About 40 people turned out for the FCA’s town hall meeting on 22 July, commencing with morning tea organised by Sue Wilson and other FCA volunteers.
Vice President Neil Hallam opened proceedings by recounting the Mornington Peninsula’s geological and natural history; recalling and respecting the early inhabitants and traditional owners; the changes to the Peninsula’s natural endowment since settlement; and the importance of its long term protection.
Neville Wale followed with a detailed update on current planning matters before the Council, notably plans for the Windmill Paddock which Council has called in; the new telecommunications tower; Peninsula’s heritage study; and the Mornington Peninsula Green Wedge Management Plan 2018 which invites residents to have their say. The high level of building activity in Flinders continues with figures from the Shire’s Planning Application register, at the end of May, showing 13 house and 8 house-extension applications under consideration. There were also 3 applications for subdivisions within the village.
Jan Aitcheson reported back on the outcome of the recent Village Common & Community Garden survey. In summary, the survey results were rich in ideas and suggestions; and Jan spoke in detail about some of the ideas that respondents proposed. She then discussed a current example of a similar initiative currently underway in Balnarring, on land especially acquired by the Council. Jan is now looking for like-minded volunteers to help guide the proposal to the next stage.
The final speaker was Charles Reis, who spoke about the Flinders Hall. The options of either renovating or re-building were put to the audience, which collectively agreed that the hall should be rebuilt. Funding was also discussed. In the absence of Council paying for it, one idea is the possibility of private sponsorship with naming rights (similar to the Myer Music Bowl, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute etc) or combined Government/private partnership; and these ideas were generally supported for further exploration. The next step is to collect usage data and to form a committee representing Flinders community groups and interested individuals to progress further.
The July town hall meeting was also the first time that the FCA was able to test its new portable PA system, recently acquired with the help of local sound expert, Peter Lain. The new portable PA is available for use by other Flinders groups; and does away with the need to run power cables across the ground – especially important at outdoor events.
