The Committee for Lorne: A word from the ChairmanA word from the Chairman

Happy New Year! With the door now firmly shut on 2018, it’s a great time to be looking to reflect on the past 12 months, draw on one’s experiences, plan and if possible, have an even greater year in 2019. How is your year looking? What have you planned and what are your goals as the first few days of 2019 are prime time to amp up your focus, kick start your passion and stand for excellence? The decisions we’ll make in the first month of 2019 will completely set the stage for the entire year and for you all I hope they’re all good ones!

What a busy past week we’ve had here in Lorne with all arterial roads into town slowing to a walk and the influx of visitors
as strong as any of recent years. Whether it be those that are arriving to use Lorne as their base for their summer vacation,
the day-trippers enjoying a good spell of weather over the past week, the 15,000-plus thousand descending onto the Falls Festival or the increased numbers of our international visitors we have been “bursting at the seams” and experiencing that unique Lorne summer vibe.

Well into my third decade working in Mountjoy Parade I have experienced a noticeable trend in many of our visitors and their behavior patterns, from their arrival to departure from Lorne and my theory is simple. How many times have we
seen visitors arrive to Lorne after a busy, sometimes stressful, build up to Christmas and look to air those frustrations on fellow road users, disrespectfully treat business operators, employees and local volunteers in retail, service and trade industries that in 99.9 per cent of cases are doing all they can to welcome and look after the very needs of our visitors.

For a town that has just over 1000 permanent residents it is absolutely amazing to see how within a week we are, all of a sudden, servicing some twenty thousand (more when you consider Falls), with a kind greeting and a welcoming smile.

My theory unfolds as our visitors begin to embrace the Lorne “way of life” these frustrations start to erode and relationships
with those who service those needs begin to build to the level of respect they deserve.

I love it when “road rage” turns to “road courtesy” with simple actions of allowing a little extra room for Mountjoy Parade
pedestrians to navigate the back to back traffic, allowing that extra vehicle right of access to the choked roundabout or
slowing and allowing the exit of a parked car on our busy main street. All these little unexpected actions, that I share with a
number of other locals, are certainly well rewarded when you see the smile and thankful wave and smile that go a long in
converting the “Melbourne way” to what is Lorne!

Have a great 2019 and love and respect Lorne like all we locals do!

Ian Stewart
Chairman – Committee for Lorne