Council & Business
24 September, 2024
Council’s 2024-2025 Community Grants program will benefit 18 local groups
From receiving essential animal shelter enclosures and cost-saving solar panels, to ensuring the success of local events — the big winners of this year’s Community Grants program will capitalise on the funding to empower residents across the shire.
Eighteen community groups in the Central Goldfields Shire will share in nearly $43,000 of funding as part of the annual initiative.
Recipients of the program, hailing from Talbot, Maryborough, Dunolly, and Bealiba, were awarded the grant if their project met either of the four categories: Infrastructure, Creativity or Innovation, Community Development, and Climate Action.
Out of the 18 beneficiaries, the top amount of $3000 was allocated to about half a dozen projects each — including Robyn’s Nest & All the Rest Animal Rescue Inc, Pride Goldfields Maryborough, and Goldfields Historical & Arts Society.
Operating out of two locations, the shelter sought funding assistance from council to secure three portable cat net enclosures, accompanying waterproof covers, hammocks, and large dog kennels.
Their Save Haven: Community Rescue & Care project is a product of the team’s experiences during the Bayindeen fire earlier this year.
The blaze led to the evacuation of residents from Amphitheatre, Beaufort, Clunes, Elmhurst, Learmonth, Lexton and surrounds — with 165 people staying at the Maryborough Princes Park relief centre at one point.
“We helped people in the centre find places to temporarily house their animals because they couldn’t take them into the emergency areas,” the shelter’s owner Robyn Hunter said.
“When the fire broke out, we also found that a lot of people, especially the elderly, would refuse to evacuate if their pet wasn’t safe and looked after.
“That’s when we thought we needed something to assist us in times of emergencies like fires and floods — these cat enclosures will help us with that.”
Around nine cats could be placed in the three enclosures, but Ms Hunter’s hope is to significantly multiply that number by securing additional compartments.
“We’re definitely going to keep an eye out for future grant opportunities because it’ll be great to have ten enclosures,” she said.
“If we have that mobile infrastructure, we might also get more foster carers to come on board.
“It’ll also give us extra capacity to rescue cats from the pound.”
According to Ms Hunter, the shelter’s recent success with the Community Grants program, is also in part owed to the grant writing workshops hosted in partnership between the Maryborough Volunteer Resource Centre (MVRC) and the Central Goldfields Shire.
“It really did help me understand what I needed to do with the application,” Ms Hunter said.
“After attending, I knew how to approach it and it also didn’t seem so insurmountable.”
Another group, sitting on the other end of the shire, also scored a win with the grant.
The Goldfields Historical & Arts Society’s application requested funds to install solar panels at the Dunolly Museum.
And now the upgrade’s future is looking bright.
“It’s excellent that we’ve received this money from the council,” Susan Anderson of the Gilbert & Sullivan (G&S) Society said.
Both the historical and G&S societies work in tandem to maintain the museum.
“We work together as a benefit for the community, and we bring people together through the arts,” Ms Anderson said.
“So this grant for the local museum is a cause for celebration for all of us — we could certainly use the cost savings that will come out of the solar panels.
“The museum is run by volunteers, and all the money that we generate goes towards running the actual premises so if we had extra help in that direction it would certainly go a long way.”
Back home in Maryborough, a little will also go a long way for the Outburst: Winter Pride event.
For three consecutive years, Pride Maryborough has been backed by council, and its director Adrian Masterman-Smith said this support has been critical to the festival.
“We are very pleased to have gotten $3000 from council,” he said.
“It’s nice to have commitment from them year on year — it gives us certainty.
“From our perspective it’s very important to secure this funding. I am feeling very excited about it all.”
Mr Masterman-Smith said the ongoing support is a testament that the community values the event which focuses on celebrating inclusiveness and diversity.
“I think it’s wonderful,” he said.
“This shows that there’s real merit in what the event brings to the town.”
Other recipients of the 2024-2025 Community Grant include:
Maryborough and District Garden Club — $1000
Maryborough Family History Group — $1131
Talbot Farmers Market — $2250
Dunolly Gilbert and Sullivan Society — $2000
Strengthening Goldfields Community Radio — $2000
Goldfields Music Club — $3000
Talbot Action Inc — $3000
Bealiba Pony Club — $3000
Goldfields Historical and Arts Society — $3000
Daisy Hill Community Centre — $3000
Maryborough Soccer Club — $2430
Words in Winter Central Goldfields — $2250
Maryborough Theatre Company — $2549
St John Ambulance Australia (Victoria) — $2244
Maryborough and District Horse and Pony Club — $3000