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Forming a group
Organising a Meeting
If there is interest in forming a group, the next step is to contact the BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB office and talk to the project administrator about organising a meeting.
You will need to hold a meeting where the project administrator and a member of another BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB group can come and talk to interested producers in your area about the benefits of the program.
This will give producers the chance to hear about the program first hand from the people involved and ask questions.
Making a Decision
The BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB visitors will then leave the room so you can make the decision as to whether there is enough interest to form the group. The group then also has to decide the general focus the members would like to concentrate upon. This can be done at this meeting or at the next meeting and professional help can be provided to help the group with this decision.
If there is not enough interest at this stage, further members can be sought. Alternatively, another attempt can be made at a later stage.
Appointing a Group Contact
When the producers decide to form a BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB group, they need to appoint a group contact.
The group contact is a producer member of the group who can act as a representative or spokesperson for the group as well as being a strong advocate of the group’s activities.
The group contact needs to register the group. A registration form is available from the BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB project administrator.
Appointing a Coordinator
BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB groups are entitled to a group coordinator to help the group plan and run activities.
Groups select their own coordinator and are encouraged to advertise the position and interview a number of people before making an appointment. The selected coordinator will then enter into an annual contract with the Department of Primary Industries to undertake the role.
BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB will help with the advertising, selection process and will provide a job description and key selection criteria.
The Coordinator's Role
The role of the group coordinator should be clearly defined. A sample job description is available which can be sent to people interested in taking on the role.
The group should look for a coordinator who has more than one of the following capacities:
- Provide support services to the group and organise activities
- Provide administration support
- Act as a facilitator for group members
- Monitor and evaluate the performance of the group
The coordinator is not expected to be an expert on everything. Groups can bring in outside experts and employ specialists where necessary.
When choosing a coordinator, the group needs to look for:
- Excellent communication skills
- Problem solving ability
- Motivational skills
Coordinators and BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB
Coordinators are responsible in reporting back to the BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB Advisory Committee.
BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB has regular statewide coordinator meetings, which bring all groups coordinators together to discuss relevant issues.
BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB also provides training for coordinators to improve their skills in assisting group development.
Contact: The BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB Administrator
Phone: 03 5355 0531
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