Community Engagement Sessions

The senior management team was out and about in Brooms Head, Ewingar and Harwood this past quarter, meeting with community members about what matters most to them. The vastly different communities with vastly different concerns demonstrate the size, scale and diversity of the local government area. In each case, the desired outcome is the same - a stronger relationship with the organisation.

Key issues discussed in Brooms Head included the power of language and how it can affect the relationship and accessibility to community areas, and the conflict with Holiday Park designated facilities and management of.

There are some easy wins in terms of signage that makes clear what is available for community access. But for more sustainable outcomes, community involvement in the review of the plan of management is required for the reserve on which the Brooms Head Holiday Park is situated. Concern was also heard about roads and drainage, beach erosion, Holiday Park site tenures and compliance, and policing matters.

It was a somewhat smaller crowd at Ewingar, with the main concern being isolation limiting access to services, and a strong desire for support to build and sustain volunteer networks to better manage community and public assets. Ewingar Hall was recently on the receiving end of a makeover and is in the midst of a Pizza Oven project, which will create quite the drawcard for events planned by the community in the future. The visit to Harwood included a site visit of the former Harwood Literary Institute and potential site for a community hub. The community will soon be engaged in the detailed design for the Harwood Community Precinct, implementation of which will fall to community and Council through grant funding opportunities. It was also the opportunity for individuals to discuss matters of concern with senior staff.

PICTURED: Clockwise from left; senior management met with Ewingar residents in November 2022. Completed in September, the $46,014 Brooms Head Hall Roofing Project was funded through Council’s capital budget allocation for renewal of community assets after leaks were identified. Brooms Head beach.