Committee & Partnerships

TRY has two committees, a General Committee and a DGR subcommittee. We’ve partnered with state, federal and local government, as well as community, philanthropic and business organisations.

Our General Committee has 16 people to oversee projects and the general operation of TRY. The DGR Subcomittee has 4 people and oversees the operation of the Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status and the Public Fund to which donations are made. The executive positions and all committee members are unpaid positions.

Executive

2024-25 TRY Executive

President	Matthew Charles-Jones
Vice President	Mark Parnell
Secretary/Public Officer	Katie Friedlieb
Treasurer	Simone Engdahl

TRY’s Annual General Meeting is usually held in September or October each year, where the year is reviewed and executive positions are declared open for nominations.

Clare Bishop is currently the part-time TRY Projects Coordinator until December 2024. One other non-executive position is the Communications Coordinator, currently held by Juliette Milbank.

Volunteers

We encourage people who wish to contribute to TRY’s efforts to come along to one of our monthly general committee meetings and find out what we do. Contact us for details. We occasionally call out for volunteers to help at events, but the bulk of the work we do is project related. Skills in any of the following areas are always valued.

Fundraising
Research
Grant applications
Financial management
Governance & compliance
Partnerships

Project management
Community engagement
Volunteer coordination
Communications
or other areas – tell us your skills!

Thirteen members of the TRY committee gathered outside the Yack Courthouse for a photo at the 2023 AGM. — Some of the TRY committee members and partners at the 2023 AGM.

Partnerships

TRY’s mission and goals sometimes align with other like-minded organisations and we may collaborate to bring about outcomes for a shared purpose. Where this occurs regularly, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is drawn up to clarify the relationship. For example, there was an MOU with Indigo Power when it first formed. We currently have no MOUs with other organisations. Please contact us if you are interested in further details.

Indigo Power

Indigo Power is the community energy retailer that TRY helped to found and with whom we have collaborated on a number of projects. An energy retailer is a core part of TRY’s 5-stage road map to reach 100% renewables. This is because in Australia electricity can only be traded or shared via an energy retailer. So in order to retain the benefits of locally-generated renewable energy for residents and businesses in Yackandandah, a community energy retailer is required.

Upon establishment Indigo Power became a separate entity to TRY and operates not just in Yackandandah but across north-east Victoria and further afield. It is a registered company, with its own board, management, and paid staff, and operates completely independently of TRY. Indigo Power is also a social enterprise, community-owned via shareholders. It returns 50% of any profits it makes back to community energy projects within the communities it serves.

TRY is an incorporated association run by volunteers with a mission that is focused on Yackandandah and approximately 11 km around the town.