A public meeting was held last weekend at the old hotel site on the corner of Lloyd and Lochiel Streets in Dimboola to provide an opportunity for interested members of the public to provide ideas and feedback on the redevelopment of this iconic site in Dimboola's main street.

Current owner of the property, Graeme Schneider of Benalla, was pleased with the attendance on Saturday morning and noted that there was "a good crowd of 50-60 people in attendance.

"Local Elder Ron Marks was reintroduced to the community and performed a Welcome to Country ceremony, then helped plant an oak tree to importantly both acknowledge the Aboriginal presence in our community and symbolize the rebirth of the Dimboola town centre."

Pictured above are Uncle Ron Marks and Graeme Schneider addressing the gathering on Saturday morning. Photo by Chris Johnson.

The two trees may not remain exactly where they were planted on Saturday morning but they form a symbolic first step in revitalising the site, and a positive move to show that something positive is finally happening after years of controversy.

Mr Schneider purchased the vacant site in 2015 after the Dimboola Hotel was demolished more than ten years after it was damaged by fire, and he believes that the future of the town lies in the appropriate redevelopment of this prime main street location.

The meeting gave an opportunity for members of the community to have some input into the future of this iconic Dimboola site.

Mr Schneider gave a brief description covering how he became involved with this project and the current planning that is in process to consider options available for the land.

It was stressed that whatever option is selected, it is critical that it is a valid commercial venture that will generate a financial and social return to the community.

Thirty two interested people took the opportunity to express their views on the project, with "community use' and "park area' being the more popular suggestions.

A social enterprise business plan will be developed and available to the community towards the end of the 2017 which will outline the proposed use of this area, once all viable ideas have been considered.

The Facebook page Dimboola Wandjana has been created for the project and provides on ongoing chance for comments or suggestions to be made.