by Janine Hill

THE man who has driven the Rangebow Festival and upgrades at the Montville Tennis Club has been elected president of the Montville Village Association (MVA).

If Wayne Parcell’s work with the Festival and Tennis Club are anything to go by, the MVA is in for an injection of verve and vigour.

Wayne has been a founder and director of the Rangebow Festival, a celebration of creativity, diversity, inclusiveness, reconciliation and sustainability in the hinterland.  

He has also been president of the Montville Tennis Club, which has been transformed with a new pavilion and synthetic courts thanks to successful grant applications.

Wayne considers himself “almost a local” after 18 years in Montville, an area he fell in love with during outings back in his late teens and promised himself would one day be home.

The semi-retired lawyer and immigration specialist, who grew up in a Housing Commission area on Brisbane’s southside, has discovered community work since moving to the Range.

“I thought I could do something for other people. I felt I can use my skills in a different way to help people, like other people did for me,” he said.

“I’m passionate about social change and community and making a difference. It’s given me purpose,” he said.

“You’ve got to have purpose in your life, otherwise, it’s all a bit of a drag.”

Wayne sees connection as a step towards understanding, which then opens a path for communication from which great things can happen.  

He would like to see more people, particularly young people, get involved with the Montville Village Association for this reason.

“Montville is going through a time of change like many towns its size, for economic reasons, and it’s a good time to try something different.

“New ideas, new opinions, come from having conversations about it all.”

Wayne encouraged anyone interested in the future direction of the town to attend the next meeting of the Montville Village Association, which is free to join.