At a full council meeting late last month, councillors unanimously approved the appointment of Dr Leslie Van Gelder, a Glenorchy resident with an extensive background in academic research, conservation, strategy development and professional governance.
Dr Van Gelder is also co-chairwoman of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary, and chairs both the Glenorchy Heritage and Museum Group and Glenorchy Dark Skies Sanctuary Group, and has served on the council’s Vision Beyond 2050 Steering Group, Regenerative Recovery Advisory Group, and Economic Diversification Advisory Group.
Members of the group include Dr Chris Cameron, Rev Evelyn Cook, Amanda Robinson, Alec Tang, Dr Barrie Wills, Eleanor Trueman, Dr Jim Salinger, Dr Lyn Carter, Tony Pfeiffer, Victoria Crockford and Sydney Telfer.
Dr Van Gelder replaces the previous chairwoman Bridget Legnavsky who relocated to North America.
