When the Committee for Lorne (CfL) was inaugurated in 2012, we had a vision to tackle the challenges and opportunities for Lorne that were too important or too large for any single community group to successfully address on its own.
The CfL is a community organisation that connects and unites a cross-section of the Lorne’s leaders, businesses, community groups, residents and homeowners to work together to ensure a sustainable future for the Lorne Ward: socially, culturally, environmentally and economically. After two years of research and consultation and with strong support from the Surf Coast Shire, the Executive of the Committee for Lorne delivered on a promise we made to the community at the very start in 2012; that we would develop a Vision for how we saw Lorne in the future. We presented that Vision in a document entitled – “Achieving Lorne’s Aspirations”. Since that time, the Aspirations document has been presented to, and accepted by, government agencies including Surf Coast Shire and Great Ocean Road Coast Committee as a clear articulation of our Vision for Lorne. The Aspirations document has been used to inform planning processes related to Lorne including the development of the Stribling Reserve Master Plan in 2017.
To many residents, our town has sat dormant for a generation and our population is 1026 as per the 2016 census. Lorne had a permanent population of just under 1500 people, when fishing and timber were the backbone of the local economy. Lorne had a more vibrant year-round feel than it does today. Our goal is to revive Lorne’s population and bring it back to the magic era of the 70s and 80s.
The township of Lorne has an overwhelming “sense of place” a phrase that was foreign to me, a statement that when researched, finally put my mind at ease – I said to myself – “this is Lorne”.
One of Lorne’s greatest strengths over many generations has been the “power and the passion” of our people, whether it be the creators of the original Lorne Hospital Auxiliary, Lorne Chamber of Commerce or any one of the many sporting and special interest clubs. As our community continues to evolve, the challenge has been to unite and implement a vision for all.
Over the past two years we have taken the opportunity to engage with other sections of our community to make sure that the original Vision and Aspirations were widely accepted. To this end we arranged innovative workshops facilitated by Lorne local Stephen Atkinson, Principal of Reos Partners, an International Management Consultancy. Feedback from these additional workshops confirmed our original goals and aspirations were valid. It was interesting that, on reflection, the participants in the original consultation and feedback for version one of our Aspirations document, all shared one common characteristic; an absolute passion for Lorne.
These consultations elicited a rich and varied suite of perspectives and views that formed the core of these aspirations. However, there were voices still unheard – those of the many non-resident homeowners and most importantly, the inhabitants of this future aspiration – the young people of Lorne. So, we decided to do something about it. Two further consultation sessions took place. The first was at the University of Melbourne where around 50 non-resident home owners convened one evening to share their views, passion and ideas for Lorne’s future. We were not only humbled by the attendance but by the quality of the contribution made – the ideas were strategic, passionate and creative. There were many new ideas building on the previous work and many people willing to support Lorne in whatever way was needed.
The second consultation was with a group of Lorne P-12 College students. It was here with fresh eyes and open hearts that they explored the future they wanted to see for Lorne. From unusually provocative and creative business ideas to multi-generational outdoor community events, the two most outstanding insights for me were the value young people placed on genuinely being and feeling part of Lorne’s close knit community, like an extended family – simply being greeted by name as they walked along the shops was so valuable. Secondly, was the value our kids place on Lorne’s natural features and beauty – the clear, clean ocean and view to the pier on the horizon, the forest at our back and the meeting of one another on the foreshore for picnics and happy gatherings. It is these simple things we mustn’t lose sight of.
We believe that this new release of our Aspirations captures that passion and love of Lorne and its environment and also captures the desire to see Lorne’s natural beauty maintained. Now that our visioning document is complete, it is fair to ask: “where to from here?” This is where the strength of our grass root organisations and clubs, with the encouragement and support of the CfL, begin to work on the actions to make our aspirations become reality.
The consultations undertaken to define Lorne’s Aspirations from a community perspective involved dozens of energised locals representing either themselves as Lorne residents, non-permanent residents and school children or one of twenty-four different local community organisations and clubs.
Lorne’s Aspirational Strategies
These strategies are the main areas on which we need to focus to carry out our Mission.
- Defining and solving issues that put the natural environment at risk
- Leading through collaboration
- Building a vibrant and sustainable local economy
- Creating a community for everyone
- Accommodating Lorne’s future
- Encouraging more visitors who stay longer
The Aspirations document provides more information on the detail of these strategies and the rationale for each. It is a document which we believe, provides a “roadmap” for planning Lorne’s future – a roadmap drawn by the community itself, defining its future.
You can collect a copy of the new Aspirations document for the offices of Great Ocean Road Real Estate or you can download a copy here
Ian Stewart
Chairman, Committee for Lorne
