After leading the Salamanca Market through the challenges of the pandemic and its milestone 50th anniversary, long-serving president Emma Hope has stepped down after five years in the role.
Hope said it had been an “honour” to be a voice and advocate for the more than 300 stallholders who contribute to Tasmania’s top tourist attraction.
“My late mum was an original stallholder at the market when it started more than 50 years ago and I grew up on the stall,” she said.
“She was also a long-serving president of the Salamanca Market Stallholder Association (SMSA), a role I was privileged to also hold, to continue her legacy. I hope she would have been proud of my contribution.”
Hope said one of the more difficult aspects of her time was the pandemic, which forced the market to close for an extended period and later operate with restrictions.
“During that time the SMSA worked with council to ensure the safe operation of the market, while lobbying government to increase the crowd capacity,” she said.
Another significant hurdle was the “tense” licence negotiations with the City of Hobart.
“Council proposed a new license which included an almost doubling of site fees and enforcing strict conditions on how and where we traded,” she said.
“The SMSA fought hard against the changes and with the support of elected members were eventually successful.”
During her tenure, the market celebrated 50 years of operation, a milestone that Hope said acknowledged its “rich history” and “bright future”.
The role of president has now been taken up by Nadia Tanase.
