie said. However, it was up to the patient to disclose what other drugs they were taking — even if they were one of the estimated 1000 people in the region on methadone. And medical advice was not always heeded.

While Stevenson was listed as a drug-dependent person, Dr Opie said

Mandy Stevenson will spend the next 7½ years in jail after an episode of driving while drug-affected ended in the death of one of her sons and injury to another

THE seeds of the July 6, 2011,tragedy were sown in the years,months, days and hours before.

The road off the rails had many exits, but Mandy Stevenson drove on.

She ignored repeated doctors’ warnings that she was a doctor-shopper and an addict. She ignored repeated attempts to tackle her health problems, both perceived and diagnosed. She ignored successive magistrates’ remarks to get her act together and admit her prescription drug abuse.

And on July 6, she ignored two chances to change her fate after stacking the odds against herself.

After Stevenson took her dose ofmethadone, she obtained a prescription for Xanax and took some, and bought oxycodone illicitly off the street.

A blood test, taken more than fivehours later, showed the level of oxycodone — an opiate — in her system was 10 times the levels that medical studies had shown was effective for cancer patients.

Forensic physician Dr Angela Sungaila would later tell a jury that methadone and oxycodone were only used together in extremely rare circumstances because they doubled their individual effects of drowsiness, stupor, loss of concentration and driving impairment.

Friend Tracey McDonald-Sullivanurged Stevenson not to drive, asking her to hand over her keys as the weather was bad and Stevenson was visibly drowsy, falling asleep on the couch.

Stevenson replied she could drivewell and made the fatal decision to pick up son Josh, 17, and friends Rachel Collett, then 15, and James Ferrari, then 14. Also in car was Stevenson’s other son, Mitchell.

Having seen Stevenson again falling asleep, Rachel’s mum, Tania Ciatto, begged her daughter not to get in the car. She went anyway and swapped seats with Josh before they left.

Rachel would later give evidenceStevenson’s driving was “all lopsided, all swervy” and she’d asked her to slow down after seeing the speedometer on 110 or 115km/h.

“She was all dopey. Her eyes wererolling back in her head, her eyes were twitching and she was stuttering,” she said.

James told the court Stevenson drove on the centre line leaving Colac and described her driving as “shit, just terrible”. He said he vaguely remembered seeing Stevenson with her head down beforehis best mate “screamed out to her”.

“Josh said, ‘Slow down Mum, you’re going to kill us one day’,” James said.

The jury was told to disregard thedamning comment, despite James asserting it right from his initial statement. County Court Judge Frances Hogan ruled the only person who could corroborate it was dead.

Josh was crushed against a tree when Stevenson lost control on Colac-Murroon Rd moments after

FAMILY TRAGEDY: Mandy Stevenson has been jailed after killing her son and injuring three others in a drug-affected car crash.

‘His aspirations for a better life and dream of overcoming hardship were inspirational.’

M I C K P A D D I C K

GEELONGADVERTISER.COM.AU SATURDAY DECEMBER 21 2013 LIFESTYLE 27

V1 - GATE01Z01MA

weekend extra

a phone line to check if a patient was on the list was not available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Transport Accident Commission figures show 286 other Victorians lost their lives on the roads alongside Josh that year — 27 in the local government areas of Colac-Otway, Corangamite, Golden Plains, Greater Geelong, Queenscliff and Surf Coast. Mitchell, James and Rachel were among the 5852 hospitalisation claims received.

Colac-Otway Mayor Lyn Russell said every crash hit home in a small town.

The Forrest Football-Netball Clubpresident, Mick Paddick, said Josh’s death hit especially hard.

Mr Paddick had taken the under-17splayer under his wing and takes comfort in knowing he gave his all to help the boy affectionately nicknamed “Unit” because of his size.

The pair shared stories and Josh spoke of his love for fishing with his grandparents and riding his bike around Barwon Downs with his dogs.

Josh had big dreams of being a

carpenter or a professional fisherman like his grandad.

“He was a lovely, lovely kid, absolutely up against it and he tried and tried,” Mr Paddick said.

“He had potential and just needed some guidance and I thought we were nearly there.

“His aspirations for a better life anddream of overcoming hardship were inspirational and further reinforced the worthy investment in supporting Josh on many levels.

“It was an absolute tragedy to lose Josh in such circumstances,” Mr Paddick said.

“Though it’s by luck and chance fouryoung people weren’t lost.

“I will be forever grateful for the timeI spent with him and, as I said at the funeral, everyone needs to take stock, take care and make good choices.”

Judge Hogan handed Stevenson a 7½-year jail sentence with a minimum of 4½ years after an emotional trial found her guilty of culpable driving causing death and three counts of negligently causing serious injury.

on road to tragedy

BIG DREAMS: Joshua Stevenson, nicknamed “Unit”, playing football for Forrest Football Club (above); the crash scene (below left); and police and ambulance officers attend to the victims.

