BSFG's Action Group Renewable Energy Benalla is conducting a series of free workshops on how to reduce energy bills and increase the thermal comfort of your home.
​
August 5   Understanding energy bills and getting the best rate
Electricity contracts, understanding your usage, comparing retail rates.  Bring your electricity bills to discuss
 
August 19  Draught Proofing & Insulation
Locating and fixing draughts. Insulation to improve thermal performance.
 
September 2   Lighting & Windows
Energy efficient lighting; solutions to poorly performing windows

September 16  Efficient Hot Water Systems, Heating and Cooling
Water heating is a major energy user while heating accounts for 30% of energy bills. Learn about efficient options.
 
September 30  Appliances & Cooking; Transitioning from Gas
Appliances & cooking account for 30% of energy bills.
 
October 14     Energy Monitoring, Solar Power & Batteries
Monitoring real time energy consumption.
Advantages of solar power & batteries.

These free workshops will be conducted in the meeting rooms at the Uniting Church in Carrier Street, Benalla, (opposite the Coles car park), from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.
 
While attending all the workshops would provide the major benefit, some people may wish to only attend some of the sessions.
 
It is important to register to attend these workshops by emailing info@reb.org.au,  indicating the workshops you wish to attend or phone/SMS  Peter on 0418 135 330.
 
Please register by Wednesday 31st July 
​

BSFG's  Newsletter #24 July 2019 is now available to the public!

Thank you to Ian Herbert for assembling the articles and getting the Newsletter completed, and for contributing some interesting articles on Adani and the Swanpool Environmental Film Festival.

We had intended to have a June Newsletter but time constraints meant we had to make it the July Newsletter.  To some extent we were also short of contributions from members for a June deadline, however the July extension has resulted in a most readable and informative newsletter.

The deadline for the September Newsletter is Sunday 25th August so contributions are most welcome.

A reminder that membership renewals are due for 2019-20.   One-year membership is $25 per household or $20 if already a member of the Bulk Food Co-operative.   A three-year membership is $60.  We now have a $5 membership for full time students 18 years and under.

Peter Maddock
0418 135 330

The next General Meeting of the Benalla Sustainable Future Group will be held on Thursday July 25th, 7.30pm until 9.30pm at the Benalla Uniting Church, Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Coles Car Park. 
Our Guest speaker is Bruce Walker who will be presenting information on Queensland Fruit Fly. 
Fruit flies are a significant threat to Victoria’s horticulture industry, affecting production and disrupting trade worldwide.  Species such as Queensland fruit fly, are present in Victoria and need effective management to reduce the impact on production and trade opportunities.  If we grow fruit and vegetables susceptible to fruit fly we can all play a part in controlling fruit fly.
Topics Bruce will cover include;
Why manage QFF?
* Area wide approach
* Know your enemy
* Options for home gardeners
* Traps in detail
* Orchard and garden hygiene
Bruce is immediate past President of Benalla Rotary. He previously was an agricultural scientist at Rutherglen Research Institute for many years.

We are also hoping to find and screen a suitable short film on food waste.

The meeting will finish with supper, providing an opportunity for further discussion.

Peter Maddock
Secretary
0418 135 330

Download the Flyer

The Swanpool Environmental Film Festival which took place on Saturday 15th June was a great success. We were fortunate to have three guest speakers of international repute who excelled at delivering their knowledge to the audience. Over 200 attended and we had to put up the ‘full house’ sign.

​The three subjects covered were the three major problems confronting the world today - nuclear weapons, climate change and how to feed a growing populace. Thanks to Dr Tilman Ruff, Prof Samantha Hepburn and Prof Tim Reeves respectively for coming to Swanpool.

Congratulations were extended to Tilman for being recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours the week before the SEFF. Tilman already had an AM (Member of Australia) and now has the higher honour of an AO (Member of the Order of Australia) for service to the promotion of peace and to public health. Since 2012, he has been Co-President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) – an organisation that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. He was founding Australian and International Chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. He brought the medal with him for those who wanted to view it. Tilman and his wife Charlotte are landholders in the Lima East valley near Swanpool.

