ad

Happy 20th birthday SRA!

Happy 20th birthday SRA!

Well what a month April is shaping up to be.

This month the Southbank Residents Association (SRA) will mark its 20th year of representing and advocating for our community. Previous committee member and resident, Lynne Lumsden, has been tirelessly researching and compiling our history.

We are anticipating having this available in a small publication at around this time next year when we hope to have a public celebration of our 21st anniversary after the City of Melbourne rejected our grant request for us to hold a community expo this month.

This would have been an opportunity to incorporate a small anniversary celebration to recognise this esteemed 20-year milestone.

Much has changed in this time and, without the SRA voice, I dread to think what Southbank would look like today.

On behalf of our community I wish to convey a big thank you to our founding committee under the presidency of Ray McDonald, and all the subsequent committees which have worked tirelessly to ensure Southbank is not forgotten.

Watch this space over the coming year as we plan for our 21st anniversary – hopefully with some support from the City of Melbourne.

If you haven’t heard, there is currently a mayoral by-election after the recent resignation of Robert Doyle.

We will receive our postal ballots in the last week of this month with voting closing on May 11.

I was delighted to learn that current councillor, Rohan Leppert, has decided to put his hand up for lord mayor. Rohan is currently serving his second term on council after being successfully re-elected in 2016, he currently holds the arts, culture and heritage portfolios and is deputy chair of planning.

Since my time as president of the Southbank Residents Association I have worked closely with Rohan across a multitude of issues which affect our suburb, but particularly with planning.

Rohan is a champion of transparency and good governance. Rohan has always made himself accessible to our Southbank community.

With his passion for planning coupled with his youth, under his leadership I know he will bring much needed vitality to this council.

Rohan would be a brilliant ambassador for the City of Melbourne. But, don’t take my word for it, the SRA has arranged an opportunity for our entire community to ask the hard questions to the candidates themselves at our “meet the candidates” forum on Thursday, April 26 at 6.30pm at the Boyd Community Hub (Southbank Library).

This will be moderated by acclaimed previous CoM councillor and Walkley award-winning journalist, Stephen Mayne.

So be sure to mark the date in your diary as this is a not-to-be missed event.

It is exciting times ahead, so please keep a lookout for your ballot packs and don’t forget to vote. The committee has locked in Wednesday, July 18 for our next AGM so mark it in your diary as we would love to see you there.

If you would like to get involved and have a say in shaping your community, please consider joining our committee.

There are still a few more committee meetings before this date, so if you are curious and would like to see what is involved then please reach out and come along and meet the current team and see how we operate.

If you are interested or have any questions, please make contact by emailing [email protected], we would love to hear from you. Hope to see you on April 26 at our “meet the candidates” event.

 

Tony Penna - President

Join our Facebook Group
ad