WTF: Bus-tastrophe, law and mower, iron lung
You wouldn’t think a full-sized party bus would find itself on Little Malop St – but here we are.
You wouldn’t think a full-sized party bus would find itself on Little Malop St – but here we are.
You wouldn’t think a full-sized party bus would find itself on Little Malop St – but here we are.
Late Saturday night, revellers en route to who knows where were stuck for nearly 20 minutes after their oversized ride attempted – and failed – to navigate the tight one-way turn toward James St in the heart of the CBD.
Bollards out front of Beavs Bar made the manoeuvre near impossible, with the driver even spotted eyeing them off like potential casualties.
Eventually, after a deep breath (and a few gasps from bystanders), the bus scraped through, surely never to be seen again in that part of town.
LAW AND MOWER
Turns out Victoria Police aren’t just fighting crime.
They’ve been battling weeds, too, and not the variety preferred by those who enjoy a toke every now and then.
A cost-cutting effort had left some police stations in the region resembling an overgrown jungle, with some officers spotted mowing lawns themselves.
Locals described stations such as Drysdale’s as “abandoned”, with grass nearly waist-high.
Following a Facebook post from the Police Association Victoria, WTF started asking questions.
In a slightly too timely response, a spokeswoman said Victoria Police was pleased to confirm that all lawn and garden maintenance at police stations would recommence imminently.
So, after months of ridicule (and a passionate Facebook post from the Police Association), the officers in blue can finally holster the whipper snippers and get back to actual policing.
IRON LUNG
A magistrate was left frustrated by the non-appearance of a defendant in a Geelong court recently.
This particular accused has a colourful history and was listed to plead on a number of matters, including drug possession and shoplifting, as well as bail and driving offences.
But when his name was called he was nowhere to be seen.
His lawyer told the court he’d been admitted to emergency several days earlier after a fall and was in “immense pain”.
She asked to adjourn the matter, but the magistrate said not “until it’s clear that he doesn’t have the capacity to appear” given the matter had been adjourned a number of times and the man had failed to appear on others.
“Unless (the accused) is in an iron lung, he needs to be here,” the magistrate said, noting there was “more than a hint of this being … engineered”.
The lawyer argued her client had a medical certificate confirming he was unfit for work, but it didn’t impress the magistrate.
“Unless his job is coming to court, he needs to be here,” the magistrate said.
His lawyer pressed the man’s “unique” history as being particularly tortured, before the matter was stood down.
When it was recalled, the magistrate recounted a County Court trial in which the defendant “couldn’t sit, couldn’t stand” leading the judge to order “a trolley be brought in” for the man to lie on.
The matter was eventually adjourned, although the magistrate said he was tempted to revoke the man’s bail.
DUDE, WHERE’S MY WHEELS?
Here’s another one for the “only in Geelong” file.
A broken down white ute parked on Fyans St, near the Swanston St intersection, was seen by commuters in a rather grim condition.
The driver’s side window had been smashed and the wheels were nowhere to be seen, with whoever responsible leaving it precariously on a pair of bricks.
Clearly intent on making the most of the opportunity, the fuel cap was also missing.
WTF has it on good authority that the area surrounding where the ute was parked has had its fair share of youths patrolling in the wee hours of the morning testing the lock function on parked cars.
A would-be thief was left disappointed nearby last year, rustling through an Addy journalists unlocked car to find nothing but that week’s Saturday edition and a collection of One Direction CDs.
More Coverage
Originally published as WTF: Bus-tastrophe, law and mower, iron lung
Child’s play? Mayor’s daughter slams ‘unsafe’ park
