Testimonials

The Whittlesea Men’s Shed (WMS), as part of its Continuous Improvement Program, and ongoing Business Plan, attended a “Grass Roots Governance” training program, conducted by Megan Buntine of Megan J Buntine Consulting Services. Representatives of the WMS Members and the WMS Management Committee and the President of the Victorian Men’s Shed Association’s (VMSA’s) North-Western Cluster was invited by the WMS to attended the three-hour course.

The course was excellent in that, as its name suggests, covered a wide range of important fundamental governance topics, most of which were very relevant to a Men’s Shed.  The course was well presented, with very good quality notes and recommended reference material to follow up for further reading and implementation.

Megan’s presentation was well rounded, and her business experience in a number of career roles and knowledge of the subject matter shone through.  Megan illustrated the various topics with many examples of good and bad governance practices.  She made the subject matter interesting, and easy to understand.

All the WMS members who attended Megan’s Grass Roots Governance training would highly recommend any Men’s Shed, Community Organisation or small to medium business to consider attending Megan’s Grass Roots Governance training course.  It is a worthwhile investment.” Peter Bettes

Secretary, Whittlesea Men's Shed

“I met Megan at the Communities in Control conference and was impressed with her down to earth and caring nature.  I was at a low point in my confidence and compassion and felt that I was drowning at work.  My workplace wanted to help by providing a Management Coach and I immediately thought of Megan.  She helped me navigate my strengths and regain my compassion and focus.  I highly recommend Megan as a Coach.  Thank you very much Megan for helping me put the pieces together that I had all along!“ Senior Manager in a Community Housing NFP.

“Dear Megan, The HICCI committee met today and asked me to pass on their thanks for our Governance training last month.

Someone who has done the training in various settings commented that your session was the best he had attended.” Margaret Blair

Secretary, HICCI

“Thank you so much for your relevant and well delivered training on governance.

The committee were very impressed and we have taken on board the suggestions for improving our governance and meetings, etc.

We hope to get you back to help us with some organisational planning.

Again, Thank you!” Kerry Clarke

President, Whittlesea Community House Inc.

“With over half of our committee attending the Governance Training Session positive changes have already been made as a result of the training received.

I have no doubt that many future operating decisions will also be based around the governance training our committee attended.” Graeme Hunter

Chairperson, Whittlesea Showgrounds & Recreation Reserves Committee of Management

“I recently had the privilege of attending one of Megan Buntine’s Governance Training sessions.

She was a very knowledgeable instructor and took the time to weave the individual interests and concerns of our Society into the course.

A good introduction to an important subject that affect all of us, and that is becoming more and more important in today’s world of rules and regulations.” Tracey Goss

Secretary, Whittlesea Agricultural Society

“I would like to thank you and the Whittlesea Community House for the opportunity to take part in the recent Governance training session.  My colleagues and I all learnt a lot of valuable information.

As Community Development workers we work with local community groups on a daily basis.  We support community groups in many ways including the ‘general housekeeping’ and governance, new initiatives and connections with other groups.  Learning and refreshing our knowledge of governance will enable us to pass this information directly to a wide variety of community and service groups. This will be of enormous help to our local groups who often struggle with the day to day tasks of good governance.” Megan Smithwick

Community Development Officer, City of Whittlesea

“We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for once again completing our new Board Governance Training.  Your sessions are very informative, professional and engaging.  We appreciate you sharing your wealth of Governance knowledge and experience with our Team.  This is a great refresher for existing Board members and a fantastic induction into Governance for new Board members. Sessions are well planned, and the content is easy to follow and comprehensive.” Jade Spicer

President, Kinglake Ranges Children's Centre

“Thanks, Megan for sharing with us your governance knowledge, wisdom and insights.  We found your presentation straightforward and to the point, and very relevant to our organisation.  It was great that you were able to tailor the material to our context and provide us with the essentials of what we needed to know without any jargon or waffle.  The session was a great primer, even for those experienced board members who have done lots of governance training in the past, and our board members were all really engaged throughout the session.” Trent McCarthy

Chief Executive Officer, Central Ranges Local Learning and Employment Network

I want to thank you for the governance session you delivered at Whittlesea Community House on Saturday.
I took so much more than expected from the class, you are a great trainer.
I really admired the way you were positive with everyone’s answers. I felt you really made us feel comfortable and inclusive to the training. So much information in such a short time, great class.
I now have the confidence to be involved in committee work with valuable resources and information for whatever I do. Sandra Canning

