Agenda item

Eric Brooks Dosser

The Mayor read the following statement

I would like to share some reflection of Eric Dosser, who passed away in April. Eric was a very well respected and well-known member of many of our local Returned and Services League.

After he left school, he joined the railway department and in 1957 he was in the first call up of National Service. After his basic training he was selected to be a member of the full-time 3rd Training Battalion Band at Puckapunyal. With them he performed at all the regimental parades and services at Puckapunyal and even acted as a guard of honour at Essendon Airport to welcome US General Maxwell Taylor, Supreme Allied Commander in the South-West Pacific.

As his national service was a six-year commitment he was transferred to the Royal Melbourne 6th Battalion Band and performed with them. This was also a busy period as they performed at many Military, Vice-Regal, State and Melbourne City Council functions.

In the late 1980s Eric became involved with playing the bugle for the Engineers at East Ringwood when they needed a bugler. In 1990 he became the official bugler for the Lilydale RSL at the Lilydale services and soon involved himself with the sub-branch. In 1993 he was elected president at a time when the club was recovering from decades of neglect and Eric continued to help progress the club.

During his first stint as president, from 1993 to 2003, patronage increased, the club received a full licence, significant improvements were made to the clubrooms, and it earned a reputation as a family friendly club. Between 1994 and 2013 he was master of ceremonies at each dawn service and Remembrance Day ceremony at Lilydale and increased attendance there enormously, and if you were present at the Dawn Service last month in Lilydale, you would have heard the kind words spoken about his presence at those Dawn Services.

He was co-chair of the committee to create the Shire of Lillydale WW2 Honour board and worked on a number of local war memorial projects, most notably the Lilydale Wall of Remembrance at the Ralph Goode Reserve. He was presented certificates of appreciation from the Shire of Yarra Ranges and the Victoria RSL for his efforts during this time.

During this time, he became the longest serving president of the Lilydale RSL and in 2019 was presented with a Life Membership of the RSL.

So truly someone who was very valued in our community and pay respects to his military service over many decades.

Vale Eric Brooks Dosser.

Vale Joseph Cullen - CEO Your Library

The Mayor read the following statement

It is with deep sadness that I share the news that Joseph Cullen, esteemed Chief Executive Officer of Your Library Limited (formerly Eastern Regional Libraries), passed away on Sunday 12 May. As a long-term partner and advocate for the Yarra Ranges community Libraries, Joseph’s guidance of our library service over decades has supported the growth and learning of so many in our community and the communities across Eastern Melbourne.

His competence, dedication, guidance, and leadership achieved remarkable milestones for library services across the Outer East Metropolitan area. Joseph's commitment to excellence will always be remembered.

Many of Council’s staff worked with Joseph on education projects, community development, facilities management or facilities development projects and will attest to his absolute dedication to his role in supporting our residents’ future.

For nearly 20 years, Joseph demonstrated sector leading innovation focusing on making library services accessible for all and utilising technology to move libraries into a modern technology-based era.

His achievements include managing the transition from Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation to Your Library Limited, a beneficial enterprise limited by guarantee. He led the library service with courage and commitment through the COVID lockdowns, implementing both Click and Collect and postal delivery services to ensure community members could still access library resources.

Joseph also oversaw the planning and development of new library services at Realm in Ringwood, Bayswater and Knox Library in Knox; championed ‘access for all’ initiatives including introducing programming to cater for the needs of our most vulnerable and launching the mobile library service in the Yarra Ranges; and represented the region as a Past President and Executive Team Member of Public Libraries Victoria.

Joseph’s contribution to Your Library and the community it supports is immeasurable. Joseph was not only an extremely competent CEO, but he was also a very kind gentleman who took a genuine interest in everyone he met.

Vale Joseph Cullen.