STAG (Strathbogie Tableland Action Group)
STAG is one of eight action groups established across the Shire in 2005 to provide direction to Council regarding community development and strengthening through the development of a Community Action Plan, and to generally act as a liaison between Council and the community.
STAG has four sub-committees all of which include both STAG committee members and members of the community:
Communications sub-committee which oversees:
– Strathbogie Tableland email goup: Bogie-tree
– Tableland Community Directory
– Tableland Talk: our local Community newsletter
– Our Tableland Community Website: strathbogie.org
Emergency sub-committee which:
– liaises with the CFA and Council
– has developed community specific emergency guides
– keeps the emergency information pages on strathbogie.org up to date
– provides: bushfire emergency and preparation information and other general emergency information
– with the Strathbogie Hall committee, it has established a Recovery Hub at the Strathbogie Hall
– has compiled the Strathbogie Tableland Emergency Information Folder, copies of which can be inspected at the Strathbogie General Store, the Recreation Reserve, the Strathbogie Memorial Hall, Boho South Hall, Kelvin View Hall and the Strathbogie Golf club
Melbourne Cup Weekend Festival – Strathbogie sub-committee which:
– is responsible for organising the festivities for the Cup Weekend celebrations held on the Strathbogie Tableland
STAG may be contacted by emailing stag@strathbogie.org
******
Our Purpose
We embrace a set of core values that guide our interactions and shape our collective identity. We believe in fostering a welcoming and inclusive community that celebrates diversity, respects every individual, and supports the well-being of our community members. We are committed to preserving and protecting nature, and to promoting environmental sustainability for the benefit of present and future generations. Together, we strive to create a community that thrive on these principles.
Respect, Inclusion, Support, Diversity, Environmental and Economic Sustainability
In embracing these values, we foster a vibrant, harmonious, and inclusive community where every individual can thrive, and our environment is preserved for future generations. Together we make a positive impact by respecting, supporting, and embracing the diverse voices that enrich our shared experience while working toward a sustainable and environmentally conscious future.
******
The 2025 AGM of the Strathbogie Tableland Action Group was held on Sunday 21st September at the Strathbogie Memorial Hall.
The 2025 /2026 STAG Committee comprises:
Chairperson – Adrian Beard
Deputy Chairperson – Wayne Kelly
Treasurer – Henry O’Connor
Secretary – Alison Angus
The general committee are:
Pennie Beard (Assistant Secretary), Tess Scanlon, Marion Roberts, Stuart Bridgman, Donna Parsons, Joel Ingham
The STAG report
The following notes are from our most recent Strathbogie Tableland Action Group meeting, which was held on Sunday 15th Februrary 2026 at the Boho South Hall.
- Local groups are encouraged to contact STAG to assist them with obtaining grants for projects. Now is the time to complete funding applications.
- The misuse of the recycle bins at the Strathbogie Recreation Reserve continues. STAG is working with the Shire for a solution. STAG will update the community when a solution is found.
- The community directory is at the printers, and it is hoped that it will be delivered with the next edition of Tableland Talk.
- STAG will meet with representatives on the Strathbogie Shire Council to discuss gaps in services that we experienced during the recent local emergencies.
- Community bus service to Euroa: Marion’s survey for the community bus received almost 100 responses. The data from the responses is being reviewed.
- STAG is creating an account with Refuelling Solutions/Maxi-Tankers, (the company who manages the diesel facility at the Strathbogie Recreation Ground), which will provide STAG with access to diesel refuelling during power outages. The intention is for STAG to keep the generator working during extended power outages. Refuelling Solutions have advised that they will donate the fuel to run the Recreation Ground and Strathbogie Memorial Hall generators during these power outages.
- Cleanup Strathbogie Day will be on Cleanup Australia day: Sunday 1st March. STAG will provide the BBQ lunch for all helpers – most likely to be held at the Strathbogie Recreation ground.
- There seems to be much uncertainty in the Community as to what the Bushfire Place of Last Resort (Neighbourhood Safer Place) is and is not. STAG will have the Emergency subcommittee provide a clear communication piece on what to expect if it is opened.
- The next STAG meeting will be held on Sunday 18th January, most likely at the Strathbogie Memorial Hall.
*************
AGM reports of the subcommittees:
COMMUNICATION SUB COMMITTEE Annual Report 2025
This subcommittee was originally established to create a community website in 2007. Over the years there have been many volunteers. We thank them all. Our team collectively initiates, coordinates, oversees and delivers various Tableland communications activities to help our community share information, to facilitate support and belonging. We meet via Teams meetings set up by Fiona Townsend most months of the year.
