Wanderer replica project needs good governance
I refer to Barry Smith, Kiah, ‘Wanderer Woes’ (Magnet, Letters to the Editor, November 23, 2017). While I thank Barry for his well-intentioned advice, the main reason the project is "not living up to expectations" is not because of the composition of the committee, it's because running a project of that magnitude is a huge feat. It needs excellent planning, sound business advice and industry expertise, particularly from other individuals and organisations that have carried out similar projects here in Australia and overseas.
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It also needs a good governance mechanism to support it - to become a trusted public company. Up until now the project has been driven mainly by passion and enthusiasm. And as important as those two ingredients are, to just start to build something major without good planning and the funding to support it, is putting the cart way before the horse.
At this time the project mainly needs funding; and to get sufficient money to do all the things needed requires not just physical effort, but excellent business planning and fundraising. Some of the best maritime heritage projects in Australia and internationally have foundered for want of a decent structure and plan.
The ones that were successful, like the James Craig Heritage Project in Sydney, were able to be done because of these attributes. Importantly, grants and large donations are provided to projects that are well planned and soundly governed, not to those simply endowed with dreams, enthusiasm or expectations - or hammers.
The current committee is very mindful of all of that, and has taken steps to rebuild the project along those lines. And note that the organisation always welcomes people of all ages to become involved with this project.
Christopher Nicholls, President
Wanderer Replica Committee Inc
Regional gallery decision cannot be justified
There is jubilation in some quarters at the decision to site the new regional gallery in Bega – but the grant application is unlikely to succeed. The state government is spending $29 million to bring more national and international visitors to the shire and the decision to site the gallery in Bega totally ignores that. Why would the government provide $4 million to build a new gallery in a location that is remote from the visitors it is paying so much to bring to the shire? What is the grant application going to say? That we didn’t think of the cruise industry, or we think the gallery is more for locals than visitors, or you’ve spent money in Eden so now you have to spend some in Bega?
There is no real justification for this failure to see the bigger picture apart from parochial thinking. BVRG commissioned an economic research report that did not mention the cruise industry. Instead, the report claims that people like myself, who travel more than 50km to visit the gallery, spend an average of $123 a day. That is nonsense. The cruise industry is big and it is going to get vastly bigger, but there was no attempt to do any economic modelling.
Most of the shire pretend the cruise industry isn’t happening. Consider these figures: 14 Dec – Pacific Jewel, 2,052 domestic passengers and 660 crew. 15 Dec – Norwegian Jewel 2,376 mainly domestic passengers and 1,100 crew. 18 Dec – Pacific Jewel 2,052 domestic passengers and 660 crew. 20 Dec- MS Noordam 1,918 mainly international passengers and 800 crew.
You don’t think the government will find it perverse that BVRG does not want these visitors? The government is investing heavily in this industry and will be disappointed that BVSC is not supporting the cruise industry. The survey largely missed Eden, but I have seen a lot of personal reasons about why the gallery should be in Bega. Unfortunately, the decision has been made to look the gift horse in the mouth. We can ask for another gift but receiving one is extremely unlikely.
Amanda Midlam
