Tag: agm

Eastern FM Annual General Meeting 2009

Posted on by alex

After the EV’s Youth Volunteer Recognition Evening I attended the 2009 Annual General Meeting of Eastern FM, a community radio station that broadcasts on 98.1 FM.

Like many community based organisations, Eastern FM has been undertaking strategic planning for the future, particularly in regard to the introduction of Digital Radio and encouraging new audiences through web-based streaming.

Over the past twelve months, Eastern FM has expanded its outside broadcasting schedule to ensure a visible presence in the community and is looking to further expand this initiative.

Eastern FM continues to enjoy strong growth and a loyal listening base. The organisation and its studios are based at the Wyreena Community Arts Centre in Croydon. For further information please visit www.www.easternfm.com.au.

Monkami – Fifty-third Annual General Meeting

Posted on by alex

The Annual General Meetings have continued this month, with Monkami holding its fifty-third AGM this afternoon. Monkami, is a not-for-profit provider of services to people with an intellectual disability and is governed by a voluntary committee of management.

Today’s annual general meeting confirmed committee members for the upcoming year and featured the Manager of Volunteering Services at Eastern Volunteers as the guest speaker.

Monkami has always had a community focus and is planning to launch the Monkami Army, a project designed to demonstrate that people with disabilities can contribute to our local community. Likewise Eastern Volunteers, through providing volunteer recruitment services, is keen to encourage people with disabilities to volunteer within our community.

The Monkami Army will be officially launched on Monday and while I will unfortunately not be in attendance, due to a board meeting at Eastern Volunteers, the volunteers have already been assisting Main Street Traders in Croydon and have generated positive results.

Organisations like Monkami demonstrate the abilities of people with a disability, whether it be within employment, education, sports, the arts or our community.

All members of our community have something to offer, regardless of their ability and Monkami has demonstrated this with tremendous results.

Delegates’ Report: Annual General Meetings and Seniors Week

Posted on by alex

This month has marked the beginning of the Spring season for Annual General Meetings, and I had the pleasure of attending the Ringwood Historical Society AGM on the 22nd of September.

The Society documents the history of Ringwood and it is great to see renewed interest in our local history. The Ringwood Historical Society previously met on a quarterly basis, but now meets monthly covering a diverse range of topics within our community.

The Eastern Volunteers Annual General Meeting followed on the 24th of September and I was joined by Cr. Lamont and Cr. Macdonald in attending this event. Eastern Volunteers is continuing to grow strongly and is planning three major events over the course of the next year, its annual Fun Run for March, the return of its community conference in July and a Multicultural Festival planned for October.

The Ringwood Diving Club Annual General Meeting was held on the 11th of October and is a sporting club that encourages participation in diving based at the Ringwood Aquatic Centre.

Several special weeks all seemed to converge in October, including Mental Health Week, Maroondah Business Week and the Maroondah Seniors Festival.

On the 8th of October I attended a presentation on the National Seniors Association. The National Seniors Association is unique in that while it provides a social connection, it also provides significant policy advice and advocacy.

On the 9th of October I attended the Ringwood Bowls Club 80th anniversary and season launch. The Ringwood Bowls Club is a successful sporting club and has a strong community focus. The club has had an emphasis on environmental sustainability through the installation of a water retention system and is also focused on social sustainability, through developing partnerships with community organisations.

One of the partnerships the Bowls Club has developed is with the Ringwood Spiders and is great to see that the Club mentioned the Ringwood Spiders Trophy Presentation Night as one of its highlights. The Club is planning further community events including a jazz evening in November and partnerships with Eastern Volunteers.

Lastly, I attended a combined Ringwood U3A, North Ringwood Seniors and Enjoying Planned Retirement Luncheon on Saturday the 17th of October.

It is great to see the members of each group supporting each other and I would like to commend the committee members and members for the holistic view of the facility. In addition, I would also like to commend the council officers that have supported these groups and responded to the concerns that they have raised.

Ringwood Diving Club – Annual General Meeting

Posted on by alex

The Ringwood Diving Club is based at the Ringwood Aquatic Centre and utilises the facilities to provide competitive diving and classes for its members.

This afternoon the Ringwood Diving Club held its annual general meeting to elect office bearers for the next twelve months and to present trophies to the club members that have excelled at diving.

The Ringwood Diving Club, like many of other community organisations, has focused heavily on governance and administration and has recently completed a business plan to provide unified vision and direction for the club.

The Ringwood Diving Club focuses on all age groups, through its classes and competitions. For further information please visit www.ringwooddivingclub.com.au.

Eastern Volunteers 2009 AGM

Posted on by alex

Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides volunteer referral services and transport for people with disabilities and the frail-aged within Maroondah, Whitehorse and parts of the Yarra Ranges.

This morning the organisation held its annual general meeting to elect board members for the next twelve months.  I have been re-elected to the Eastern Volunteers Board and Management and will continue to Chair the organisation’s event working groups.

The guest speaker was Phil Turner, the Director of Major Projects and City Development, who discussed the Ringwood Central Activity District and the Council’s vision for Ringwood. This vision will only be successful if it incorporates community facilities for the centre of Ringwood.

Eastern Volunteers is continuing with its goal of purchasing its own premises to facilitate its continued growth and provide a hub for other community organisations.  While this is a longer-term vision Eastern Volunteers has already begun to raise funding for its vital project.

For further information on Eastern Volunteers please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Heatherdale Community Action Group 2009 AGM

Posted on by alex

The Heatherdale Community Action Group is a community based organisation that exists to protect the amenity of Heatherdale and surrounding localities.