Prof Tim Reeves' talk was titled ‘Food and Nutritional Security - a Grand Challenge for Humankind’. Tim is Professor in Residence at Dookie agricultural campus and was a pioneer of no-till and sustainable agriculture at the Rutherglen Research Institute. He too has worked with many international institutions.

​Prof Samantha Hepburn’s talk addressed many of the Australian legal issues around climate change and the Adani mine going ahead.

This year we changed the format a little and had a short film session mid-afternoon. As well as selected
short films it included news reels and a series of slides telling the story of preserving Strathbogie Forest this past year. That’s a good news story because the designated logging coupes in the most precious part of the forest, around Mt Strathbogie and Golden Mount, have now been withdrawn from the Timber Release Plan. The TRP lists the designated coupes which VicForests can log. The next step is to have permanent protection for the forest, preferably by declaring it a Conservation Park giving it the  samestatus as Mt Samaria Park.

The film ‘2040’ which concluded the evening was very well received. It looks into the future asking the question how could the planet be if we do the right thing. When taking about sustainable agriculture it gave good coverage of the works of Colin Seiss who was referred to by Tim Reeves in his talk and who has worked closely with the Gecko CLaN and landholders in this region for many years.

​Many thanks to all who volunteered to make this day a success, particularly Peter Maddock for all his work getting all the video together. The SEFF is run by the Swanpool Landcare group in partnership with Benalla Sustainable Future group and with support from the Gecko CLaN, GBCMA, Granite Creeks and Benalla Permaculture. We are particularly thankful for the catering provided by the Swanpool Catering Team who excelled themselves once again.

Ian Herbert

A couple of years ago, Pablo Brait from Market Forces was guest speaker at a BSFG general meeting.
The following extract from recent fund raising related email from Market Forces, might give hope to those who wish Adani would disappear into the ether.
 
This is what monumental progress looks like

"Five Korean financial institutions rule out funding Adani. A dozen international insurance companies do the same. The French investment bank Adani hired to sell part of Abbot Point walks away from the deal. 

Insurer QBE commits to phase out thermal coal insurance by 2030. Three Singaporean banks and Standard Chartered signal an end to funding new coal power stations.

This is just some of the progress we have made in the past year, all while under increasing scrutiny and threatened by Adani's lawyers, who tried to intimidate us into submission. No chance.

Every day we become more aware of how climate change is impacting us all. From bushfires in winter and in parts of Australia that have never experienced them before, to another angry summer just passed where climate records tumbled.

We’re making progress, but it’s not fast enough to meet our vision of a coal free Australia by 2030, with all of the world's future energy needs met with renewables. 

Possible? Yes. Essential? Absolutely.

We're up against a fossil fuel industry desperate to squeeze every last dollar of profit it can while it has the chance. And the re-elected Morrison government has just announced it has a mandate on all existing policies, including climate and energy. Meaning the government has just let itself off the hook over taking action on climate change.

I’m sure it’s no surprise to you when I say we can’t count on our political leaders to save us from climate disaster. It’s up to the community to fight harder than ever for a safe climate future. And our work convincing financial institutions like our banks, super funds and insurance companies to drop their investments in fossil fuels is more critical than ever. Governments won’t act, so we have to."

As an independent nonprofit, Market Forces doesn’t take money from governments or corporations, relying on support from community members so their team can keep their work up. They are currently seeking financial support asking community members to make a tax deductible $3 donation to 'help deliver the next round of wins to move finance and investment away from polluting fossil fuels'. The work of Market Forces is regarded highly by BSFG.  BSFG. members and friends might consider including Market Forces in their portfolio of climate change related donations by responding to their current request for financial support.   .  

Peter Holmes

"Dear BSFG members and supporters

Last Thursday, BSFG conducted its 2019 AGM, at which our new committee was elected. I am both
honoured and challenged by members accepting my nomination as President for the
coming year, and extremely grateful to the other incoming members who have accepted positions
on the committee.

