The LAKE EUCUMBENE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (Inc.)

The Lake Eucumbene Chamber of Commerce (Inc.) was established at a public meeting in December 2002. Since then it has worked hard to foster business and economic development throughout the whole Eucumbene area. It has an active business and social policy and believes that economic development and a healthy community environment are intertwined.


Executive Committee
Jane Reid Chair, Email: pacaj@iinet.net.au
Brent Haley, Secretary & Public Officer, Email: bghaley@hotmail.com
Kerry Parrott, Treasurer, Email: info@rainbowpines.com.au

Download a copy of our new Model Rules
2007 Meetings & Activities
2006 Meetings and Activities
Download a: Membership Application Form

2008 ACTIVITIES:
MEETINGS:

Tuesday 25^th NOVEMBER was the final meeting for this year. As has become our tradition immediately post winter, our guest speakers were Darryl Pead, Area Manager Kosciusko, David Hogan Regional Marketing Manager ( both pictured right ) and Ken Lister, Executive Officer Production, from Snowy Hydro. Their presentation provided members with information that is vital for local businesses in the coming summer months. This included an evaluation of the winter snowfall, the spring inflows plus information about cloud seeding particularly in the newly approved areas in the nothern area of the KNP. All these topics and more were discussed with great interest by members.

On Monday 10^th NOVEMBER the guest speaker was Chris Tola, Business Development Manager of 'CoastalWatch' which is the contractor providing live vision and weather data (in collaboration with the BOM and others) for NSW Maritime's Web camera trail. This interesting meeting provided members with information about Maritime's 'live' video program and its relevance to water safety and assistance with rescue situations. The important role that the Chamber's new Webcam in this program was also discussed in detail.

(l-r) Jane Read (Chairman), guest speaker Chris Tola (CoastalWatch), Jan Leckström and Brent Haley (Secretary)

The OCTOBER meeting was held on Tues. 7^th at 7.30 pm.
This was a general business meeting and matters dealt with included:
1. Towns and Villages Futures Funding Grant - the second part of the funding from the NSW DSRD is in the process of being accessed:
* The second run of 10,000 glossy 'Adaminaby - Lake Eucumbene' Brochures are about to be printed;
* The www.visitadaminaby.com.au is to be upgraded professionally;
* A Strategic 5 year Plan is to be written.
2. The Museum Committee is still waiting to hear from the Federal Department of Infrastructure if the variation to the continuation of its funding agreement. Chamber members strongly re-iterated their support for the building of the Museum in the town, stating that it could only have beneficial effects on local business.
3. The Adaminaby Hall Committee reported that the preparations for its Centenary Ball are underway. This will be held on Sat 10^th January 2009. The previous Federal member, the Hon. Gary Nairn, who did so much for obtaining the funding for the Hall refurbishment, the recently retired Snowy River Shire Mayor, Richard Wallace, the current Federal and State members, the new Mayor and Councillors have all been invited.

4. The Chairman reported that:
* The Weather Station is now located in its correct position at the top of a 7m pole overlooking the Lake. However the WebCam had proved more complicated to set up but it will be working within the next few weeks.
* She had recently been elected as a councillor to the Snowy River Shire Council. To prevent a non-pecuniary conflict of interest she felt obliged to resign immediately.
5. Jane Reid, (right) the current Vice-Chair indicated her readiness to step into the position until the AGM in March.
6. After discussion, a motion was passed changing the regular monthly meeting day to the second Monday of the month.
7. Members discussed with great concern the RTA's current campaign to have 4WD vehicles either use snow tyres from a limited selection of manufacturers or have snow chains fitted when travelling in National Parks in Winter:
* Serious concern was expressed about the validity of the data in their position paper;
* It was noted that this was the second attempt to introduce this;
* The serious impact this would have on local businesses was discussed;
* It was agreed that the Chamber should work with all peak bodies to deter the RTA from introducing this.

Our SEPTEMBER meeting was held on Tues. 2^nd October in the meeting room of the Adaminaby Hall. The guest speaker was Margaret Clifford, Manager of the Cooma Call Centre who presented a very interesting insight into her business which she said is 'Cooma's best kept business secret'. Margaret gave members an overview of the variety of business services offered that are of particular relevance to our small businesses. She also told the meeting about the important assistance that her business was able to provide to the disadvantaged in the community.

Marg Clifford (left) & Jan Leckström chat to members
left: Tim Corkill, Lyn Goucher, Pam Gipson, Ken Prendergast,
right: Neville Locker, Bill Sutton (hidden) Brent Haley (Secretary)

There were no Chamber meetings in July and August. Winter is the busiest time of the business year for Chamber members as many local businesses are associated with accommodation, skiing, snow sports and related service industries.

