The town of Stanthorpe, in Queensland is no stranger to hardship. After years of drought and bushfires, the community was already feeling the pressure when COVID-19 hit. Like many rural, remote, and regional towns, social isolation is a huge issue, now more than ever with strict rules on social interactions and gatherings. These restrictions made it particularly difficult for visitors to come to the area and spend money at local businesses, putting more financial pressure on the community already feeling the effects of years of severe drought. It was so bad, the town was even trucking in water for residents.

The Granite Belt Art and Craft Train Inc (GBART) was determined to push through all these challenges. GBART’s purpose is to support community wellbeing and economic diversity through improving the Granite Belt’s cultural vibrancy and identity. The region stretches from the Great Dividing Range in Queensland all the way to the New England region of New South Wales. 

Thanks to a $20,000 Tackling Tough Times Together (TTTT) grant, GBART was able to hold the highly anticipated annual culture and tourism event, Open Studio, which took place over three days and attracted approximately 4,000 visitors.

Open Studio involved hands on workshops, classes and demonstrations, while also engaging with Australian art and craft in active, inclusive ways. The events were hosted at 27 different venues, including wineries that saw visitors stopping to taste, shop and eat.

The TTTT grant allowed GBART to fund a range of supporting resources such as the training and up-skilling of volunteers, purchasing office and IT equipment, venue hire, advertising and marketing material, COVID-19 cleaning equipment and training, plus salaries for an event coordinator, administration support, and a media consultant.

The event was a major success, bringing the community together and engaging visitors from surrounding towns. Best of all, there were little to no changes needed to their original plan. Event organisers said they were “proud of the venues, the accommodation and hospitality businesses that supported the artisans and hosted them in their venues, and we are proud of the artisans who provided the engagement that brought everyone here.”

35 projects funded in drought-affected communities

FRRR’s long-running Tackling Tough Times Together (TTTT) program, has awarded grants totalling $1,086,794 to 35 not-for-profit organisations to support drought recovery projects in remote, rural and regional communities across Australia.

Now in its eighth year, the award-winning_^[1] and collaboratively-funded TTTT program supports drought-affected communities to undertake a broad range of grassroots initiatives that help locals access the resources needed to support one another through the ongoing effects of the drought. To date, thanks to the support of FRRR’s donor partners, the program has granted out more than $17.3 million.

Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead, said that for many communities, drought is still a very real and significant issue, and communities are dealing with a variety of factors as they continue to stand strong and keep their community connected and supported.

“Capacity within rural communities has been significantly hampered by both the long-running drought, and more recently, the uncertainty of COVID-19. Fundraising is a real challenge, and volunteers are really fatigued. However, they remain committed to bringing people together to support one another at a time when doing so is perhaps more important than ever.

“So, programs like Tackling Tough Times Together are an important source of funding, as it means community groups can continue to run programs and events that help to reduce feelings of social isolation. The grants also help alleviate volunteer fatigue, as community-minded people are so often very stretched and stressed by not being able to offer the services they know are so valuable to their community,” Ms O’Brien said.

Successful projects include the Warramboo Community Club’s playground replacement on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Like many remote areas, the Community Club is a focal point of the district for events, sports, celebrations, training and information days. They are receiving a $25,000 grant to encourage children’s learning and development by replacing the deteriorated playground on the grounds. This creates a key meeting point for the important social contact that binds isolated farming families together.

On the other side of the country, in the Central region of Queensland, the Flinders Shire Council has devised a plan to boost local tourism and support the economy by fitting out the Agricultural Zone at the Flinders Discovery Centre redevelopment in Hughenden. With their $150,000 grant, they aim to increase tourist activity and enhance economic recovery and renewal by completing the revitalised regional Centre’s new agricultural zone with fit out displays including an interactive sheep shearing display, touchscreens showing agriculture practices and paddock to plate processes.

