The WVCC held it’s AGM earlier this month, re-electing the four Executive Members (David Menzel, Chair; Mike Reddy, Deputy Chair; John Kain, Secretary; Dolores Holmes, Treasurer) and adding new blood to our Committee Members (Warwick Pearson, Barry Raison, Bill O’Brien, John Pola, Adrian Roberts and Jenny St George). Thanks to Anne Walls as she retires from the Committee after a valuable two years.[teaserbreak]
After the AGM we were led in discussion on issues in Woden by Betsy Gallagher, Director of Woden Community Service. Betsy outlined the broad range of community welfare involvement of their 170 staff and 120 volunteers and answered many questions that helped fill in the picture of their 35 years of serving the Woden community. As an audience I think we were humbled to hear how such a vital part of our Woden community has grown and worked so effectively and quietly despite huge difficulties with volunteer, staff and client parking and despite clearly inadequate accommodation. From an outsider’s perspective it would appear that Woden Community Service has been so busy getting on with the job of being the glue in Woden’s fabric that there has been no time or energy to be a squeeky wheel to try and improve their working conditions or accommodation.
As an audience and as a Community Council I believe there was a unanimous, if mostly unspoken, resolution to work with Woden Community Service during 2004 in an attempt to both improve their conditions and to assist in their 35 year celebrations.
Woden will continue during 2004 to be a ‘hot spot’ for a wide range of planning and development issues that impinge on our community. We welcome that, but we will also be concentrating our energies on key community ‘assets’ in Woden. We are a young satellite town but there is much in our past to value and much in our present to preserve and improve on.