Tickertape parade planned for Grimshaw Ward Councillor Rick Garotti after he was appointed Mayor of Banyule

A tickertape parade is reportedly being planned for the elected Councillor of the Grimshaw Ward, Rick Garotti, who has also been voted in as the Mayor of the Banyule City Council. The appointment is a boon for residents of the Grimshaw Ward, which encompasses Watsonia North, and parts of Bundoora and Watsonia.

The parade is expected to take place along the region’s main thoroughfare, which is coincidentally where the Ward gets its name from: Grimshaw Street. The event would be slightly different to the usual tickertape parades seen in Melbourne, with fans expected to socially distance and wear masks at all times.

And, in another serendipitous naming coincidence, organisers of the parade are apparently in talks with national news identity Tracy Grimshaw to cover the event. Grimshaw, who grew up in Greensborough, and got her first journalism gig with the Diamond Valley News, would lend some genuine star power to the celebration of the new mayor. An organiser said, “If we get Tracy to cover the event, that would really put Banyule on the national news map, and get Rick’s mayoral career off to a great start. There’s no guarantee we’ll get her at this stage, but we’re keeping our fingers and toes crossed.”