Julie Fechner - The Dingo Lady

Julie's talk focused on some current research which demonstrates the value of the dingo in the Australian Ecosystem and a new and better way for farmers to manage their stock to avoid predation by dingoes/wild dogs, and how this  benefits the farmers bottom line.

Julie's perspective is clearly pro dingo and anti destructive elements including action by farmers and other organisations. She presented facts from research in a  personable manner that held our attention well.

Secretary David, in a effort to remove himself from the stigma of having farmer connections, said that he was from Tasmania where the dingo is not a perceived threat, was castigated for "killing the Tasmanian Tiger".

A bottle of wine donated by Julie was auctioned for $30.

Other items from the meeting included notice about a possible Interact Club at Greensborough College and a 'Thank You' from Veronica on behalf of Diamond Valley Learning Centre, for the recent donation of $3000 to help provide student meals.

26th February

Jackie Chanzi 

Tanzanians living in Victoria face a variety of social and cultural barriers, which can have an impact on the well-being and mental health of individuals, undermine family cohesion, and effect the identity of children as they grow through adolescence to adulthood.
An annual community camp provides a rich opportunity for community connection and cohesion. It also provides an opportunity for connection within families participating in activities that take place within the broader context of a Tanzanian cultural event.

 

During the camp we will run a workshop where the Tanzanian adults will teach the kids how to make toys, as they did when they were kids. This will be a rich experience for both adults and kids. We will be paying traditional Tanzanian games such as Rede, and we will have a singing workshop for everyone.
We hope to create a Tanzanian choir from the workshop and we expect this to have a significant positive impact on well-being in the community as well as an opportunity to celebrate our culture.

 

Tanzanian Community Association of Victoria, Inc (TCAV)
The new leadership team of TCAV was elected in November 2017. Our focus is on community building though hosting a variety of events scheduled for 2018. We envisage this will provide multiple opportunities for community members to attend events, and we will also use the events to recruit new members to the community, to ensure increased well-being for all community members and the longevity of the community itself.

 

At this meeting we also heard from Heather Dear, from Greensborough College, who is progressing the development of an Interact Club at the College. Joy Ferguson is following this up with Heather.