It was a foul Saturday morning, and I was watching the rain drifting past my windows, listening to Radio National's 'Blueprint for Living'. I had put aside thoughts of going down to the Market when a text beeped on my phone. Mary-Anne Thomas is coming to the Farmer's Market - get down here, said Heather.
So I slung the new posters for our Springtime Walks over my shoulder and headed down.
A single image, a single message, and a way to connect.
As I made my way along the market, the billboards got people asking questions, and I could explain more about Barrm Birrm. The under 35s whipped out their phones and hit up the QR code and there they were, at the website!
Waiting at the local member’s tent, I met the office manager, and William, the staffer handling the Barrm Birrm matter, and had a long conversation with Terry Larkins, a Labor Party member and long-time resident of the region who knows the planning system inside out. They all thought we are on the right track, in getting the personal stories of Barrm Birrm out into the community.
Bill West, one of our East Ward Councillors and a veteran of politics in the Macedon Ranges, suggested letters to the newspaper. He took me back in time to a master of pithy letters to the editor who once lived at Mt Macedon, who regularly raised matters the local council would rather not have had in the public eye.
The public eye, and staying in the public eye, but how to capture the public's attention? Count them .... 1, 2, 3 seconds, maybe 5. No more. Time to move on. There's so much messaging coming at us, if we didn't move on, we would die from overload.
Our new signs will go up on the picket fence outside the bakery. Designed by RCL member Lydia Grant, I'm hoping they grab 3 seconds of attention as people come and go from the bakery.
Outside the Bakery, arguably the most trafficked spot in Riddell
When more people get to know Barrm Birrm, more people will speak up, politicians will realise Barrm Birrm is important to people in Riddell, and a way will be found to secure this area as a community asset for a growing town.
Join us for one of our walks, and discover this beautiful bushland on our doorstep.