On 13 July the Brighton mu­nicipality received a visit from Her Excellency, the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, Governor of Tasmania, alongside Emeritus Professor Don Chalmers AO. Her Excellency and Professor Chalmers were accompanied throughout the day by Mayor Leigh Gray, Mrs Prue Gray and Acting General Manager of Brighton Council Mrs Janine Banks.

The day began with a visit to the Brighton Civic Centre in Bridgewater where Mayor Gray welcomed the Governor. Mr Paul Mabb from tagari lia conducted a Welcome to Coun­try. Café Connections hosted the morning tea while Her Excellency had the chance to meet and talk with members of community groups and services from the Civic Centre, such as Bridgewater Library, Centacare Evolve Housing, the Brighton Food Hub and the kutalayna Collective.

Her Excellency then enjoyed a tour of Mona’s Botanical Institute and the 24 Carrot Garden headquarters by CEO of the Material Institute, Sarah Proud. Her Excellency had the opportunity to learn about their sustainability work as well as their partnerships across the municipality, such as with Landcare Tasmania, the Der­went Estuary Program and the Derwent Catchment Project.

Guests on the day enjoyed trying a special shot of The Botanicals ‘fire tonic’ to warm everyone up on a cold winters morning. Pottery making was underway and Her Excellen­cy was able to make her own unique mark in a special bowl to mark the occasion of her visit.

Next on the agenda was visiting Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Owner Greg Irons introduced Her Excellency to a selection of resident animal friends.

The last stop was a visit to the award-winning Brighton Regional Sports Pavilion. Opened last year, this state-of-the-art facility recently won the AFL’s Ken Gannon Community Facility Award. The day ended here with a Civic Reception and Lunch. Mayor Gray delivered an address as he presented a gift and copy of the masterplans for key developments currently being undertaken in the Brigh­ton municipality.

“We are a place and community that is planning for the future,” said the Mayor. “We have a 2050 Vision, and nothing is standing still. Our population is expected to increase by 50% over the next decade. This growth brings with it many challenges and opportunities, which our Council is planning for.”