WTF: WWCC? Baz’s learning curve, prismatic petroleum

Which school in Geelong’s south asked parents to get a Working With Children Check in order to attend a sports carnival?

WTF

They’re the little – and sometimes not so little – things that can really irk us … and they’re back! A new slot, on a new page with the same old problems that have us all saying, woah, that’s frustrating!

WWCC? WTF!

St Catherine of Siena Catholic School Armstrong Creek. Photo credit: Clarke Hopkins Clarke.

Distressed parents and grandparents were turned away from a primary school sporting carnival when they were ordered to get Working With Children Checks (WWCC) at the eleventh hour.

Upset parents told WTF St Catherine of Siena, in Armstrong Creek, gave families “48 hours notice” that parents and grandparents without a WWCC would not be allowed on site to watch the sports event in early April.

A parent said this was “devastating to kids and parents, especially prep parents”.

The parent said “at the last moment” parents were allowed to enter the grounds if they applied for the WWCC on the spot, even though the check was yet to be processed.

The parent labelled this completely “pointless” and said many grandparents didn’t know how to apply for the check and missed out.

“The school should have provided more than 48 hours notice,” the parent said.

Another WTF reader said: “Many children had serious meltdowns on the day and parents left crying at the front of school as the refused access.”

School leaders apologised for the misstep in a school newsletter, stating: “While athletics days are significantly different to our other onsite school events, we acknowledge and apologise for our communications regarding this event and the distress it caused some families.”

The notice said the school would review future processes and ensure communications were “clear, timely and provide(d) adequate context”.

In a statement to WTF a spokeswoman said: “We have spoken to a number of our impacted families and are committed to reviewing our processes to prevent similar issues in the future.”

WE ARE... UM...

Has there been an AFL player who’s learned the ins and outs of a team’s system as quickly as Bailey Smith?

He’s been a revelation so far for the Cats, with the team’s only bad loss so far coming in a match he missed.

Any questions of Bazlenka’s dedication have no doubt been rubbished already.

But there’s one thing it appears our new golden boy has failed to learn.

Geelong's Bailey Smith gestures to teammate on the siren during the AFL Gather Round match between the Adelaide Crows and Geelong Cats at the Adelaide Oval on April 10, 2025. Photo by Phil Hillyard

Following the team’s stunning victory against Adelaide on Thursday, Fox Footy host Sarah Jones said to star midfielder Max Holmes: “We’re not entirely sure Bailey Smith knows the words to the club song too?”

Baffled, Max Holmes responded.

“You’re kidding?” Holmes said.

“It’s a pretty basic song, I don’t know how you can’t know that.”

Video of Smith shows him either mumbling, or miming, his way through the club’s stirring rendition of “We Are Geelong”.

We here at WTF HQ are confident there will be enough wins for Smith to learn the song before the club inevitably wins its 11th flag in September.

PRISMATIC PETROLEUM

WTF

In August last year, WTF revealed Geelong’s famous Yarra St rainbow crossing set council back $43,544.

This week, we can reveal a far more cost effective rainbow monument in Geelong.

A reader and his wife were walking along the north side of the Barwon River, when they caught wind of a peculiar stench.

“(We) could smell petrol fumes from the walkover bridge all the way back to the 600m marker on the river, heading back towards Balyang sanctuary, which is a good 400m section of the river,” he said.

Upon further inspection, the pair noticed a slick of what looked like petrol sitting atop the river, leaving a noticeable rainbow hue.

While it is no doubt less pretty than the Yarra St crossing, and certainly more harmful to the environment, the prismatic petroleum has to be easier on the ratepayers pocket.

TO HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING FRUSTRATING

WTF

In late February, WTF received a beautifully worded email from the top end of town.

A Highton resident told us they were “frustrated by the poorly engineered channels along the Barrabool Road side of the Highton Reserve”.

“Every time we experience a heavy rainfall such as three weeks ago, the sand in these channels get washed along the pathways, down into the roads of Highton Village, and probably down the storm water drains,” he said.

“Replace the sand with a heavier aggregate, is my solution.”

With images attached attributed with figures, and a subject line reading “to highlight something frustrating,” the read was thoroughly enjoyed, and the gripe was so well articulated it had WTF’s very own Highton correspondent said “hear, hear good chap”

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Originally published as WTF: WWCC? Baz’s learning curve, prismatic petroleum