Whittlesea Ministries

The Rotary Club of Kinglake Ranges was truly fortunate to have engaged the services of Megan Buntine to deliver its ‘Governance Workshop’. We found Megan’s facilitation thorough, full of experience with real world scenarios and the training was in-depth which gave our Rotary Club relevant content and responses to our needs. The ‘Governance Workshop’ structure, material and methodology was flexible, very useful, over and above the expectation. It was an invaluable, informative and enjoyable ‘Governance Workshop’ experience. Brad Quilliam

Co-President, Rotary Club of Kinglake Ranges

Tourism Network Yarra Valley greatly appreciated the assistance from Megan in facilitating our three year Strategic Plan.  Megan was organised, professional and mindful of including the whole team in  the development of the plan. Her follow up and final presentation of the document was impeccable.  Megan’s communication before, during and after the session has been very approachable and we look forward to working with her again in the future.  Tourism Network Yarra Valley wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her services to other community groups.
http://mjbconsulting.net.au/live/wp-admin/post.php?post=23&action=edit# Christine Veenhuizen

President, Tourism Network Yarra Valley

The ‘Grass Roots Governance’ session Megan provided to the Mitchell and Surrounds Equine Landcare Group’s committee was well presented and very comprehensive.  Megan tailored the session to our committee and we now have some great tools to keep our committee and organisation on track. Jane Ryan

President, Mitchell and Surrounds Equine Landcare Group

I was considering standing for President of our local playgroup but had some hesitation about whether my skills were up to improving the governance of our organisation.  I took Megan’s ‘Grass Roots Governance’ and ‘Purposeful Presidents’ training sessions which helped me to consolidate my understanding of governance and the role of the President within an incorporated organisation.  I was then able to stand up, take the role and implement change with skill and confidence.  Megan has the amazing ability of helping to clear away the fog and make governance easier to understand and  apply. Lucy Bond

President, Alexandra Playgroup

Megan recently presented the one-day workshop: ‘Supporting individuals to create a life that is meaningful to them: Exploring Person Centred Practice and Self Directed Approaches’ to a number of DPMC direct support staff and their managers.  Megan presented an engaging and thought provoking training session which was well received by our staff members. It provided us with a good opportunity to think about our current practices and where they might be enhanced. Lynda Robinson

Support and Choice Manage, Dame Pattie Menzies Centre Inc

I am writing to both commend and sincerely thank you for the ‘Grass Roots Governance’ training you facilitated and delivered for the Board of Management and staff at Gippsland Disability Advocacy recently.
Positive feedback was overwhelmingly received regarding the training from all in attendance. I am also aware that you tailored the training to suit GDAI’s individual model of advocacy support and constitution which enabled a blueprint copy of the training to be instantly and effectively implement into GDAI operations immediately.
The training has resulting in an improved knowledge and overall holistic understanding and importance of quality and diligent governance which in turn has increased our efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation. GDAI goes forward now with a greater knowledge of our legal and legislative requirements. Once again, thank you. Nick Lawler, Executive Officer, Gippsland Disability Advocacy Inc

Executive Officer, Gippsland Disability Advocacy Inc

Megan’s ‘Dare to Dream’ Workshop was the perfect opportunity to reflect on my direction in life.  I found it very useful, to have a conversation with Megan after we finished the Vision Board session – the chance to discuss my thoughts on where I was at, proved very valuable.  The time subsequently spent to develop an Action Plan – a really concrete plan – has meant that I now feel much more positive about achieving what I want for my life.  I’m also looking forward to the support and accountability we’ll provide for each other (the course participants).  I’ve always done a lot of ‘dreaming’ in my life, but will now be regularly reviewing using the strategies that I’ve learnt this weekend.
Further feedback from KD, Boronia, Victoria
I needed to let you know that I’ve been revitalised and inspired again, after re-reading the session handouts and the notes I took.  So much wonderful content in your Workshop – exactly what I needed.  I can’t remember giving myself permission to go into my goals and vision in such depth, and definitely not guided.  Probably why I found it confronting at some points, it brought up beliefs and habits that I can now continue to examine in more depth.  Your workshop has helped me to ‘Feel Good’, and I’m becoming aware that moving towards good feelings is the best way I can move forward! 🙂
6 month update from KD, Boronia, Victoria
I find it hard to put into written form the important changes that have taken place since the ‘Dare to Dream’ Workshop. When I look back at my Plan for Action, although there are still things that I have not yet accomplished, there are many more that I have achieved! I had been striving for a specific outcome that has not yet eventuated, but when I look at my Vision Board, I can see that I have actually achieved many of the things highlighted there. Specifically, a new job; creating networks with other health professionals, business owners and local producers; connecting with nature and self; and taking the time to explore myself, my relationships, and my life. All things that give me great joy.
My path will involve the provision and promotion of healing food and lifestyle, the specifics of which are still unfolding. And that’s OK! I feel that attending ‘Dare to Dream’ taught me to relax into this natural life process, instead of kicking myself for “not getting it right”, which was my previous way of relating to myself. I took decisive action (applied for relevant jobs), based on what I had learnt about myself during and since ‘Dare to Dream’, instead of being stuck on the merry-go-round of “I need to…”, “…but what if..” and “I can’t”, or “It’s too hard”.  When I relax into it, good things start to come to be. The relationships I formed (and strengthened) whilst on the workshop, have also been incredibly supportive. Travelling a road together is a far more practical means for me, of achieving goals. A lesson to remember for the future. Thanks for your company on the journey Megan. KD