At the AGM, I read an extract from Richard Flanagan's speech to the large crowd at the Canberra
climate rally on Sunday 5th May. You can read his full speech by accessing the Guardian website*, and
if you do so, I hope it might inspire you to tackle the climate emergency head on!

Briefly, three comments Flanagan made stand out in my mind.

​"After May 18th it matters even more to press whoever wins to recognise this crisis is not an issue. It
is THE issue".

"I am here today to say that there is hope. That the Franklin River flows free and Adani will be
stopped. These things happen, because at a certain point enough people say there are things that
matter more than the politics of money."

"There is no power on this earth that can resist an idea whose time has come.  It is a time to act and it is for us to act. Because there is no-one else and there is no other time."

Every day in the news, I read about the arrogance of the politicians who think they have been given
a mandate to implement their climate-wrecking policies and open up new coal mines, put renewable energy projects on the back burner in favour of the fossil fuel corporations that bought them victory, and condemn our children to a world with a bleak future.

And then, I remember Flanagan's words, and it makes me more determined to do something. So I
write a letter to the paper, or I have a serious head-to-head discussion with a friend who is a
conservative voter. On my own, I might reach out to a few people, but with your collective help, we
can do so much more. Politicians will listen to a group with several hundred members, because that
is significant.

If you are one of our long time members, I thank you for your ongoing support, and encourage you
to come along to our bi-monthly meetings (4th Thursday of July, September, November, March and
May). If you are on our contact list, please consider becoming a member - $25 per year - and also
coming along to our meetings, where we try to arrange a varied array of guest speakers or films on
environmental/sustainability issues.

Please check out our website (www.bsfg.org.au) where you will find information about our action
groups, and other articles of environmental importance. There are details on the website about how
you can join BSFG, and I look forward to your support as we try to influence the political debate in
Australia around the climate emergency.

Sincerely


Peter Holmes (President)

"I won’t beat around the bush. Our campaign to stop Adani just got a whole lot more complicated.

The Morrison Government won the election with no plan to end to digging up and burning coal.

But we’ve been here before. No-one ever said that taking on nature-wrecking corporations in the most profitable industry in history would be easy.

Right now, Adani and the Murdoch press are trying to spin the election result as some sort of resurgence for love of coal.

We call rubbish. The vast majority of Australians know there is no future for coal. There’s just a handful of billionaires trying to make more money at the expense of everyone else’s children.

Adani’s mine would open the Galilee Basin to eight more climate-wrecking coal mines. If they all went ahead, it would be the biggest expansion of coal mining on planet Earth. And burning coal is the worst cause of climate damage.

Clive Palmer, Gautam Adani and Gina Rinehart are selling false hope to regional communities. The reality?

Coal is on the way out. It’s a collapsing industry without a future. Don’t just take it from us. Last week BHP said burning coal will be phased out “sooner than we think.” China Stone put their proposed coal mine next to Adani’s on hold. And a new report says global investment in coal tumbled by 75% in just three years.

But for Adani, they have too much invested already to give up on the mine. And they’re sniffing out more public subsidies to make their mine scrape through. They are dead-set on digging and burning that coal.
They’re happy to trample the rights of Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners who are in court today challenging Adani’s Indigenous Land Use Agreement.

In coming weeks, the Queensland government will choose – let Adani destroy wildlife and water – or not.

There are two critical approvals the Queensland government just set deadlines for – management plans for endangered wildlife and water. Adani’s previous plans were rejected as inadequate by scientists and the Queensland government.

The water plan was waved through under political pressure by the Federal Environment Minister on election eve, but now must be signed off by the Queensland government.

This Friday, the Queensland government will choose the fate of the finch. Let a billionaire bulldoze the last remaining habitat of the endangered Black-Throated Finch? Or protect this beautiful bird, and everything it symbolises as the “canary in the coal mine”?

Adani’s plan is to destroy critical finch habitat, and then later on protect “offset” habitat on the site of billionaire Clive Palmer’s proposed new mine. That’s the man who decided to, in his words, “polarise the electorate” by dropping $60 million on advertising during the federal election campaign.