A SPECIAL MEETING was held in the Snowy Café, 4 Denison Street Adaminaby at 2pm on Sunday 29^th June. The Special Resolution was put 'That the Draft Model Rules (May 08) be adopted as the Model Rules of the Lake Eucumbene Chamber of Commerce (Inc.)' and was carried.
The notice of the motion to adopt a new Constitution has been lodged with the NSW Department of Fair Trading. Once the Chamber has been notified that this has been accepted, the Chamber will have its own specific Model Rules and will cease to be under the generic Model Rules that are the NSW Dept. of Fair Trading makes available for all incorporated associations to utilise.

The JUNE MEETING was held on Tuesday 2^nd June @ 7.30pm in the Meeting Room of the Adaminaby Hall. It was General Business meeting, was well attended and many important items were discussed:
* It was agreed to hold a Special Meeting, the matter to be addressed will be the adoption of the Draft Model Rules to replace the Model Rules that have been in use since the Chamber commenced operation.(see above)
* Other matters addressed:
1. The Bobeyan Road: a letter from the Hon. Mike Kelly Federal member for Eden-Monaro and the application made by the Cooma-Monaro Shire Council prior to the 24 Nov. Federal Election for Auslink funding to the Strategic Regional Project;
2. Two recent meetings of the Snowy River Shire Council: an extraordinary meeting on 07/05 re the Management Plan 2008-11 and the last ordinary meeting held in Adaminaby 20/05. Issues relating to this area were discussed including the Adaminaby Swimming Pool.
3. The Chamber's responsibility to act as a sponsor when local organizations wish to apply for government funding and the way in which this could be effectively achieved;
4. Setting up a manual of Operational Procedures in the interest of efficiency and so that future Chamber Executives would be aware of decisions and agreed processes;
5. Subcommittees: a) Towns and Villages Futures Program sub-committee has had 10,000 Adaminaby Brochures printed and set up the www.visitadaminaby.com.au website. Data analysing its success indicated that the Weather Station was receiving an excellent 'hit' rate which showed how successful the Webcam will be when it is set up. This sub-committee also organised the Workshop with Dr. Kim Houghton and reported that it was now working on getting a 5 year Strategic Plan written, b) the 'Sign' sub-committeereported that it hoped to have the work done on the main sign on the Snowy Mountains Highway completed soon, c) the work on the fence around the Big Trout will be completed in early July.
6. Other local Committees reported on their progress. These were the Adaminaby Snowy Museum, the Easter Fair, and the Adaminaby Hall s355 Committee.
7. It was agreed that no meetings would take place in July and August and that the next general business meeting would be on Tuesday 2^2nd Sept. @ 7.30 pm in the Meeting Room of the Adaminaby Hall.

Our MAY MEETING was held held on Tues. 6^th May and the guest speakers were from Snowy Hydro. They were Terry Charlton, CEO and Managing Director, Ken Lister Executive Officer Production, Darryl Pead Area Manager Kosciousko and David Hogan Regional Marketing Manager. This meeting started with a dinner, held in the Hall's auditorium and in view of the Stage Curtain (see right).

This was followed by an address from Terry Charlton, a presentation and a question and answer session. Members thought that an extremely valuable exchange of information took place. This is part of an on-going series of meetings that have been held with Snowy Hydro since 2006.

Terry Charlton (centre), Darryl Pead and Ken Lister (3^rd & 4^th from left) meet members

Our APRIL MEETING was held on Tues. 1^st and the guest speaker was our new Federal member for Eden-Monaro Hon. Dr. Mike Kelly, AM MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support and Civil-Military Cooperation . This meeting was very informative interchange of ideas and covered many interesting topics including:
* Matters relating to the Bobeyan Road and its strategic importance for the economy of this area;
* Communication technology including broadband and mobile phones and their vital role in giving rural business equity with urban ones; * funding of the Snowy BEC which is an important source of information and training for small businesses on the Monaro; * Regional Tourism;* the expanding role of the federal government in secondary education and training; * Regional health; * Energy and infrastructure including water and petrol; * Future opportunities for the area which could involve providing and sourcing alternative energies;* and the importance of working together for the future now the Federal election has concluded and the good relationships he is developing with neighbouring electorates. Dr. Kelly concluded by emphasising that he saw the future for the northern Lake Eucumbene region as including a tourist loop incorporating the Bobeyan Road.

Our MARCH meeting was the AGM and it was held on Tues. 4^th March 2008 @ 7.30 pm in the meeting room of the Adaminaby Hall.
1. The guest speakers, Brian Donnelly the President of the Snowy River Aviators and Adrian Menhenitt of the SRA and owner of Ultralight Flying Obsession, addressed members about their activities and progress at the Kennedy Airfield. This was an important update for Chamber members as there is great local interest in the SRA's activities at the Airfield and especially its plans for the future. The progress of putting buildings onsite, the plans for building new hangers and landscaping the site are of relevance to members. Future activities at the Airfield instigated very animated discussion. Plans were discussed about an advertising and marketing strategy that the SRA will link to the opening of the Airfied. As members were very interested in becoming involved. Discussion followed about the benefits that our small area could gain from the publicity and even the possiblity of the creation of some new local jobs to cater for this.
2. After the AGM, discussion took place about a revision of the Chamber's Model Rules that has become necessary because the organisation has increased rapidly in numbers over the last two years. The SRA offered its assistance and a small committee was elected prepare a draft to be taken to a special meeting.

