Since appointment in October, the Board, consisting of 4 new members of the total 7, has been grateful for the mentoring provided by outgoing Chairman, Nick Jacomas.
After 3 Skype meetings it was great to put faces to names when we met recently in Canberra. The purpose of this meeting was not only to get to know each other, but to formulate the goals which would guide our actions over the next 4-5 years.
Group living in an Airbnb ensured that we could work from the moment we arrived until checkout. We transformed the lounge area into a meeting space with data projector and a sheet hanging over the TV! An excursion to view one of the campsites on the Trail gave us a breather and some insight into the amazing privilege membership affords to trekkers. Such natural surrounds in the heart of Canberra for horses to graze and trekkers to camp!
Besides the official positions of Chair (Neil Ward), Secretary (Simon Tellam) and Treasurer (Marianne Kranenburg), Rob McLaren and Kath Ryan will work closely as coordinators of Mapping and the Trail respectively. Tanya Bosch and Lesley Haine will coordinate social media and the website.
Some priorities identified for immediate action are:
- Post fire updates to inform immediate funding and grant applications
- Map digitization and streamlining of updates.
- Relocation of historical Trail items to a suitable site such as the National Museum and historical documents to a digital format.
- A coordinated communications strategy including social media, website and email.