IT will be a homecoming of sorts for Father Bob Maguire this Saturday when he arrives in Ballan to preach the good word of vibrant communities.
Father Bob told the Weekly he ran a refuge for street kids in Morrisons back in the 1980s.
“We had a 120-hectare farm which ran into the state forest,” he recalled. “It lasted only a year or so as some kids struggled with it. [But] it’s something I’d like to see revisited.”
Saturday’s free ‘vibrant communities’ conference, at the Ballan Mechanics Institute and Ballan District Community House from 9.30am, will also feature political cartoonist Simon Kneebone.
Workshops will focus on governance for committees, motivating and recruiting volunteers, using the media to your advantage, and how the three tiers of government work.
Father Bob said his job in life was to motivate people of all ages to engage with their community. “We need to devolve leadership from council to the people, with co-ordination and co-operation and people accepting responsibility.
“Local communities are the antidote to the virus of politics and social exclusion.”
Registrations essential. Details: 5366 7100.
