IN front of a gathering of fifteen friends, family, and colleagues, Dr Cameron (Jamie) Hogan, a lobbyist from Stratford, officially opened the new Jamie Hogan Activist and Lobbyist offices on Friday, March 22.
The former Deputy Premier (1982-89), Robert Fordham AM was a guest of honour.
It was a serendipitous occasion for Dr Hogan, who said he had looked up to Mr Fordham for years.
In 1981, when Dr Hogan ventured into politics by joining a youth policy committee in Melbourne, he recalled that Mr Fordham was a guest speaker at his first meeting, which left a lasting impression on him.
“I was so impressed with the way he worked with us as young people that I thought, ‘I want to be like that man.’”
Dr Hogan mused, “But I didn’t know how I was going to be like that man.”
“A month later (after the meeting) I resigned from the public service, and I went to Phillips Institute and completed a youth work degree all because I was inspired by Bob Fordham.
“Now here I am with Bob Fordham opening our new offices.”
Mr Fordham said as he unveiled the plaque commemorating the occasion: “We welcome this initiative, we welcome the move to this location, and it’s with great pleasure that I officially declare these new premises open.”
He also highlighted the significance of community groups, calling them the “fabric of our communities”.
Now comfortably settled into the offices on Foster St in Sale, Dr Hogan expressed his pride in them.
“People can drive past and see our name on the window. Colleagues have their own (private) offices, and we’ve got a board room now where we can have round-table discussions,” he said.
The transition to the offices has not been smooth sailing, mainly due to the “pressure” to relocate from their former premises at the Derek Amos Community Hub on Raymond St.
Over the past year, Dr Hogan has been at odds with the Wellington Shire Council over the future of the Derek Amos Community Hub, which he managed until January.
Dr Hogan ran his lobbyist group out of the Community Hub, along with other community groups, including the Wellington Toy Library, Sale Food Support Network, Bug Blitz, and the University of the Third Age.
Since the state government took over, groups have moved on, closed, or are looking for alternative locations.
This was a key topic in Dr Hogan’s address at Friday’s Grand Opening.
“We need to find a home for community groups that council are effectively throwing out on their ear and not helping them,” he said.
“If they don’t have anywhere to go, organisations just close.”
Dr Hogan made two declarations towards the end of his speech.
The first was to announce his candidacy for Northern Ward councillor in this year’s Wellington Shire Council elections, which will be held on Saturday, October 26.
This comes as the Gippsland Times reported on Dr Hogan’s priorities for the region in last Friday’s issue.
Operating under the slogan ‘making your concerns his concerns’, Dr Hogan said he also wants to revitalise the three ‘Rs’ of local government – roads, rates, and rubbish.
The Stratford local said roads in the Northern Ward need to be better.
“The roads out to Tinamba, Heyfield, Dargo, out to the Quarries and Blue Pool, where many people go in summer … some of the patch-up jobs are terrible,” he said.
The second announcement he made was that a “think tank” to be named in Derek Amos’ honour will be headquartered at the new offices. The think tank will conduct research on various community issues.
As Dr Hogan concluded his speech he thanked Michael Davis who is the Practice Manager of the lobbyist group and Naticia Thornton who is Dr Hogan’s personal assistant for coordinating the move.