On 13 June, the Queensland government will choose to approve or reject Adani’s water management plan.

Adani’s Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan (GDEMP) is supposed to protect vital ecosystems – like the Doongmabulla Springs near Adani’s proposed mine site. But expert water scientists have raised serious concerns about Adani’s plans to suck billions of litres of water from Queensland’s precious inland aquifers.

The mining giant plans to drain 12.5 billion litres of precious river water every year, nearly as much as all local farmers combined. It threatens ancient springs – 160 wetlands that provide permanent water during drought. It would also leave behind six unfilled coal pits that would drain millions of litres of groundwater forever.

It’s bad enough that the federal government rushed through this dodgy plan on the eve of the election. But with 65% of Queensland suffering through a worsening drought, for the Queensland government to approve it would be a travesty.

On 18-19 June, ACF will take on the Environment Minister in the federal court.

In our crowd-funded court case, ACF is challenging the federal government because we believe it broke its own laws over the water-guzzling pipeline Adani needs for its climate-wrecking mine. We will also challenge whether the Minister properly considered thousands of public submissions, as required by the law.

We think we have a chance of winning.

I have to be honest with you though that the bad news is that, even if we win, the Minister can re-approve the pipeline by following the “proper process,” which under Australia’s weak current environmental laws, has only weak checks on the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife. Under current laws, the Minister does not even have to consider climate change.

I’m sorry I can’t be the bearer of better news. But Adani can’t start digging yet. And our elected representatives’ decisions on water, the finch and climate pollution have consequences.
​
Birdsong. Crystal clear water in ancient aquifers. Oceans teeming with fish and corals. We hold these things in trust for future generations of children and wildlife. They matter.

Christian
Christian Slattery
Stop Adani Campaigner

P.S. To take on the nature-wrecking corporations and the coal industry, people everywhere need to get off the sidelines. That’s why we’ve decided it’s time to scale up our local ACF Community groups from 27 to 70 groups. Real power comes from people working together in local areas AND on coordinated national campaigns.Join a webinar this Thursday 30 May or Thursday 13 June to learn how to join or start a local ACF Community group.

This month, the Benalla Food Co-operative will have been operating for exactly eight years.

​We started in May 2011 with 12 members, offering 20 different products and opening once per month. We used old wooden wardrobes for food storage and didn’t have a computer. News spread mainly by word of mouth, along with an article in the Benalla Ensign.

We now have 84 members, offer 115 products and recently commenced opening four times per month.  In the coming month we will see our 4,000th customer shop at the food co-op.

We have decided to celebrate our 8th year with a social function where we will share a meal and a recipe.
​
It is heartening to see many young families attend the Co-op. We all enjoy the many benefits of good quality food products, shopping in a relaxed friendly atmosphere and knowing we are contributing to less food miles and packaging, and where possible, supporting local producers.

Christine Holmes,
​Food Co-op Coordinator

This article is based on Christine's report to the BSFG Annual Report presented at the AGM on 23 May 2019. 

Our AGM on Thursday 23 May went very well with all positions being filled at the elections conducted by Mayor Scott Upston.  Thank you to John Lloyd for chairing the meeting prior to the elections.

We welcome the new committee of management and thank two new members Kay and Richard for accepting nomination, Peter Holmes for accepting the President Role and Wendy for becoming the Treasurer.  And thank you to James Webster for accepting, in absentia for the position of Vice President.

President: Peter Holmes
Secretary: Peter Maddock
Treasurer: Wendy Baker
Vice President: James Webster
Committee members:  
Bulk Food Coop representative Christine Holmes and Kevin Smith, David Blore, Kay Blore, and Richard Felton.

Peter Holmes spoke about how reading an article in The Guardian by Richard Flanagan influenced his decision to nominate for President, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/05/im-willing-to-go-to-jail-to-stop-adani-and-save-our-beloved-country-will-you-stand-with-me.

Our guest speaker Lance Lloyd, Restoration Scientist (Aquatic Ecology), Winton Wetlands Committee of Management, gave us a good insight into efforts at Winton Wetlands to bring about the ecological regeneration of the catchment.

