Tailored events build strong foundations

Remote communities in far-western NSW are overcoming geographic isolation and becoming more drought resilient after gathering together for Rural Connect community days, tailored to the distinct needs of each region.

Contact Inc CEO, Sue Kingwill, said that after more than a decade of challenges from long-term drought, COVID, floods and potentially more drought to come, they wanted to lift the spirits of residents in and around Louth, Ivanhoe, Pooncarie and Tibooburra.

The first step to empowering them was to ask what they needed after so many testing years.

The co-design confirmed it was crucial that events were held face to face, featuring professional workshops on skills such as first aid, but also fun wellbeing events such as Pilates, yoga and relaxation sessions.

“The baseline was very much about responding to needs, connecting people with each other and with their community and also with the services that are available. When you’re isolated and you don’t have regular access to a lot of services and supports, it’s hard to know.”

“It was palpable that people just simply wanted to be together and have a sense of belonging and connections again with their community and with each other,” Sue said.

So, a series of face-to-face Community Link Up Days were organised, to help families and community members come together, encourage each other, interact with service providers and build support networks.

The events were organised to coincide with Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) clinic days so that as many people as possible from surrounding areas could attend.

Each location had activities tailored to whatever the region asked for, from training in CPR and defibrillator use, to grant writing, and even barbecue meat smoking.

Supported by a $49,969 FRRR grant, the Community Days were a great success – helping people across Far West NSW to be more prepared for the many impacts of drought.

“I fully believe that preparing for drought, it’s about the people, it’s another layer beyond the land and the water. It’s about all those other things that we need to do to support people,” she said. “

“Preparing for the drought is a long-term view, and the very basic baseline to then build upon is to develop that confidence and connection between people and that self-agency. That’s really where the thinking came behind this project.

That sense that you can have a really positive and happy experience and all come together is the start of resilience.”

The connection days were followed by four virtual events to consolidate and further build self-support networks across the region.

“I think the community is stronger from the perspective that they had a positive input into their lives,” she said. “They got access to what they were seeking. And probably the other really strong thing that I think has come out of the events is that skill development.

Looking back now on the Rural Connect events, Sue sees the long-term benefits clearly – strengthening people in the face of ongoing drought by having stronger connections to their support networks.

“It is providing an ability for people to connect with each other – for children, families and communities,” Sue said.

“Learning and being part of something so that they might utilise that knowledge in their future thinking and approaches is a bigger next layering of benefits from a local economy.