NELN notice of AGM and annual report
Scroll down for Proxy and Nomination forms, Annual Financial Report, and Formal notice & Agenda of AGM
Narara Eco Living Network
Annual Report June 30 2018 – June 30 2019
Highlights of the year were:
Festivals & Community relations Building activities
- The Mad about Dirt festival, held in May 2019, was attended by over 600 people and included:
- Speakers, panels, workshops, involved school, other community members and council representatives (see below for more info)
- Digging Deeper with Angus and Tino
Talks, Workshops, other Community and Networking events
- Sustainable Window Choices talk
- Greeny Flats – small sustainable buildings, talk
- Central Coast Sustainability Cluster visit and site tour
- Community Environment Network, Sounds of NEV at night, walk and talk
- Hosting “Green Drinks” for Central Coast Environmental Educators
- A stall at Kids Day Out event at the Narara Valley High School.
- Tiny Houses workshop
- Water Tanks workshop
- Strawbale and Earthship talks(over 2 evenings)
- Zumba classes
Publications
- 6-weekly e-newsletter to over 3,000 people; many thanks to editor Linda Scott
Scholarships & sponsorships
- Builtsmart $8,000 scholarship for secondary School students, (part of Mad about Dirt festival)
- Mad About Dirt sponsorship by Bendigo Bank, SESL Environmental Services, Builtsmart Modular, Viva Living Homes and Narara Valley High School
Grants from Council
- Central Coast Council (CCC) community heritage Grant to fund a heritage design/preservation study on the Grafting Shed
- Grants for community events: Mad about Dirt and Sustainable House Day at Narara Ecovillage
Admin and systems
- Establishing event management knowledge base & resources, e.g. checklists, signs, signboards, maps
- Newsletter moved over to a new system
- Introduction of Customer Relationship Management system
- Introduction of Xero accounting software
- Move files to Nextcloud
- Changed frequency for membership renewals to 4 times per year (Aug 31, Nov 30, Feb 28, May 31)
Projects
- Plan to outreach specifically to corporate organisations
- Finalisation of Visitor Centre upgrade
- Planning for Sustainable House Day, September 2019
Membership numbers.
- at 30 June 2018 – 224
- at 30 June 2019 – 208
Mad about Dirt Report
- Run at 2 venues: Narara Valley High School and Narara Ecovillage
- Series of talks, including panel discussions, and hands-on presentations and mini-workshops brought TV presenters to the Central Coast and brought together local permaculture and gardening groups and individuals.
- Speakers rated as of high calibre
- Raised profile of soil as a vital ecosystem, and highlighted the importance of soil conservation
- Promoted careers in horticulture for High School students, and created a $8,000 scholarship for CC high school students to design modular gardens
- TV presenters made a video
Attendance
- 600 (446 recorded at High School, 329 at Narara Ecovillage, total 775 counted. Some overlap: approx 50% at Ecovillage had also been at High School).
Overall rating of event: 4.7 out of 5.
Gender
- 58% female
Age group
- 48% 41-60
- 29% 25-40
- 19% 61-7
Postcodes
- Central Coast: 76%;
- Sydney and beyond CC: 24%.
Possible follow up events
- Mayor of Central Coast Council expressed interest in follow up event
- SESL Australia is continuing to supply free soil sample analysis.
- MacQuarie University Vegesafe and Dust safe program- keen to come again, as are Soil Knowledge Network and other exhibitors.
- Highest rated activities:
- talks about natural homes
- talk: why dirt is good for you
- wrap up session
- kids activities
Forms relating to the AGM, 17 November 2019