Boronia, Victoria

The ‘Dare to Dream’ Workshop was a great experience – it made me really examine my life and my goals and it gave me the confidence to really starting to improve my life. SG

Bethania, Queensland

I found the ‘Dare to Dream’ Workshop helpful to me because it gave me the opportunity to identify what I needed to do to move forward in my life.  I have a plan to work with now and I have ideas how to make it work for me. SB

Kew, Victoria

The ‘Dare to Dream’ Workshop provided me with space to reflect on where I have been, where I would like to go and how I can plan to travel to where I would like to go.  And most importantly I have a tangible plan with accountability built in. JT

Croydon, Victoria

The Grass Roots Governance delivered by Megan J Buntine Consulting Services was engaging and informative. Mitchell Youth Council are an advisory group to Council with our own Youth Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Secretary and Committee members, and so the information delivered was tailored to our needs and age. The training provided an opportunity to identify gaps or needs, and to discuss how to recognise or create opportunities to fulfil those needs moving forward. Mitchell Shire Youth Council

Megan is well versed in governance issues affecting small community groups and delivers personalised training in a very clear and constructive way.  Seymour FM are keen to continue training with her to improve our processes, understand our duties and risks so we can be an effective community group.  Megan was easy to deal with, a good listener and adaptive to the people in our session. Cynthia Lim, President, Seymour FM

President, Seymour FM

I would like to thank you for your presentation to our Scout Group.  We appreciated you time and patience with our group and the ever changing numbers and activities that were going on.  We liked the fact you could relay the information to us in simple and basic terms, covering our legal obligations and the best practice.  We also appreciated you coming with the printed information for us to follow, it helped to take notes.  The references you showed us were helpful too.  We understand our roles and responsibilities better now and we are confident that we can meet our obligations better.  The guidelines for our business plan you gave us has been our guiding light for our Group Leader and we look forward to learning more.  Again thank you for this opportunity to expand on our knowledge. Lynne Tennick

Secretary, 1st Seymour Scouts

On the 27th October a group of Tallarook community members received governance training from Megan.
The training was very clear and Megan was able to assess our needs and deliver the training in a way that was appropriate for our fledgeling group.  We actually decided not to go ahead with incorporation at this stage which was a decision we had been struggling to make.  But Megan’s session clarified the reasons for incorporating and allowed us to confidently postpone the process.  It is highly likely that we will incorporate at some point in the next couple of years and we are much more aware of the process now.
Megan was punctual, organised, professional, flexible, and very good at making a complicated process understandable.  We are very grateful to MCRAG for their funding and to Megan for this opportunity. Linda Kennedy

Friends of Tallarook Pool

The Seymour Garden Club attended Grassroots Governance Training on 26th October 2015 with Megan Buntine.
Megan is a very proficient teacher and knows her subject well  .Even though some of us had been to sessions with Megan before, we still learned new things and reinforced what we have learnt before.  She doesn’t talk down to people.  We all find it difficult to remember everything and always get something out of a session.  It was disappointing for us that the Garden Club member who really wanted to attend could not come on the day.  We were pleased that someone from another group was able to join us.   The training was very useful for our group. Sylvia Yap

Secretary, The Seymour Garden Club

Megan’s delivery of governance training was excellent.  It provided me with new ideas regarding the way our incorporation can run more efficiently and intelligently.  I can highly recommend this training. Paul Clark

