Chair’s Message – September 2018
So much has happened since I last wrote to you!
It was my honour to chair the first meeting of the new RDACC board last month. With almost half of our board being newly-elected members, we’ve achieved an ideal balance of enthusiasm and experience, with many fresh ideas and exciting plans for our region ahead.
I very much look forward to working with this group of talented and passionate individuals who represent a broad cross-section of industry, academia and community interests to drive employment and economic development across the Central Coast.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to officially congratulate our CEO, John Mouland, on his appointment of Director Regional Development with RDACC.
This newly-formed position is responsible for shaping economic and employment opportunities for our entire region and I look forward to John continuing his outstanding work in this area.
We’ve welcomed significant announcements from the NSW Government, including the release of the Sandstone Mega Region Report and the $4.6M contribution to connect five of our most popular coastal communities.
The Mega Region Report proposes the Central Coast become part of an economy of scale linked to Sydney and its surrounding regions – with each region contributing by playing to its strengths to enhance large-scale competitiveness, productivity and prosperity.
The $4.6M funding will go toward developing a permanent walking track between Terrigal and Macmasters Beach – creating a valuable tourism asset to attract visitors and drive our local economy.
The 2018 Central Coast Not-For-Profit Series has proven an outstanding success, with close to 200 representatives from nearly 150 different organisations attending so far, with the next event happening on Sep 18.
We’ve also included an updated list of available grants and funding opportunities in this newsletter to further support our local business, NFP and community sectors.
Lastly, we’ve been overwhelmed with the incredible response to our Business Showcase.
Our aim to highlight local food producers, innovators and unique culinary businesses is working to achieve our aim of showcasing the Central Coast as a premier food destination – your support of and advocacy for these businesses has been outstanding and we look forward to continuing to work with you to support and grow this vital industry sector.
Phil Walker
Chair