Guest Speaker Craig Fletcher - Sovereign Hill 28/7/22 Gallery

This week were indeed fortunate to have the Chair of the Sovereign Hill Board, Craig Fletcher address the Club. Craig provided members with a very clear and passionate over- view of the thinking behind the formation of Sovereign Hill's Master Plan.

Key among these were the need to reach new audiences and strengthen social impact, create 'immersive' experiences, demonstrate environmental leadership, em- brace cultural diversity, establish a resilience business model and contribute to the prosperity of the Ballarat community.

Some key numbers associated with these objectives include plans to increase from 2020 to 2040: student days from 109,693 to 277,200; intrastate visitation from 110,200 to 278,300, international visitation from 117,100 to 387,700; an additional 1,230 jobs and a benefit to the Ballarat region of an additional $191 million.

Crucial developments planned include the creation of two Australian Centres of Excellence; one in Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades and another in Gold Rush Collections. Also planned is a new entry building, revitalisation of the gold panning area, an Indigenous cultural precinct and a new function space. Thanks to Wes McKnight for inviting Craig to provide such a wonderful insight into the future plans for one of our City's most significant institutions

The Club was also very pleased to welcome our Paul Harris Fellow awardee Des Hudson to our most recent meeting. Des spoke briefly about his involvement as Chair of the Ballarat and District Youth Suicide Awareness Network. He invited all members to attend the Network's Gala Dinner on August 13, 2022.