Drought relief for the region As our farming communities work through another dry season, support agencies, alongside local government, have been working collaboratively to ensure the health and wellbeing of the region’s rural communities. Part of the process is to inform people in need of available resources. Connecting Communities aims to build on the strong resources already in our region and promote the resilience that has helped many people through difficult times. The following is the first in a fortnightly series:
A
communication plan developed by tiers of government and support agencies across eight municipalities guided the droughtresponse package announced by Premier Daniel Andrews in the Wimmera last month. For the past year, community leaders have gathered bi-monthly and then monthly to ensure the health and wellbeing of communities in the Wimmera and southern Mallee ahead of a challenging season. The collaborative approach ensured all services were working together on a uniformed plan of action. Horsham Rural City Council community services director Angela Murphy said the collective presented a list of short, medium and long-term goals to the State Government last month. “The government acknowledged receipt of our seasonal conditions wishlist and we anticipate a letter in the near future to talk details about how these initiatives will be rolled out,” she said. Short-term goals presented to government included provision of drought community development officers in each municipality; money for social connectedness programs; increased funding for rural financial counsellors; transport and accommodation subsidies to support farming families with children; and retention of jobs in small communities through employment programs producing ongoing benefits and sustainability, such as catchment management authority projects. Ms Murphy said the drought-response package was well received by the group. “The only exception is farmers were hoping for a council rate subsidy, which was a priority on our list. This still needs to be addressed,” she said. “We will continue to prioritise programs while working through the recent announcements.”
Student wins card design contest
Connecting communities
The same collaborative approach will ensure the available dollars will be used appropriately. In brief, the package offers: • $220,000 for Mental Health First Aid training. • $270,000 for additional Rural Financial Counsellors. • $1.2 million for road maintenance. $300,000 from the State Schools Relief program to provide families with uniforms, shoes and other school items. • $960,000 to support kindergarten participation. • $1 million to employ farmers in environmental projects. • $1.5 million for a Drought Extension Program to help farmers make necessary on-farm decisions. • $5.8 million from a Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund to ensure students do not miss out on these experiences. • $4 million for national farm health. • $500,000 for stock management. Of the 10 declared drought-affected council areas – Buloke, Yarriambiack, Loddon, Northern Grampians, Horsham, Hindmarsh, Gannawarra, Pyrenees, Central Goldfields and West Wimmera – eight councils were represented at seasonal conditions meetings. The meetings were also attended by leaders from Wimmera Catchment Management Authority, Primary Care Partnerships, GWMWater, rural financial counseling services, Country Fire Authority, Wimmera Uniting Care, Business Horsham, Victorian Farmers Federation, Wimmera Development Association and health organisations. Premier Andrews, Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford and Water Minister Lisa Neville have vowed to return to the Wimmera early next year. “We really need to make the most of this opportunity and continue to work collaboratively to ensure our dollars are used to the best advantage, across all municipalities,” Ms Murphy said. She said while the finer details of the planning were refined, the most important thing rural communities could do immediately was to look out for each other and take opportunities to network and share ideas. • Drought information line: 136 186.
IMPRESIVE: Member for Lowan Emma Kealy with Horsham Primary School grade-five student Eliza Tickner, who designed the winning Christmas card cover for Ms Kealy to send out during the festive season. It is the first year Ms Kealy has run the competition.
Horsham Primary School 298 grade-five student Eliza Tickner has designed a winning Christmas card cover for Member for Lowan Emma Kealy. Ms Kealy invited students from schools across her electorate to design the cover of her 2015 Christmas card, showing what students loved best about their area with a Christmas theme. “I was extremely impressed with the response, with 186 entries received from 10 schools,’’ Ms Kealy said. “Students drew their favourite places, events and sports. Some students even submitted photographs and other digital images.’’ Students had the opportunity to explain their work in 25 words or less and Eliza wrote: “My inspiration was a scene at my family’s farm, a blue gum, the Grampians and a long paddock.” “I wanted something meaningful that represented our great part of the state and the students have given me that,’’ Ms Kealy said. “I am so proud of the great work by our students and I will be displaying some of the impressive artwork in my office window. It will definitely be something I would like to do again next year.’’
BACKING THE PROJECT: From left, Little Desert Rodders, Rockers and Collectors treasurer Barry Bellman, club sponsor Gilbert Membrey and president Peter Hutchinson are pictured with Mr Membrey’s Shelby Mustang and a cheque for $10,000.
Car and dance club donates $10,000 A group of car and rock ‘n’ roll dancing enthusiasts has donated $10,000 to the region’s Wimmera Cancer Centre project.
Little Desert Rodders, Rockers and Collectors, with 330 members across the region raising the money through events and memberships. The group has its biggest fundraising event, Dimboola Swap Meet, every October. Club president Peter Hutchinson said everyone was affected by cancer at some stage of their lives, whether
it be a family member, relative or friend. He said the group was happy to support the project. “We have long admired the work of Wimmera Against Cancer in Kids car show committee, which runs its car show every Labour Day weekend and is a big supporter of Ronald McDonald House, helping children suffering from cancer,” he said. “We, as a club, are proud to support the cancer centre project. This donation will ultimately benefit the Wimmera greatly.” Club treasurer Barry Bellman added
it was important to remember the cancer centre was a regional project. “The donation we’ve managed to come up with is not a bad effort for a bunch of petrol heads,” he said. “A strong membership gives us a great opportunity to generate money for a great cause. This demonstrates a way that club enthusiasts can get together to make a difference in our community. It’s coming up to Christmas and we all felt this was the best sort of Christmas gift the club could give to the region.”
HARVEY NORMAN HORSHAM DOMETIC Vacuum Sealer
WAECO CoolFreeze CDF40 PACK
12/240 volt
Portable compressor fridge/freezer for refrigeration or freezing.
• Keeps food fresh up to 5 times longer* • Locks in flavour, colour and nutrition
Gross capacity
37 litres
• Eliminate freezer burn & wasted food
Voltage
12/24 volts DC
• For outdoor and indoor use
Power input Approx. 45 watts
• Maximise fridge & freezer space • Manual and automatic vacuum sealing • W380 x H83 x D152mm
NEW40
12/2 LT VO
1 YEAR FULL WARRANTY
to -18OC, free Temperature range +10OC temperature setting via electronic thermostat with digital temperature readout
HORSHAM Wednesday, December 2, 2015
3
3 YEAR FULL WARRANTY
HOLDS
47 CANS
148-150 Firebrace St. 5381 5000
www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
Page
7