Time to paint the town red and get behind the Illawarra Hawks, urges mayor

It would be an understatement to say being an Illawarra Hawks fan has been a roller-coaster ride over the years, both on and off the court.

When you’re a Hawks tragic like me, you ride every climb, drop and sharp turn.

Given that bumpy ride, it’s quite remarkable that our Illawarra Hawks are the only team in the NBL to have contested every season since the inaugural competition in 1979.

While on-court fortunes naturally shift over the years, what’s never changed is the pride this community takes in the club that has put Wollongong on the national sporting stage for more than four decades.

They’ve still got a huge job to do in the post-season, but finishing top of the ladder for the first time in that history speaks to how special this season under Justin Tatum has been!

And all their hard work was topped off by completing a 4-0 season sweep over the Kings last Friday night. And what an atmosphere it was as a sell-out crowd celebrated the win and our team’s achievement.

By sealing the No 1 spot, the Hawks will begin the playoffs at home and have home game advantage in the semi-final and grand final series.

It could mean a further three games at the WIN Entertainment Centre, or it could mean another five.

Either way, I can’t wait to see it packed to the rafters by a sea of red and black supporters keen to back their hometown team – and bring a boost to our night-time economy as fans enjoy a meal on their way to the game and celebrate afterwards.

As a community, we have always rallied around the Hawks in tough times. Now it’s time to paint the town red and get behind the Hawks as they chase a second championship.

I want to see people walking around town in their Hawks jerseys, and flags in the shopfront windows.

If you see coach Tatum or any of the boys around town, let them know you are right behind them.

Coach Tatum always refers to the Hawks fans as his team’s “sixth man” on the floor when the going gets tough, and we need to do everything we can to get him and the players over that championship hump.

As they say, “the job’s not done”, so let’s get behind our boys and paint the town red!

City is open for business

Recently we launched Invest Wollongong’s 2025 Investment Prospectus in Sydney and used the opportunity to send a clear message to investors and businesses – Wollongong is open for business and we are ready to welcome you. We are shaping a city where people and businesses can truly thrive.

We impressed upon the 600 attendees that our lifestyle, access to talent and proximity to Sydney presented the perfect storm of opportunity for them to relocate or bring new business to Wollongong.

Importantly, unlike Sydney CBD we have a workforce willing and able to return to the office with the public spaces and amenity office workers are seeking, without the long commute.

Over the past five years, we have seen a huge investment in our CBD with a 50 per cent uplift in A-grade office space reflecting confidence in our city’s growth.

Not only can we offer location and amenity, but it is also 50 per cent more affordable than premium office space in the Sydney CBD.

Add in our dynamic tech sector which is thriving and growing rapidly. With the support of the university and a flourishing entrepreneurial scene, our city is seeing the growth of tech companies serving national and international markets, while keeping their head offices here in the region.

The city’s natural beauty and skilled workforce has also seen a boom in creative industries and increased local screen production.

At a recent event in conjunction with Screen Illawarra, we were able to showcase these opportunities directly to key stakeholders from the film industry.

We want to see more major international productions filmed locally and there was certainly strong interest from the industry senior executives in attendance.

We are building a momentum like never before fuelled by collaboration and ambition and can demonstrate that Wollongong is the place to be.