TRANSITION BONDI INC. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 24 JULY 2024CONVENOR’S REPORT

OVERVIEW
We’ve come through our first year, with losses…. and gains.

HISTORY
Transition Bondi has existed for 15 years, mostly under the umbrella of Transition Sydney.
In 2023 the group decided to become a separate entity.  This is our first Annual General Meeting.
Then, the Steering Group consisted of seven: Lee, Louise, Chiara, Kit, Gloria, Hugh and Daniel. Now in July 2024, four of those people remain. 

EVENTS  & PROGRAMS 2023 – July 2024

Programs

• Guest Dinner 13
• Markets   25
• Garden (monthly) 12. 100 (weekly) Laneway 48
• Waverley Woollahra Art School community compost system and garden  8
• Community Dinner and games + picnics, ping-pong events 13

Total number of events: 113

People on Committee (Steering Group) 

• Kit – Convenor
• Lee – Newsletter 
• Louise – Secretary
• Chiara – Marketing, Mend & Remake
• Tahlia – IT and website
• Carolyn – Admin 
• George – Finance, Governance
• Stephen – projects and strategy
• Jess T – strategy
• Lise Lecerf left Steering Group – remains as project-based volunteer

Intake 

• August 2023 – Tahlia, Carolyn
• October 2023 – George, Bec, Stephen, Jess
• June 2024 – Hayman, Esther, Claire
• July 2024 – Jessica
• Exits
• Hugh Ellens, Gloria Chung, Bec Pettit
• Regular volunteers: laneway Chris Angus, and admin vol, R, Garden bees: Tom, Charlie, 
• Chiara, Lise, Zara Chiara
• New volunteers:  Hayman Mun, Esther Fernandes, Jessica Gurung

What we’ve been up to:

Garden: Building community, community composting and seed saving are our main focus.
12 x monthly on Sunday mornings; and twice a week, Collecting kitchen scraps from Mami’s (Mexican/avocado waste), South Bondi Café (eggshells),  Critical Slide coffee grounds and Marcelo’s (veg waste).
We began work at WWAS  (Art School) Oct ‘23; community composting.
We continue ‘guerrilla gardening’ in laneways and other abandoned public sites; also pruning neglected citrus trees on verges.
We’re back on ShareWaste, a platform advertising community composting stations; and continuing to receive mulch from Waverley Council

Guest dinners: 10 a year
2023:

• Regeneration vs Sustainability – Julianne O. Paradis  
• Permaculture Awareness – Doris Langer  
• Building a Straw Bale House- Bernie Hickey and Nikki McCoy
• Navigating choppy seas – Tom and Ling Halbert  
• Plastic Free July –  short films
• NAIDOC– kitchen table afternoon tea – Lets talk about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament
• Facing Fast Fashion – Nina Gbor 
• Community Energy in Uganda – Ashley Wearne 
• Driving Change, Building Resilience – Stephen Bygrave 
• Bee Inspired – Elliott Hanley  
  2024:
• Sustainable Design – Sarah K
• Practising Democracy – Jess Taylor
• Forest Bathing – Sarah Brikke  
• (May pause)
• Sociodrama on Connection and Community – Nikki McCoy  
• Divesting – Stav Zotalis and Brooke Thompson  
• To come:
• Food and community – Jonathan Symonds
• Degrowth – Chiara di Giorgio

Other programs:

• MEND AND REMAKE – lead by Chiara
• FARMERS MARKET STALL  – Monthly once or twice on Saturday morning engaging with
• the public, getting our word out
• INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY BUSINESS OWNERS  – lead by Stephen
  

PARTNERSHIPS:

