Chamber anticipates festival excitement

A REVAMPED Leongatha Daffodil Festival will be a highlight of the coming year for the members of the Leongatha Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The new Leongatha Daffodil Festival Committee has been working hard behind the scenes and is excited to announce the 2017 festival will be held on Saturday, September 2.
Bair Street and Lyon Street will be closed off from 9am to 3pm with market stalls, children’s activities, pop up bars and live music.
The festival will be held in conjunction with AutoBarn’s Blue September event in Michael Place, Leongatha Rotary Club’s Art Show and the Leongatha Horticultural Society’s floral show.
“There are about three or four acts booked in for the live music now which is awesome. There are roughly 22 stalls for the market booked in at the moment,” new joint chamber secretary/treasurer Jodie Clarkson said.
The chamber’s annual general meeting was held on Monday evening, July 3.
Brenton Williams will remain president and Emma Smith will continue as joint secretary/treasurer with Ms Clarkson.
Anthony Walls was elected as vice president.
“It’s been an honour to be the president for the year and I look forward to the year ahead,” Mr Williams said.
“We’ve achieved a fair bit this year. We’ve got the Daffodil Festival up and going and the Christmas carnival is ongoing from every year.
“A big thank you to everyone who comes along and supports the chamber.”
Chamber members are looking forward to the erection of the statue of Lennie Gwyther and his horse Ginger Mick in October. Lennie is the boy famous for riding his horse to Sydney to witness the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932.
“The Lennie Gwyther statue is finished and in a crate ready to be picked up from Melbourne,” chamber member Peter Watchorn said.
“We just need to organise the insurance to transport the statue and put it in storage here in Leongatha.”
The plaque is still in the making and will sit beside the statue.
Invitations will be sent out to Sydney Harbour Bridge employees to attend the unveiling in Leongatha on Saturday, October 14.
Anyone wishing to volunteer for the Daffodil Festival can contact Mrs Clarkson at Sweet Life Cafe on 0409 863 299.
The chamber continues to talk with the South Gippsland Shire Council about the improvement and the future of Leongatha.
The chamber will continue to support existing businesses and promote new businesses coming to town.
“The chamber has done some amazing stuff this year. I think you’ve got strong in the last 12 months and that goes with good leadership,” council deputy mayor Cr Maxine Kiel said.
The chamber will continue with the organisation of the purchase and putting up and taking down of the Christmas decorations at the end of the year, along with the organisation of the Leongatha Community Carnival.
The chamber involves local businesses in competitions and is responsible for the upkeep of the entrance community boards to the town.

New faces: from left, Anthony Walls was nominated as Leongatha Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s vice president, Brenton Williams will remain as president, Emma Smith will stay as secretary/treasurer along with newly nominated joint secretary/treasurer Jodie Clarkson, after the annual general meeting in Leongatha, on July 3.

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Posted by Sarah Vella on Jul 12 2017. Filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry