Progressing Cobden

This plaque is located on the front wall of the Cobden Civic Hall, Victoria St.

Progressing Cobden is the latest version of many earlier community organisations prepared to make their views known, not only to government but to anyone who would listen really!
Between 1840 and 1956, groups like the Heytesbury Farmers and Property Union, the Cobden Residents and Ratepayers Union, the Heytesbury Progress and Traders Association, the Cobden and District Progress Association and the Cobden Traders were set up to consider many local issues including the condition of roads. Sound familiar?

Between March 4th-14th 1955, the Cobden Traders Association led by president J W Blake organised a ten-day centenary Back-to-Cobden event which included a mardi gras, dancing in streets and halls, a race meeting, pictures, church services, a swimming carnival, concerts, a ball, a factory visit, sports, a talent quest, a procession and a gymkhana.

The Cobden Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1956 with 66 members. It was this group that laid the foundations for the “mover and shaker” known as Progressing Cobden.

Between 1956 and 2002, the chamber was instrumental in projects that made a big difference to Cobden’s fortunes eg the establishment of Cobden Technical School, the building of an airstrip, the first moves towards a community bank, the introduction of Spring festivals and Christmas celebrations, to name a few.

In March 1985, the chamber organised the sesquicentenary (150 years) of Cobden in the form of a successful country fair.
When the business-orientated chamber of commerce was established, Jim Gleeson was president and Reg Rix secretary. Since then, presidents have included Bob Gibb, Marie Smith, Alma MacDonald, Delys Hudgson, J L Walsh, Graham Parlour, Duncan Morris, Peter Mason and Milton Parlour.

Secretaries and/or treasurers have been Trevor Nelson, Jane Denney, Malcolm Roberts, Ian Pollard, Heather Matthews, Jill Savage and, more recently, Frank Martin, Gary Kimber and Kelvin White.

A change to include town residents (not just business people), was made in the late 1990s which saw the Chamber of Commerce become Progressing Cobden Inc with president  J L Walsh handing over to Milton Parlour in 2003. Five years later, Progressing Cobden decided to use a leadership group model with members sharing the chairing of meetings and minute-taking.

Ventures since then have included the strategic Twenty20 Vision Community Action Plan, designed to take Cobden into the 21st century with several actions implemented eg formation of the Cobden Business Network, the Grand Tourism Plan and town appearance projects like new entrance signs.

The Lake Cobden project has been a feature in recent years with much voluntary effort put into turning our good, old dam into an elegant lake with fishing jetties, a barbecue shelter, solar lights, appropriate vegetation and a walking path on both sides of the lake.

Janet van Leerdam, Alma MacDonald, Alan Hart, Marie Smith and Barb Cowley were integral in leading the recently-retired Spring Festival through most of its 24 years.

Other Progressing Cobden groups and activities have included the Christmas Celebrations, the Pioneer Park, Connecting Cobden and Re-Connecting Cobden, the Phoenix Project, the Cobden Story, the Visitors’ Centre, the Free Camp and Dump Point, our website and social media platforms, our podcasts and the Cobden and District Historical Society.

Progressing Cobden meets in the Heytesbury Room (Civic Hall) on the first Monday of every month at 7pm. All residents are welcome – younger, older, students, working or retired, newly-arrived, anyone with an interest in making Cobden and district an even better place to live.