TODAY & TONIGHT’SGAMES

DECEMBER SPECIAL

1 X $50010 X FUNNY MONEY ($50 PLUS)

2 X $100 27 X $50

NOTHING UNDER $50

297 Moorabool Street GEELONG Phone (03) 5223 1749www.palaisbingo.com.au

IF SUFFICIENT TICKETS

SOLD. PART BOOKS SOLD IN

THESE SESSIONS. FLYERS

PLAYED BOTH DAY & NIGHT

40 GAMES FOR

$4 A SET

45 GAMES FOR $25

SPECIAL

CHRISTMAS

SPECIAL

DAYTIME GAMESDOORS OPEN AT 11AM - BINGO COMMENCES AT 12:10PM

NIGHT TIME GAMES DOORS OPEN AT 5.30PM - BINGO COMMENCES AT 7:10PM

2019030G-5DF5F

2 X $1000 28 X $500 15 X qUiNtUPLE FUNNY MONEY

($200 PLUS - MaX PrizE $450!)

MUSt PLaY a MiNiMUM OF 2 cONSEcUtivE SESSiONS

How do you want to be remembered?

A funeral is a very personal occasion and we understand that everyone is different. We will ensure your service, religious or non-religious, is special to you by offering you options and discussing your wishes. Your service, just the way you want it.

Pre planned and pre paid funerals No establishment or administration fees

Ph: 5223 3100 e: admin@jhfunerals.com.au

U n d e r s t a n d i n g Y o u r N e e d s

F U N E R A L S

Rip that torelives apart

THE tragic death of aCaulfield teacher atSouthside Beach mayhave turned the tide onlax safety practices butfor those involved theloss will never washaway, ANTHEA CANNONreports

Rip that torelives apart

FATAL OVERSIGHT: PaulSimpson’s body is retrieved byemergency services atSouthside beach; and (above)Paul with wife Nicole anddaughter Sienna.

AT 3pm on March 3, 2011, the worldwas as it should have been.

Nineteen excited Year 10Shelford Girls’ Grammar studentswere enjoying the last day of athree-day surf camp; teachers PaulSimpson, Chris Riley and PaulHosking were appreciating thechance to get out of the classroomand have some fun; and West CoastAdventures directors SamEdwards and Dane Hubbard wereworking hard to build up thecompany they had borrowedheavily to buy 18 months earlier.

By 4.30pm, everything hadchanged.

Mr Hosking would later tellpolice the waves off Southsideseemed similar to previous years. Achannel of faster moving water hadformed in front of the calm lagoonoff Jarosite Reef, though he hadn’tstruggled to cross it before.

Teachers had even enjoyed thesnorkelling there so much onprevious camps they requested alast-minute change from a site atClifton Springs that morning, tofinish the camp on a high.

Instructors Clay Metcalfe andEmma Beckett met the group inthe car park and made their waydown to the beach, theydistributed flippers, assigned‘‘buddies’’ and ran over the handsignals system they had used tocommunicate during the previousdays in the water.

They had been told about ripsbefore but had been using flotationdevices. There was no discussion ofan emergency plan or any lifesavingequipment among the towels andbags gathered on the sand.Drowning was not listed as apossible risk among WCA’s safetymaterial.

Two students opted to stay onthe beach while the first group ofMr Metcalfe, Mr Hosking, Ms Rileyand students stood in the waterattempting to put on flippers andmasks.

They struggled to stay up,holding on to each other forsupport, barely able to see theirfeet in the churned up water.

Within seconds, they were spreadat least 50m apart and being pulledaway from the reef.

Students would tell investigatorsthey heard Mr Metcalfe said ‘‘s--t, Ididn’t think the rip would be thisstrong’’ as general panic spreadand students began franticallyattempting to swim toward theshore.

Mr Metcalfe’s message not toenter the water was too late to stopthe second group, with Ms Beckettand Mr Simpson, who hadsupervised the previous threeShelford surf camps run by WCA.

Waves crashed over their headsand they gulped down salt waterwithout warning. For somestudents, the struggle would last aslong as 20 minutes as Mr Hosking,Mr Simpson and Mr Metcalfebegan dragging them to shore.

At some point, Mr Metcalfegrabbed an exhausted Mr Simpsonand helped him into shallowerwater where he could stand and,with a verbal ‘‘OK’’ from him thathe would be fine to get the rest ofthe way to shore himself, he turnedback to help others.

In her victim impact statementto the court, Ms Riley would tellhow she was traumatised by whathappened next.

Standing on the shore, shewatched as Mr Simpson called outfor help as he neared the edge of a

weekend extra32 I GEELONG ADVERTISER, SATURDAY 17 AUGUST 2013 www.geelonginfo.com

MAIN

INSPIRATION: Paul Simpson with daughter Sienna in New York for Christmas in 2010; Paul talking to the Tigers girls; and students from Shelford Girls Grammar honouring their biology teacher.

