MEEPPA president Franc Smith and chairwoman Clare Worsnop cut the cake surrounded by association members and guests. 51281Picture: Greg Carrick
By Casey Neill
MOUNT Evelyn Environment Protection and Progress Association has notched up a first class century.
MEEPPA held its 100th annual general meeting (AGM) on 2 August and celebrated with cake and special guests.
Thursday 8 July marked 100 years since the official opening of the Mount Evelyn Primary School, following a hard fought community campaign.
The campaign’s leaders formed the Mount Evelyn Progress Association and held its first formal AGM in the Mount Evelyn Station House in 1910.
The group added environment protection to its name in 1972 to protect against inappropriate development in the town.
“MEEPPA demonstrates the unique blend that can exist between environment and progress,” president Franc Smith said.
Mr Smith said MEEPPA had a proud history of “working to protect the Mount Evelyn community from inappropriate development and the destruction of our natural environment, while embracing sustainable changes as the township evolves and progresses.”
He said the group’s future sustainability “as with all other community groups, will ebb and flow.”
“It is my fervent hope that with increased vigilance and incentives, which will challenge bodies such as the Yarra Ranges Council, volunteers from a younger generation will gradually be imbued with a spirit of ‘community and place’ to fill the voids in which ‘future’ will certainly inflict its cost on us.”
