Assignment of Tiona Lease
Dear Friends,
After months of negotiations, I am pleased to announce that the Tiona Management Lease has a new owner. Tiona Investments Pty Ltd will take over the operations of Tiona as of Wednesday 18 December 2019. CEO Rob Jeffress has many decades of experience in business, the short-term accommodation and tourism industry, management, marketing and media. Rob is the chair of the ASTRA (Australian Short-Term Rental Accommodation Association) Board, has significant business interests in the MidCoast area and is a resident of Boomerang Beach for large parts of the year.
The church is partnering with Tiona Investments to ensure Tiona has a prosperous future. Manager Margaret Shannon was inspired to read of Jack Imrie’s passion and vision for Tiona and shares his vision “to encourage family-style reunion, camping and holiday living under modern conditions…. Whether you wish to live in your tent, or your van, or rent a cabin or motel room; have a quiet holiday or attend a busy reunion – Tiona will offer you a wonderful time.” Margaret has nearly 20 years’ experience in the holiday park industry, including park management, events and marketing. She was the Operations Manager at the BIG4 in Tuncurry for 6 years and was awarded the 2018 National Caravan Industry Association of Australia Future Leader of the Year.
As part of this new agreement, a new lease has been signed for a period of 30 years, with significant capital investment planned to upgrade the park in the coming years. Included in the lease is the licencing of the Tiona Chapel site back to Community of Christ, including exclusive use and permanent access to the Green Cathedral via the Tiona Chapel site.
Thanks must be expressed to the Tiona Management Committee for their tireless work in assisting Mission Centre Officers, the Community of Christ Ltd Board of Directors, the Mission Centre Council, Apostle Mareva Arnaud and the Presiding Bishopric in ensuring this process was smooth and comprehensive, while maintaining professionalism and upholding the church’s values and policies.
I look forward to many more years of fellowship and activity at Tiona, a place where so many of us experience a deep sense of connection with the Spirit. May we continue to be good custodians of this sacred ground.
In Peace,
Ben Smith
President, Australia Mission Centre
Tiona Management Committee:
Fran Breen, David Henricks, Ken Archer, Julie Crittenden, Allan Walshe