‘I think of him all the time. The last time I sawPaul, the love of my life, my reason for being,he was cold, his fingers were blue and hedidn’t say a word back to me. My future as Iknew it has been taken from me.

— NICOLE SIMPSON

‘I am satisfied that this is not a casewhere there was wanton disregard forsafety standards ... On the contrary, Iaccept the directors of this companywere enthusiastic, relatively new ownersof the business, who were endeavouringto run and build it by providing servicesto the satisfaction of clients.

— Judge SUSAN COHENDane

HubbardSam

Edwards

deep channel in great distress. Thechurning water had already beentoo strong for her and she thoughtshe would not be strong enough toassist him.

One can only guess hischaracteristic selflessness andgenerosity had made him turn backto help others again.

Then Ms Riley lost sight of him.As students made it to the shore,

some ran up to the road, flaggingdown passing cars and asking themto call 000.

One student had an asthmaattack and another two hadswallowed large quantities ofwater.

By the time Mr Hosking made itto shore he would tell police he wasat the point of exhaustion andfearing he may drown.

Finally, however, all wereaccounted for — all except scienceteacher, mad-keen basketballerand loving husband and father PaulSimpson, 44.

A search of the water by MrMetcalfe and a surfer would laterfind him floating face down. Hecould not be revived.

Paul Simpson was the kind ofteacher you dreamt of for yourchildren, a man who always hadtime to give and inspiration toimpart.

He was also the kind of manNicole Simpson dreamt of — herbest friend, her soul mate.

The two met in Shepparton in1990 through basketball; Paul was‘‘the new handsome basketballer intown’’, Mrs Simpson recalled in theCounty Court last month.

They dated for a few monthsbefore Paul moved to the US on abasketball scholarship.

It was the days before Skype andemails, and the couple relied on theoccasional phone call andnumerous letters, but they ‘‘bothbelieved in the love we had’’ andwere married a year after Paul’sreturn in 1993.

He unsuccessfully tried out forthe Melbourne Tigers, but seeinghe could still be of use, he joined theTigers Girls Basketball Clubcoaching staff, eventually rising todirector of coaching and coach ofthe senior women’s team and ajunior team, community developermanager Warrick Giddey said.

‘‘There was no better man,’’ hesaid. ‘‘He was held in high esteemby everyone.’’

Mrs Simpson, a talentedWomen’s National BasketballLeague player, came under Paul’sguidance.

‘‘One of the other players on theteam didn’t realise we were marrieduntil months into the season, as itwas always business at basketball,’’she said.

‘‘He was passionate and he nevergave up on others to be their best.He was a great example and madethe world a better place.

‘‘We had many arduous yearstrying to start a family, supportingeach other through the lengthy andemotional IVF process. Our lifewould still have been good even ifhaving a family wasn’t meant to be,as we had each other. However,after six years of trying, our littleprincess Sienna finally arrived.’’

It would be her musing of tryingto understand her father’s deaththat would make the true senselesstragedy hit home.

‘‘She came up with manysolutions trying to process thenews: ‘they should have got a big

rope for Daddy to hold on to’; ‘aboat could have got him out of thewater, why didn’t they have aboat?’; ‘can we tip Daddy upsidedown to get the water out of him?’;‘he should have been here with meand not in the water at the camp’,’’Mrs Simpson said.

‘‘The long, dark and often wetwalk home from the train stationafter working in the city, is a dailyreminder of what life used to be, asPaul and Sienna used to wait for mein the car outside the station tomake sure I got home safe,’’ shesaid.

‘‘I feel guilty that I don’t have asmuch time to spend with her as shewould have received if Paul was stillwith us. I find the juggle of day today ‘life’ extremely challenging —parenting, working, financial load,household chores and repairs.

‘‘It’s hard not to let my mindwander into the ‘if only’ mode or tothe dark place where I will neverhear his soothing voice, hislaughter, experience his cheekyantics and see his handsome faceagain.

‘‘I think of him all the time. Thelast time I saw Paul, the love of mylife, my reason for being, he wascold, his fingers were blue and hedidn’t say a word back to me.

‘‘My future as I knew it has beentaken from me.’’

In sentencing WCA (Vic) Pty Ltdthis week, County Court JudgeSusan Cohen said Mr Simpson wasmuch respected, admired andloved and had much more to give.

But the $180,000 penalty will, andwas never intended to, compensateor measure the loss.

The court heard Mr Hubbard andMr Edwards had worked for WestCoast Adventures for a number ofyears before borrowing heavilyfrom friends, family and the bank tomake it their own.

They both had tertiaryqualifications and numerous yearsworking in the outdoor industrybut neither they, nor Shelford were

aware of the Department ofEducation and Early ChildhoodDevelopment guidelines requiringan assessment of how well eachchild could swim 200m — not 50mas Shelford had provided.

