All over for Wonthaggi business… or is it?

THEY’VE got $33,000 in the bank, a membership of 66 without pushing recruitment and a nice little income stream, of upwards of $17,000 annually.

But the Wonthaggi Business and Tourism Association (WBTA) is set to fold.

The reason, no one has put up their hand to take on one of three jobs as president, secretary or treasurer; believed to be the bare minimum to run an organisation of its kind, even pared down to its present state.

That was the outcome of a last-ditch annual meeting last Thursday night, April 20.

But it wasn’t just last week, the group has been trying to appoint a leadership team for two years.

About 20 people turned up for the meeting, which wasn’t hopeless, but with as many as 600 businesses in the local area, all of them likely to benefit from the work the WBTA does just advocating to the

Bass Coast Shire Council alone, you’d have to say it was disappointing not to get half a dozen people willing to take the group forward.

Among them were Eastern Victoria MP Melina Bath and Bass Coast Shire Councillor Brett Tessari.

Five or six people did offer to join the committee, but after spending the past two years in ‘Caretaker’s Mode’, through COVID it must be said, the office bearers, including president Amy Easton, secretary Steve Curtis and treasurer Vicki Earl, are moving on to other things, in Amy’s case, having a family.

“Wonthaggi Discover our Secrets was an excellent initiative and we have been lobbying the council for events and services, we’ve had a good conversation with RTA (Vicroads) and all that,” said Ms Easton.

“We’ve got to keep improving the town for business and tourism but if we stop talking, they won’t have anyone to communicate with,” said Amy.

Other initiatives, like the Centennial Centre tourism and arts centre, in the middle of Wonthaggi, simply would not have happened without the business group’s partnership with Artspace, and not that long ago, the Laneway Festival organised by the WBTA was hailed a raging success.

Association secretary, Steve Curtis, who chaired the meeting, said the problem getting volunteers to run community organisations, especially town business associations, wasn’t unique to Wonthaggi with Phillip Island Business Network needing to reinvent itself a few years ago, Inverloch going through the same thing at the moment and Korumburra bringing together all of the town’s major community organisations in recent years, to form the influential Korumburra Round Table.

“People are working hard in their businesses rather than working on their businesses and it’s simply getting harder and harder to get people to make the time,” said Steve.

“We get that.”

But he said simply having a voice when the shire was preparing the Wonthaggi Activity Centre Streetscape Master Plan was vital, even if the association didn’t always feel that it was being listened to.

So, the Wonthaggi Business and Tourism Association is gone… or is it?

The caretaker executive group is calling a further meeting, on May 24, to which all financial members of the association are invited.

“But I wouldn’t like people to think this is simply another chance to save the association. We are moving ahead now with the process of winding it down,” said Amy this week.

“Certainly, if members came along and said they want to take on the roles of president, secretary and treasurer, we’d have a look at that, but that’s what the meeting last week was about.”

So, if you do think there’s a role for the Wonthaggi Business and Tourism Association, and clearly there is, get your skates on!

Those interested in making contact with the WBTA can email Steve Curtis on secretary@wonthagibusinesses.com.au