The (ex) President VPELA President announces retirement

After 10 years of service as VPELA’s President, I have decided to resign from that role and hand over the reins to the next custodian of this wonderful Association.

Those of you who know me will know how much I have loved serving the Association as its President and on its Board. Being involved with VPELA has gifted me the opportunity to work with Ministers, judges, members of the Tribunal and talented professionals in the private and public sectors all in the advancement of planning and the related disciplines in Victoria.

From running a seminar to delivering the Christmas party welcome from atop a bar, VPELA has presented me with countless occasions to learn, to suppress my harsh inner critic and to meet and interview idols and heroes at conferences and events.

My real passion has always been the inclusive nature of VPELA and the important role that the Board and President have in bringing people from diverse professional disciplines together to debate and learn about ideas, philosophies, ethics, and, of course….car parking rates.

I’ve made so many lifelong friends from within the VPELA family and have laughed and had so much fun along the way – I am truly indebted to the membership and the Board for trusting me to be the custodian for the term of my Presidency and for providing so many treasured, joyful memories. I will always feel that VPELA gave me so much more than I could have ever dreamed of giving it in return.

I want to make particular mention of Jane Power and to thank her for her decades of service to VPELA. Jane has seen me through pregnancy, partnership, problem solving, time spent in nearly every role that VPELA has to offer, and now also a pandemic. The ease with which I was able to serve as President is able to be attributed to Jane. She is, and always has been,

Tamara Brezzi President, VPELA

a committed and passionate leader of VPELA who brings her exemplary organisational skills to every single seminar, Board meeting, conference committee and annual dinner. Thank you Jane for making being involved in VPELA such a joy.

I thank all of the Board members who I have worked with over the years, but in particular, sincere thanks must be paid to Kathy Mitchell who originally tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a little (or not so little) shove of encouragement to stand for the Board in the first place.

It has been such a joy to be so closely involved with the VPELA community. So few professional associations draw together a mix of professions bound by a common interest as significant as the development, protection and creation of great places for people to work, rest and play.

For those who are newer to the Association, or just embarking upon their career in one of these professions, I encourage you to get involved and stay connected with the Association – there really is no downside and you will be rewarded with knowledge, lifelong friendships, a great deal of fun and many, many laughs. Join a committee, nominate for the Young Professionals Group or the Board, write an article, speak at a seminar, go to the conference, the annual dinner, seminars and events; just get involved – what could possibly go wrong?

For those in the middle or later end of their career, you probably already know the value of VPELA, but please remember – it’s not just about you! I wouldn’t have got involved, learned, laughed and grown without numerous taps on the shoulder and the occasional push over the edge of a cliff. Find your young people and encourage them, mentor them, sponsor them and give them the confidence to have a go and get involved with the Association too. VPELA has no greater purpose than to bring its members together and to serve each of their needs throughout their career journey.

Every single one of us has a job in which the decisions we make affect the lives of those around us – most of whom are people who otherwise have no reason to be involved in the evolution of their own cities and towns. There are so many of us who are so fortunate to truly love what we do for a living. We are a rare breed amongst many who don’t ever get to experience that passion for their work and to be able to see each day that the decisions they make have an enduring impact on the physical world around them and on the lives of people with whom we share our cities and towns and the natural environment.

It’s a great privilege but also a great responsibility that we take on when we choose these professions in planning, law, engineering, architecture, surveying, environmental science and others. And so, it’s so important that we care about it, that we remain open to the ideas of others and that we engage in a constant and vigilant debate about the future.

VPELA has been a significant vehicle for that for me throughout my career. It’s given me a front row seat in a field of expertise that I love and I’m indebted to each of the Board members and Presidents who I’ve served with and the multi-disciplinary membership of the VPELA family for nurturing my appetite for growth and learning and exploration of new ideas.

Thank you for that opportunity. I will be forever grateful.

I am very confident that I am leaving the Association in very capable hands in the form of the current supremely competent

Board. Each of the current members are well respected by the membership and are leaders in their field. All have an enthusiasm for service in the interests of VPELA and its members and I wish the Board every possible success over the years to come.

This announcement of course raises the question of who the next President of VPELA will be. I was delighted to announce upon my resignation that the Board has unanimously elected Mark Sheppard, Principal at Kinetica Studio, to the position. I am confident that Mark will make a fantastic President. He is a smart, intelligent thinker with a consultative style and an enormous capacity to pull problems apart and look at them from a fresh and different perspective before eloquently articulating his own thoughts on the subject at hand. He also loves a laugh and has an enthusiasm for VPELA and all that it seeks to achieve on behalf of its members each year. My best wishes and congratulations to Mark on his election to President.

I look forward to seeing you at VPELA events throughout the years ahead.

And finally, as always, may the sunrise find you still dancing….

Tamara Brezzi, immediate Past President, VPELA & Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright, with Mark Sheppard, Principal, kinetica, VPELA’s new President