Chairperson's Report to AGM Old Bega Hospital Reserve Trust 8 December 2015

At the December 2012 AGM the Trust was finalising its Main Building restoration proposal with a view to presenting it to Mike Kelly, our then Federal Member. In the event, we managed to present it to Mike's staff in late January 2013 and to Mike himself in April. He advised that the only obvious route to such a proposal was via the Southern NSW, Nowra based Regional Development Australia Board. He noted that, as a new election had been called, he could not guarantee and indeed suspected that he would not be in a position to push for the project. He explained that his Government had placed a major responsibility (with back up funds) on the RDA Board to determine the worth of regional projects and, if the Government was returned, would be enhancing its powers and span of work. In the event, the Government was not returned and it seemed that an early direction from the incoming government was to strip most of the powers (and all its funds) away. In January 2013 Richard and Claire representing the Friends had achieved a meeting with Andrew Constance. He appeared to be more cautiously supportive than we had previously experienced and Richard put the case that the PRMF or CBP needed some extra mechanism whereby large projects such as ours would be included in consideration outside the usual grant caps. Andrew agreed and indicated that he would pursue the issue. Andrew, at this time, had been appointed Treasurer so we had high hopes that something would eventuate. Andrew also pointed out that the Trust was never going to succeed with restoration applications that swallowed the whole of the amounts available to the entire area e.g. $300,000, the full CBP amount available for the whole seat of Bega. We didn't apply in2014.

When Mike Kelly lost the seat of Eden-Monaro we felt we had lost our best chance of funding. However we determined to approach the new federal member, Dr Peter Hendy. At the first opportunity, we invited Dr Hendy to visit OBH and discuss the restoration proposal with him. No reaction! So we turned inwards and Richard commenced the draft of a Management Plan as opposed to a formal Plan of Management previously advocated by Crown Lands. Geoff Doyle, our treasurer, became quite ill and we could not organise an audit for our books. We decided to hold off with an AGM until we could do so. Geoff died in July 2014 and Pat had taken over as Treasurer. Just before Geoff died, Crown Lands advised that the Government was planning to provide very generous funding (up to $18 million) via the PRMF. We were encouraged to put in a full proposal and did so. Pat was glad to be able to tell Geoff some encouraging news. Tim wrote a compelling application for close to $300,000 but come January 2015, our hopes were dashed when OBH was granted no money at all. Various Ministers were boasting of the Government's generosity but not to us. Thanks to Tim, Richard and Jay for all the effort put into the application. Tim also advised PRMF that the Trust would be looking for a larger amount in the 2015 round.

The old Trust consisting of Jay, Claire and Pat ended in December 2014 and a new Trust with a full complement of seven trustees was appointed. As Richard had been attending Trust meetings since 2012, it was good to have him able to vote for issues and get formal credit for all the thinking and management documents he had contributed (plus the website development) and continues to do so. Tim came forward in 2014 and offered his business expertise to the Friends and Trust. He suggested that a published Strategy was needed and we began a series of meetings which ended with a strong document which incorporated a description of the working restored Main building, how it meshed with the community and how to go about it. How to go about the funding was crucial. Richard was trawling around and found the federal National Stronger Regions Fund.

On 18 January 2015 the trustees were invited to attend the opening of the Bega Men's Shed. Jay had spent a great deal of effort and time developing the lease agreement between the Trust and the Men's Shed. When Andrew Constance opened the Men's Shed, he then gestured towards the Main Building and indicated that he would now turn his attention to finding the means to restore the building. It seems he was astonished at the enormous cheer that erupted. A month later the trustees were summoned to a meeting with Andrew on site and were astonished to discover that he had arranged for a grant of $500,000 for the restoration of the roof. We then discovered that the grant came with conditions such as seeking equivalent federal funding and acquiring the funding for the full building restoration before any money at all would be handed over - at least $2.5 million more. In due course, the legal agreement document was presented to us and, thanks to Richard's persistence and fine eye for detail, was corrected and signed with a little less of what the Department thought was reasonable and a little more in our favour. We have until October 2016 to raise the money and start building. We made contact with Megan Cleary from the Department of Trade and Investment in Nowra, the person who will administer the grant, and have found her to be very helpful and generous in sharing knowledge and potential funding opportunities.