Some of the other projects awarded this round include:

• Wandoan Community Commerce and Industry Group, QLD – Illuminating Wandoan – $46,073 – Boost local tourism and support the local economy through establishing an outdoor illuminated mural on silos in Wandoan.
• Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway Incorporated, VIC – Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway Infrastructure Strategy project, Stage One – $18,000 – Reduce volunteer fatigue and build the capacity, capability, and sustainability of an important historical asset through the development of Infrastructure Strategy – Stage One for future usage planning and facility enhancements.
• Karridale Primary School, WA – Growing our Sense of Place – $6,000 – Support opportunities for connection through a bushland art project.
• Shire of Mingenew, WA – Town Beautification with Children’s Art Workshop – $5,240 –Encourage children’s learning and development with art workshops and mural paintings for town beautification.

The Tackling Tough Times Together program is possible thanks to the collaborative support of several donors, including the Australian Government which committed $15M to be distributed from 2019-2021. Generous contributions have also been made by The Pratt Foundation, Stockland CARE Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation, The Snow Foundation, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Henroth Group and private donors from across the nation. To join these donors, and support grants like this through FRRR, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.

Applications are currently open for Round 22 of TTTT and groups in areas experiencing prolonged dry conditions are encouraged to apply for funding to help their community support one another. Applications close 5pm AEST, 24 August 2021.

More information on the Tackling Tough Times Together grant program is available here.

The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.

Jump to: NSW | QLD | SA | VIC | WA

---

[1] 2020 Australian Philanthropy Awards – Best Grant Program

In north west Queensland, there is a town called Winton. For the last seven years the town has battled the worst drought they have ever seen. To make matters worse, flooding in early 2020 ravaged the town even further, with the loss of thousands of livestock and damage to much of the surrounding area. This kind of devastation, understandably, created immense financial stress and anxiety for the residents and businesses of Winton.

To lift community spirits, the Diamantina Rodeo and Campdraft Association (DRCA) wanted to hold their annual Campdraft, an event where horse and rider combine to work cattle, but with financial pressures, it was touch and go. With the help of a $20,000 Tackling Tough Times Together (TTTT) grant, they were able to make it a reality. The three-day event brought together crowds from surrounding towns to watch and compete in the Draft in a show of resilience and support for the local businesses of Winton.

The Draft provided a rare opportunity for families and friends to come together to enjoy a night of sport, food and music – a welcome distraction from the grief caused by the last few years. 

• 

The funding covered the major costs for the event, including complying with regulations such as having an ambulance presence, as well as the costs to keep all animals safe and happy. Additionally, the DRCA organised DJs and extra entertainment for attendees over the three days. 

The success of the annual Draft means the DRCA will be in a better situation when it comes time to organise the next event. A committee member said:

“Without this funding we would not have been able to run our annual event, so this was a great achievement not only for our organisation but the whole community.”

In this quarter’s update for FRRR’s donor partners, read about:

• Grants in Action: Sitting together and speaking up in WA’s mid-west
• Partnering Opportunity – Building resilience to drought
• Donor Spotlight: Thankful4Farmers
• Insights from the bush
• Community Partner Spotlight: Foundation Barossa
• Our progress, with your support

FRRR is delighted to note that the Future Drought Fund’s Drought Resilience Leaders Program was launched today by Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud.

The program will see the implementation of 12 Leadership cohorts across Australia (supporting around 500 participants), a mentoring program delivered in partnership with the National Farmers Federation, and the delivery of 225 Community Extension Grants (CEG’s, up to $4k) for participants to activate locally led initiatives around drought resilience.

FRRR looks forward to partnering with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, Australian Government and other collaborative partners in the roll-out of this program.

Read the full announcement here: https://rural-leaders.org.au/building-leadership-resilience-for-the-future/

UPDATE: Workshop recording available to watch below:

FRRR is hosting two free grantseeker workshops for our new Future Drought Fund’s Networks to Build Drought Resilience program.

Community organisations and networks can access a share of $4.5 million under the Networks to Build Drought Resilience program, with grants on offer across two funding rounds to drive action on drought resilience.

The Networks to Build Drought Resilience program will support the community organisations, networks and infrastructure that help people and communities prepare for, and live through, times of drought. The program will fund events, activities, training and small-scale infrastructure that assist communities to build their capacity.

If your not-for-profit is working on projects that strengthen social and community networks, or support engagement and wellbeing in an agriculture-dependent area, you might be eligible to apply for up to $150,000, thanks to the Australian Government.