Treasurer, Clonbinane Community Action Group

MCRAG Community Foundation have been working closely with Megan Buntine for over four years with her fantastic ‘Grass Roots Governance’ program.  MCRAG Community Foundation operates throughout the Mitchell Shire – a peri urban and rural municipality of Victoria.  One of our major challenges has been engaging with, up-skilling and strengthening our local committees of community groups.  Megan’s ‘Grass Roots Governance’ program has been invaluable in facilitating the beginnings of a positive and empowering culture shift throughout many of our communities.  Feedback I have received from participants in the ‘Grass Roots Governance’ training has included:
“Fantastic, Megan is one of the best presenters I’ve seen – she really cares, and you can tell she really cares.  We all felt incredibly comfortable with her and were constantly asking questions.  We’ve even been in contact with her after the program to ask a host more questions and she’s so helpful and enthusiastic.  She has made us feel that we can do this and for us not to feel overwhelmed.  She’s awesome!” and,
“She really knew her stuff and is so open.  We couldn’t be happier – we’ll be using Megan again!  She’s so passionate about community”. Jacqui Sims

Executive Officer, Mitchell Community Resources and Advocacy Group (MCRAG) Community Foundation

I approached Megan J Buntine Consulting Services in June 2013 to look at implementing a new system which would involve staff plans.  Megan and I spoke at length of what would be best practice.  Megan considered all our needs and produced a fabulous document for Work Plans which compliments our Appraisal System which includes our Supervision Process.  Megan then delivered the new system to our Leadership Team which were very delighted and inspired by the new, very professional process.  She then rolled the new system out to all our Support Workers in small groups.  This approach by Megan was very well accepted and from all reports from the staff, they enjoyed the process and have since embraced the new Work Plans.  This new system is working extremely well across our organisation.  Megan is a very forward-thinking, well-informed consultant and her knowledge of the disability sector is second to none. Name and organisation name withheld by request for privacy reasons

Megan recently delivered Stage 2 of her ‘Grass Roots Governance’ program to Wallan Home Harvest, a sub-committee of Transition Wallan Inc.  Her brief was to assist our committee to work collaboratively to develop the foundations for our group.  In the session we developed the group’s Values, Vision and Mission, and a three year Strategic Plan and accompanying Action Plan for Year 1.  Megan facilitated the session with great skill and was sensitive to the individual aspirations of our group members.  Each person present was listened to respectfully and encouraged to present their ideas.  The Vision we developed encapsulated all our thoughts and Values – the collection of which was made easy by Megan’s session format and her ability to draw out our thoughts and put them into order.  I would recommend Megan for this type of work – as a new community group we benefitted from her knowledge and encouragement, and without her help, we could not have developed a well-constructed Strategic Plan in the same time frame. Judy Clarke, President, Transition Wallan Inc

President, Transition Wallan Inc

Megan has delivered training for CEACA for many years.  More recently CEACA is a partner with Megan to support her ‘Grass Roots Governance’ program.  The program is well designed, simple and effective.  Like Megan’s training, the program demonstrates her excellent planning and communication skills.  Megan’s commitment and passion for governance and training is long standing and provides a valuable service to her community. Rowena Naufal

CEO, Continuing Education and Arts Centre of Alexandra Inc

The VPTA recently engaged Megan to deliver two days of governance and team building training for our staff and Board.  Although most participants were very experienced in governance matters Megan was able to make the sessions relevant, engaging and interesting so that not only did we learn the stuff we needed to cover but she also put into context many of the current issues we were experiencing, and provided some practical skills and tools along the way to help with resolving conflict and the broader decision-making processes.  Participants found the two days very valuable and it was a credit to Megan’s professionalism, research and preparation that the group found it refreshing and even the ‘old hands’ got something from it and enjoyed the experience.  She was able to tie it all together well.  We would certainly recommend Megan to others particularly in our sector and would use her again for our ongoing training requirements. Mark Feenane

Executive Officer, Victorian Public Tenants Association Inc

I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you for a most informative session.  Myself and my co-committee members all agreed it was a very worthwhile three hours.  I think what you did was demystify some of the jargon and red tape situations which can become very overwhelming to some – even myself who has been on committees for the past 25 years!  Your presentation was very to the point and wasn’t confusing.  I found it quite refreshing to be given some tools to tackle some of the ongoing situations we as a committee find ourselves in from time to time.  I would recommend the program to other interested people.  Again, many thanks. Gayle Phillips

Treasurer, Mitchell Honbetsu Sister City Association Inc

Megan Buntine recently presented the ‘Grass Roots Governance’ workshop to our committee.  The workshop was very useful, particularly to our newer committee members who will eventually move into executive roles on the committee.  For older members such as myself, the workshop covered some previously unconsidered topics, and was also a refresher for other areas.  The written notes were very helpful to revise the material post workshop.  It was also helpful that Megan came to us to deliver the workshop at our site, as it allowed people who would not otherwise have been able, to attend.  I would thoroughly recommend this workshop to other groups. Rose King

