October 2024 eNews

A message from our President

Dear Members and Friends

It’s been another exciting month for Devonport! Since last month, we’ve had our Annual General Meeting and Annual Dinner, where we celebrated the achievements of our local business community, and our members elected a new Executive team. I am honored to continue serving as your President, alongside some existing members re-appointed, and some new faces.

James Foster, Senior Vice President

Tina Treloar, Vice President

Alyssa Mahar, Treasurer

John Alexiou

Kylie Bell

Matthew Jordan

Kerryn Vernon

I would like to extend my thanks to all our Executive Members for their invaluable contributions over the past year. Last year was a great year for DCCI and everyone played a part in that. Our 2024 Annual Report available on our website highlights our success over the past year. Some achievements I am particularly proud of include our 30% membership growth, our increased advocacy efforts, development of our 2024-26 Strategic Plan and renewed partnership with Council and new partnerships with TCCI, Novotel Devonport and many more.

As always, the highlight of our Annual Dinner was the awards presentation. The Business Achiever Award went to Andrew Hillier, CEO of Devonport Chaplaincy, Loaves and Fishes Tasmania and Community Mentoring Tasmania. This award recognises the outstanding contribution of an individual to the local business community. The Business Of The Year Award, awarded each year to recognise the outstanding success of a local business, was awarded to BridgePro Engineering. We would also like to extend a congratulations to BridgePro for recently being awarded the Slipway lease, this project is expected to deliver significant needed investment in the infrastructure and added opportunities for economic growth for our City.

Another highlight of the evening was the guest speaker presentation by futurist, Katy Cooper, who engaged the crowd with insights about the issues and opportunities businesses are likely to face over the next decade and beyond.

In terms of our advocacy efforts over the past month, I am pleased to share some positive news regarding Qantas flights in and out of Devonport. Following discussions, the airline has indicated in writing they will reinstate two early morning flights initially planned for elimination from its weekly schedule. This decision will help facilitate day trips from Devonport to Melbourne and is a testament to the strong advocacy efforts of our Chamber and community leaders.

Just this week I attended several notable events, including Devonport City Council’s State of the City celebration, marking 10 years since the Council announced the Living City Project. This milestone reflects the tremendous progress and transformation our City has undergone. Additionally, I enjoyed attending the TasTafe Trade Excellence Awards, recognising the outstanding skills and achievements of our local tradespeople.

Lastly, I want to highlight the Premier’s recent announcement about the new Spirit of Tasmania vessels. Despite the delays, it’s positive our members and community now have clarity. We will continue working closely with the State Government to support our members over the next two years. We also look forward to regular updates on the berthing infrastructure and ensuring the wider East Devonport area is carefully considered and planned for.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement. Together, we will continue to make Devonport a thriving and prosperous community.

I look forward to seeing you soon at one of our upcoming events.

Best Regards,
Claire Connelly
President, DCCI