HRDC CEO Guest Speaker At Last Murrumburrah Harden Rotary Meeting

Earlier in March, Murrumburrah Harden Rotary held what will now be their last meeting until the end of April, welcoming a special guest speaker.

Harden Regional Development Corporation (HRDC) Chief Executive Officer Chris Ireland was the last guest speaker to hold a talk for the Rotary members before meetings were postponed.

Chris has been in local government throughout his career, beginning with the Whitsunday Council’s business manager, then Economic Development Officer at the Gold Coast City Council and finally Rockhampton Council’s General Manager.

Chris moved to Harden as he is keen to be involved in small community-based projects.

Three areas of recent focus have been:
1. Apply for all grants possible; currently he has applied for just under $6 million of grants and one for $50,000 has already been awarded to the CWA in Harden.
2. Tourism and Events – some examples include to grow the markets, reinvent the Harden food and wine festival, show some movies for all to enjoy.
3. Build awareness of the region – for example the social media Hilltops Collective page that showcases businesses in Hilltops.

Before the current situation with events changed, Chris had mentioned his plans for more business breakfasts, smaller events such as social evenings and the food and wine festival.

Rotary will be re-evaluating the situation at the end of April to determine when meetings and activities may return.