Dear Kiama Matters members and friends,

Welcome to our September update. Kiama Matters exists because our community matters - and we know that thoughtful, active participation helps shape the future of our town in ways that reflect its character, values, and people.

This newsletter brings you updates from our current working groups - Technology, Liveability, and Housing.

Thanks for being part of Kiama Matters. We’re stronger when we speak together.

Warm regards,
The Kiama Matters Team

General Meeting – 23 September – 6pm – Kiama Uniting Church

This is an opportunity to: 

·       hear what your committee has been working towards

·       hear what’s been happening in our working groups

·       for us to listen to your concerns on issues in Kiama

·       for the community to help us decide the next areas of interest that we need to work on.

After the meeting we are planning to go to the Grand Hotel for continuing conversations and for those who wish to have some dinner.

We are also planning to hold our Annual General Meeting in November, more details on Tuesday.

Technology Working Group

We’re almost there - thanks to Ian and David, the new website is nearly ready. Soon we’ll have a central place to share updates, highlight community activities, and keep an archive of what’s happening around Kiama.

The Liveability and Open Spaces Working Group identified that to get around our town, many Kiama residents are reliant on friends or some version of public transport, but don’t know what’s available or find it difficult to access. The first issue this Working Group identified is the need to improve accessibility for all residents. We’ve made some progress on our first project: “Getting around Kiama”.

Two of our members recently met with a local hospitality business that is taking the lack of transport options seriously, and are considering starting their own transport service to and from their business. They’re also working to establish a new transport cooperative in town. We’ve offered to partner with them and look forward to seeing how that unfolds.

We’ve started mapping existing transport services. We’ll use this to inform the community about current transport services and to identify the gaps.

We’re keen to hear from any transport providers who may be interested in expanding their existing services. We also welcome your suggestions about transport needs or anyone who knows what transport options existed previously and could be re-visited.

Last week, Janet joined Bernie Hems on Kiama Community Radio to chat about this and the wider work of Kiama Matters. We’ll share the podcast as soon as it’s available.

And of course, if you’re interested in working with us, please contact us at kiamamatters@gmail.com

Positions Vacant!

Kiama Matters is now well underway with a large, energetic and capable group running the operations.

We are now at the stage where we are building our working groups, sourcing information, and building our connections in the community.

To really consolidate, we are looking for like- minded people in the community to focus on building our own resources. So if you have some skills in fundraising, or some interest in our work and want to join our working groups, please get in touch at kiamamatters@gmail.com

What’s On – Community Events and Conversations

1 October - Kiama Council Community Pop Up, Farmers Market

7 October – Kiama Local Transport Forum Meeting

19 October – Illawarra Festival of Architecture and Design, North Wollongong

Kiama Matter Annual Subscription

To keep Kiama Matters running—covering essentials like our website and insurance—we need to introduce a small membership fee: $25 per individual or $40 per household each year. While there’s no obligation to join, being a paid-up member means that if you’d like KM’s backing on an issue you care about, we’ll be able to support you. We’ll also have a donation box at meetings if that’s more your style. Memberships (and donations!) can be taken at Tuesday’s meeting.