“Working to make Cygnet a better place to live, work and visit”

HISTORY of The Cygnet Association (Inc)

In 2014 Huon Valley Council (HVC) decided to disband the Cygnet Township Development Committee (CTDC) which, in one name or another, had existed to liaise with Council since the forced Council amalgamations in 1993.

Each township in the municipality had a Township Committee. These formal Council sub-committees met monthly with a councillor as Chair (the then Mayor, Robert Armstrong, in Cygnet’s case) and a staff member to take notes, prepare minutes and agendas.

When the CTDC was disbanded the former members were urged by Council to form an independent association to continue to consult with the community and liaise with Council. Which we did.

The Association has one very simple aim: we try to make Cygnet a better place to live and visit. For everybody.

Like most places Cygnet is a very different place from how it was 50 years ago. Some things are better and some are worse. Exactly which is which depends on your perspective but we can all agree that much has changed. It seems like the pace of that change is accelerating.

Change is inevitable

It is how a community responds to change and how it works together to plan for the future that counts.  A forward thinking response and good planning is the best way to achieve positive results.

As part of the Cygnet Association (Inc) you can be part of that discussion and help us and HVC better understand the needs and aspirations of our diverse community. While this diversity has sometimes created division and tensions  in the past these differences can, and should, be seen as one of our real advantages.

If you call Cygnet “Home”  – whether your family has lived here for generations or you have only recently arrived –  you can join us and be part of shaping the future of your home. You can have as little or as much involvement as you choose. Members are welcome to attend committee meetings. Non members by invitation of the Committee.

Membership is only $5 / year

For membership or any other information please call 0409 950 885 or email cygnetassociation@gmail.com

APPLICATION FORM HERE  Membership form2

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• Working with HVC  we are very pleased to have 17 new Ash trees along Mary Street. These will grow to provide shade in the summer and a colourful display of autumn colours. It will take time but these should become a major feature of our streetscape. As funds permit we hope to plant more. If you would like to ‘sponsor a tree’ or have us plant a ‘memorial tree’ on your behalf please let us know. (No, this is not a photo of some that have just been planted but hopefully they will look like that in a few years).
• As funds become available we hope to plant more of these Lednaw Aerial Ash (fraxinus pennsylvanica)  around the Mary Street car park to enhance this heritage area and complement the existing plantings.

LEFT: how the car park was in 2018                                         RIGHT: how it should be in a few years

• We have a continuing project of installing interpretive plaques on the historic buildings in the township. Cygnet has many old buildings with interesting stories so, as funds allow, we are installing plaques with a bit of this history so that we all get to know and appreciate the town better. We thank all of those who contributed their knowledge and also thank HVC for the funding that has allowed us to do this.
• As we all know there is more and more traffic on Mary Street and, at times, parking is hard to find. We are very pleased that HVC has obtained a commitment from the State Government to spend $5m (in this term of government) to build the planned new street to the east of Mary Street (behind the shops).  This will significantly lessen congestion and provide additional parking. 

• At Council’s urging in 2018 we consulted extensively within the community about the options for the development of the “Old School Farm” land.  Following on from this consultation HVC prepared a new Concept Plan. We now have a far clearer idea of how this strategically located land should be developed for the long term benefit of the entire community. We plan to hold a further round of Community Consultation later this year.
• Pedestrian safety and good access is high on our list.
• We are still hoping that HVC will honour its 2017 pledge to build a safe walkway between the Sailing Club and the Public Jetty and then on towards Catos Bay.  Council has agreed to this but no budget allocation has been made. We have been told that this is “at the top of the list” as grant funds become available but it has been taken off the ‘capital works’ budget.
• We are pleased to announce that a lift to the upstairs of the Town Hall (the Supper Room) has been included in this year’s HVC budget and would like to acknowledge Marrianne Bekkema’s role in lobbying for that this to be installed.

Cygnet 2016 – looking towards the north over the paddock that is now Lourdes Rise

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If you have ideas for projects, want to get involved, or simply want to support our work, new members are very welcome. As are donations!

Membership is only $5 / year.

For membership or any other information please call 0409 950 885 or email cygnetassociation@gmail.com

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