DCSCA's 2011 Annual General Meeting

DCSCA held its 2011 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday July 20 at 7.00 p.m. at SpringDale Neighbourhood Centre in Drysdale High Street.

The meeting began with an illustrated presentation by local historian Dr. Bob Marmion, who has been researching the history of a WW2 aircraft detection device in Drysdale. Located in what is now the grounds of Bellarine Secondary College, the device was an early form of radar and was one of just nine such installations throughout Australia. People listened intently to Bob and asked him several questions afterwards.

DCSCA President Doug Carson reported to the meeting on DCSCA activities over the past year, including:

• the highly succesful inaugural Festival of Glass in February, which attracted 30 exhibitors and 6,000 visitors
• extensive work on developing detailed proposals for an Open Spaces Network, including contributing to the design of new signage for The Dell and to the Masterplan for Lake Lorne
  
• updating Streetscape to Artscape - a joint program with SpringDale to create a collection of public art exhibits reflecting local people's memories of, and hopes for our towns
• developing - again, with SpringDale - a local Economic Development Plan to complement the extensive housing development happening in our towns.

DCSCA has also worked with local people around specific issues, including the Special Charge scheme for Central Road, the open space in Springs Street and the new, Council-built 'dam' in the middle of Ryan Court.

DCSCA Treasurer Anne Brackley presented DCSCA's accounts to the meeting and proposed that they be accepted, which they were. DCSCA President Doug Carson then presented to the meeting a series of changes to the DCSCA Constitution (concerning membership eligibility, the timing of the AGM and the quorum for a Committee meeting), each of which the meeting accepted.

Finally, the DCSCA Committee for 2011-2012 was elected:
President - Doug Carson; Treasurer - Anne Brackley; Secretary - Patrick Hughes.
Committee members - Ian Cook, Bernard Filbay, Matt Green, Neil McGuinness, Diane Schofield.

DCSCA President Doug Carson then thanked everyone for attending the meeting and invited them to sample the refreshments. As they did so, people looked at displays by the Bellarine Historical Society, the local Harvest Basket Group, the Portarlington Lions and the Festival of Glass. They also looked at DCSCA Committee member Neil McGuinness's display of photographs of the new signage at The Dell; and his extensive display showing the network of walking/cycling tracks that DCSCA is proposing in its Open Spaces Network program.