Contents:
- Flood Support Update
- Buildings Assessment Project
- Snakes alert
- Post Office Hill Action Group
- Dancing at Majorca
- Your committee/reserve story
- Committee policies
- Links to Grant Information
- DELWP website for committees
- Contacting DELWP
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Heading into 2023With 2022 drawing to a close, we hope you and your committee are looking forward to 2023. For the next committee of management newsletter you will notice a name change from DELWP to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). This was announced by the Government in early December and takes effect on 1 January 2023. As part of the transition from DELWP to DEECA, @delwp emails and web addresses will still function as normal until further notice.
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Flood support updateFor committees affected by floods, DELWP regional staff are continuing the work of communicating with committees and exploring options for any support that may be required. Please contact DELWP (see contact options at the bottom of this newsletter) for further information.
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Buildings Assessment ProjectFor committees that had a building assessment done as part of the DELWP Buildings Assessment Project in the second half of 2022, we hope to finalise and provide these reports to committees in February 2023. More than 2,500 buildings have been inspected at over 1,000 sites across the state, with some flood affected sites still to be completed between now and February. Any enquiries can be directed to voluntary.committees@delwp.vic.gov.au.
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Snake adviceWith the warmer weather, DELWP regions recently put out a reminder about snakes, noting:
- When left alone, snakes present little or no danger to people.
- If you see a snake, keep calm and move yourself and anyone with you (including pets) away from the area.
- Don't attempt to capture or harm snakes. Instead call DELWP on 136 186 for further advice.
- Maintain lawns and clean up around buildings, as snakes are attracted to shelter such as piles of rocks and timber, sheets of metal, and building materials.
- Undertake first aid training and ensure your first aid kit contains several compression bandages, and if someone is bitten, call 000 immediately.
Snakes are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 and it is illegal to harm or kill them or capture them without authority.
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John Leavesley (centre) with POHAG's President, Andrew Edwards (right) and current Secretary/ Treasurer, Kerry Bourke (left)
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| Post Office Hill Action Group
Post Office Hill Action Group (POHAG) is the committee of management for the 22.6 hectare Post Office Hill Reserve in Chewton in Central Victoria.
As outlined on the website Connecting Country: Restoring landscapes across the Mount Alexander Region, Post Office Hill Reserve was once covered in natural vegetation before being practically denuded during the 1852 gold rush. Thousands flocked to the Forest Creek diggings hoping to make their fortune. The land was up turned and folded on itself and left in a form sometimes referred to as ‘upside-down country’.
POHAG’s work across the reserve encourages biodiversity to return to the landscape with a focus on preserving the cultural and historical features of the reserve for community benefit. They work to complement the natural regeneration of indigenous plants through weed control and improving wildlife habitat by installing nesting boxes and shelter plantings. Wildflower and bird enthusiasts will find much to enjoy at the reserve.
At the 2022 POHAG Annual General Meeting, long-term Treasurer and Secretary John Leavesley was presented with a DELWP Certificate of Appreciation.
John, along with his wife Beryl, is also a member of Golden Point Landcare and has been an active and keen participant in environmental activities since his arrival to the area upon retirement from his role as ‘master mariner’ – a true tree change!
Notably, John has been the ‘weatherman’ reporting monthly on Chewton's weather in the local community newsletter – the Chewton Chat - as well as playing an important role keeping the community informed about POHAG and biodiversity issues. John has also been active in a bird-nesting box project and supporting Chewton Primary School to construct a weather station in the schoolground.
POHAG welcomes visitors. To find your way to the various walking tracks, head to the corner of Mitchell St and Railway St in Chewton, where you will find an information board about the reserve.
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Majorca is in central Victoria, approximately 11 kilometres south of Maryborough and 50 kilometres west of Castlemaine.
Majorca drew thousands of gold-seekers to rushes in 1863 just as diggings around nearby towns declined. The first surface diggings soon gave way to complex networks of deep mine shafts, with a mass local workforce and capital investment from around the globe.
The Majorca Hall was built in 1878, and impressively repaired after a devastating fire in the 1980s. With a solid bluestone exterior and simple Victorian-era rendered facade, it overlooks the Pyrenees ranges.
The Majorca Town Hall and surrounding gardens are looked after by a volunteer committee of management known as the Majorca Hall and Parks Committee.
Old Time Dances are still held on the fourth Saturday of the month at the hall. The well-maintained hardwood dance floor is renowned across the dance circuit.
The dances are just getting back into the swing of things after interruptions due to the Covid pandemic. There was a good turn out at the November dance after low numbers over winter.
Volunteers Aileen Howard and Rosalie Smith say that while some other venues in the region were facing low attendance even before Covid, they are determined to keep Majorca as a highlight on the dance circuit well into the future.
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Your committee/reserve story
The 1,000+ Crown land reserve committees of management across the state have so many interesting stories! Recreation reserves ... public halls ... rail trails ... environmental reserves ... and more.
People love reading the stories, so please don't be shy! You can pick any theme or angle for your story, the more variety the better!
You can write the story yourself or if you'd like some help with the write-up, let us know and a DELWP staff member will get in touch to discuss options.
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Committee policies
- Gifts, benefits and hospitality
- Conflict of Interest
- Meetings and decisions
- Dispute resolution
There is now a place within the Crown Land Kiosk where you can upload your policy documents.So DELWP can understand and support your committee's operations, please upload your completed policy documents when you get an opportunity to do so. This can be done progressively over time as each policy is completed or updated.
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Grant information links
- Note: Best use of these grant pages requires some thought to the 'filters' used (for example filtering out grant rounds that have closed). Eligibility criteria also need to be closely scrutinised as not all grants listed will be available to or suitable for your committee.
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DELWP website for committeesThe section of the DELWP website for committees of management, includes:
- Stories of Crown land reserves from across Victoria (including the full versions of stories from this E-News bulletin).
- The Committee of Management Guidelines and model policies for committees on topics such as Dispute Resolution and Conflict of Interest.
- Links to grant information.
- Insurance information and more!
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Contacting DELWP (to be DEECA in 2023)As noted above, early in 2023 you will see a name change from DELWP to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). As part of the transition from DELWP to DEECA, @delwp emails and web addresses will still function as normal until further notice.
For information about this newsletter or the committees of management section of the DELWP website, including contributions of stories and news about your reserve, contact DELWP on voluntary.committees@delwp.vic.gov.au.
For day-to-day issues, including changes to committee member contact details, committee appointment process, or other matters:
- Log a query in the Crown Land Kiosk for response by DELWP.
- Contact the DELWP Land and Built Environment (LBE) team responsible for supporting committees of management in your part of the state. Relevant offices for committees of management include Geelong, Hamilton, Traralgon, Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Horsham, Seymour, Wodonga, Bendigo, Mildura, Knoxfield (for all of Melbourne metro). The Communities and regions section of the DELWP website includes contact details for these regional DELWP offices.
- Contact the DELWP Customer Contact Centre on 136 186 or customer.service@delwp.vic.gov.au.
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