Council
25 October, 2024
Courthouse volunteers visit north C’mite
CAMPERDOWN Courthouse volunteers have begun a series of tours to help them become better ambassadors to the Corangamite Shire.
A group of nine volunteers took a bus to the northern areas of the shire recently, stopping at Mount Elephant in Derrinallum, Skipton, Lismore and Lake Tooliorook on the outskirts of Lismore.
Courthouse media liaison Isha Paasse said the group were “fortunate” to be guided by “passionate locals” who shared their knowledge on the area.
“The trip far exceeded our expectations and certainly heightened our desire to share invaluable information with Courthouse visitors,” she said.
“We had a tour of the Mt Elephant Information Centre and Crater with Lesley Brown, a guided tour around Lismore with Val Lang, and finally we had Barb and Graeme Pett show us around the Skipton Historical Society and the old Beaufort Courthouse.
“Each destination revealed so many layers of interest, in fact, each had their own specialty.
“We experienced the passion and dedication of these people who truly embrace their hometowns.
The most memorable part of each tour was discovering as ambassadors what we didn’t know - we were clearly inspired by this tour, and it deepened our knowledge of local history, culture, and the natural beauty of Corangamite Shire.”
Courthouse president Alison Byrne said the trip “worked so well on so many levels”.
“To have those personal conversations with people in the areas - Val Lang from Lismore, Lesley Brown, and Graeme Pett – that was just fantastic,” she said.
“They have such great knowledge of their particular spot, and that was invaluable.
“Our volunteers on the bus on the way home were saying how fantastic it was and that they learnt so much and they were excited to be able to share that with visiting communities.
“We’re going to do five tours in total – we’re just dividing the shire up and reaching out to locals that have information about the history of the area and the great and interesting places you can visit, and that’ll give us information to be able to share with the visitors.
“The next one, we’re looking at in February and doing Cobden and Timboon.”
Ms Paasse encouraged people to head to the Courthouse and speak to the volunteers about the Corangamite Shire area.
“The unique qualities of each destination were truly compelling,” she said.
“We guarantee you won’t be disappointed by these magical places on your own doorstep.
“Now it’s your turn to visit them, and our turn to share with future Courthouse visitors.
“If you’d like to know more, please visit the Courthouse as we’d love to share what we’ve discovered.”
The tour was funded by a Corangamite Shire Council grant.
The Camperdown Courthouse is inviting residents to attend their annual general meeting this Saturday, October 26 from 3.30pm at the Killara Centre at 210-212 Manifold Street, Camperdown.
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