Meet your new councillor: Lorne Ward, Surf Coast Shire

Gary Allen

Gary Allen was the only candidate to stand in Lorne Ward, and will be elected automatically. He provided this statement:

I was born and raised in Lorne after the second world war.  I attended the Lorne School and Belmont High School and then I studied economics at Melbourne University.  After completing a diploma of education, I started my teaching career at Balmoral High School in 1969.

I returned to Lorne in 1990 when I was appointed principal of the Lorne P-12 College.  During my seven years at Lorne I was involved in the community and the wider district.

• Member of the Lorne Community Hospital Board, and president for two years
• Member of Otways Cluster of schools, supporting and networking the Otway schools
• Securing bus routes to the Lorne P-12 College from Deans Marsh and Wye River, thus enhancing parental and student choice
• Creating the then Lorne Aireys Inlet P-12 College
• Bail Justice and Justice of the Peace

After retiring from teaching I gained valuable advocacy experience as chair of the Country Education Project Victoria and as executive officer of the Rural Education Forum Australia.  Both organisations facilitated networking in rural and remote communities and lobbied both state and commonwealth governments to achieve improved educational outcomes for rural families and students.

I returned to live in Lorne eight years ago.  During these years I have been an active participant in our community:

• Member of the board of the Lorne Community Hospital and chair of its community liaison committee
• Member and current president of the Lorne Historical Society
• Member and president of the Lorne Bowls Club
• Member and current president of the Lorne Community Connect
• Director on the committee of the Lorne Lions Retirement Village
• Member of the Surf Coast Shire’s Positive Ageing Committee
• Justice of the Peace
• Member and current president of the Corangamite Bowls Division