Coolart SW AGM attendees
Save Westernport held its Annual General Meeting for the 2022/23 financial year on Saturday 2Oth of April at the beautiful Coolart Homestead, Somers.
After 4 years of AGMs’ online it was well and truly time for an in-person event and given the crowd, it was definitely the right way to go with more than 80 people in attendance.
Save Westernport would like to thank everyone who came, especially our guest speakers, members, and supporters, as well as our local MP, Paul Mercurio, the Mayor of MPSC, Cr Simon Brooks and Councillors, Gill, Roper & Dixon.
We would also like to thank our friends from sister organisations who came including the WPPC, the Progressives of the Peninsula, the Westernport Biosphere, Friends of the Earth, The Phillip Island Conservation Society and Save Westernport Woodlands.
Our many thanks also to Marnee Willis, who helped organise the meeting at Coolart.
Given the many comments to committee members afterwards, and the lively chat by the many who stayed for afternoon tea, it was a wonderful afternoon and the themes of the day: listening to our environment; community collaboration; and art as a medium for environmental stewardship, really cut through.
There was so much energy from everyone and a real sense of community in our shared love and protection of Warn Marrin (Western Port Bay) and its wetlands and coastlines from ever present threats.
Brilliant Guest Speakers
Laura Brearley speaking at the AGM
Our two guest speakers, Professor Laura Brearley from Phillip Island and artist Jo Lane from Somers certainly had people listening and engaging.
Jo spoke about her beautiful sculpture and installation which was on display: The Listening Stones, which she created after the AGL fight and which represents the ears of all those who stood up to stop AGL – ‘our ears to our place’.
The Listening Stones at Coolart. SW AGM
Laura talked about many things especially working with the Bunnurong in caring for our bay, and her proposed new collaborative art project, with Jo Lane, called Across the Waters. The first recording of Laura’s song “Across the Waters’, was also played – a beautiful and uplifting piece of music for Warn Marrin.
AGM business & SWP Steering Committee (SC)
In the business part of the meeting Candy Van Rood presented her President’s Annual Report for the year and said she was stepping down from the presidency to focus on reconnecting with her artistic self but showing her true commitment by staying on as an SC Member.
Candy was thanked wholeheartedly by everyone for all her amazing work, commitment, energy and passion, as our President, since mid 2019.
The elections for the Committee were held and all existing Committee members were re-elected unopposed with Jane Carnegie elected as the new President.
The current SWP Committee is:
President: Jane Carnegie
Vice President: Barbie Wilson
Secretary: Julia Stockigt
Treasurer: John Wilkins
Committee members:
Candy Van Rood
Linda Pickering
Jane talked about the key issues and actions is SWP is focussing on:
the horrendous Coal for Hydrogen project (HESC); the Windfarm Assembly project: and the Strategic Framework.
The SWP video on HESC, made with the Progressives of the Peninsula, was played as a part of the meeting along with WPPC’s video ‘ Jump into Westernport, as people arrived. You can also view it on our website – please share with everyone you know to spread the word about HESC.
Actions you can take
Various actions you can take on the issues we face were provided as part of the meeting. If you haven’t done so already please take the time to send your messages on these issues:
1 Write a letter to the Japanese Ambassador with cc to various relevant Ministers – preferably send your own using the link below which gives you a guide and email addresses or go to the link on our website which directs you to Friends of the Earth website and click their link to add your name.
2 Join our good friends in Environment Victoria with their action to say no more public money for HESC in the up-and-coming Victorian Budget. Here is the link:
https://environmentvictoria.org.au/action/coal-to-hydrogen/
3 Holden Proving Ground
If you haven’t done so already, we would be grateful if you could email the Environment Minister, Steve Dimopoulos, urging him to act swiftly to secure the eastern half of the Holden Proving Ground for conservation.
More information is available at Save Western Port Woodlands
More actions and activities are being planned over coming weeks and months with our various allies. We will keep you all in the loop.
Thanks again for all your support – the Save Westernport Steering Committee
