Tuesday, December 14 was a day of big changes at the helm of Eden Tourism when its annual general meeting was held.
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Two long-standing volunteer board members stepped down, marking the end of era. Marge Snijder and Gail Ward have been actively involved in Eden Tourism for over 30 years collectively, and have been instrumental in building Eden's tourism offering.
Both of these remarkable ladies chose 2021 as their time to retire from their volunteer capacity after successfully seeing through the extension of the cruise ship wharf, the addition of the Eden Welcome Centre and the move of the Eden Visitor Information Centre to Snug Cove.
Marge and Gail have been involved with Cruise Eden since its conception and promoted Eden far and wide as a cruise destination successfully, building the base to which is now a thriving cruise port, expecting 30-40 ships to visit in a single season once COVID bans are lifted.
Reflecting on her years of involvement, Gail Ward looked back at the decision made by Bega Valley Shire Council in 2007 to close the information centres in the region, and how that spurred the community to take action.
"It's pretty amazing really! Marge formed the group here to take over, and the Eden Chamber of Commerce backed it, we all pulled it together and it's gone on from there," Gail said.
"It's been a long time, the two of us have worked together for over 15 years and it's so nice now to step aside when things are running so successfully.
"It's been a great era and has represented a big a win for Eden - so many people have made effort and pulled into help, which truly shows in the results. Marge and I are very proud when we look at it now," Gail said.
To acknowledge their contribution to tourism in Eden and their countless hours of volunteer work, Marge and Gail were presented with flowers and a certificate of service at the Eden Tourism AGM held at the Eden Visitor Information Centre on Tuesday.
Since stepping down at the AGM, Gail said there had been many comments and recognition from a wide circle of people who have supported the aims over the years.
"Many people who have helped to move Eden forward over the years have commented, it's great to finish on such a strong note and to know everybody is continuing to work together," she said.
An attraction in itself, Gail said the iconic Welcome Centre was seeing enormous success following the relocation of EVIC, with significantly higher visitation and greater capacity to showcase and support local businesses.
"We are feeling very confident about the future for Eden," she said.
The stepping down of these board members has left big shoes to fill, but Eden Tourism was excited to announce the voting in of new committee members Nicole Brown, of Sprout and Cruise Eden, Emma Godfredson, of EG Creative, and Luke Burch, of Wonboyn Cabins and Caravan Park.
Lana Wills of Cat Balou has taken on the role of chairperson, with new face Coral Reynolds, of Grand Matriarch Vodka, stepping up as vice-chair, Jenny Robb, of Kiah Wilderness Tours, taking on the role of secretary, and Michelle Rose, of Heritage House, staying on as treasurer.
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Leah Szanto
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
