Business Meet-up with our new Mayor - Sam Coupland

I attended an interesting meeting yesterday. I'm a member of the New England Buinsess Chamber and we gathered yesterday evening to meet, talk to, and hear an address from our new mayor for the Armidale Regional Council, Sam Coupland. 

It was held, of all place, in a brewery. The Geat Hops Brewery lies in a field on the edge of town. This might seem an unlikely place for such an event, but in practice it was perfect. Apart from the brewing gear, the huge shed had many tables where guests could sit, sip their drinks, and consume various nibbles. Alternatively, there was a lot of space to walk around and talk to not just the mayor and his deputy but also many friends. There was also a great choice of beers, wines and other drinks.

I had good discussions with Sam and his deputy, Todd Redwood. And, more importantly, our discussions gave me great hops that Armidale's council would offer great leadership in developing our town and region - something rather missing in recent years.

And here's some pictures of what I saw. The first one shows the large bar that served us drinks

This picture shows the shed's beer making equipment

Here's a long-term colleague whom I play against at the Armidale Bridge Club, Robyn Coupland,. But you can also some of the tables that are scattered around the facility.

And, finally, here's Sam giving his presentation. He spoke eloquently about Council's problems and prospects and aims for the future ... issues and ideas that received great applause. Note also the keyboard alongside, which was used to warm the shed's atmosphere and enthuse the crowd of business-people.

Altogether, it was nice night out and it countered an otherwise dismal day climaitically - one where the sun went missing and grey skies dumped one shower after another all through the day. Fortunately, the shed we were in didn't leak!

AS