AGM OUTCOMES

It seems like a long time ago but last month the AGM of the CPPA went off without a hitch, with an enthusiastic Committee re-elected to continue overseeing the activities of the Association and maintaining a community space around Progress Hall. 

The Committee are :

• President/Secretary - Suzanne Pritchard
• Vice President - John Gill
• Treasurer - Ian Dennison
• Newsletter Coordination- Tony Dynon
• Membership - Robyn Garrett
• Local Landcare - Robyn Gill
• General Committee - Harvey Mitchell

The Annual Report can be viewed online which details the activities of the Association over the past 12 months. Here’s a summary

A Commendable & Committed Committee

The Committee met 10 times between April 2017-March 2018 and donated over 770hr of time and expertise to the running of the Association.

Progress Hall

A well thought through plethora of options to enhance the long-term financial sustainability of the CPPA by reducing expenses associated with the Hall have come to fruition in the past year, culminating in the sale of some of the backyard to expand the local reserve.

Finalised Funding:

The Science of Sustainability Science Week extravaganza gave 656 people a chance to experience Questacon’s Earth Quest exhibit, explore an observational trail in the local bushland and enjoy Scinema short film festival

Community Building Partnership - TASNG- Footpath connectivity from Ambrose St to Jarret St completed in June and is being well patronised.

Hunter Water provided $6000 towards bush regeneration and a National Tree Day planting on their land, greatly supporting the landcaring efforts on the West Ridge

Submissions

• Short-term holiday letting (STHL) was a focus for several months due to the potential impact the changing of zonings to permit this activity could have on the neighbourliness of the community. 
• Land & Environment Court- 2 Brighton to 133 Excelsior Pde. 
• DA 1865/2017 - 20 Laycock St- 22Units 
• DA1835/2016-(Amended) 151-155 Brighton Ave- 44units and amended DA for 37 units– flyer produced for both applications 

Community Communication

There were 11 editions of the Coal Point Chronicle produced in the past year. The sponsorship spaces were well subscribed throughout the year averaging 18 paid spaces. The CPPA Facebook page has 162 likes, up from 93 last year.

A Huge number of Thank-Yous

• To John Gill for his tireless work as Treasurer for the past six years 
• To our numerous supporters -the ongoing regular sponsors who support / advertise in the monthly Coal Point Chronicle. Without our sponsorship income it would be impossible for us to tackle the projects we do, or possibly even to remain financially viable. 
• Special mention to the NSW Environmental Trust, which funds the Threatened Species project, and to Origin Energy who provided $4000 to support Science week, and $6000 to paint the Hunter Water tank 
• To our regular hall hirers, Yoga Circle, and more recently the World Shimjang Taekwondo Academy 
• To Alan Fletcher, our volunteer auditor, who has this year, as in many past years, reviewed and reported on the financial statements of the association 
• To all the members who have added a donation along with their membership fee/renewal. 

Financial Highlights

Our four major income items are, as in previous years:

• member subscriptions (and especially donations which many members include) 
• other donations, from the local community and businesses 
• sponsors who support the Chronicle, and 
• hall hire 

Our solar panels/system were installed on 5 October 2016, and have been able to feed

power to the grid since then. For the full 2017 calendar year, we have generated 6149kWh of energy, and consumed 970kWh. Our net electricity cost for the full year has dropped from $976 in 2016 to $571 for 2017.

The boost to our savings from the land sale will be very welcome, and we hope to generate at least some income from our savings via the use of term deposits. We also plan to re-visit our insurance needs, to ensure our renewals are a good fit. We hope our long term hall hirers will continue, and we hope to improve the attractiveness of the hall by having more systematic cleaning and maintenance, based on two major working bees each year, plus interim cleaning approx monthly, hopefully by volunteers.

The Threatened Species Last Stand project

With five years of well attended landcaring sessions, additional time by enthusiastic

individuals, support from professional bush regenerators and a fire, the on-ground outcomes are evident and some of the reserves on a trajectory towards recovery and less intensive maintenance, freeing up time for the reserves that require more attention.

Flora surveys have provided detailed information on the local vegetation. Six years of bird surveys have been undertaken. This information will be used during the final year as inspiration for artistic endeavours by youth, in painting the water reservoir and for adults to inspire entries in the Art and Craft show, where the CPPA is offering prize money for entries under a Threatened Species category.

The financial support provided to the Landcare crew in the way of tools, PPE, morning tea and fuel subsidy for the Novocastrians who carpool to the sites has been highly beneficial to the onground outcomes. Fundraising efforts will be required to continue this level of support after the project finishes.