The 2025 Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday 26 April at the Aireys Inlet Community Hall. AIDA President Ian Laging welcomed everybody to the AGM.
He then welcomed members and representatives of the Surf Coast Shire, Mayor Mike Bodsworth; Deputy Mayor Libby Stapleton; Chris Pike, Manager Placemaking and Environment; and Darryn Chiller, Manager Government Relations and Strategic Projects.
Before the start of formal proceedings, Councillors Bodsworth and Stapleton presented a review of the shire’s activities pertaining to our district.
Mike Bodsworth spoke to the ‘Our Focus Our Future’ community engagement process, which is aimed at developing a series of principles to respond to the following remit: How can council balance the priorities of our community and meet legislative obligations, whilst remaining in a financially sustainable position? The ‘Our Focus Our Future’ community panel report is now available on the shire’s website.
Libby Stapleton then reported on issues relevant to our district. These included:
- large buses in the Lighthouse Precinct
- The Painkalac Flood Mitigation and Adaptation Study
- Aireys Inlet and Fairhaven Drainage Study
- Public Lighting Study
- Aireys Inlet Top Shops redesign
- Aireys Inlet social and affordable housing project
- Local outcomes of unsealed roads review
- Road speed limits review
President Laging thanked the shire representatives for their excellent presentations.
During the formal section of the AGM the minutes of the 2024 AGM were accepted as a true record of that meeting. President Laging acknowledged that we were meeting on the lands of the Wadawurrung people and paid respects to their elders past, present and emerging. He then presented his annual report. No questions were asked. The AIDA 2024 annual financial report was presented by treasurer Frieda Wachsmann and formally received by the members. After the members had approved the continuation of our practice of having a maximum of twelve committee members in addition to the four office holders, the election of the 2025–2026 committee was held. There being no more than one person nominated for each position on the committee, the new AIDA committee was declared to have been elected. President Laging thanked retiring committee member Barbara Fletcher for her many years of service to the committee and welcomed new committee members Rod Brooks and Jeanette Butler.
A motion was passed that the AIDA membership fee remain at $10 for single and $20 for family membership and that the due date remain 1 January.
Following the AGM, committed conservationist Mick Loughnan gave an enthralling talk entitled, ‘Five years of rewilding in the Painkalac Valley’.
After Mick’s talk, attendees stayed on for light refreshments and the opportunity to chat with the shire representatives, the new AIDA committee and other members.
Mary-Jane Gething, Secretary