What an interesting (to say the least) end we had to last week, with wild weather, power outages and loss of phone services all tumbled in with the ongoing pandemic – it certainly made for a challenging few days. It is a great reminder to us all to be kind, and to check in on one another – your friends, family and neighbours. The best part about living in Bass Coast is our incredible sense of community – we come together in times of adversity and support one another through the hard times. This is just another one of those times.

Last week, we held our second of five workshops with our Community Panel, which is made up of around 40 members of our community, working to create a 20-year Community Vision for Bass Coast. Discussions ranged from homelessness to agriculture and farming. With passionate community members like these, the future of Bass Coast is looking bright!

The genuine enthusiasm the Community Panel has shown for the future of Bass Coast is reassuring/encouraging. It reminds me that we also should also reflect on our past to get a clear picture of where we want to go in the future. As a Wonthaggi boy, it’s great to see the local history captured, thanks to the Wonthaggi Historical Society researchers, as they settle into their new building extension in Apex Park, fondly referred to as the West Wing. This building work now serves future generations of the town as it expands to become the regional centre, revealing the hidden potential of the town. It’s something our ‘Wonthaggi – Discover our Secret’ campaign is helping to build on. There’s also a wealth of our history online through the National Library of Australia’s website at www.trove.nla.gov.au. Everything from news articles to books, including one by American author Thomas Upton, who got in touch recently about his book on travelling Australia in 1970 in an old Holden he dubbed the ‘Wonthaggi Notpu’ (‘Upton’ backwards!). It’s just one of so many moments in time now safety captured. I encourage all our community members to explore these online resources and our local historical societies, run by amazing volunteers.