By KATH GANNAWAY
A PLAN which lays out a vision for the future of three Little Yarra Valley townships will be launched at a community event at Powelltown on Saturday 25 June.
The Little Yarra Valley (Powelltown, Gilderoy and Three Bridges) Community Plan has been a two-year process by the Little Yarra Valley Community Planning Group addressing issues including transport, heritage, tourism, services for children, community safety, business development, and community cohesion.
For possibly the first time ever, the plan has produced a snapshot of the three communities, looking at the past, present and future.
There are 498 residents in the PG&3B locality which is a mix of mountain ash bush and agricultural land including a number of orchards.
The plan started with an information session in April 2014, followed by a planning workshop with community building guru Peter Kenyon and several consultation events throughout 2014 and 2015.
The plan identifies specific projects and sets out the actions required and a timeframe for implementation.
Developing tourism is just one of the themes and the first of a series of Timber Town Heritage Trail information boards will be officially unveiled at the launch.
The boards are the work of the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DEWLP) Forest Management Team at Powelltown.
Project firefighter and life-time resident of Powelltown Matilda Gribble said researching the signs was close to her heart.
“I have a lot of history here; my great-grandfather was head carpenter at the mill which was the centre of the town.
“Anyone who worked for the mill also lived in the town and it was involved with building a lot of the community buildings that are still here,” she said.
“I guess a lot of the work behind the boards was like researching my own family history.”
Planning group member Vanessa McDonald said the launch would be an opportunity for community members and others involved in the development of the plan to see the final plan and to celebrate what it means for the future of the Little Yarra Valley communities.
The launch is at 4pm at the Powelltown Hall, co-inciding with a movie for the kids, “The Croods”, in the hall, and followed by afternoon tea and a family movie “Oddball” at 6pm.
The committee is asking for an RSVP for catering purposes to 0400 229 152, 0407 044 788 or email to thelittleyarravalley@gmail.com
