Safer, but it’s so sad

IN recent days Geelong’s city centre has become a drawcard of sorts, as thousands of locals have joined together to celebrate and commemorate across a range of community activities.

From the unveiling of the city’s floating Christmas tree on Friday night, through to the Gala Parade Saturday and Remembrance Day commemorations yesterday, there were few locals who didn’t have cause to travel into the CBD. Indeed, this weekend kicked off the Geelong region events season, with the Run for Geelong’s Kids, Geelong Revival and Carols by the Bay being staged on the waterfront in the coming weeks, while large-scale events such as the Queenscliff Music Festival, Falls Festival and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race are slated for our coast.

This is the time of year that our region shines. Visitors come from across the country, tourism dollars flow into local coffers and social media is filled with snapshots that showcase the very best of our region.

It is an unfortunate byproduct of the current climate that the attractions that make our region great are now also cause for concern, for any drawcard that attracts thousands of people to the same place at the same time is now also a prime candidate for a targeted terror attack.

So it is both relieving and heartbreaking to be able to report that Geelong will be using Melbourne-style anti-terror security measures in the coming weeks following the lone terror attack in Melbourne’s Bourke St on Friday.

Friday’s attack was yet another reminder of the dangerous times we live in. But it did not stop the thousands flocking to the Geelong waterfront for the unveiling of the Christmas tree, nor did it deter the crowds lining the city streets for this year’s Gala parade fundraiser the very next day.

We are blessed to live in a wonderful part of the world, with many reasons to come together and celebrate. We will not be cowed by terrorists. But it’s comforting to know that if someone does plan violence on our streets, that the police have our back.