Minutes of SLACC meeting held on Tuesday 22nd February 2011

At 6pm at SNELCC Office

Present: Joc Coventry (chair), Michelle Owens, Patsy Asch, Jo Leoni, Bar Finch (minutes), Robyn Newberry.

Apologies: Helen Webb, Iain MacKay.

Minutes of previous meeting 26.1.11 adopted.

Business Arising

• Pats to check out solar display at Visitor Centre
• Iain to draft & circulate info about the email/contact system (or is that the great cartoon?)

Correspondence

• From Kath Wray nominating for Council Floodplain committee
• forwarded to Council with our support.

Treasurer’s Report (Robyn)

1. Chased overdue members, resulting in a further 10 renewals. Approx 58 current members.
2. Receiving payments from Garden Tour.
3. Needs copy of constitution (amended at AGM) to submit re: Tax Deductibility. Robyn will get from Public Officer Ray.

Action Groups

SLEX (Joc)

Disappointed that no news from Council. Informal suggestions of SLA and Costa project. Joc will contact ADC.

ALF (Jo)

1. Alan will report on SLA Farmers’ Market Stall at Show & Tell at Tuesday Forum next week. (Very successful)
2. The Home Grown Garden Tour is just 2 weeks away. 10 gardens, 7 new and 3 that were in the first tour 2 yrs ago. The poster is up around town and booklets about to go to Visitor Centre.
3. Debbie si re-starting the community garden at the Community Cottage.
4. Bar reported that New England Markets had been in touch via the website: a new organisation of local producers, now linked to our site.
5. Northern Inland Sustainable Business Network is looking at local/regional marketing, perhaps by an identifying logo, and may be seeking funds to do this. Agreed that Jo would write letter of support from SLA.
6. Possible future Thursday Forum with 4 & 5 above?

Energy (Pats)

1. Meeting time now to be last Monday of month
2. Last meeting decided to do submission to Senate Enquiry into Wind Energy. Pats has done this.
3. Noted that Friends of Northern Railway launched report/campaign to increase rail freight. Pats to send letter of support to FONR.
4. Pats & Bar attended 100% Renewable Campaign Woirkshop in Port Macquarie. Full report to next Energy meeting. Pats has met with 4 people who may take on this work in Armidale: 4 door-knock survey days then deliver results to pollies.

Heart & Soul (supplied by Helen)

The gathering at Cathie Lamont’s went well, with 8 people attending, even though it was pouring rain and we weren’t able to work much on the tramopoline. Some life stories and deep thinking was shared.

The issue of community support for parents and their children, particularly those who have recently moved to Armidale was raised again on the weekend at a Steiner conference, where again people’s stories were shared, highlighting the relevance of the past for the present and future.

Cathie has offered to host the gathering at her place next Sunday.

ARMlets (Michelle)

Good gathering at Wendy & Graham’s attended by about half the 26 membership. Now includes a cheesemaker and a masseuse. Working on a flyer.

Autumn Festival

1. Dave and Jessie agreed to play music with our float.
2. May be very arduous wheeling barrow for long time – need 2 people per barrow? Other ideas: pairs – Chinese apple/local apple. Fresh Food Beats the Travelled
3. Further meeting: at Joc’s Wed 2^nd March 6pm. Notice to go on SLAM plus some phone calls.
4. Bar will submit form to ADC

Forums:

• Formerly Tuesdays, but after next week, to be Thursday Forums.
• March – in Town Hall. New England Community Wind Farm
• April Thursday Forum – a bike session was planned but Bar would prefer to postpone to spring.  Given GasLands film this week and the Four Corners on Aust Gas mining, agreed that we approach Caroona Coal Action Group (Liverpool Plains) for a speaker. Bar to contact.
• May Thursday Forum coincides with Wool Expo, so proposed we approach Lauren at NISBN and Trudy from New England Markets to put together a discussion of local marketing for local production.
• Agreed that the film The Corporation be a fallback position for April or May.

General Business

1. 1. Kent House now booked for first Thursdays in 2011 for Thursday Forums.
2. 2. Jo reported that the Talloire’s meeting heard that UNE’s Bachelor of Sustainability has  good enrolment numbers.
3. 3. Noted that press for the Thursday Forums would still need to hit the free papers the week before.

The meeting closed at 7.14pm.

Next SLACC meeting is on Tuesday 29^th March at 6pm.