Clearly, contact with Peter Hendy was called for. We met on site and he was quite amenable to seeking funds on our behalf. He explained that the NSW funding demonstrated state support for the project and, if we could also gain council support that it was a priority project, he could approach federal sources. He suggested that the likely proportion of funding would be 40% state, 40% federal and 20% other sources, and that, with BVSC backing, the Commonwealth would not seek to put OBHRT through all the hoops again. So we turned our attention to seeking the backing of BVSC. In May BVSC was advertising their future plans. Richard responded to the invitation to participate and we managed to be included in the plan which was finalised and published in late June. In fact we were the only extra inclusion to the initial offering. We sought an opportunity to present our full restoration case to all the councillors. Russell Fitzpatrick had accepted an invitation to address the Trust several months before and was an especially important visitor as he was one of the two Far South Coast representatives on the RDA. He gave us some general helpful tips on how to go about our application. Richard and Tim worked on a 20 minute presentation and Tim had managed to acquire overhead pictures of OBH (via a drone) and music by a local musician. We were all very pleased and proud of the production. In the event, it seemed that, with one councillor exception, the presentation was to those to whom we had already spoken to and who were generally supportive. The major response was from the Mayor who suggested that we needed a Business Plan. As no trustee had the necessary expertise to write this plan we enlisted Tim's firm to develop it for us. We accepted the Business Case and Richard amended it so that it stated our intentions.

We sought a further meeting with the CEO, Mayor and Deputy Mayor to present the business case and seek BVSC's commitment to inform Peter Hendy by letter that restoration of OBH was an accepted priority, though not necessarily the highest priority. Richard, Pat and Warren attended this meeting. It rapidly became clear that the BVSC representatives viewed our restoration project vision as a rival (for funding and patronage) to the completed town hall. Richard, with courageous determination and persistence, managed to elicit a commitment to write a letter. Given the obvious tension at the meeting, we consider the letter to be supportive but not effusive. To our surprise, upon sending the letter to Peter Hendy's office, his manager acknowledged it and suggested that there was no need for further action. This was rapidly refuted and passed onto Peter's office in Queanbeyan. Warren had particularly attended as he has brought to our attention that there is a strong case (but no available money or Trust responsibility) for the surrounding properties, several at present on the market, to be acquired and provide a useful potential for a variety of OBH suitable purposes. As a small adjoining area belongs to BVSC he was keen to present the potential to the Council. It was acknowledged but no interest was shown in handing it to OBH. Whether there is an un-acknowledged interest we don't know.

The PRMF grant results were made known in early August. We requested$209,232 but were required to scale that back to most urgent items. $32,500 was granted for specific items. As well, a report from the BVSC heritage Consultant, after the PRMF application had been submitted, indicated that the roof of the Nurses quarters needed replacement. For this, Jay and Richard submitted a further application to the Community Building Partnership for $31,500. We should hear the outcome early in 2016. In addition, we had applied to the local Club Grants for home theatre equipment for the Nurses Quarters, both to enhance the general facilities but also to offer all user groups the opportunity for training. The Merimbula RSL and the Sapphire Bowling Club each contributed $1,000. When the Southern Phone Community grants were announced we applied for the rest of the $5,000 sought. We were granted $3,128.11 and will be able to complete this project i.e. projector, sound bar, screen, chairs, tables, block out curtains.

In late September 2015, Peter Hendy offered a surprise opportunity to apply for funds from his electorate allocation. This was a $ for $ arrangement, and, for once, with the PRMF allocation, we were able to satisfy the conditions. There was some momentary angst about whether the Commonwealth could fund a "state" organisation but it was decided that, as a voluntary incorporated body with separate ABN number, we qualified for inclusion. We had only a brief time to apply (including professional quotes) but Richard and Jay were able to achieve cooperation. We are seeking over $18,000 of a maximum $20,000 and the quotes to install a needed disabled toilet and improve the general toilet in the Main building and enhance the toilets in the Nurses Quarters will just about use up $50,000. This Strengthening Communities fund involves four hoops to jump through. Peter Hendy approved it (hoop 3) and it now rests with the Department in Canberra to give it the final tick. We anticipate an outcome in February 2016.

