Bell Partner's accountant Matthew Sweeney elected Tamworth Business Chamber board president

It's not necessarily what he wanted, he told the Leader.

The board includes three directors who sat on the previous committee, Bell Partners chartered accountant Mr Sweeney, Apollo Engineeing's Dave Errington, and Everingham Solomons' Libby Campbell.

At the very first meeting on December 1, Ms Campbell kept her role as secretary, Mr Errington was elected vice president, and Mr Sweeney was selected to be president.

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Along with the honour of the big title, Mr Sweeney will be treasurer.

That is, at least while a few changes are made with the budget.

"Then, hopefully one of the other board members will be comfortable to take that role on," he said.

It's Mr Sweeney's experience as an accountant that made his peers confident he could guide the chamber through the transition phase.

The board is contemplating moving chamber membership from seven to 12 months, with automatic renewal.

"It'll cause a bit of a hiccup on cash flow, but not significantly," he said.

"But just a different approach to what's been done in the past."

Joining the incumbents on the board for the first time are Downtown Magazine's Anna Davis, J Ullman Town Planning's Jocelyn Cockbain, Efficacy Advisors and Vesi Water's Llewellyn Owens, and The Powerhouse Hotel by Rydges' Monty Maguire.

Being elected president is "very exciting," Mr Sweeney said.

But he is most encouraged by the new blood on the board.

"We've all got diverse expertise," he said.

"That'll hopefully be something additional that we can add to the chamber, that we haven't had the ability to do before."

He was also pleased with the "great" conversation in the first meeting, which saw input from all the new board members.

One of the things on the Tamworth Business Chamber board's agenda will be to rebrand the Junior Chamber.

"So it doesn't sound like it's for preschoolers," president Matthew Sweeney said.

The Junior Chamber is going to take on the role of a welcoming committee when young business people move to town.

The New England region provides a revolving door of business opportunities and staff, and the chamber hopes to seize it and grow the Tamworth community,

The idea came after the board discussed engaging tree changers socially in the country music capital.

"How do we get them engaged from a social point of view, when they turn up to town, and have never been here before?" he said.

"They've got a young family, who do they meet?

"Who do they communicate with?"

An informal barbeque held every few months was a plan thrown around.

"Just in this first meeting, some of the new ideas that are being presented by these new board members is fantastic," he said.

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