Learn how to craft the best possible application by joining one of our free, ONLINE grantseeker workshops this Monday 7 June. There are two times available:

• Monday 7 June 11:00AM-12:00PM AEST (via Zoom)
• Monday 7 June 7:30PM-8:30PM AEST (via Zoom)

The workshops will provide practical grant writing tips , and the opportunity to ask questions.

Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/networks

27 locally-led projects funded

Rural communities across Australia are sharing in $1,060,404 in grants for 27 projects that will help them access the resources they need to tackle the ongoing effects of the Big Dry thanks to FRRR’s award-winning grants program[1], Tackling Tough Times Together (TTTT).

While water storage levels in the northern Murray-Darling Basin and northern Australia have improved, parts of south east Queensland and southern Western Australia still face serious or severe rainfall deficiencies[2]. Although other areas and states have had some rain, recovery from drought requires at least 18 months of average to above average rainfall. So much of the country continues to need support to tackle the impacts of the prolonged dry.

The 27 funded projects will help rural communities across Australia, from Charleville in Queensland, Moulamein in New South Wales, Keith in South Australia, to Manjimup in Western Australia, strengthen social connections, boost economic recovery, and build community and organisational capacity and disaster resilience.

Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead, said that on top of the effects of the drought, the ongoing impacts of the pandemic has seen volunteer fatigue emerge as a key priority in many places.

“For those areas still in drought, volunteers and local groups have had to find ways to sustain and engage the community,” Ms O’Brien explained.

“Maintaining this optimism and drive is no small feat, and we are pleased to be able to support the places and the people that are working to make their community thrive amidst the complexities of drought and the pandemic.

This includes groups like the Bundaleer Forest Community Areas Association in Jamestown, South Australia, who will be able to support their volunteers and boost economic sustainability by upgrading infrastructure and purchasing new equipment. The funding will provide equipment and storage areas needed to maintain the Maple and Pine event centre. The Bundaleer Forest project will provide strong, genuine and ongoing economic benefit, regardless of seasonal conditions, making Jamestown a more attractive place to live, work and play.

In New South Wales, Moulamein Community Development Incorporated has developed an inspiring project that will encourage tourism activity to the area through the restoration of the Werai Horse Stables and Moolpa Blacksmith shop in the Moulamein Heritage Village. The primarily volunteer-run organisation has been awarded a $149,930 grant for their initiative, which will boost the region’s economic recovery and build community wellbeing.

Some of the 27 projects awarded this round include:

• Monaro Farming Systems CMC Incorporated, NSW – Building Resilient Relationships for Farmers – $29,610 – Help locals stay informed and connected through the delivery of workshops in the Monaro region.
• Charleville & District Cultural Association Inc, QLD – Charleville Creative Lane 2021 – $20,000 – Encourage more local involvement in the community by delivering up to 30 creative arts workshops in Charleville.
• Back to the Bush Festival Incorporated, QLD – Miles Back to the Bush Festival – It is the people that make it – $23,452 – Support opportunities for social and educational participation and address disadvantage caused by the drought, for children and young people of Miles, QLD through the delivery of the Back to the Bush Festival in September 2021.
• Cadell Community and Tourist Association, SA – Cadell Op-Shop Amenities Block – $11,000 – Support volunteers at the community owned and operated Cadell Op-Shop by installing running water and an onsite toilet.
• Shire of Manjimup, WA – Youth Engage and Empower Project – $60,000 – Support opportunities for social and educational participation through employment of a Project Facilitator to build local youth resilience and establish a youth council for the Shire of Manjimup.

Applications for the TTTT program are always open and groups in drought-affected areas are encouraged to apply for funding to help their community come together to tackle the drought. Grants are available for a broad range of grassroots, community-led initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.

The cut-off dates for the next round of TTTT are:

• 24 August 2021. (Note: Stage One for the $150,000 grant tier must be received by 12 August). Outcomes will be advised late November 2021.

Tackling Tough Times Together is possible thanks to the collaborative support of several donors, including the Australian Government which committed $15M to be distributed over three years. Generous contributions have also been made by Pratt Foundation, Stockland CARE Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation, The Snow Foundation, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Henroth Group and private donors from across the nation. To join these donors, and support grants like this through FRRR, you can make a tax-deductible donation here.

More information on the Tackling Tough Times Together grant program is available here.

The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.

