WTF: Budding Bell Park botanist bemused by blooming burglar

A budding Bell Park botanist was left bemused after thieves snatched three of her newly bloomed flowers. This and more in this week’s WTF.

WTF

They’re the little – and sometimes not so little – things that can really irk us. We’ve asked the people of Geelong to point out the problems that irritate and exasperate and have us all saying, woah, that’s frustrating!

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Before …

As we head into spring, many people around Geelong are stepping back out into the garden.

Between that and our recent bout of corpse flower fever, the region’s passion for plants seems to be peaking.

But a budding Bell Park botanist was left bemused after thieves snatched three of her newly bloomed blossoms.

… and after.

She’d spent the last week proudly admiring her bird-of-paradise deliver five striking flowers.

But in a cruel twist of fate, three of them had been nicked by Saturday.

“It’s pretty upsetting,” she said.

“I think people steal them to go off and replant them.”

Well, if that’s the case, the joke’s on them.

According to a quick internet search, it’s borderline impossible to replant a single flower and regrow a bird of paradise plant.

A TURN FOR THE WORSE

Can you spot what’s wrong with this sign?

Toto, we might still be in Kansas.

A Drysdale local had to look twice when he saw a new sign that had been erected in the town, which appeared only useful to those wanting to practise their driving ahead of a US vacation.

At first glance, the roundabout sign at the intersection of Eversley and High streets looks to be in order. But upon further inspection, the arrows are clearly pointing the wrong direction – for Australia’s road rules anyway.

“It’s pretty funny,” the local said.

“The other thing that gets me is, if that’s the new sign, how many others have been made?

“My partner is originally from America, she said it’d work for her.

“It did strike me as funny, but it could also be dangerous if someone’s not used to it.”

The resident took the issue up with City Hall, which handballed him over to VicRoads, which has assured the Addy they are aware of problem and will be on site to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

GENTRIFICATION FRUSTRATION

The CBD vandal’s message.

Free Geelong from … what?

A piece of graffiti spotted on the corner of Little Malop and Moorabool streets has caught the eye of one local.

The words “free Geelong from gentrification” could be seen scrawled on an advertisement for a development on the corner.

“Gentrification? Where?” he said.

“We have one nice little strip in the CBD and now people are pulling the gentrification card?

“Whoever wrote that should head back there and turn around, it’s a literal stones throw from the Moorabool bus stop with its shattered glass and eshays, look towards Ryrie St, all the shops are boarded up across the road.

“Surely a little gentrification can’t hurt.”

RUBBISH BEHAVIOUR

The not-so merry mess in North Geelong.

The season for giving and sharing is almost upon us, but as households get busy with spring cleans preparing for an influx of Christmas gifts, one rubbish dumper in North Geelong has given more than their fair share.

Whoever offloaded a truckload of trash next to a charity bin at the GDP Industries centre in Baxter Rd last weekend either couldn’t read or conveniently ignored the sign about giving clothes a second life.

Among piles of discarded goods stretching along the street were broken laundry baskets, grotty pillows, a chest of drawers, a kids’ swimming pool and even Hello Fresh food boxes with the recipient’s name carefully removed.

Their sheer laziness meant an extra morning’s work for staff at not-for-profit GDP, requiring

multiple trips with a pallet mover to clear the street of the unsightly mess.

Rubbish behaviour.

CLAWS FOR CONCERN

Passers-by were both amused and confused after these claw gaming machines were left unattended on Little Malop St. Picture: Supplied.

Are things so bad at Market Square that even the coin-operated claw gaming machines are trying to escape?

That’s what one eagle-eyed CBD observer theorised after four machines found themselves left unattended near the Little Malop St entrance on Wednesday afternoon.

It appeared that one was so disillusioned with its former home that it attempted to run for the hills.

Alas, we’re reliably informed that those tasked with taking the quartet away used the Win ‘n’ Grin machine to reserve a park.

Which begs the question whether City Hall’s parking officers can book a machine for occupying a 15-minute loading zone.

Originally published as WTF: Budding Bell Park botanist bemused by blooming burglar