Our 2017 Annual General Meeting: science, art and good company!
Posted on 19 October, 2017 by Tanya Loos
On Tuesday 17 October, Connecting Country staff, committee, members and friends joined together in Newstead for our 2017 Annual General Meeting.
Thanks to Brendan and Bernard for coordinating the AGM formalities. Over the next 12 months, Connecting Country remains as ably led as ever, with some new additions and shuffling of roles within the Committee of Management. In short, congratulations to Brendan Sydes (president), Saide Gray (vice president), Max Kay (treasurer) and Marie Jones (secretary) as the executive office bearers, and to Karoline Klein, Christine Brooke, Malcolm Trainor and Deborah Wardle as general committee members. We would also like to thank retiring committee member Jen Irlam for her contributions, support and insights over the past 2-3 years.
As a community-based, grass-roots incorporated organisation, Connecting Country is driven by our committee. Committee members provide their time and experience on a voluntary basis, and their participation is much appreciated! Connecting Country’s members and supporters are always able to ask questions and make suggestions to committee members – their elected represenatatives – about the organisation and its activities.
The 2017 Annual Report was also launched at the AGM, and the front cover is graced by the artwork of an Eastern Yellow Robin by Jane Rusden. Jane gave a short talk about the printmaking process, and how her beautiful Campbells Creek property and its robins inspired the artwork. The Annual Report will be available on our website soon.
Our new film was also launched! The five minute film was well received, and a great suggestion was made to get the film played in the Castlemaine and Maldon Visitor Centres. The Wild Melbourne team are doing some final technical touches and we will post it on a blog post very soon. The film featured Connecting Country staff, committee members and supporters in our quest to preserve habitat for woodland birds.
Georgia Garrard, RMIT University, and Brendan Sydes, Connecting Country President.
Following the film, we heard from Dr Georgia Garrard. Georgia is a Senior Research Fellow in RMIT University’s Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group. Georgia’s presentation had three parts – 1) structured decision-making processes for conservation, 2) biodiversity sensitive urban design and 3) framing conservation messages for different audiences. A detailed blog post will follow – but in the meantime you can read some of Georgia’s past and present work on her blog here. Many thanks to Georgia for sharing her fascinating research with us!
After Georgia’s presentation, supper and drinks were served, with much chatting and camaraderie.
Many thanks to to Connecting Country staff and our volunteers – Sarah Edwards, Deb Shaw, Jane Rusden, Jen Pryce and Fritz Hammersley – for their assistance on the night.
Max Schlachter and Krista Patterson-Majoor – beloved past staff of Connecting Country.
Connecting Country Director Chris Timewell and Penny Roberts from Newham and District Landcare.
Landcare facilitator Asha Bannon with new Connecting Country Committee member Christine Brooke, and Sutton Grange Landcare President Grant Workman.
A pow -wow – with Frances Cincotta, Bernard and Deirdre Slattery and Max Schlachter.
When is your next meeting, please?
Hi David! Thanks for your inquiry – this was our Annual General meeting – so the next one will be in October 2018. We advertise workshops and gatherings on this blog on a regular basis – plus your local landcare group would have a meeting schedule of its own too, all the best, Tanya