Jump to: NSW | QLD | SA | WA

---

[1] 2020 Australian Philanthropy Awards – Best Grant Program

[2] Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. Drought Rainfall deficiencies and water availability. 10 May 2020. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2I1PSqA.

Woolomin is a rural village located in North West slopes of NSW. It’s home to just 279 residents, including many families, but there is no public playground for the children to play at.

Many young families in Woolomin have limited capacity to travel to larger centres for sport and recreation, due to the costs associated and lack of public transport. Children were increasingly using the streets to play in, and this was problematic, with the main road through the centre of town being quite busy with traffic (connecting Tamworth to popular tourist destinations including Nundle and Chaffey Dam).

It was clear that developing a safe place for children to play, and along the way helping to combat social isolation in the village, was a community priority.

Tamworth Regional Council, in partnership with the Woolomin Recreation Reserve Committee (WRRC), took on the challenge, working together to come up with a plan that would make their community stronger and more socially connected. 

Consisting of 12 members, supported by an additional 10 passionate volunteers, WRRC was established in 2004 to develop Woolomin Recreation Reserve as an important hub to the Village, and they’ve since made a range of improvements for the community – the playground project was next.

The two organisations applied for FRRR’s Tackling Tough Times Together program, and were thrilled to hear that they had received a $59,000 grant, thanks to generous funding by the Australian Governement and Stockland CARE Foundation. At the time of applying, Woolomin was fully drought-declared.

With the new funding to install a playground at the local recreation reserve, they got to work, but not before consulting with those who would benefit most from the project – the local kids.

Woolomin Public School children played an integral part in designing the play area through their input into the type of equipment that would be installed. They actually started drawing up plans in mid 2018! The children’s requests were limited only by their imagination, and can be read in their letters to council here. While not every request was possible (zip lines, merry-go-rounds, monorail, a fairy floss fountain, mango trees, skate park and a Beyblade stadium were all put forward, as well as more traditional playground equipment!) it was clear that they put a lot of thought into their submissions.

One student wrote:

“In the park I would like to see a lots of trees, plants, shade shelters, seating, a bike rack and things that can help the environment.”

The final design includes components which encourage fine-motor skill play, gross-motor skill play and imaginative play as well as promoting an accessible and inclusive space for children of all abilities.

There’s nothing stopping these creative Woolomin kids from adding to the playground in the future so that it’s all they desire. For the meantime, it’s clear from their letters that it will bring important benefits.

A number of visitors to the community are accessing the playground, and the local community feedback is very positive. A neighbouring land holder commented that it is “just lovely to hear the children laughing and having fun, I have seen mum reading the paper in the sun and the children on the play equipment.”

The playground has created the opportunity to draw family and community members to a central spot in their community, to spend time together, play and provide a sense of connection and wellbeing.

Well done Woolomin!

About 70 km north of Roma, in Queensland’s Maranoa district, there is a crossroad, a place that most people pass by. It’s not a barren area – it has its own sense of beauty, but it is not an easy place to live either. It’s known as Roughlie.

In the five years from 2014, this small part of the world experienced pretty much everything the elements could throw at it. They endured floods, fires, severe drought conditions and decreasing commodity prices. But they are a resilient bunch of people.

During these hardships, two farmers – a husband and wife team – offered a parcel of their land to the community for the purpose of establishing a not-for-profit community centre.

As Lexene Spreadborough, Treasurer of Roughlie Community Centre explains, they saw a need to have a place where the community could come together for physical, emotional and mental wellbeing through social interaction and community involvement.

“[We needed] a place for members of our community and district to come together for mental and moral support is vital during droughts. A community space allows drought-affected farmers and graziers to support each other – improving community connectivity and in turn build a stronger community.

“The Roughlie Community Centre Inc. was established in July 2014, and by the October we had 40 members forming the working committee. All members and the community were volunteers with no paid staff.

“Our vision was to have a centre to be used for social functions, sporting and recreational activities and to provide a venue for industry groups for workshops, seminars and field days. But we needed somewhere to meet, as there was no community meeting place in our district,” said Ms Spreadborough.

The ‘It started with a Shed’ project was borne, as part of the first stage in their shared vision.

