President's Report
January – April 2023
A very glorious autumnal greeting to you all, I am writing this president’s report on the country of the Taungurung people and acknowledge their land, air, and water and recognise their connection to this area on which I live, work, and play. The southern hemisphere has moved into Autumn and Macedon Ranges is stunning this time of year. It has also been very festive with our hard-working Sustainable Homes Action Group hosting its flagship Sustainable House Day event and the wonderful Veg Action Group kicking off their delicious Edgy Veg trail competition, where you can tantalise your tastebuds with the most innovating plant-based dishes across the ranges. Our Sustainable Festivals Action Group organised the awe-inspiring electric bike and vehicle expos in Woodend and Malmsbury that brought all the experience and knowledge from the best minds to show how it’s possible to have electric transport in the ranges. Thanks to Sue Barker, Claire Rowland, David Gormley-O’Brien, and volunteers who brought these together.
Further to these festivities, a hearty congratulations goes out to our Woodend Community Farmers’ Market Action Group Leader, Matty Be, who swept up the Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s 2023 Business and Tourism Award. This award recognises the ongoing community contribution Matty Be has made to the economic vitality of the shire through leading our beloved monthly Woodend Community Farmers’ Market. Congratulations to Matty Be and all the “Mind Blowing” volunteers who make it happen every month. In this photo, Lenka Thompson, Matty Be, and David Gormley-O’Brien at Kyneton Town Hall.
The MRSG Committee was very pleased to award two Action Group project proposals after the announcement of our $10,000 budget allocation for seed funding. The following projects were successful.
$2,000 to the Woodend Bee Friendly Society Action Group for their Honeybee Swarm Monitoring Project.
$2,000 to the Sustainable Living Festivals Action Group for their Sustainable Living Festival.
Other Action Groups are encouraged to send project proposals to the committee for consideration.
In March 2021, Macedon Ranges Shire Council declared a Climate Emergency and off the back of that declaration embarked on its CoolER Changes project. This is a shire-wide climate emergency response plan which seeks to analyse environmental actions from our community groups, businesses, and council operations to identify further actions that can respond and adapt to our changing climate. MRSG was well represented at the packed-out launch of the CoolER Changes project with Vice President David Gormley-O’Brien facilitating a panel discussion between our Action Groups leaders, Kathryn Allen (Sustainable Malmsbury), Lisa Linton (Cool Changes Riddells Creek, Transport), Peter Lindner (Local Education Action Programs), and myself. MRSG continues its close connection with council and its passionate and dedicated environment team. As we travel this path of reducing our emissions and waste to adapt to our changing environment together, it is vital we are on the same page.
After two very successful days of work shopping, the draft MRSG Strategy is still in full swing, and the committee is considering it at coming meetings before sending it out for broader consultation. Keep your eyes peeled as we work thought the particulars. It was a great pleasure to work with some members who put their hand up to help facilitate and note take for the worship – a big thank you to Tom Gyorffy, Kathy Bell, and Philip Flanagan who allowed the committee to really focus on the key discussion topics without the burden of keeping time, focus, and notes!
Wishing you all a lovely Autumn,
Lenka Thompson (she/her) MRSG President 2022/23