A reminder again that we are planning for a Newsletter in June so could you send articles to me by the end of May. 


Peter Maddock
Secretary

SWANPOOL ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019 (PG)
​
Feature films, documentaries, guest speakers!
Three sessions with breaks for afternoon tea and an evening meal:

Session One: Dr Tilman Ruff and film ‘System Error’
Session Two: Prof Samantha Hepburn and Short Enviro Film Fest
Session Three: Prof Tim Reeves and film ‘2040’

Booking essential on TryBooking.
Phone 0498 007 988 for enquiries.
​
Afternoon tea and dinner included.
Catering by Swanpool Catering Team.

The 2019 Benalla Sustainable Future Group AGM will be held on Thursday May 23rd, 2019 at 7.30pm in the Meeting Room, Benalla Uniting Church, Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Coles Car park.

Benalla Rural City Mayor Scott Upston will conduct the election of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and at least four Committee Members.

Our guest speaker is Lance Lloyd, Restoration Scientist (Aquatic Ecology), Winton Wetlands Committee of Management who will speak to us about the Ecological Renewal of the Winton Wetlands Reserve.

The ecological renewal of the 8,750-hectare Reserve is a project of national scientific, cultural and environmental significance. Located in north east Victoria, between the regional cities of Benalla and Wangaratta, the Reserve is a mix of wetlands, grasslands, woodlands and forest.  The project is aiming to connect people to nature through its ecological renewal, as well as with education and tourism programs onsite. The project has many aspects contributing to the establishment of a site of ecological, cultural, social and economic importance.  This ecological renewal work is not a short-term project, but will take decades to be fully realised, and is aimed to enhance natural processes to ensure the restoration is sustainable in the long term.

Lance will discuss the ecological renewal aspects of the project which is built upon the Restoration and Monitoring Strategic Plan (Barlow 2011). The current science team has developed a range of specific management and monitoring plans that have been developed for fish and other fauna, waterbirds, water quality, aquatic plants, revegetation and feral animals and weeds.

The science program has undertaken multiple projects which contribute to the onsite ecological renewal of the site, and, more generally, contribute to the knowledge about wetland and woodland function and restoration.

Lance is also an Honorary Research Fellow at Federation University and has over 30 years experience in consulting, government, and university research into aquatic ecosystems and their management. Lance has a long history at the site, working there in the 1990’s with the predecessor of DELWP and the RWC (as Principal Water Quality Scientist) on the algal problems and the restoration of Lake Mokoan. He oversees the science and sustainability programs at Winton Wetlands, working with the science panel, ranger, staff and volunteers to achieve ecological renewal of the site.

Lance will speak after the business of our AGM including the election of office bearers and committee.  A light supper will be available at the end of the meeting.

I encourage you to come along to our AGM and hear about this important wetland restoration project, https://wintonwetlands.org.au

Peter Maddock (0418 135 330)
Secretary

This is an update on Shannon Loughnane's Extremely Long Walk to Canberra and his visit to Benalla on Saturday April 27th.

On the morning of Shannon’s arrival we are having a stall at the Lakeside Market from 9.00am until 1.00pm to collect signatures for Shannon’s petition to Parliament, and to display BSFG and REB information. 

Mayor Scott Upston will attend a Welcome event for Shannon at the John Cooper Hall, the Benalla Uniting Church from 4.00pm.  At this event we will hear from Shannon about his project and also John Lloyd who will talk about local climate change actions and renewable energy developments, and hear from other people about local climate actions. Finger Food and Tea/Coffee will be available at this event.  BSFG acknowledges a Benalla Rural City Sponsorship Grant which is supporting this event.

Shannon is inviting people to walk with him.  A good way to follow and join his walk is through social media.  The attached flyer also has live links to Facebook, twitter and Instagram.

While Shannon would appreciate your company on his walk he is particularly interested in getting your signature on his petition.  The opportunity to do this in Benalla will be at our Lakeside Market stall from 9.00am to 1.00pm or the Welcome event at the Uniting Church from 4.00pm.  The Food Co-op also has the petition if you wish to sign it on one of the shops open days.

