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Little devil
www.gippslandtimes.com.au
Selling Gippsland across board
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Zoe Askew
WITH COVID pretty much out of the picture, Gippslanders should expect to see an increase in local and regional events, with Destination Gippsland finally able to unleash the full capability of the recently established project, Events Gippsland. Gippsland’s regional tourism board, Destination Gippsland, was established more than 10 years ago to promote Gippsland to Melbourne, intrastate, interstate and international visitors, and is owned by all six local governments in Gippsland. Marketing Gippsland to potential travellers is Destination Gippsland’s primary role, but the organisation also works with all levels of government on all tourism-related matters in Gippsland, and advocates for infrastructure and particular projects. Destination Gippsland is the most prominent supporter of tourism in Gippsland. One of Destination Gippsland’s seven strategic priorities in their destination management plan sought to invest in diverse and exciting regional events to draw more visitors to this part of Australia. Putting priorities into action, little more than 18 months ago, Destination Gippsland launched Events Gippsland, an Australian-first collaborative approach to ascertain events that would create substantial economic benefit for the Gippsland region. So what does that mean? What does Events Gippsland actually do? Put simply, Events Gippsland’s primary purpose is to attract high participation events to Gippsland and develop homegrown events to boost tourism across the region. Since the establishment of Events Gippsland, the project, in collaboration with Gippsland’s local government authorities, has supported seven events and secured a further 15 events, many of which are on multi-year agreements. The ANZAC Weekend Airshow is among the events financially supported by Events Gippsland, providing a direct referral to Visit Victoria for grant assistance. Events Gippsland also provided marketing support for last year’s outstanding Archibald Prize
The ANZAC Weekend Airshow is one of the events financially supported by Events Gippsland.
Photo: File
event. Based on previous and secured events, Destination Gippsland projects a $49.77 million direct economic benefit, a return on investment of $80:1, by 2025. As part of Victoria’s 2020/21 $20-million regional events fund, the Regional Event Acquisition, which offers as much as $1 million to support the attraction of one-off or major ongoing events, enables Events Gippsland to support Gippsland Councils with a matched 1:1 funding. The funding further allows Events Gippsland to strategically acquire events that are the right fit for the region, maximise economic and social benefits, and strategically develop homegrown events. Destination Gippsland chief executive Terry Robinson says Events Gippsland is about collaborating and joining forces across a large area to improve Gippsland tourism. “It’s all about co-opetition, not competition between councils,” Mr Robinson said. “From bed nights to branding and the myriad of social benefits, events can bring a destination alive. They work to reduce the impacts of seasonality and enhance dispersal throughout our towns and villages, growing visitation and increasing expenditure across the region. “Events are also proven to encourage repeat visitation; recent research in East Gippsland indicates that three-quarters of event attendees would not have gone to a destination if not for an event,” he said. “An event is the main reason for 57 per cent of first-time visitors and 69 per cent of repeat visitors to visit a region. “With $50m in economic benefit already generated for the region, we are keen to continue to support events that support the Gippsland visitor economy and our communities.” Events Gippsland project manager David Elder says the most significant advantage Events Gippsland offers the Wellington Shire is the opportunity to leverage its own events budget. “For example, if the Wellington Shire Council had a $50,000 events budget, there is the potential, subject to assessment, approval, etc, to double that investment with matched 1:1 funding,” Mr Elder said. “This allows the Wellington Shire Council to attract, support, and develop more events, thus delivering additional economic, social and legacy outcomes within the shire.” What does Events Gippsland have in the works for the Wellington Shire region? What can we expect to see in our region? Well, The Great Victorian Bike Ride has been secured, and will travel to Wellington Shire and East Gippsland in 2023. The Victorian Bowls Open has been secured for five years from 2023, and will involve bowls clubs across Gippsland, from Sale to Drouin. Mr Elder said there are several other events under consideration, but are not up for discussion until assessed by the Events Gippsland assessment panel and formally approved. Not only is Events Gippsland bringing some of the country’s best events to the region, cough cough - the 2026 Commonwealth Games; but it also offers a number of benefits to local businesses, including free forums, workshops and webinars to help grow business to its highest potential. For more information about upcoming events, in Gippsland, visit the Events Gippsland website at https://www.visitgippsland.com.au/events/
Royal memorial at St Paul’s Cathedral
Stefan Bradley
SALE residents Lorraine Glover and Dr Iain Nicholson joined more than 100 mourners at St Paul’s Cathedral to remember The Queen. Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem Dr Iain Nicholson said he was very sad to hear about the death of the Queen. “When I was in the army, The Queen was my boss, from 1958 to 1974,” Dr Nicholson said. Dr Nicholson said he admired The Queen’s “service and loyalty”. Dame of the Most Venerable Order of St John Ambulance Lorraine Glover said she admired The Queen’s faith, and that she was a beautiful lady. “She’s such an inspiration to everybody, and I honestly thought she was going to live to 100. I really did,” Ms Glover said. “Well, God took her. He said she’s finished her job, and I’m sure she was happy to go to him.” Recalling The Queen’s 1954 visit to Sale, Ms Glover said she was in school at the time. “We had practised so much to do a display for her, but she didn’t come to where we had the display,” she said. Luckily, Ms Glover still got the chance to see The Queen that day, like many Gippslanders did. “We saw her come down the street and she went to the council chambers,” she recalled.
Dame of the Most Venerable Order of St John Ambulance Lorraine Glover and Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem Dr Iain Nicholson at last Thursday’s memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral, Sale. Photo: Stefan Bradley
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