The Communication Subcommittee manage:
- Strathbogie Tableland Website strathbogie.org
- Tableland Talk
- Strathbogie Tree
- Strathbogie Tableland Community Directory
Strathbogie Tableland Community Website www.strathbogie.org
The website continues to be a valuable online source of information about all things on the Tableland. The Committee has been working steadily towards a better and more relevant community website. Many features such as Tableland Talk and the Community Directory are accessed on a regular basis. Some are accessed as required. Others such as the Emergency page provide awareness and access to a massive range of resources. Make sure you check it out.
The registration of the domain name: strathbogie.org is currently with delamere.org and the website host is bluehost.com. To ensure smooth management we have shared access details with all subcommittee members. We are fortunate to have Johnno O’Brien’s skills and commitment.to maintain the website.
Assistance is available for all groups who would like to add a page. Contact us: bogieweb@strathbogie.org
Tableland Talk https://strathbogie.org/?page_id=96
Tableland Talk is a newsletter that provides a valuable source of information across the Tableland on a monthly basis. It has continued to grow in size and significance, providing a wonderful avenue for advertising, notification of events and reporting on events of local interest.
Tableland Talk is now printed at Euroa Printers. We acknowledge the tireless work of Sean Mathews who has sourced contributions, and compiled and printed Tableland Talk each month. We also wish to acknowledge the current distribution team members John and Heather Pearce and extend our sincere gratitude to Ben and Olwyn Brook who undertook this role for many years. We also appreciate the contribution of Juana McKeachie in managing the accounts.
Bogie tree
The bogie tree is a remarkable resource used by most on the Tableland. Stuart Bridgman is the administrator, with support as required, from Johnno O’Brien.
The primary role is as a local noticeboard enabling ride sharing; advertising local functions; arranging pickups; advising of stock on roads and trees down; sharing information from the Strathbogie Shire; and also, for selling and giving away just about anything.
During the year Google Groups closed our account (again), so we agreed to trial Gaggle Mail. STAG ran a very successful pizza night to pay for this new email service. It seems to be working very well. There are currently about 410 members. The period without our community email Group highlighted just how reliant we are on it. We acknowledge the many hours that Stuart and Johnno spent investigating and resolving this issue.
Strathbogie Tableland Community Directory https://strathbogie.org/?page_id=231
The Strathbogie Tableland Community Directory, last updated in 2018, is still a valuable tool in many households. The online version is also used by many. The directory is about to be updated, so watch out for notifications to ensure your details are current for the updated version
We look forward to an exciting year ahead. Contact us: comms.committee@strathbogie.org
STAG Communication Subcommittee Helen Peters, Sean Mathews, Fiona Townsend, Johnno O’Brien, Stuart Bridgman, Juana McKeachie and Ellen Conroy
Emergency Sub-committee Report Annual Report 2025
The role of the Emergency sub-committee is to: liaise with the CFA and Council on Tableland emergency preparedness and responses, develop and update community emergency guides, and prepare and oversee (in collaboration with the Hall Committee) the running of a Recovery Hub for the Tableland community at the Strathbogie Hall.
This sub-committee comprises: Helen Peters, Kath Handasyde, Stuart Bridgman, Kim Usher, Michael Flatt
- Strathbogie Tableland Recovery Hub
The Emergency Sub-committee has met with representatives from a range of emergency service providers and has identified actions for the development of a community recovery plan.
One key idea was the development of a community Recovery Hub, based at the Strathbogie Memorial Hall, to assist people after, and during, an emergency, such as a fire, or during heat waves. This is now ready for operation. A local facility, such as this, is particularly important in the first 72 hours after a major emergency event, as our Tableland community may be isolated, and Government and Council services generally take several days to put emergency responses into place. We have a set of items, stored at the Strathbogie Hall, plus lists of additional gear we will need after an emergency. We have completed a set of guidelines and planning information for running the hub. There are 5 Committee members and 22 volunteers, who have put their hands up to assist in running our recovery hub during and post an emergency. We would welcome any additional volunteers, as not everyone will be available after an emergency, in particular because some of our volunteers are also members of our local CFA brigades.
A quick Response Grant of $1,000, from the Strathbogie Shire Council, was obtained to fund items/gear needed for the Recovery Hub, as well as funding to cover the hall rent for the Bushfire Sunday and the Winter Home Fire Safe Day. All of the items funded by this grant have now been purchased, and are stored at the Hall. Consumables, such as tea, coffee biscuits etc. will be replenished in Oct each year, at the start of the fire season. Local fundraising, such as the Container Deposit Scheme, will be used for the purchase of these items.
