THE Glen Alvie Community celebrated Australia Day at their Community Centre on Sunday. Glen Alvie have long been enthusiastic about celebrating Australia Day and once again the Community support suggests that this event still has the strong support it has enjoyed in the past.
The day started with the flag-raising ceremony with both the Australian along with the Victorian flags being raised by Madeleine Stuchbery.
As the flags stretched to their full extent on the breeze the community with strong voices joined together to sing the National Anthem.
The Committee made a conscious decision some time ago to invite guest speakers who had a connection to the area and share their achievements with the Glen Alvie Community. This year it was renowned journalist Madeleine Stuchbery. The Stuchbery family has a very strong connection to the Glen Alvie area, so choosing Madeline was an easy choice.
She has spent the past decade working in journalism, from newspapers such as The Weekly Times and Leader News, to community radio stations and independent lifestyle magazines. In 2023 she was awarded the News Awards prize for investigative journalism for her take on Australian manufacturing issues, and in 2024 was awarded the Rural Press Club of Victoria award for reporting on gender equity in agribusiness.
In 2019, she ventured to China as part of the Melbourne Press Club’s journalist exchange, covering topics ranging from trade to geopolitics. She has been fortunate to participate in mentorship programs with industry leaders like Katrina Strickland and Ellena Savage, honing her craft in creative non-fiction and long-form storytelling.
Her passion for audio storytelling led her to programs like Audiocraft, along with training at the Arts Centre Melbourne. She also secured funding to produce radio documentaries broadcast nationwide.
In 2024 she completed her Master of Arts Writing and Literature at Deakin University, with a focus on creative non-fiction and long-form writing.
She is currently a board member with the Rural Press Club Victoria, and is on a number of Melbourne Press Club subcommittees.
A renowned reporter for The Weekly Times, Madeleine told us that she has a focus on commodities, people, food, farming, and country life. She is passionate about closing the gap between the city and the country. She has worked her way up through the ranks beginning her career with our own South Gippsland Sentinel-Times.
Madeleine has already achieved so much in a short period of time and the Glen Alvie community is proud of her along with her achievements, although none was more proud than her mum Jenny.
The day was concluded with a traditional morning tea provided by the Glen Alvie ladies of jam scones with cream, lamingtons, and Anzac biscuits, all enjoyed with the old-fashioned chit chat, what a great way to celebrate our National Day.
