Public Meeting – 14 June 2023

14 Jun 2023

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Growing Winchelsea Committee (closed) Meeting

Wed. 14th June 2023

Please note – this is a summarisation of the Committee meeting, it is not a copy of the Minutes or an accurate/full description of the discussions and decisions that occurred. Actions and statements outlined below may be subject to change without notice.

  • DE-GENDERED TOILETS IN SURF COAST SHIRE – discussed the Council’s proposal to repeal the bye-law that prohibits anyone over the age of 6 from entering a toilet of the opposite sex. The proposal has arisen due to a range of triggers at federal and state government levels related to gender neutrality and discrimination. If implemented, it would permit  (for example) a person identifying as a male to enter and use female change rooms to use the toilet – subject to current laws around “nuisance” and the like. Growing Winchelsea to make a submission requesting information on how this would work in practice ahead of reconstructing public facilities to enable unisex usage, and the possibility of unintended consequences eg. the use of facilities by teenage girls or young mothers.
  • GROWING WINCHELSEA STALL ON MARKET DAY – the stall is doing well as a resource in terms of publicising Growing Winchelsea and attracting questions & interest from the public. Looking to make it more visually appealing/obvious and add branding, and a roster to be arranged so that each sub-committee has the opportunity to publicise itself.
  • WINCHELSEA MARKET – new flags now in operation, brightly coloured to attract attention, liven the market visually. Thanks to the Community Bank for sponsoring those flags and a new banner, which means that there can now be a market sign at each end of the town as well as high-viz items at the market itself. The market is going well with more new stallholders joining. The August market will be a bit more difficult because the Arts Trail will be occupying the Shire Hall, so the internal stallholders will be in the Helen Verity Room in the Community House instead.
  • ARBORETUM – Bennett Street is underway with replanting. Surf Coast Shire removed existing trees, and now there is an avenue of new plantings of trees.
  • COMMUNICATIONS – the Growing Winchelsea Facebook Page to have a renewed focus to push out information, as a valuable and popular communications channel, with a few people to keep it active.
  • PHOTO COMPETITION – following on from the success of the photo competition last year, it’s to be repeated, this time with 8 categories which allow sponsors eg. Best Pet Photo sponsored by the local vet. Possibly to be held August/September/October, more to come soon.
  • STATION PRECINCT – a project proposal is going ahead for funding to put a mural on the wall at the back of the child-care centre which faces the train station.
  • COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN – draft currently being assembled by the working group (including Growing Winchelsea representatives) and expected to be ready for public comment by around the end of June, based on a number of themes and the goals that relate to them, and some specific initiatives/projects that the community would like to prioritise. Growing Winchelsea will make a submission regarding its own perspectives.