An interactive conversation between Maldon locals and the current Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Mount Alexander Shire will take place at Maldon Neighbourhood Centre this Sunday 21 July from 2pm. Coordinated by the volunteer-run group Really Local, the event is billed as a ‘genuine community discussion’ to which everyone in the area is invited.

Bryn Davies, from Really Local, explained that the Maldon Matters event, which is one of a series being held across Mount Alexander Shire, is about community getting organised and feeling well connected to government and council.

“If a community feels like it is connected to council, then we have better outcomes,” he said. “The events are also about generating good conversations, including good disagreements.”

Key questions to be addressed at Maldon Matters include: Where is Maldon headed? How does Maldon feature in Council’s thinking? How can Maldon be well represented?

Really Local’s website is very clear that the group has no funding and no political alignment or policies to push. The focus is on activating communities at a grass roots level to ask questions, strive for change and keep elected representatives accountable.

“I think we’re losing the connection to our representatives,” Mr Davies said. “We need to remember they are extensions of us; they are normal community members who we voted to represent us.”

Really Local grew out of the successful ‘Democracy for Dinner’ events which have taken place since 2016 in Castlemaine. Mr Davies said that the local events are an extension of the dinners, with more of a community engagement focus. “I’m interested in how we work together, how we make decisions. When I think about what I really care about it, the things are really local. That’s where I think I can have the most impact; on a local level.”

Mr Davies points out that the Maldon Matters event welcomes those from surrounding communities, and that the discussion will include ‘Maldon and beyond’, including all the districts in Tarrengower Ward such as Ravenswood, Nuggetty, Baringhup, Moolort, Bradford and Eddington.

“Even within our shire, we have a lot of small communities with their own issues and ways of working. We can’t assume that a meeting in Castlemaine will cover all the concerns of people in Maldon or the other small towns in the area.”

The upcoming council elections are a great reason to have these conversations, and residents are encouraged to register for the free Maldon Matters event by visiting tinyurl.com/5n6kyahx.

This article appeared in the  Tarrangower Times, 19 July 2024.