Tonight’s meeting elected office bearers for the next twelve months, with the group discussing its activities over the past year, including the successful celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of Heatherdale Station.

Tonight’s guest speaker was from Whitehorse Community Health Service, who discussed the range of health services and programs provided by the organisation for the Whitehorse community.

The organisation delivers health services for people that may otherwise not be able to afford healthcare and has a focus on preventative health, through working in partnership with other organisations.

While Whitehorse Community Health Service is based in the City of Whitehorse, organisations such as Eastern Access Community Health provide a similar service for residents within Maroondah.


Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah – Annual General Meeting

Posted on by alex

Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah is one of two community based organisations promoting understanding and reconciliation with Indigenous Australians.

This afternoon I attended a luncheon to acknowledge the dedication of Ann Longridge, who served as convenor of the group for the past six years. Ann along with Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah has assisted in promoting the need for reconciliation within our community and ensuring that Council adopts policies that promote understanding and opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

Perhaps one of the most successful aspects of the group was its ability to demonstrate that reconciliation is relevant within all sections of our community. Members of Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah are also members of groups promoting the environment, accessibility, community houses and many other community organisations.

While the luncheon was a cause to reflect on the group, members of Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah subsequently voted to wind up the group after its twelve years of service. While it is a sad event for any group to cease existence the fact that so many different organisations are now involved with Reconciliation demonstrates the many achievements of Learning and Reconciliation Maroondah.

In addition, Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation still exists within Maroondah and will provide a group dedicated to this important cause.

Ringwood Bowls Club 2009 AGM

Posted on by alex

This evening the Ringwood Bowls Club, located in Loughnan Road Ringwood, held its Annual General Meeting to elect its committee for the following year.

The Club, which was founded in 1928 has had a long association with Ringwood. In recent years the Club developed a strong emphasis on sustainability and has invested in water tanks and a reclamation facility to reduce its water consumption.

The Club is now planning to examine its two grass greens with plans to potentially convert them to other grass types to further reduce their water usage.

The club is complementing its environmental sustainability focus with community initiatives to increase participation in lawn bowls.

The Ringwood Bowls Club will be launching a Friday social bowls program and is working with other organisations, such as Eastern Volunteers, to encourage volunteer participation.

With an ongoing emphasis on environmental and social sustainability the Ringwood Bowls Club will continue to have a successful future and I congratulate the board and its members for their vision and dedication.

For further information on the Ringwood Bowls Club please visit www.ringwoodbowls.asn.au.

Delegates' Report: Community Houses, water conservation and upcoming conferences

Posted on by alex

On the 24th of March I attended the Ringwood Precinct Open House, which provided an opportunity for residents living within the Ringwood Central Activities District and namely the residential area to the west of Ringwood to actively engage council and discuss any concerns they may have.

It was great to see a strong interest from the community and discussion with council around areas such as Eastland, Ringwood Station, open space and traffic. I would like to thank the many staff across all areas of council who engaged the community and took the time to hear and provide feedback.

There were three annual general meetings that I attended over the past month, including the North Ringwood Community House on the 24th of March. North Ringwood Community House is the only community house in Maroondah which is a registered training organisation and as a result they provide TAFE accredited Certificate III and IV training courses, in areas such as Aged Care, Palliative Care and Disability Services.

As I’ve reported previously, the priority for the house is to find a new location which will improve its accessibility and provide additional rooms to cater for increasing enrolments. The house recently submitted its grant application for feasibility study funding through the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The following day on the 25th of March I attended the annual general meeting for Central Ringwood Community House based in Bedford Park in Ringwood. Central Ringwood Community House provides an emphasis on computer training courses, as well as educational services to migrant communities and many other areas of interest for our community. The house is continuing to experience ongoing growth and has plans to improve accessibility and provide additional classroom facilities.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau AGM was held on the 1st of April and provided an opportunity for its membership to meet their new office manager and report on the ongoing growth in their emergency food relief. The guest speaker for the meeting was from the Primary Care Partnerships who spoke about food security and the difficulties some households are experiencing in purchasing fresh and nutritious food.

On the 4th of April I attended the launch of the Ringwood Bowls Club Water Reclamation Facility. The project provides three water tanks and a water retention system collecting water from the roof, adjacent roadways, the car park and their greens resulting in a capacity of 280,000 litres. It is estimated that the facility will conserve 1.5 million litres providing significant water savings. This project was the culmination of cooperation between all levels of government, Federal, State and Local, which included a grant from Council’s Water Sustainability Fund.

Lastly, Eastern Volunteers have organised a conference for the 13th and 14th of May exploring volunteer, social inclusion and community wellbeing. For details, including registration and the conference program, please visit their website at www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau 41st AGM

Posted on by alex

The Maroondah Citizens Bureau is a non-profit community based organisation that aims to provide a range of support services and referrals for people in need, in order to enable them to be independent and effective members of the community.

Today’s annual general meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the changes within the organisation, including the appointment of a new office manager and an emphasis on improving governance through the development of new policies and procedures. These efforts will ensure that the organisation can continue to provide its services to people in need and make it easier to recruit and retain volunteers.

The guest speaker was from the Outer East Primary Care Partnerships, a network of health providers, who spoke about food security within Melbourne’s outer east. Food security examines the ability of a community to be able to afford nutritious food, as well as the proximity and location of fresh food. Over ninety percent of clients who access the Citizens Advice Bureau requested food relief, demonstrating that affordability of food is increasingly becoming an issue within Maroondah.

Given that little food is grown locally within the outer east, rising transportation costs are of a particular concern and the presentation did explore the potential for more locally produced food within the region.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau exists to serve people in need and is acutely aware of the growing financial pressures on Maroondah residents and households.