The Grafton Chamber of Commerce has had a busy few weeks, with events, meetings, and planning for upcoming events.
On Wednesday March 15 we had our monthly breakfast at the Clocktower Hotel. The breakfast had a Youth Week theme, and executive member Jeremy Jablonski was the host. Jeremy has a passion for encouraging and developing the youth of the Valley and he works with young people at The New School of Arts in South Grafton. Jeremy is also a significant presence in the local business community, with his business Jempire Events offering a range of services including event management, sound, lighting, FX, mobile DJ, and entertainment; and he is passionate about business and advancing the interests of the local business community. With a “foot in both camps” and knowledge of issues affecting both the youth and business communities, Jeremy was the perfect compere for our breakfast.
Our presenters for the breakfast were equally impressive – Giane Smajstr (Youth Coordinator for Office for Regional Youth), Allira Newton (Community Development Youth Officer from CVC), and Amanda Daffey (Coordinator/Youth Worker from New School of Arts Clarence Valley Youth Hubs and the 2022 Grafton Jacaranda Festival Ambassador). Their knowledge and enthusiasm were plain to see, and they started their presentation by introducing the Chamber to a new tool, the Menti platform. This enabled all in attendance to participate in the discussion and answer a series of questions by typing the answers on their phones. Everyone was able to participate without having to worry about speaking in front of a crowd, and the response from the attendees was that the use of Menti was a fantastic innovation and something that people were keen to see in use in Chamber events in future. We were also shown the Youth Week program and there are some great events planned for the Clarence Valley, which is wonderful to see!
As usual, we were extremely well looked after by the Clocktower with a delicious, cooked breakfast and much needed hot coffee! Thanks to our speakers and the Clocktower for a fantastic breakfast!
We have our Business After Hours coming up on Wednesday April 5 at 5.30pm at the Clocktower Hotel. Tickets will be available on the Chamber website.
Our breakfast for April is going to be a week later than usual as we have pushed it back due to school holidays. The breakfast will be on Wednesday April 26 at 7am at the Clocktower Hotel.
With a lot of community concern about crime in Grafton at the moment, we have decided to dedicate our April breakfast to this issue and are going to have Richard Garrels, the new Inspector at Grafton Police Station, as well as a representative from PCYC coming to talk. We will also have a presentation about the upcoming Prince Street event on Saturday May 20. It’s going to be a jam-packed breakfast with a lot to fit in, and it’s not to be missed! Once bookings are open, we ask that people get in early and book their spot well in advance. This is because tickets are likely to sell out, and we also want to make things as easy as possible for the Clocktower for catering. The Clocktower always look after us so well, and we want to make sure we look after them as well. Keep an eye on our website as tickets will become available soon.
Just a reminder as well that we have a big event coming up on May 20 which is in collaboration with Clarence Valley Council and the Grafton Jacaranda Festival. This is part of the Rediscover Grafton initiative and is a chance to celebrate and support our fantastic local businesses in Prince Street. The event will be ticketed, but tickets will be free. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook pages for more details closer to the time.
Planning is also well underway for our events which will take place later in the year. If you have ever thought about coming to one of our events, please do so – we would love to see you and always welcome new members. The Chamber is a very friendly group, and it’s easy to find someone to chat to as everyone there has an interest in the local community, and it is a positive, inclusive group. Check our website for details of what we are up to, and you can always have a chat to one of our executive team if you have any questions.
Jennifer McLellan