Presidents Report for Treetops September 2009

You’ll remember in the lead-up to the local government elections last year we canvassed candidates’ position on koala conservation through our Koala Friendly Candidates Campaign. We were pleased to see that a good sprinkling of koala supporters was elected to office. Being almost twelve month down the track it’s timely to consider what the new councils have achieved for the koalas.

This first year of their term has coincided with several other impacting factors including the State government’s continuing overhaul of the planning system which is seeing the preparation of new local environment plans (LEPs) in accordance with a standard instrument and the release of the Recovery Plan for the Koala. At the Federal level the Review of Progress in Implementing the 1998 National Koala Conservation Strategy preceded release of the Consultation Draft National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy 2009-2014.

It’s probably fair to say that none of this activity meant much to the general public or to the majority of elected reps. However, lodgement of applications for major developments at Kings Forest and Cobaki in Tweed and quarries in Lismore, as well as the World Rally Championship, have heightened and broadened awareness of the koala’s plight.

A few councillors have taken on the task of koala conservation with courage and determination whilst settling-in to their role as elected members. They are contending with shattered financial positions, lingering and even chronic apathy and the plodding pace of directional change. Crs Katie Milne in Tweed, Simon Clough in Lismore and Donna Kinnish in Richmond Valley are to be commended for their tenacity, but even they will admit, it is slow going.

This issue of Treetops focuses on maintaining our own governance. For many of you the year’s performance will be judged by the Annual Report presently in preparation. Notice of the Annual General Meeting and committee election appears on p.9. Everything is a bit later this year because of changes we made in the Constitution we adopted at last year’s AGM.

The new arrangements call for a management committee of seven office-bearing positions and at least three general members. An outline of what is involved in being elected to the committee and brief descriptions of duties is on p.8. Committee membership isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but a representative, competent and conscientious Committee is vital for Friends of the Koala’s work to be effective. I encourage any member to find out more about the Committee’s role and to consider putting themselves forward.

The outgoing Committee looks quite different to that which we started off with twelve months ago. Lynne de Weaver joined us in December as a general member to develop a Communications and Marketing portfolio. This bumped our number up to twelve.

Early in the year Frank Roseby flagged that he was finding it increasingly difficult to give the time required to the duties of his position of Treasurer. It took us a while to find a suitable replacement but by May Lydia Kirby had been lined up, enabling an appropriate handover before Frank formally resigned and Lydia was appointed in June.

In April we lost general member Chris Eather who had been elected to the Committee in 2007, and in May, Kay Sherring also resigned. Kay had been elected to the Committee in 2006, completing nearly three years of service as a general member, two years of which had been in the role of Care Centre Co-ordinator. Friends of the Koala’s nomination, Kay was awarded Environment Citizen of the Year in Lismore Council’s 2007 Australia Day Awards.

Karen Jennison resigned from the position of Care Centre Co-ordinator in early July. The position had become an office-bearing one when she was elected in 2008. Following periodic review of the positions of Care Co-ordinator and Care Centre Co-ordinator, Lola Whitney, a general Committee member since 2005, was appointed Care Centre Co-ordinator in August.

Starting off the term with eleven members we’ve finished with nine. I thank everyone who served on the out-going Committee for their positive contribution through the year. All positions will become vacant at the AGM in mid-October

Finally, a big thank you to the Treetops Team: all those who have written, interviewed and been interviewed, Robin Dadswell who puts Treetops together, Jenny Leunig who folds and posts or emails it out, and to you, our readers.

Submitted by President Lorraine Vass