One of our members is hosting Shannon on Saturday night before he continues his walk to Wangaratta on Sunday.

Peter Maddock Secretary 0418 135 330.

Download Flyer

Recently Shannon Loughnane of My Extremely Long Walk for Climate Action contacted the Benalla Sustainable Future Group seeking support on his walk from North Coburg to Canberra from April 20 to May 14 2019.
Described as a Low-Carbon, Community-Powered Solo Walk, Shannon plans to arrive in Benalla on Saturday April 27, staying overnight & leaving for Wangaratta the next day.
Shannon expects to arrive in Benalla at about 4.00pm and proceed to a Welcome to Benalla event at the John Cooper Hall at The Uniting Church, Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Cole's Car Park.  This event is open to the public.
Shannon is collecting signatures on a petition which he will deliver to Parliament in Canberra.  The walk will be low carbon, and community-powered, culminating in the delivery of the community’s messages to politicians in the capital. The petition will be available to sign.
Shannon will tell us about his project then hand over to BSFG, Renewable Energy Benalla and other interested people to hear about and share local actions on climate change.
After the meeting finger food and tea/coffee will be available providing an opportunity to talk about local climate change actions.
Contact Peter 0418 135 330 for details.

Download the flyer.

Congratulations to BSFG and Food Coop members who set up and worked at the inviting information and produce stall at the Source event in the Benalla Gardens on Saturday 23rd February.  To Daz de Fazio, pictured here with Helen Duggin and Kevin Smith, we value your passion and energy in creating this event to celebrate the 10th birthday of Ed Space and the musicians and music you love and to give a presence to the food, wine and makers in our region.   Thank you for including organisations working towards a sustainable future when designing this promising inaugural event!

The next General Meeting of Benalla Sustainable Future Group will be on Thursday March 28 from 7.30pm until 9.30pm at the Benalla Uniting Church Meeting Room Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Coles car park.

Our guest speaker is Warrenbayne local Serenity Hill whose topic is ‘Food, unincorporated’.  ‘Sometimes the best way to fix the system is to start a new one’, https://openfoodnetwork.org.au/.

The Open Food Network was founded by Serenity Hill and Kirsten Larsen in 2012 as part of the Open Food Foundation. It is a platform that supports a food system that is open and fair, where producers and community based enterprises can sell local, seasonal produce online to their community. It has now grown to a global movement.  The meeting will be a good opportunity to learn more about this home grown initiative which has now spread to the UK, Scandinavia, Canada, and France, with South Africa, India and the USA coming soon.

Thank you to Kathryn McQualter of our Benalla Local Food Network for arranging with Serenity to speak to us.

After the business of the meeting and hearing about the Open Food Network from Serenity there will be a light supper.

We look forward to seeing you there.
Regards,
Peter Maddock,
Secretary,
0418 135 330

Beyond Zero Emmissions, supported by Renewable Energy Benalla and Benalla Rural City are presenting this forum showcasing how business and manufacturing can move to 100% renewable energy.  Local presenters include Bright Brewery and Brown Brothers.
The forum will:

• Launch the BZE Electrifying Industry report
• Identify how business and industry can save money and reduce carbon emissions with smart and efficient processes, technology and renewable energy
• Show how businesses, including manufacturers, can replace the use of fossil fuels and gas to generate heat differently, through the smart use of renewable electricity
• Explore opportunities for a revival of Australian manufacturing powered by renewables in the coming decade
• Hear from regional businesses and manufacturers who have made the change

Please register for this Forum by Friday 22nd March at www.eventbrite.com.au/e/repowering-business-with-renewable-energy-tickets-57065749192.

Download the Flyer as a PDF or click on the image below.

Recently Shannon Loughnane of My Extremely Long Walk for Climate Action contacted BSFG seeking support on his walk from North Coburg to Canberra from April 20 to May 14 2019.  Described as a Low-Carbon, Community-Powered Solo Walk, Shannon plans to arrive in Benalla on Saturday April 27, staying overnight & leaving for Wangaratta next day. 

