Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC) hosted its 50th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday 18 November. The event offered members, stakeholders, and the community a chance to reflect on the Centre’s accomplishments over the past year and explore plans for the future.
ECLC chief executive officer Michael Smith emphasised the importance of the Centre’s 50th AGM, marking a significant milestone in its history.
“ECLC was thrilled to bring together over 100 partners, staff, and volunteers for its 50th AGM,” he said.
“This event was a chance to reconnect, celebrate the Centre’s accomplishments and impact over the past year, and showcase its plans and vision for the future.”
A key highlight of ECLC’s 50th AGM was hearing from guest speaker Ali Besiroglu, who shared insights into his professional and personal experiences, and the fundamental values that inspire his commitment to social justice.
Reflecting on his own journey into law, Mr Besiroglu spoke openly of his childhood and growing up in a household impacted by family violence.
“I grew up in the Collingwood commission flats, where resilience was woven into the fabric of our lives. My mother, a single parent, was my first lesson in courage,” he said.
“In the 1980s she fled a violent marriage. At that time, family violence was seen as a private matter, not a criminal one.
“My mother endured unimaginable suffering, including being hospitalised, yet the police took no action against my father. Desperate to escape, she attempted to take her own life.”
It wasn’t until a legal aid attorney saw her “not as another file or a case but as a person deserving of justice” that his own path became clear.
“[He was] the blueprint for the kind of lawyer that I aspired to be,” Mr Besiroglu said.
“[He] didn’t just restore my mother’s legal rights, he restored her humanity. He showed our family the profound impact one person can have when they commit themselves to justice.”
Mr Besiroglu was very recently awarded the prestigious Stephen Myall Award by the Victorian Magistrates’ Association and the Law Institute of Victoria, which recognises an individual who demonstrates an ongoing commitment to social justice issues and who encourages and inspires others
“ECLC was delighted to have Ali share about his advocacy journey, including his efforts to address police misconduct, his work on bail law reform, and his dedication to supporting disadvantaged communities, particularly First Nations peoples,” Mr Smith said.
As ECLC hosted its milestone 50th AGM, the spotlight shifted to the future with the Centre highlighting its innovative approaches to addressing evolving community needs and unveiling the Centre’s new 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
“ECLC’s new strategic plan is the result of extensive collaboration, and the Centre is proud to be able to officially launch it at the AGM,” Mr Smith said.
For more information about the AGM, including detailed agenda and supporting documents, please visit: eclc.org.au/2024agm
