About Us
Creative Clunes is a not-for-profit incorporated organisation. It is included in the Australian Register of Cultural Organisations. We have a board of management meeting monthly.
Vision Statement
We aim to create and develop the town as a vibrant rural cultural hub for books writing and ideas. We will do this by developing and managing a high level of cultural and artistic experiences for the local community, the regional community and visitors, and by annually staging a nationally and internationally recognised festival-of-the-book. We aim to make Clunes one of the great Booktowns of the world.
Mission Statement
Creative Clunes is committed to hosting and developing cultural experiences of the highest standard. Creative Clunes will work to meet the needs and expectations of all its stakeholders – community, artists, traders, investors, and guests. Creative Clunes will work with energy and enthusiasm to develop and promote the Booktown concept and the town as a cultural hub for books, writing and ideas. Creative Clunes will seek to provide superior artistic development opportunities for writers, artists, performers and the wider community.
Strategic Plan
‘The Next Chapter’, A Strategic and Business Plan 2015 – 2022 underpins many of the organisational objectives in an sustainable sense. Creative Clunes Inc. has committed to professionalising the organisation in terms of artistic and operational management as well as addressing some of the key aspects of organisational governance. Further details can be found in the following document.
Creative Clunes is the parent organisation behind:
- The annual Clunes Booktown Festival in May
- Booktown On Sunday series of Author’s Talks
- The publication of The Clunes Little Book of the Book
- 2018 Host of the International Organisation of Booktowns Conference
- Sponsors regular author promotions, book launches and writing workshops
- The Biannual Clunes Ceramic Award
Donations
Donations to Creative Clunes Inc Trust Fund of $2 or more are tax deductible. Online donations are secure and issued with an instant tax receipt.
Contact
The Clunes Station
PO Box 287, Clunes, 3370
Ph +61 3 5345 3947
visitus@clunesbooktown.com.au
ABN 43846959541
Our Team
Bringing you Clunes Booktown Festival, Booktown On Sunday and The Clunes Ceramic Award
Our Board
Chair
Andrew Reeves
Andrew Reeves is Professorial Fellow and Senior Research Adviser at Deakin University where he works on collaborative research and cultural projects. A historian by training, he worked for many years in Australian museums and published widely in the fields of labour and industrial history and material culture studies.
Treasurer
Christine O'Donnell
Chris (Christine) O’Donnell moved to Clunes in December 2013 and, after volunteering for the 2014 Booktown events, joined the board later that year. Chris has been Treasurer from 2015. Chris is the Director and founder of the Red Door Gallery located in central Clunes and is also a practicing artist.
Board Member
Richard Gilbert
Richard is an Elected member of the State Council of the Australian Union of Locomotive Enginemen; Union representative at Flinders Street for train drivers; Founding member of Ballarat Tramway Museum (1971); Two terms (1980s) as Chair and Executive Officer of the Australasian body ‘Council of Tramway Museums of Australasia’ and President of Victorian Railways Institute.
BOARD MEMBER
Dr Ember Parkin
Ember has experience in the planning and delivery of cultural and heritage infrastructure throughout Victoria and interstate. Ember is interested in the role of culture in regional sustainability with a particular focus on the contribution of culture to social and cultural wellbeing in regional communities. Ember has a Master of Arts in Public History and Heritage from the University of Melbourne.
BOARD MEMBER
Tim Parkin
Tim moved to Clunes in July 2015 with his wife Cathie to become part of a vibrant community (which is Clunes!) and has volunteered for Booktown each year.
Now retired, Tim has a business background in the Finance Sector (Insurance) with experience in liability and property claims management.
Retirement allows Tim to volunteer and support various Clunes community groups.
Board Member
Leslie Falkiner-Rose
Leslie is an experienced print, radio and television journalist who now focuses on strategic communications and collaborative educational, social and cultural change initiatives.
Leslie, who holds a Masters in Philanthropy and Social Investment, is a Trustee of the Ruffin Falkiner Foundation; on the Advisory Board of the Master of Social Impact at Swinburne University; a member of Philanthropy Australia’s Storytelling Steering Group.
Governance
Members Sought for Creative Clunes Inc Board
Would you like to make a difference?
Creative Clunes Inc, the body behind the successful Clunes Booktown Festival, Booktown on Sunday and the Clunes Ceramic Award, and instrumental in the transformation of Clunes, is looking for new board members.
From 2007-2019 Creative Clunes Inc has grown dramatically from a small volunteer-led group to an ambitious multi-activity organisation with dozens of industry partners and sponsors delivering local and international programs.
The volunteer board meets every month and is responsible for high-level strategic and financial decision making. In particular it reviews the activities of the organisation, create policy, oversee employment, offer guidance and be champions of the organisation. We are always looking for board members skilled in a range of areas including finance, governance, the book industry, the creative industries, philanthropy, fund raising, tourism, community engagement and small town transformations.
For more information please contact Richard Mackay-Scollay at manager@clunesbooktown.com.au.
Clunes Ceramic Award
The Clunes Ceramic Award is an initiative of Creative Clunes Inc. and is in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum. To see work from past Award winners and shortlisted artist follow the link below.
International Program
There are many Booktowns recognised over the world. A book town can be identified as a place where second-hand and antiquarian bookshops are concentrated as well as being known for sustainable rural development and tourism. The International Booktown model is being followed in many countries around the world. More information can be found at the link below.