Speak Out OCTOBER 2021 DIGITAL EDITION

3107 members

BRANCH NEWS Victoria I am incredibly proud and heartened by the collegiality and support that Victorian members have shown each other during this crazy time. The member engagement portfolio had been busily planning a regional member event since April this year and all appeared to be going as planned. Emma Jennings, our rural and regional rep carefully researched and scouted for a venue, discussed the menu with the hotel and devised activities for members to socialise with each other and branch executives. Emma negotiated a range of meals to choose from including lemon pepper squid, Thai beef salad, chicken and macadamia crumble salad, vegan style gnocchi, and of course the chicken parma! However, due to COVID-19, the planning team (all based in Melbourne) were unable to travel to regional Victoria due to the lockdown extension. This included Emma, who had travelled to Melbourne for her work week. It became a scramble as to whether the event needed to be postponed or cancelled altogether. But being the resilient and supportive group of professionals we are, Bendigo members stepped up and the event was saved. Friday 20 August was a fun and interactive night at the Rifle Brigade Hotel. Members were so supportive and keen to ensure the event proceeded that more members registered for the event. Julie Parker, the amazing SPA branch liaison officer, negotiated with The Rifle Brigade Hotel for a larger room. Emma McLaughlin took responsibility for the registrations on the night, and even came up with activities to engage members. Activities What timing!

included a COVID-19 quiz which included the question, “How many days has Melbourne been in lockdown since the start of the pandemic?” For those of you playing at home, the answer was ‘201’ on the day of the event. The quiz winner won a box of lovely ‘Kiss goodbye to MS’ earrings. Emma also organised a “Would you rather…” activity in which members took a question statement and had to give their response. There were some very tough scenarios posed, such as “Would you rather be stuck on a broken ski lift or in a broken elevator?” and “Would you rather lose your keys or your mobile phone?” But there were light-hearted questions too, such as “Would you rather talk to animals or speak all languages?” and “Would you rather be Batman or Spiderman?” Thanks to Tanaya Kolpeke for stepping up and taking photos on the night. You can see from the photos; members had a fabulous and enjoyable night and it was so great to be able to meet up with people face-to-face. What a roller coaster we have endured in Victoria! Less than 19 hours after the event, all regional Victoria was plunged back into lockdown. A big thank you to Emma Jennings, Julie Parker, Emma McLaughlin and Tanaya Kolpeke for their help and assistance in making this an amazing and memorable night for our members. Thank you to Sue Block who was also supporting this event from the branch executive. Charmaine Tu Victoria Branch Chair

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October 2021 | Speak Out