The support Shannon is seeking from BSFG is hosting for the night, gathering signatures on the petition, and assistance in gathering local groups and people to meet for an event on the day of his arrival.  Please contact me if you are able to provide accommodation.

We are looking at a number of options to collect signatures on Shannon’s Petition.  The Food Co-op will have the petition available on open days, https://www.bsfg.org.au/calendar.html.  We will have the petition at our General Meeting on Thursday March 28th.  The petition is also available online, http://www.myextremelylongwalk.com/sign-the-petition/.

Details about an event on the day of Shannon’s arrival are being looked at and I will forward information about this later, as well as any other options for signing the petition.  Shannon is hoping an event on his arrival will enable him to connect with local communities on his way to Canberra to see what is happening in regards to climate change.

Shannon’s route to Canberra, http://www.myextremelylongwalk.com/the-route/.

We may require some assistance from BSFG members for additional collection of signatures on the petition and the welcome event - I will make contact by email about this later if necessary.


Peter Maddock
Secretary
0418 135 330

Our March Newsletter is now available.  Thank you to members who contributed articles.  We had a number of articles which, due to space limitations we may carry over to the next Newsletter.  Thank you Ian Herbert for editing the Newsletter.  The deadline for submission of articles for our June Newsletter is Sunday 19th May.

Membership fees help to provide the necessary finance to run Benalla Sustainable Future Group so that BSFG can continue to provide a valuable role in the community.

However we still have a few members who have not yet paid their 2018 Membership.  Our policy has been that after a period of time unpaid members would be moved to our Contact list and no longer receive the Newsletter or General Meeting Minutes.  The Committee may need to formalise this policy and include a definite time period on our Membership Form.  However if the 2018 membership is not renewed by March 13, unpaid members will be moved to our Contact list. 

The Membership Renewal Notice is available on this website if you have not yet renewed your 2018 membership.  The Renewal Notice has details about renewing your membership.  We apologize if you have recently paid your 2018 membership.  We do look forward to and appreciate your continued support.

Peter Maddock
Secretary

Join us for a clean-up paddle or a clean-up walk at Lake Benalla on Sunday 3 March 2019 from 8am sharp until 10am.

Email Helen Repacholi for details. helenrepacholi@hotmail.com
Download Flyer

The BSFG Committee had its first meeting for the year last Wednesday and there are a couple of resolutions to advise you about.

Leading up to Christmas, December is a difficult time for people to attend General Meetings.  January is also a time when people are often away.  The Committee therefore resolved to have only five General Meetings per year.  General Meetings will now be on the 4th Thursday of March, May, July, September and November.

The Committee will continue to meet six times a year on the second Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October and December.

The Committee has been discussing the replies we had to the Newsletter Survey and felt it was time to indicate a deadline for submission of articles for the next newsletter.  Articles of about 200 words about an environmentally themed topic would be suitable for the Newsletter.  Perhaps something you are personally interested in including actions you are taking to live more sustainably.  Your thoughts about major environmental issues which are important to you.  Are we dealing with these issues adequately?  Politics gives plenty of scope for commentary on environmental issues.

The deadline for the next Newsletter is Sunday February 17th.  You can submit articles to Peter Maddock via email peter_maddock@iprimus.com.au  Thank you to members who completed the Newsletter Survey.  There is certainly interest from members in continuing with the Newsletter.

Peter Maddock
Secretary
peter_maddock@iprimus.com.au

Come along to the Benalla Library at 10 am - 11 am on Saturday 23rd February 2019 and hear about the three species of fresh water turtles found in the Benalla Lake.
Download the flyer.

The Benalla Local Food Network is a new BSFG action group where local food growers, retailers, organisations and community members come together to supply the town with healthy food.

It’s time for another local food network catch up! Join us on the Wednesday 6th February 5:15 at the Farmers Basket Café in Benalla (Nunn St).

Benalla Local Food Network Coordinator
Kathryn McQualter
Dietitian
Allied Health
03 5761 4500
Download Flyer