Lisa Gervasoni


Lisa Gervasoni is a strategic planner in Warrnambool, photographer and artist. She was born in Melbourne, Australia. Gervasoni is part of a long family tradition of working with heritage sites in Australia. She is a member of ICOMOS and is a member of their Executive Committee. She has been a keynote speaker in Victoria, Australia. Gervasoni was instrumental in getting Hepburn Pool listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Education

Gervasoni was educated at Genazzano FCJ College, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology where she received a Bachelor of Applied Science-Planning. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Master of Environmental Studies.

Career and work

Gervasoni became involved in community and heritage work at a young age. Her father, Jack Gervasoni, worked as a councilor at City of Kew. Gervasoni's strategic planning has been referenced in the Planning Institute of Australia's submission to the Parliament of Australia's Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Inquiry into Future Water Supply for Rural Industries and Communities.
Gervasoni identifies heritage as an important and necessary part of a community's well-being. Other critical components of a healthy community identified by Gervasoni are practicing sustainable growth and celebrating history. Gervasoni has written extensively on heritage matters.

Hepburn Pool

Gervasoni's work in documenting and promoting pre-olympic swimming pools was critical in saving Hepburn Pool and later, being named as Victoria's Favourite Built Place in 2004. This recognition helped lead to funding from the Minister for Planning in 2006 to ensure the pool's long-term survival.

Art and Photo Documentary

Gervasoni is dedicated to ensuring the photographic documentation of urban areas, heritage sites and natural resources of Australia. She has provided over 45,000 images to the National Library of Australia Trove database.
Gervasoni's photographs have been published in Ballarat Views by Dorothy Wickham. She was also published in the Warrnambool Heritage Strategy report in 2011. Gervasoni's image of Broken Hill was used on the cover of the 2009-2010 Australia ICOMOS Annual report. and have been used in news publications such as The Age and the Sydney Herald.
In 2010 Gervasoni was asked to be involved in ABC Open's inaugural project One on One: Change. Her involvement in other projects were featured on ABC Open.

Awards

Gervasoni was inducted into the Hepburn Shire Council's Women's Honour Roll in 2009. Hepburn Shires recognized her various professional and community achievements and highlighted her skills as a town planner. She was the Victorian winner of the Urban Planning Achievement category of the Planning Institute of Australia.

Quotes

"People often return to a place with family, and are disappointed when it is greatly changed...understanding what people value can assist in planning."
"Heritage as a concept changes and develops over time."