• Waverley Council – we attend a lot of their events, eg Power to the Future (P2F), a 2-year intergenerational program; Collaboration for Impact  (CFI) (a cluster of environmental groups that are brought together by council 3 times a year to encourage them to work more closely together).
• Summerama – Kit ran a workshop there ‘Waste as a Resource’;
• World Tree Day. We assisted at the pilot Repair Café on 20.7.24 with a Play corner to engage children
• Transition Australia- has events several times a year – Stories of Transition 
• Climate Book Share – led by friends of TB Audrey Egan and Brooke Thompson – began over a year ago, rapidly grew in popularity. Each person shares about their item (book, podcast, TV prog etc) and discussion follows.
• Local Clothes Swaps by Brooke Thompson
• Organic Buyers Group is about to launch in Bondi. TB approached to get that going, but didn’t have the resource to do so.  Danielle Northey of OBG initiated. TB promoted through Newsletter.
• Boot Factory (opens Nov) called for submissions for Thinker-in-Residence. Lise L presented a strong application from us; we weren’t successful, but hope to be involved as part of the local network.

ROLES

• Committee (prev Steering Group)
• Convenor
• Co-Convenor
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• General members
• Team Roles
• Admin: Kit, Hayman, R, Esther, Louise
• Strategy Support for Convenor : Stephen, Jess T, Claire
• Marketing: Chiara, Jessica
• Newsletter: Lee
• IT, Website: Tahlia, Lise
• Governance: Kit, George
• Finances:  George
• Volunteer recruitment and management: Kit, ?Esther
• Membership: (Kit, Hayman?)
  
  PROGRAMS
• Guest Dinner events: Kit + Marketing team
• Community dinners: Kit (and Stav, friend of TB)
• Mend & Remake:  Chiara
• Garden: Kit
• Markets: Kit, Tahlia
• Filmed short interviews: Stephen
• Boot Factory events: Lise (tbc)
  

IN SUMMARY
We’ve had both an exciting and a difficult year! 

Lise’s outstanding submission to Council for the Thinker-in-Residence gave us a sense
of renewal and possibility for exciting change. And her Art and Environment curriculum,
developed around the same time, cut another groove that will find its proper time.
Fortunately we’ve had the steady drum-beat of Lee’s enlivening monthly Newsletters (11
pa) to keep us informed and grounded. 
Tahlia has managed with a very big schedule to offer key support with IT, and at the
Markets.
Louise continues to stay on board, offering fresh ideas and brings her infectious delight
in attending events.
The escalation of interest in Chiara’s Mend & Remake has been breath-taking, she is a
warm and inspiring leader, and has also been preparing herself for bigger things around
the topic of Degrowth.  
Stephen, Jess and George appeared around the same time, October 2023 and have
given us heaps: Stephen with his vision of what TB can do in Bondi, and his brilliant plan
to make short filmed interviews. His presence has brought a renewed creative energy.
Jess jumped on board immediately after Stephen’s first visioning event and gave us an
enormous boost with her quick mind, collaborative instincts and prodigious pace of work.
George arrived at the right time to lead the governance and finances process necessary
for the AGM. Many thanks to him for the many hours involved, the good will and
thoroughness, and patience in teaching me some of what to do!
Difficulties have included missing Gloria’s input, and Carolyn’s expertise; the changes in
the team, and slow uptake of new volunteers. Ideally we need at least 10 people on the
Steering Group/Committee, with sub-groups doing their work in between the monthly
meetings.
We may like to re-think the structure of the committee, to accommodate the reality that
people come for varying amounts of time, and sometimes need to leave without much
notice.  This leaves us struggling to maintain equilibrium.

Questions that have arisen:  
What’s the difference between Quarterly planning meetings, and our monthly meetings?
What’s the role of the committee, regarding the programs? 
What isTB’s role…..to be an information hub and knowledge centre, or events coordinator
in more detail?

WHAT NEXT?
The outlook is for expanding some of our programs and activities – Connecting local
sustainable businesses through short filmed interviews; Mend & Remake, community
composting, Education events, creative and cultural events – art curriculum, play (an
antidote to anxiety), soirees. Indigenous awareness. Inner Transition.
Also more collaboration: with Regen Sydney, and participating in the Boot Factory hub (to
open in Nov 2024); Climate Book Share, Clothes swaps, Randwick’s monthly Saturday
Circle.
Funding may be sought for the above.  

Abbreviated version of Transition Bondi AGM, July 2024
Kit Shepherd, Convenor