Positive outcome as Grow Lightly is granted reprieve

KORUMBURRA’S Grow Lightly is staying put until an appropriate new home is found, with a productive meeting between representatives of the organisation and South Gippsland Shire Council on June 4.

Grow Lightly Board Chair Becky Banks and a couple of other committee representatives met with council CEO Kerryn Ellis and Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Tony Peterson.

Both Becky and Kerryn made it clear they are happy with the positive outcome.

“Effectively, what we agreed was that we will provide them with a bit longer in the building they’re in, and they’ve agreed in principle to move to a new location, and we’ve committed they won’t move until we’ve worked through and identified a new location together that they’re comfortable with,” Kerryn said.

“There was no having to argue the case,” Becky said of the meeting, noting council promptly offered to extend the lease and is committed to helping Grow Lightly find a suitable replacement building.

“I appreciate council coming to the party with a positive solution and we’re happy to keep working with them, and we very much appreciate the support that the public gave,” she declared.
Kerryn said written feedback from the local community was generally constructive and helped council understand the importance of Grow Lightly and that people didn’t want to lose the service.

“In terms of meaningful and thoughtful feedback, we did receive quite a bit and that was great, and we really appreciate that,” Kerryn said.

However, she observed that some others who wrote letters or made posts on Facebook had no connection with Grow Lightly and there were instances of abusive and nasty messages.

Korumburra Railway Station is one of a number of possible sites for Grow Lightly but that would depend on negotiations with the building’s owner VicTrack.

“We have undertaken to support Grow Lightly with those conversations and also to look at some other options if that one’s not successful,” Kerryn said.

Becky feels a positive can come out of the attention drawn to Grow Lightly when it appeared in danger of being homeless, saying more people have realised its importance.

She encouraged them to show continued support by buying from Grow Lightly, volunteering there or supplying produce.

“We’ve already got four or five new volunteers,” Becky said, noting the dedicated few the organisation has could do with an occasional break.