- Strathbogie Tableland LEAP project
The LEAP (Local Emergency Action Plan) was a Federally funded project to assist local communities, in collaboration with local Shire Councils, to develop more skills and resilience to deal with emergency events. The Strathbogie Tableland LEAP Steering Committee included all members of the Emergency Committee, plus members of the Hall Committee and the CFA, as well as other emergency services and representatives from the Strathbogie Shire Council. After a lot of work, the LEAP document was put up for public comment, and is now complete, and has been released. A copy is available on our Strathbogie website: Strathbogie.org
In Feb 2025, as part of our LEAP project, we were able to run a Psychological First Aid course, delivered by the Red Cross, for 20 people in our Tableland community. This course trained people on how to provide support to assist people impacted by an emergency, disaster or traumatic event.
In support of emergency response and recovery, several of us were also able to enroll in the Red Cross First Aid course run out of the Murrindindi LEAP project.
Another course that we were able to provide, funded from our LEAP project, was a Certificate Chainsaw course. This course, for 8 people, ran in March 2025 and covered the safe operation and maintenance of chainsaws, and how to trim and cut felled trees, with the idea of having more skills in our community, including to assist when we have fallen trees around the Tableland, where we have frequent storms and tree falls.
- Emergency folders
The Committee has gathered and printed emergency information which is presented in emergency folders, as well as being loaded onto our community website: Strathbogie.org. The information contained in the folders includes contact details of numerous emergency and government agencies that would be involved. Folders also include what to do in preparation for, during and after: fires, storms and floods, heat waves and medical emergencies. The CFA kindly contributed a substantial amount of the information on fire, in the form of their training and information pamphlets. We have also produced maps of the main exit routes off the Tableland, the location of the Tableland Bushfire Place of Last Resort (at the Strathbogie Golf Club) and the locations of the defibrillators on the Tableland. Folders containing this information have been lodged at the Strathbogie Memorial Hall, Boho South Hall, Kelvin View School Hall, Strathbogie Golf Club, the Strathbogie General Store and the Strathbogie Recreation Ground. Our Tableland map is also displayed on our community noticeboard in Strathbogie.
Members of the sub-committee have met with representatives from the CFA to discuss ways in which the community can be encouraged to form, and participate in, local Fireguard Groups.
- Emergency pages on our community website:
The Emergency pages on our community website, Strathbogie.org are updated as new information comes to hand. Information, and links to emergency and recovery services, have been uploaded and the web pages are separated into different types of emergency events to provide easier access.
- Reprint of the Emergency Information Pamphlet
We have had more copies of the double-sided Emergency Information Pamphlet printed. We provide these to members of our Tableland community. We also include them with material handed out on CFAs Bushfire Sunday, and put one into each STAG Welcome Pack for new residents on the Tableland, plus hand them out at other community events.
Safer Roads Strathbogie Annual Report 2025
- Since our inception, Safer Roads Strathbogie has been in consultation with Council regarding lowering the speed limit on Tableland roads. We’ve recently been informed that three roads on the Tableland are being funded by TAC for works including speed limit reduction, along with installation of guard barrier rails. The roads which have been deemed by Council as particularly dangerous are – Harrys Creek, Euroa-Strathbogie and Longwood-Ruffy Roads. These projects are currently out for tender and it’s expected that construction will commence in February next year (after school holiday tourist peak time).
- SRS has negotiated with Council to have wildlife warning signs put up across the Tablelands. To date approximately 20 signs have been placed at wildlife ‘hotspots’ and this work is ongoing.
- We’ve purchased and erected ‘slow down/wildlife’ signs at the exits of Memorial Hall, Golf Club and Recreation Ground.
- SRS organised and cooked pizzas at the end-of-season Recreation Ground gathering, as a fundraiser.
- We’ve produced articles in Tableland Talk and on Bogie Tree email network to increase awareness of heightened times of wildlife on roads, safer road use generally, how to respond to dead or injured wildlife responsibly and phone numbers to call for injured wildlife assistance.
- Designed car stickers for production to raise awareness of animal welfare on roads and to raise funds for the group. We hope these will soon be for sale.
- SRS addressed community safety concerns raised after the most recent kangaroo shootings on the Golf Course, which resulted in recommendations to the Golf Club Committee. These recommendations are that notice be given to the general public through front-gate signage and that broader notification be made to all adjoining properties when kangaroo culling is to take place.
- Our group has now resigned as a sub-committee of STAG as we see ourselves moving forward more effectively as an independent group.