Former Wyndham councillor Marcel Mahfoud has taken the reins of the Weerama committee following a recent annual meeting. He is one of only two members of the previous committee to remain.
A committee overhaul came a month after Wyndham council confirmed it would not provide Weerama with funding for the 2014-15 financial year.
The Weerama committee had applied for a $60,000 grant as part of the council’s 2014-15 annual grants process.
The committee abandoned the 2015 festival in January and asked the council if it could use the grant instead to fix up governance issues, including administration and bookkeeping. The request was denied.
Mr Mahfoud said next year’s festival would run on March 19 and 20, with or without Wyndham council funding.
“There wasn’t so much a governance problem as a problem with getting information to council,” he said. “We have an event plan and a contingency plan in case the council’s not on board . . . we’re looking at different funding avenues.
“We have to make sure the committee is totally on board and that everyone’s on the same page.”
Mr Mahfoud said the new-look committee would include five sub-committees for entertainment, stalls, parade, governance and youth involvement.
He said next year’s festival would mix tradition, including the annual parade, with new activities and entertainment.
Ideas flagged include an Elvis impersonator competition and a ‘pretenders’ stage featuring well-known cover bands.
“Pop-up events will also be held in Point Cook, Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina and Wyndham Vale.