‘‘That guideline is now well-known to both the school and thecompany,’’ Judge Cohen said.

In fact, it’s well known to everyschool and activities provider keento ensure the lessons are learnt.

‘‘There seems to be a sequence offailures, the first of which, being afailure to have staff check the waterand weather conditions beforehaving the group enter the water,looks with hindsight to have beenthe most significant, and the failureto have safety equipment such asflotation devices on the beach incase swimmers got into trouble inthe water, also must be seen assignificant,’’ Judge Cohen said.

‘‘With hindsight each of thefailures can be seen as likely to havedecreased the risk of the tragedythat ensued.

‘‘However, I am satisfied that thisis not a case where there was

wanton disregard for safetystandards. There is no suggestionthat the omission of safetyequipment or inadequacies in riskassessment and planning resultedfrom any attempt to save costs.

‘‘On the contrary, I accept thedirectors of this company wereenthusiastic, relatively new ownersof the business, who wereendeavouring to run and build it byproviding services to thesatisfaction of clients.’’

Judge Cohen noted Mr Hubbardand Mr Edwards’ remorse and theirdetermination to face a penalty,when they could have closed thecompany to avoid prosecution andbegun trading again under a newname.

Had they been charged asindividuals the maximum penaltywould have been about $215,000,paling in comparison with thecompany maximum of about

$1,075,000.They have sold property, both

live in rental accommodation andhave only taken ‘‘modest amounts’’for their living expenses for the pasttwo years — a far cry from howcorporations usually operated toshield and protect personal assetsof individuals, Judge Cohen said.

It will take the two directors untillate 2017 to pay off the fine.

Victorian Outdoor EducationAssociation president and LaTrobe University lecturer BrendanMunge said the industry wasconstantly reviewing itself toensure best practices, but sadly itoften took a tragedy to remindpeople to put safety first.

He said the Department ofEducation guidelines and theAdventure Activities Standardwere being reviewed anduniversities like La Trobe studiedeach fatality for what could belearnt.

‘‘(This case) raised the notion ofthe need to understand the coastalenvironment with up-to-the-minute weather forecasting,’’ Mr

Munge said.‘‘There’s also a push to have a

database to track events, but that’sa post thing, we try to be proactiveas analysing data doesn’t alwayspredict the future.’’

Mr Munge said the adventureindustry had been around longenough that all companies shouldbe upholding the relevantguidelines, even though they mightnot be legally enforceable.

He said while training was at ahigh level across the board, and the‘‘cowboys’’ had mostly beenpushed out of the system, TAFEcuts had to be monitored to ensurethey didn’t impact on tourismindustry standards.

Melbourne Tigers GirlsBasketball Club president ChrisBrooking believes Paul is stillwatching over everyone.

At Shelford, a scholarship was setup in Paul’s memory honouringperseverance, passion, leadershipand generosity and gives a youngbasketballer opportunities shewould never have had.

Shelford principal Polly Flanagansaid the inaugural recipient, AbbyPatrick, had displayed a truedevotion to basketball, travellingto Melbourne from Wangarattaseveral times every week to trainwith the Tigers.

The school has also established amemorial fern garden as thebiology teacher was ‘‘a completenutter about ferns’’.

At the club, Paul’s never-endinglove for the game has inspired theclub to new strengths, with many inthe basketball community movedto continue his hard work.

‘‘When you take someone likePaul away it forces others to comeforward and contribute and thecoaching (department) is thestrongest it’s ever been,’’ MrBrooking said. ‘‘We were rudderlessbecause Paul did so much, butsometimes good things can comefrom bad. It’s bittersweet.’’

Last year the girls’ under 14,under 16, under 18 and youthleague teams were all crownedchampions and the senior women’steam was runner-up in the nationalcompetition.

‘‘It was remarkable, it was a solareclipse that will never happenagain and it’s all thanks to seedsthat Paul planted years before,’’ MrBrooking said.

‘‘He was huge in the memory ofeveryone who met him. He wasspecial. He moulded destinies.

‘‘Life goes on, but he’ll never beforgotten.’’

A new app that could save your lifeLIFE Saving Victoria urges allbeachgoers to download the free appBeachsafe, which provides the latestweather and surf conditions as well aslocation-specific warnings.

‘‘The ocean is inherently dangerous,and that’s why it is so important tonot only be aware of the conditions onany particular day, but to be preparedas well,’’ general manager Life SavingVictoria’s Paul Shannon said.

‘‘Never swim alone, swim atpatrolled beaches and let others knowwhere you’ll be and how long you willbe gone,’’ he said.

www.geelongadvertiser.com.au GEELONG ADVERTISER, SATURDAY 17 AUGUST 2013 I 33

MAIN