On Thursday 28^th FEBRUARY a very important Business Workshop was held. This was provided as part of the funding program from the NSW Department of State and Regional Development's 'Towns and Villages Futures Program'. Kim Houghton, an expert in interpreting economic data, was the presenter. Using the latest Census data he gave a practical insight into vital factors instrumental to understanding our area and our tourist/visitor base. He also helped us to look at emerging growth areas. Kim is a dynamic and energetic speaker and participants found the Workshop extremely informative. Data from this Workshop will be used in the next step of this Program, which is the preparation of a Strategic Plan. The first stage of this program was the production of the Adaminaby-Lake Eucumbene Brochure which can be downloaded from our 'Home' page and the creation of the 'Visit Adaminaby' Website: www.visitadaminaby.com.au

Our FEBRUARY meeting was held on Tues. 12^th 2008 @ 7.30 pm in the meeting room of the Adaminaby Hall. The Mayor of Snowy River Shire, Clr Richard Wallace, Clr Jim Buckley and General Manager Joe Vescio, were our guests.
This was a very important and productive meeting and many vital issues of local significance were discussed in depth. Members availed themselves of the opportunity to address matters such as the state of equipment at the Adaminaby Swimming Pool; the possibility of getting a doctor to visit Adaminaby; the role of the Regional Youth Health worker; s355 Committees; signage and the importance of presenting tourists with a variety of choices of Event activities within the Shire such as the annual Saturday Easter Fairs.
Current Shire finances, the forthcoming Council elections, the need for quality nominations for this and two question referendum which would take place at the same time, were clarified.
This meeting demonstrated the relevance of local government to local businesses and the community. It highlighted the value of maintaining positive 'face to face' dialogue and demonstrated that accurate information, when accessed first hand, dispels potential misunderstandings.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
The CHAMBER'S REGULAR MEETING DAY
The first MONDAY of each month (unless circumstances cause a 'one-off' change),
(no meetings are held in January, July and August).

REGULAR MEETING PLACE & TIME:
Adaminaby Community Hall @ 7.30 pm.

A. MEMBERSHIP: Download a Membership Application Form
Two types of Membership are offered:
1. Business - available to:
a. Owners of Business located in the Lake Eucumbene Region,
b. Local Organizations, Clubs and Associations
2. Community:
Available to local citizens, who are resident in the area and NOT owners of businesses.

B. Annual Subscriptions:

• Business: $80
• Community: $20

Currently there are 21 Business Members and 13 Community Members
To join or make membership enquiries email: info@eucumbenechamber.org.au

BUSINESS MEMBERS RECEIVE:
1. Listing of their business information on this website with links to their own sites.
2. An annual speaker program which will:
   *Enhance knowledge and understanding of current business practices.
   *Provide opportunities to meet with Federal, State parliamentary representatives, the
   Mayor, local Councillors, business leaders and decision makers.
   
3. Regular email notification of:
   • Workshops/Seminars being organized by SEACC and the BEC in:
     * Snowy River, Cooma-Monaro & Bombala Shires.
     *ACT-'Capital Country'.
   • Changes in workplace legislation and conditions.
   • Tourism newsletters, advertising opportunities and information from Tourism NSW and TSM
4. First priority to attend free of charge, locally organized Workshops and Seminars.
5. On ALL brochures and publications produced by this Chamber:
• Listing of members' business information
• Very favourable rates for additional information if required.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS RECEIVE:
1. Minutes of meetings, agendas and notifications of special meetings,
2. Regular email notification of items of community interest.

OUR PLANS for 2008:
1. Completion of our 5 Year Strategic Plan,
2. Continuation of our high quality MARKETING CAMPAIGN,
3. Organization of a WORKSHOP that will be presented by a recognized economic expert who will provide local businesses with the tools to use current statistical data to:
   * Obtain a greater understanding of their area and businesses,
   * Market their businesses more effectively
   * Improve their awareness of their own strengths,
   * Attract new business to the area.
4. To continue to run a productive Chamber of Commerce which will benefit its members in all ways.
5. As a Chamber of Commerce located in an area with a tourism based economy we are working at improving the area's economy via the development and improvement of the 'Tourist Loop' concept via asphalted roads namely, 1. Adaminaby-Tharwa-Canberra, 2. Adaminaby-Tumut-Tumbarumba, 3. Adaminaby-Berridale-Dalgety
6. See all our Community Projects through to successful completion.