“We received a $9,990 grant through FRRR’s Tackling Tough Times Together program to build a Shed for the community to come together to fundraise and plan the centre. The money, which we know came from the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, was a catalyst for further funds, with substantial additional donations being made to connect the power, install a rain tank, a BBQ and stainless-steel benches. Another successful application to the Maranoa Regional Council’s ‘Community Grant’ program provided half the cost of fencing of the land, with the remainder being funded by members and residents. And we’ve gone on from there, since securing other grants and we now have a new Community Centre.

“The Shed – the first building on our land – started it all. It’s led to families coming together to connect with other members of our district. We have held card afternoons, club meetings, theme nights and other events. Before this some people had very little social interaction.”

Kara Spreadborough works as a Clinical Nurse Consultant at the local hospital. She has a young family, and to her, the Shed offers a special place of connection and sense of community.

“[In my role], I see the importance of that interaction and connection for the community, so I provided a letter of support just to say that working in the outback for the last 8 years, I’ve seen the importance of coming together as a community and the mental health aspect of it. Just sharing stories, sharing a cuppa, really does help people process things, because there’s that aspect of people being a bit more lonely, a bit more isolated in the bush.

“The whole process of applying for the grant was seamless. Although these things seem daunting, once you get going and talking to people… And the fact that we got what we asked for, we were blown away, but we were so appreciative. Doing this for the community, people would stop us in the street and say how amazing it was that we got this building, because it is amazing.”

Lexene Spreadborough said that while they’ve only just started using it, they have had a lot of people enquiring about it now, but mostly for workshops, seminars, information and industry-related training days.

“It’s also used socially for anyone in the district, sometimes we have a Friday night get together here, we have our meetings here, rural fire brigades have their meetings here, and Anglicare has a monthly children’s playgroup,” she said.

President of the Roughlie Community Center, John Frith, said, “I think it’s a real positive to the area to bring people together more regularly, and the guys obviously share similar challenges and successes. They can get together more regularly than they otherwise would with this facility here, which I think is important on two fronts; socially, and the potential to bring industry forums to the actual doorstep.”

And while the finishing touches to the Community Centre were only made in December 2020, the venue has already hosted a number of community gatherings, and a workshop is scheduled in July for community members to gain an understanding of soil carbon sequestration practices to mitigate climate change and move towards better land management and agricultural practices.

The impact of investing in resilience

Hovells Creek Landcare (HCL), NSW received an FRRR grant to support a series of workshops to increase land management knowledge and strategies, at the same time as strengthening community and social connections and wellbeing.

When drought strikes, the toll of the dry land can have an overwhelming impact on a farmer’s livelihood, family and community.

The group has been running workshops on drought and land, and resource management with expert speakers, using a $19,554 Tackling Tough Times Together grant received in the thick of the drought.

These workshops provided Landcare members with the latest thinking and resources for drought management, as well as a social interaction opportunity. They aimed to support farmers and community members to feel that they are doing their best for their livestock, their landscape, their families and themselves – to plan for the future, as much as the present.

To assist with volunteer fatigue impacting the HCL during the demanding drought, the grant also helped to fund a Coordinator to manage the workshops. The Coordinator organised expert speakers, promoted the events and arranged the venues and catering. The grant also funded any expert guest fees and travel expenses.

Experts spoke on topics ranging from managing mental health, to soil and moisture monitoring, and livestock feeding strategies.

Around 50 to 70 people participated, including a mix of Landcare members and local landholders, but with sessions shared online and in newsletters and local media, the insights were shared widely. The participants varied in terms of their level of knowledge and understanding of climate change and its impacts. They all had differing community and individual pressures as a result of the ongoing drought, and were presented with a suite of options to help them respond.

According to one of the former committee members, the workshops had the following impacts on participants: an increase in wellbeing, knowledge and capacity – with much greater awareness of climate change scenarios and importantly the likely local impacts. They learnt about tools, technologies and improved land management practices to effectively, sustainably and productively manage natural resources and adapt to significant changes in climate.

As a result of FRRR’s support for the project, funded by the Stockland CARE Foundation, HCL was able to secure more funding for a soil moisture probe in the Valley to enable producers to access real time moisture levels, rainfall and soil temperature data. This probe will help with plant management and maximise growth opportunities both now and into the future.