After the successful 10th anniversary screening of the Swanpool Environmental Film Festival in 2023 BSFG is pleased to support another Festival in 2024, working in partnership with Swanpool Landcare with support from Benalla Rural City and Winton Wetlands. 

Three sessions commence 1.00 pm sharp at Swanpool Cinema and include afternoon tea and an evening meal. 

Session one.
Guest Speaker Dr Mark Diesendorf Hon. Assoc. Prof. UNSW Sydney, Environmentalist, ‘The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation’.
Mark is Co Author of the book  The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation.
Film ‘The New Corporation, The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel’. 

Afternoon Tea 3.50pm.

Session two.
Feature film ’Finding The Money’, there's another side to the national debt.
Film discussion, questions and answers with Dr Steven Hail Assoc. Prof. Torrens University Australia, Economist at Modern Money Lab, economics for a new era. 

Dinner 6.50pm.

Session three.
Guest Speaker Margot Nash Filmmaker and Visiting Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, will show her short film ‘Undercurrents: Meditations on Power’,
https://www.margotnash.com/.

Guest Speaker Bertram Lobert with an update on the Save Our Strathbogie Forest Federal Court case about planned burns in high quality Southern Greater Glider habitat.  Title of Bert's talk is 'Wrong Fire - Wrong Place: planned burning in a Victorian foothill forest'.

$35 includes three sessions, afternoon tea and dinner. Catering by the Swanpool Catering Team.

Download the SEFF 2024 Menu.
 
Bookings essential on Try Booking - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1206465.
Saturday 15 June 2024 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM (UTC+10).

If attending please be Covid Aware.  Some masks will be available.

Swanpool Cinema 
2386 Midland Highway, Swanpool Victoria 3673
Details on Swanpool Cinema website www.swanpoolcinema.com.au
Phone 0498 007 988 for enquiries.  

Download the Festival Flyer.

Download the Festival Programme.

More details in our May Newsletter.

The SEFF 2024 Menu now available.  Download Menu.

This discussion paper came to us from a BSFG member, and may be of interest.
​
It was prepared for the Municipal Association of Victoria and has many point of interest in common with BSFG objectives including:

• Greening of streets and reserves
• Solar farms
• Council Resources 
• Affordable appropriate housing

https://www.mav.asn.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/35056/Shaping-regional-and-rural-Victoria-A-discussion-paper-SGS-and-MAV-21dec23.pdf

Judy Schwarzman
Secretary, 
Benalla Sustainable Future Group.

Following Susanne Bennett’s retirement as coordinator at the end of May 2024, we need someone to fill this role.

The coordinator keeps their finger on the pulse of the co-op, oversees its running and is alert to any issues which arise. The coordinator is well supported by a committee and is encouraged to delegate roles where appropriate.

Ideally the role would be the responsibility of one person.

Financial remuneration in the form of a discount on all shopping, would be offered to the coordinator.

Past experience indicates that the coordinator’s role takes around two hours each week.  An additional 2 hours is needed to pick up and process orders (usually once a month).

The coordinator is not expected to be included in the duty roster…although doing so occasionally is an advantage.

Some of the roles currently done by the coordinator could be delegated, to share the load among members.

The duties of the coordinator include:

• Communicate with committee as required.
• Maintain food co-op supplies. Check stock, (eye-balling and via computer records), order new stock, collect pallet delivery from Midland Freight, Benalla.  Check delivery against order, number and shelve each item. Ordering new supplies is done from home. Pallet pick up takes around 2 hours (generally once a month).  This requires two strong, well organised people with a ute or trailer to pick up together.  The heaviest bags weigh 25kg (sugar bags).  Flour weigh bags weigh 12.5kg, oats 15kg, vinegar 20kg.
• Reply to emails, including welcoming new members and answering members’ questions.
• Between open times, check that food co-op is maintained in clean, orderly manner.  E.g. Checking honey and oil not leaking between shopping days.
• Oversee the annual compliance check with BRCC.
• Instigate and run committee meetings. (These are on a needs basis--generally two a year.)
• Order local products and arrange for pick-up or delivery. (eg oil, vinegar, pumpkin seeds, honey, rye and spelt flour, muesli, dried mushrooms)
• Write an annual report and present to BSFG’s AGM.
• Investigate options of supply, quality, price and delivery of potential new products.
• Ensure annual membership fees and member details are up to date.
• Buy items as needed to support efficient running of co-op. Eg pencils, funnels, scoops, tubs.
• Maintain supply of product order forms etc…
• Note and solve occasional problems such as moths or bugs in products.

Contact Christine on 0438 624866 or Rhona ([email protected])

Members and Supporters may be interested in this workshop coming up, on Nest Logs for the Turquoise parrot, at Winton Wetlands. Please note - registration which is free but necessary.

Judy Schwarzman
Secretary, Benalla Sustainable Future Group.