A word from the Chairman – January 4, 2018

Happy New Year and hoping the festive season has been kind to you as we buckle down for the New Year ahead and what a great time its been in Lorne. The Falls Festival continues to successfully underpin the Lorne New Year celebrations and cater so well for our youth and young at heart at the event village. This year was no different as thousands descended into town in the days leading up to New Year with all the usual backlog of traffic but, all in all, things went to plan and New Year in Lorne was a good as any in the past.

I had the pleasure of enjoying the evening’s celebrations with family and friends seated at the Pier Restaurant and experienced the fireworks display from the front row and it was of the highest standard. But equal in quality was the hospitality of the Gazis family as they catered for the hundreds of patrons over multiple seatings at their world-class location. As we enjoyed their hospitality I couldn’t help but notice the attendance of local volunteer CFA personnel on “precautionary standby” throughout the fireworks display.

While many celebrated the approaching New Year, this great local team gave up that opportunity to celebrate in order to service the Community they love. Along with other members of our volunteer organisations they are such important contributors to the fabric of our town. Our local “Fireys” were on hand throughout the display, which went without incident, and then they were called to action. The residence known by many locals as Mrs Garlic’s house on the Deans Marsh Road, was ablaze and our volunteers were in action once again and did a great job in containing the fire in the manner they did.

A big shout out to our LorneCare team who assembled at 6am on New Year’s Day morning to help the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee clean up the Lorne Foreshore and beach. From all reports the rubbish left behind wasn’t too bad and the LorneCarers and their helpers were all finished by 7.30 am – Great work!

Spare a thought for the commitment of the men and women that serve so well in our local volunteer organisations and your support to them in any way you can is always greatly appreciated by all. When you consider that the level of volunteerism in Lorne is almost double the Victorian average, as confirmed by the 2016 census, it really reinforces the “sense of place” that is so intrinsic to Lorne.

Don’t know about you, but I am so looking forward to 2018 with major changes in my personal life; saying goodbye to what was a great chapter as “very part time” residents of Geelong and having realigned goals for the years ahead – Happy New Year, make it the best yet!

Ian Stewart
Chairman – Committee for Lorne