We can certainly report that we have used every opportunity to seek funds and improvements at OBH. These smaller grants may be able to form part of the 20% 'other' portion of NSRF funding. Richard has been working on other elements e.g. risk management plan of the daunting document requirements for NSRF. He researched the original grants in Round One and learned that RDA considered the professional application submitted by Cardinia Council in Victoria to have established the standard required. He was tenacious enough to follow through and connect with the author of this application, a private firm. They charged $30,000 for the report, an amount we do not have. We had learnt that BVSC is also seeking funding through NSRF and so we are viewed by them as competitors. We had understood that RDA was substantially changed and downgraded when the change of Government occurred but we also understood that the staff would be available to help voluntary organisations write applications or offer helpful critiques of efforts. Recent contact seems to have refuted this possibility and, at present, we understand that the only useful and appropriate contact will be advice of the next round of funding due sometime in 2016. Richard has been the major contributor to this process thus far but it seems that there is still much to be developed as it is likely there will only be a short lead time to apply if the results are to be announced prior to the next federal election due in October 2016.

It has been great to have a full complement of trustees this year. I want to thank John for volunteering to take over as Treasurer and modernising our financial management to include internet banking and programs to offset the resignation of our bookkeeper and auditor. My thanks go to Lyndall Magnusseson as our book keeper and BAS manager and Sangito Carey as auditor for the help they have provided in the past five years. Warren has encouraged us to think outside the OBH site square at what could be and provided examples of what other groups have achieved. Jay, as ever, has provided his long term knowledge of the aesthetics, mechanics and plumbing of OBH, his building, repair and maintenance expertise, his patience and provision of simple diagrams and explanations of aspects of these so that people with no such knowledge (me) can instantly understand the issue, his excellent professional relations with local tradespeople and BVSC staff and consultants and his strong attachment to the restoration project. Thanks also for the time, patience and perseverance it has taken to move (a Crown Lands requirement) all the resident user groups from a simple rental arrangement to a licence process. It hasn't been a totally amicable process with one member of a user group creating problems which relate to the Crown Lands setup not the Trust. Ditto Richard with his magical computer, research and writing skills and willingness to donate the required time to these tasks. How lucky the Trust is to have attracted such complementary skill sets in such a small group. Thanks to Claire for her writing, grammar, spelling and punctuation skills, historical and superb local people knowledge, and David for working on his computer skills and comments from an artistic viewpoint. And grateful thanks to Eric for his faithful mowing and mower care.

When Crown Lands in 2014 was persuading us that this was the opportunity to think big with the high likelihood that our wishes would be granted, a new quantity survey was part of what they hinted would be funded. Fortunately (time wise), the Trust had decided to proceed itself. We had a disastrous experience with an ACT based firm and had to abandon this effort. We chose a Victorian firm known well to David Leser. This was very successful. When the SCF grant came up, and quotes were needed in a hurry, Richard asked the quantity surveyor to amend some of his information. He obliged and we were able to satisfy the conditions of the application. By an amazing coincidence, I was at OBH when the quantity surveyor turned up without warning and wanted to enter the Main Building and check some of his impressions. Fortunately, I had a key and he was able to enter. Richard's deadline was that afternoon so it was lucky I was there.

Next year may turn out to be more intense that 2015 with that Funding Deed deadline ticking over. Still we've made a good start and being able to use grant money to make improvements encourages us all. Thanks to the Friends and the Fundraising Committee for the very successful Raising the Roof Festival on 25 October and in particular the dedicated efforts of Tim Whitaker and Val Little and the financial assistance of sponsors Bega Cheese, BVSC and RD Miller. We were pleased to welcome Mike Kelly our patron and his wife, Peter Hendy, a representative from Andrew Constance, the Mayor, several councillors and the President of the Bega Chamber of Commerce, Mal Barnes and Dr and Mrs John McKee on the day. The weather was perfect and the crowd enjoyed a happy and educational day. The lead up showed up one of our problems with local horse owners (without permission) using our property for agistment. A good outcome for us with BVSC now undertaking to erect a boundary fence which will eliminate access to the OBH site.

So the new year holds the possibility of funding to renew the Nurses quarters roof, improve the toilets in that building and construct an improved toilet and a disability-friendly toilet in the main building, completion of the video projection fitout project and further work on the NSRF and PRMF fronts with outcomes to be announced before the federal election due in October 2016. Our restoration hopes are pinned on success in all these endeavours. This is the closest we have come in the last 11 and a half years to seeing our hopes and dreams become the Old Bega Hospital Regional Community and Cultural Centre.

Pat Jones
8 December 2015