General News
3 March, 2026
Leadership change and fresh momentum for Advance Avoca
ADVANCE Avoca is looking ahead to 2026 with renewed energy following a change in leadership at its first meeting of the year last week. Bec Wardlaw stepped down as president, with Brendan Veitch elected to the role and Simon Davidson taking on the position of vice president.
Committee member Alana Burge thanked Ms Wardlaw for her contribution to the group and the wider community.
“She did a lot of great things in her time that she was with Advance Avoca. So we appreciate that and she’s still going to stay on and help where she can,” Ms Burge said.
With Mr Veitch and Mr Davidson stepping into leadership positions, Ms Burge said the future looked bright.
“They are both really passionate about the town and the community, so it’s all positive things,” she said.
The group has already begun planning initiatives aimed at boosting Avoca in the year ahead.
“Before Christmas we received a $2000 grant from Pyrenees Shire for Christmas decorations.”
She explained that the short notice before the holiday season meant the funds were held over to be used this year.
“Now we are working on how best to spend that money. $2,000 doesn’t get you a whole lot of commercial-grade Christmas decorations that will last in the outdoors, so we will have to think outside the box on how to deliver that, to make sure it gets the punch that we want.”
Additionally, following the success of last year’s Christmas Street Party, the group is also planning to expand the event in 2026.
“After the success of the Christmas street party last year, we are now looking at doing bigger and better again this year. So that’ll be a big focus this year,” Ms Burge said.
Advance Avoca is also collaborating with Pyrenees Shire Council on plans for a new art installation at the main entrance to town after the shire was successful in securing a $50,000 grant through the Tiny Towns program in 2024.
“That’s (to replace) the wine barrels that were there, that deteriorated over time,” Ms Burge said.
“So the art installation is to give a sense of arrival in Avoca, but also showcase that we are the gateway to the Pyrenees wine region.
She said that while planning for the new art project was in its early stages, community input will be important.
“We are just in the planning stages, working on a brief at the moment. Everyone’s got ideas, everyone’s got a vision of some sort, so there will be some community engagement that will go along with that,” she said.
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