Community & Business
11 August, 2021
Vision for Malanda committee formed
AFTER months of hard work and preparation, a new organisation was born in Malanda recently when around 80 locals turned up for a mid-week, winters night meeting to find out what “Advance 4885” was all about and to decide if they wanted to be part of it.
BY SALLY TURLEY
AFTER months of hard work and preparation, a new organisation was born in Malanda recently when around 80 locals turned up for a mid-week, winters night meeting to find out what “Advance 4885” was all about and to decide if they wanted to be part of it.
The answer was a resounding yes, with the packed room casting an almost unanimous vote supporting the group’s formation, followed directly by the election of a full committee, effective immediately.
Since their first meeting on February 10 this year, this group’s selfless steering committee comprised of Bob Barkworth, Dave Bilney, Keith and Lyn Cox, Barry Hawes, Stephen Zsombok, Caroline O’Reilly, Stephen Purcell and Frank Mills have worked with one goal in mind - to make the Malanda area better for everyone.
Acknowledging they already lived in paradise, the group members wanted a new, politically and culturally neutral vehicle for the discussion and development of ideas and projects that further improved the quality of life for locals and tourists alike.
The newly elected executive of Vision 4885, included secretary, Julianne Parise from Tarzali, Vice-President, Matt Lachlan from Lake Eacham and Treasurer, Joanne Carroll from Jaggan who are now the new beginning for this ambitious concept.
Malanda’s character and population have been evolving over the last couple of decades and while many valuable groups, centred around sports, the arts and community development, already existed, “Vision 4885” believed there were many talented individuals out there with much to contribute who did not belong to any organisation.
The steering committee wanted to establish a structure for the community to own and now that it has been formed, they are happy to give the community the reigns and step back into a role of mentoring, educating and supporting as required.
Their aim was to bring groups together, provide an incorporated body for those who wanted to volunteer, help coordinate events to avoid date clashes, provide training in meeting procedures, assist with sourcing funding and create a voice and a common purpose for the whole community.
During their formative process the steering committee identified more than 80 existing community groups, some of which were now defunct or dormant.
They were concerned about the duplication of processes and lack of unity that often resulted in inefficient outcomes.
“Vision 4885” plans to act as a ‘clearing house’ to coordinate existing group’s fundraising events, avoiding clashes throughout the year and can offer project volunteers full third party coverage for a $1/year membership fee.
They can help groups apply for grants and hopefully provide a pool of volunteers to assist with projects.
People can join the new group as individuals or as a representative of other groups and membership is open to anyone who wants to join.
The committee anticipate a rush of ideas and are happy to put those ideas out to the community to gauge support and to ultimately push them through to gain local, state and national recognition.
Tourism has been flourishing in the region, and with that, there has been a growing community desire to have more of a say in what happens in our small towns.
Citizens have often questioned some of the local government decisions and “Vision 4885” gives members a say on their terms and lets them contribute without commitment. The steering committee were thrilled with the strong show of support.
“We have a beginning,” Keith Cox said.
“This will be a good direction for the community. There is huge potential there if we can tap into it. We can see the enthusiasm and I think that will continue to build as achievements are made,” he said.
A management committee will be assembled over the next couple of months and a published list of community groups and register of businesses in the 4885 postcode will be made available to the Information Centre in the near future.
