Forming a Redlands branch of the National Trust moved a step closer after a meeting at the Grand View Hotel on Thursday.

Plans to establish a Redlands branch of the National Trust of Australia (Queensland) (NTAQ) moved a step closer at a meeting on Thursday evening at the heritage listed Grand View Hotel.

The National Trust’s Heritage Advocacy Advisor Ms Jane Alexander outlined the processes for setting up a local Branch.  She said she was excited to meet so many “heritage” enthusiasts.

The NTAQ is a membership-based community organisation working to promote the natural, Indigenous and cultural heritage of Queensland.  There are eight branches in Queensland at present but NTAQ hopes to increase that number. The Redlands community’s interest in heritage means it could be among the leaders in rejuvenating NTAQ’s branch structure in Queensland.

The advocacy role of the NTAQ was of particular interest to meeting attendees. Ms Alexander explained that advocacy to governments, councils and others is a core activity of the National Trust.

Since the 1960s National Trust members have been advocating community interests in the places of cultural heritage significance – those in the immediate surrounds such as areas being impacted by the rapid growth of SEQ and Redlands and others in more remote parts of Queensland.

National Trust election priorities

The National Trust’s  “Queensland State Election priorities 2017” are:

  1. Ensuring state government agencies lead by example and do not allow their heritage assets to be demolished by neglect
  2. Growing cultural heritage tourism to generate jobs and increase cash flow into our regions
  3. Supporting owners of heritage places by committing to adequate, long-term grant funding programs
  4. Provide strategic partnering for key cultural events such as the Heritage Festival and Great Houses
  5. Reinstating heritage services in the regions to support local job creation and regional heritage owners
  6. Resourcing stronger heritage units in state government agencies – especially within their regional offices
  7. Supporting strategic partnerships with natural, cultural and Indigenous organisations so that they can focus on joint promotion of heritage assets
  8. Implementing the World Heritage Centre (WHC) advice for the protection of the Great Barrier Reef
  9. Investment in the interpretation of the heritage of the many coastal settlements along the length of the Great Barrier Reef coastline, to coincide with Cook 250 events
  10. Encouraging governments to enforce and strengthen protective heritage mechanisms
  11. Commitment to a program of accredited training for traditional skills that links practitioners with apprentices and creates jobs.

Existing and prospective members can take of the challenge put forward in this document and seek comments from local candidates.

Ask them if they will support the work of the Trust. In times of economic rationalism it is important to know that environmental heritage tourism generates tens of millions of dollars every year for the State’s economy.

NTAQ is big business

National Trust of Australia (Queensland) is Queensland’s leading community heritage organisation.

With $54M of heritage assets, nearly 12,000 members and 800 volunteers across the State, over 542,000 visitors to its properties, the Trust is regularly able to raise millions of dollars of funding per year for the conservation of heritage places owned by others.

The National Trust of Australia (Queensland) makes a unique contribution to our community.

Isn’t it time Redlands got with this important body?

Next steps towards a National Trust branch

At an earlier gathering in August operational questions about the NTAQ were raised. Issues of concern to prospective branch members included management responsibilities, reporting arrangements, insurances, liabilities and delegations were discussed. People wanted these matters clarified before progress could be made on the real work of the Trust.

The “real work” and local issues were canvassed as attendees shared concerns about heritage, heritage planning, heritage listing and heritage management in the Redlands.  These and issues like Willard’s Farm served to confirm a need for a Branch of the NTAQ in the City.

Attendees confirmed their interest in establishing a local Branch of the National Trust and agreed to work together to:

1. draft a Branch Charter

2. develop a draft vision, aims and objectives for the Branch

3. establish an implementation structure (or executive committee)

Membership of the Redlands Branch will be open to new and existing members of the National Trust.  Membership for individuals is $65 pa with a concession fee of $60 pa.

Anyone is interested in being involved and attending the next meeting please contact: the reporter@Redlands2030.net

 

Redlands2030 – 11 November 2017

2 Comments

Amy Glade, Nov 12, 2017

Since its obvious incompetent Redland City Council operatives have no interest in safeguarding areas of cultural significance as per Dennis Tafe’s comments, I too am hereby applying for Membership, Redlands Branch of the National Trust, with Concession fee of $60 p.a. It’s unbelievable that any local/State government body would turn a blind eye to allowing development of a 5-storey block of units beside a 2-storey heritage listed building. What an ugly view, beside the Grand View Hotel.

Dennis Tafe, Nov 12, 2017

As a senior marine biologist and a concerned citizen I would like to become a paid member of the Redlands Branch of the National Trust and my reason is due to the inability or impotence of our local council in the Redlands to safeguard places of cultural heritage value, Indigenous historical value and environmental aspects of the Redlands. I recently asked two of the councillors of Redland City Council (RCC) why the Council as a whole had decided to ignore building height restrictions in order to allow developers to build a 5-storey block of units beside the heritage listed 2-storey Grandview Hotel, the oldest licenced hotel in Queensland with the oldest known Banyan Tree right beside it. The reply I received said that the RCC has no strategy in place for safeguarding heritage listed places in the Redlands. Furthermore both the LNP and the Labor Party in the Redlands have no plans to safeguard Indigenous and natural sites of cultural historical significance. What comes across as astounding is that each of these politicians will open a speech by paying recognition to the original owners of the land but none will actually do anything about it. They are like stunned mullets when locations of Indigenous or natural heritage value are under threat in the name of development. The Adani Mining Proposal near the GBR and the Toondah Harbour Proposal in Moreton Bay are two prime examples being considered right at this moment by Queensland politicians who would like us to vote for them in two weeks. The latter proposal threatens to wipe out areas of Indigenous cultural heritage and a Ramsar listed migratory shore-bird protection zone. Unbelievable incompetence!

Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net

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