The Chewton Domain Society (CDS), a charity registered The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and incorporated in 1996 with Consumer Affairs Victoria representing its members.
In 1995, the eleven allotments involving the Post Office, the Town Hall and the Park were consolidated into a single title by the then custodian, the Shire of Metcalfe. Later the same year Metcalfe Shire and its assets were absorbed by the newly created Shire of Mount Alexander. In April 1996, the new Shire Council put the Chewton Post Office on a list of assets for sale. The townsfolk rallied to maintain local public ownership of the important and much loved local post office.
In response to the many expressions of community feeling, the Shire Commissioners offered the Post Office back to the people of Chewton, along with the Town Hall and Ellery Park. A local committee was formed and held a community meeting in the Town Hall on November 24th 1996. That meeting adopted ‘Chewton Township Domain’ as the name for the precinct, and the ‘Chewton Domain Society’ was founded to act as its community ownership body.
The purposes of the CDS as listed in the CDS Constitution of the association are:
- to own the Chewton Post Office, Town Hall and adjacent park, collectively known as the Chewton Township Domain; and to do so as representative of and on behalf of the people of Chewton.
- to manage, preserve and improve the said assets, maintaining them in appropriate public use and service firstly in the best interests and for the benefit of the people of Chewton; and secondly, in the interests of the wider society. In all cases having special regard to the heritage and environmental values of the assets.
- to do all that is in the Society’s power to ensure perpetuity of community ownership of said assets by the Society or by a similar body representing the people of Chewton.
- to similarly act as custodians of any other community assets of Chewton which may from time to time require and become available for such custodianship, provided that the additional responsibilities are deemed feasible and appropriate by the Society in general meeting and in consultation with the other organisations and people of Chewton.
- to foster local pride in the community assets held by the Society; promote activities which maintain them as significant factors in local public life; and encourage community participation in the tasks involved in all these purposes.
- to raise, manage and disburse funds in pursuance of all these purposes.
The task of managing, preserving and improving these assets is now handled by the volunteer Chewton Domain Society (CDS) Management Committee elected by CDS members at an Annual General Meeting.
To do this we depend on the rental from the Chewton Post Office (a favourable rent as one of our main purposes is to maintain a post office business in the original building), community use of the town hall, donations, memberships supplemented by state and federal government funding programs.
The CDS:
- manages the maintenance, development, usage and leasing arrangements of the buildings and grounds including Ellery Park and its free community BBQ facilities and public toilet.
- manages the People and Places Historic Display in the Chewton Town Hall open on the first and second Sundays of the month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- produces the monthly Chewton Chat community newspaper that promotes Chewton and its district, circulates local news and provides an opportunity for local organizations and businesses to promote themselves and their activities.
- manages the Chewton community website and Chewton.net Facebook page.
- manages the annual Monster Meeting events, maintains the monstermeeting.net website and Monster Meeting Facebook page.
You can join the CDS:
All interested people are welcomed and encouraged to become CDS members and become an integral part of our community.
Current annual membership is $10.
Or click here for the form…
CLICK HERE for CDS membership application/renewal form – coming soon!
Enquiries or expressions of interest regarding sub-committee participation are welcomed and can be made to any member of the Management Committee, or to the secretary.
The CDS can be contacted by:
Mail: P.O. Box 85 Chewton, 3451
Email: secretary@chewton.net
Executive members:
President: Hilary Blackshaw
Vice President: Marion Landy
Secretary: Marie Jones
Treasurer: Kerry Bourke
Committee members:
John Ellis
Christine Murphy
Pat Healy
Beverley Bloxham
The CDS is committed to providing a child safe environment and being a Child Safe Organisation in accordance with the Victorian Child Safe Standards 2017.