After I came back from Europe I felt comfortable enough to put forward a model structure to help with the economic and social development of the Derwent Valley Council (DVC) municipal area.
An interested group of local people (including myself) had been meeting regularly for some years to try and find some solutions to what was then a significant downturn in the economic fortunes of the township of New Norfolk and surrounds.
A leadership group was formed, loosely based on the European Union rural development scheme (called Leader), which I had studied while in Europe. The plan was to bring together representatives of various community groups and form a managing board (called Valley Vision) to pursue projects to stimulate economic and social activity in the area. The DVC were extremely supportive, and a number of significant projects were initiated.
I was the original Chair of the group.
I have maintained my interest in rural development activities, and my current role of supporting the Governor of Tasmania provides the opportunity for me to help on a much broader scale (although in a much less formal way).
My business career has been as a farmer and director of a number of agricultural companies.
Excerpt from “Bringing Knowledge Home” published by the Churchill Fellows Association of Tasmania (2016)
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