Secretary, Upper Plenty Mechanics Institute Hall Inc

On behalf of the members of the Seymour and District U3A Council, I would like to express our thanks to Megan for her presentation and workshop on Governance provided to our Council.  There was a lot covered in the three hours and it was encouraging to hear that we are on the right track in many of the areas, and receive suggestions and advice on ways to tackle the others, such as our legal and ethical responsibilities and risk management.
I was very impressed with the way Megan delivered the information and interacted with us during the session, and then leaving a copy of the notes for us to review in our own time. Pat Coffey

President, Seymour and District U3A

Four officers of the GSOGA committee of management recently attended Stage 1 of ‘Grass Roots Governance’.  Most of those attending were new committee members.  The session was well organised and systematically addressed key issues that our committee must consider in managing our group.  The importance of planning was emphasised as well as the flow on to good governance practice, compliance and risk management.  The session provided good interactivity with the facilitator so each of us was involved and able to contribute our own experiences in ‘brainstorming’ sessions on key elements of governance.  The general consensus of all the members of our group was that attending this course provided us with new skills, or enhanced existing skills, which should make for a more effective committee. Kevin Whithear OAM

President, Goulburn Strathbogie Olive Growers Association Inc

The Marysville and District Kindergarten Committee of Management attended a ‘Grass Roots Governance’ training session run by Megan.  As the President of this committee I found the session to be of great value and very professionally run.  I was able to learn a lot more about our roles and responsibilities, and I received extra information about where to seek out further resources and support.  I’d like to thank Megan for this great training Emma Bennett

President, Marysville and District Kindergarten Association Inc

Several members of the newly incorporated King Parrot Environment Group attended the three hour ‘Grass Roots Governance’ presentation.  The session was very informative and adaptive to our needs and although we thought we had done well in setting up our particular group, we came away with some very clear tasks to attend to.  Strategic planning and codes of conduct were weaknesses, as well as risk management.  We are currently taking steps to address these weaknesses through our committee of management.  The course that Megan delivered was helpful to our committee and I recommend it to any community group as a way of formulating clear direction, planning and establishing ground rules. Steve Joblin

President, King Parrot Creek Environment Group Inc

On behalf of Made In Murrindindi, I would like to thank you for providing the ‘Grass Roots Governance’ training.  We found it very useful and are now much more aware of the many issues involved in managing our fledgling organisation.  There were so many topics touched upon in the short time and now we know who to refer to for help, and which references to use if and when a problem arises.  Thanks again Megan. Sue Chehab

Committee member, Made In Murrindindi

Megan provided a very professional presentation, while still making the content accessible to all, being approachable and creating a non-threatening environment. Jennifer Wood OAM

Treasurer, Narbethong Public Hall Committee Inc

Thank you Megan for your very informative session on governance.  As President of our Rotary Club I thought we just about had everything covered in regards to being incorporated, not to mention all the other areas that need attention.  You spoke about risk management, fundraising, legal requirements, health and safety, insurance, conflict of interest, acting with care and diligence, etc, and I now realise as President of our Rotary Club all of our members need to really look at what we are doing and how we do it, to ensure that anything and everything we do in the future needs to be safe for all concerned, and above all needs to be properly planned and thought through. John Leadbeater

President, Rotary Club of Kinglake

The Buxton Progress Association attended Stage 1 of ‘Grass Roots Governance’.  The committee members who attended felt they learnt some valuable points in the governance of our association.  It made us more aware of the rules and regulations and our various obligations to the association. Willie Cureton

Secretary, Buxton Progress Association Inc

The advice that Megan provided on governance policies was practical, appropriate and well-directed to the community based Board we were working with.  Megan is clearly knowledgeable and highly experienced in this field.  The contribution she can make to helping community organisations to be well informed, efficient and effective through the
application of her skills and tools would be invaluable. Melissa Rathje

Community Planning Consultant

It has been a pleasure working with Megan in my capacity as Business Mentor over recent years.  The manner in which she approaches her work with her clients is highly professional and I believe in many ways sets a benchmark that others would do well to emulate.  She takes the worry out of the scenario for her clients – going the extra mile is normal practice for her.  Her clients know she will do her utmost to ensure that the job is done to an exemplary standard.  Megan is highly reliable and extremely well-organised, and her creative problem solving skills coupled with
her people skills make her highly sought after.  She is constantly involved in the professional development of her skill set to ensure she maintains the highest standard possible.  I have no hesitation in recommending Megan on any project she undertakes. Gail Dollimore

Business Mentor and Career Coach