By Jesse Graham
HEALESVILLE’S Chamber of Commerce has folded, with members voting to wind up the organisation on Wednesday 31 August.
A group of nine people, including this journalist, gathered at Healesville’s Fluid Lounge on the Wednesday night for a special general meeting to wind up the chamber, after a committee of eight was unable to be formed at the organisation’s annual general meeting (AGM).
Former president Alex Lagerwey and member Brett Whelan ran the meeting, taking a unanimous vote to formally wind up the group and to appoint Mr Lagerwey to close the group and its bank account.
Members also voted to disperse the chamber’s remaining funds, $798.50, to a new regional body run by former chamber members, Yarra Valley Business, after costs.
“It is with quite a bit of sadness,” Mr Whelan said, pointing out that the small group contained two ex-presidents, ex-treasurers, a vice-president and a founding member of the chamber.
“It would seem the model for a township-based chamber is broken, now, with a number of them that are just shutting.
“It seems to be a factor that’s just at the main street focus, now that we’re in a global economy and people use their phone to find all sorts of things … that we need to come together and not look at Yarra Glen, Healesville, Coldstream and Lilydale as competitors, but to look at us as part of the same product and promote the valley as a whole.”
Mr Lagerwey said that Yarra Valley Business, of which he is the secretary and Mr Whelan the chairman, would be a body to advocate for businesses in the region and would launch on 20 October at Rochford Wines.
“We’ve done a lot of work this year to get to this point and we really look forward to the launch,” he said.
“The concept of township-based chambers has been anchored to the past and business has moved on and spread in the region, and it’s time, I think, for the chamber of commerce model to follow the lead business has already taken and move … with it.”
Mr Lagerwey said there was “nothing stopping” a group of people from forming a new chamber of commerce in the future, but that a committee could not be currently formed.
“I’m not aware of any ability to raise eight people to form a committee,” he said.
“It has been tried.”
He said he had yet to liaise with groups such as Warburton Valley CEDA (Community Economic Development Association), but that the group would not “cut across” them or similar groups.
“We want to try and support them as much as anything else,” he said.
He said paid-up Healesville Chamber members would have their membership transferred to the new body, and that businesses would be contacted in the lead-up to the launch in October.
