Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)
Thirty projects from across Victoria’s three main dairy regions will share in $131,188 in grant funding to help build community capacity to deal with local issues and enhance existing community infrastructure.
Now in its 19th year, the Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants Program is delivered by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR). The grants of up to $5,000 will help not-for-profit organisations in small Victorian dairy communities deliver projects that will benefit local people and strengthen their ability to deal with local issues.
Gardiner Dairy Foundation Chief Executive, Dr Clive Noble, said the funding ensures that Gardiner is contributing to locally identified issues.
“The Community Grants program continues to attract applications from a wide range of community organisations running varying projects. Through this partnership we are contributing to solutions unique to that community to create genuine, long-term impact.
“We also see communities leverage these funds. Often, that cash injection can be the catalyst that enables community groups to undertake projects of larger impact.”
Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, said the longstanding partnership with Gardiner Dairy Foundation has been successful in creating many exceptional projects within Victoria’s dairy communities.
“Our long partnership with Gardiner Dairy Foundation has enabled us to support Victoria’s dairy communities with funding for projects that tackle local challenges and meet the needs and priorities of each place.
“The program is supporting several projects that will develop young people socially and educationally, and once again, there are fantastic initiatives to improve community spaces such as the addition of tiered seating in Neerim South, a hot water urn for the residents of Leitchville, and erecting shade sails over the hall deck to increase the utility of the Kawarren Recreation Reserve,” Ms Egleton said.
Supported projects include:
- Gippsland Dairy Region – Manna Gum Community House received $4,650 to work with local youth to create provide a program for young people in the community to access to youth service, connection, and solidarity.
- Northern Dairy Region – Rochester Secondary College received $5,000 to restore an existing vegetable garden and incorporate it into the Healthy Eating components of the syllabus.
- South-Western Dairy Region – Anam Cara House received $4,501 to purchase digital equipment, which will allow the facility to offer residents and guests greater connectivity through enhanced internet service and equipment.
Since the launch of the annual program in 2002, the Gardiner Dairy Foundation has invested more than $1.9 million in this program and has supported a total of 497 community projects.
The full list of 2021 Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants Program recipients are:
| Organisation | Project | Location | Grant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIPPSLAND DAIRY REGION | ||||||
| Fish Creek and District Primary School | "Kids Own Reading Pavilion" Grow access to literacy activities for students at Fish Creek District Primary school by funding the development of the "Kids Own Reading Pavilion". | Fish Creek | $5,000 | |||
| Hill End Community Incorporated | History Talks -Settlers' Histories A Generation On Grow awareness of local history in the dairy industry for Hill End and surrounding districts by developing a book of local memoires and transcripts for publication. | Hill End | $3,400 | |||
| Loch Memorial Reserve Incorporated | Towable Spray Unit Support volunteers to maintain the Loch Memorial Reserve by funding the purchase of a towable sprayer unit. | Loch | $1,387 | |||
| Maffra Golf Club | Purchase a Ride on Mower for the R.V. Park Maintain community facilities through providing a ride on mower for the local R.V. park to benefit the local tourism economy and support community activity. | Maffra | $5,000 | |||
| Manna Gum Community House Incorporated | Our Place Improve access to support facilities and programs for local youth by extending the "Youth Pop Up” activities at the Manna Gum Community House. | Foster | $4,650 | |||
| Mirboo and District Historical Society Incorporated | Cataloguing of Collection Support volunteers in cataloguing and collecting community history for future generations to come and visitors by providing funding to purchase technology equipment. | Mirboo North | $4,837 | |||
| Neerim District Cricket Club Incorporated | Let's Sit Together Improve community access to seating at the local recreation reserve by installing a grandstand at the Neerim Recreation Reserve. | Neerim South | $5,000 | |||
| Nyora Cricket Club Incorporated | Kitchen Refurbishment Project Phase 2 – Freezer Grow volunteer vitality and organisational capacity by upgrading the freezer at the Nyora Cricket Club. | Nyora | $5,000 | |||
| State Coal Mine - Rescue Station Arts Incorporated | Wellness Warriors Improve the organisations ability to support the community by delivering an art therapy-based well-being program in Wonthaggi and surrounds. | Wonthaggi | $4,040 | |||
| Toora Primary School | Class Set of iPads Improve access to technology to develop digital literacy and learning opportunities that will enhance education outcomes for rural students. | Toora | $5,000 | |||
| Poowong Kindergarten / Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania) Limited | Playground Refurbishment Improve access to sun smart play equipment for the children and families of Poowong Kindergarten by replacing worn shade sails at the centre. | Poowong | $4,950 | |||
| Wonthaggi Citizens Band Incorporated | Encouraging Participation in Music Grow opportunities for children to experience self-expression through music by providing 10 weeks of brass band lessons, additional band rehearsals and an end of term concert for the children of Wonthaggi and surrounds. | Wonthaggi | $5,000 | |||
| NORTHERN DAIRY REGION | ||||||
| Kyabram Blue Light / Blue Light Victoria Incorporated | Kyabram Blue Light - KyFit - Health Fitness & Wellbeing Center Grow access to youth activities and services by developing the Kyabram Blue Light Health, Fitness and Wellbeing Centre. | Kyabram | $5,000 | |||
| Eskdale Public Hall Committee Incorporated | Eskdale Community Hub Grow community connection and cohesion and support volunteers in offering a user friendly and welcoming community facility by enhancing the Eskdale Public Hall. | Eskdale | $3,020 | |||
| Murrabit Public Hall Committee / Gannawarra Shire Council | Murrabit Hall - Rolling On! Support volunteer vitality and encourage community connection by enhancing the outdoor area at the Murrabit Hall. | Murrabit | $3,390 | |||
| Katamatite Pre School / Goulburn Region Preschool Association Incorporated | Katamatite Pre-School - Nature and Technology Improve the organisations’ ability to host their Bush Kinder program with the provision of cameras and technology for offsite use and additional resources. | Katamatite | $3,570 | |||
| Leitchville Bowls Club Incorporated | Hot Water for Leitchville Support volunteers and improve community facilities at Leitchville Bowls Club by installing a 5-litre wall urn. | Leitchville | $1,914 | |||
| Milawa Primary School | Milawa Primary Community Hub Improve school facilities to increase capacity for broader community use through installation of new shade sails in the playground of Milawa Primary School. | Milawa | $5,000 | |||
| Rochester Secondary College | Edible Garden Grow opportunities for educational participation for students of Rochester Secondary College by funding their student developed Edible Garden project. | Rochester | $5,000 | |||
| Springhurst Primary School Council | Ovens Valley Mobile Arts and Crafts Centre (MACC) Support the Ovens Valley Mobile Arts and Crafts Centre by providing storage space for arts and craft supplies at the Springhurst Primary School. | Springhurst | $5,000 | |||
| Lions Airfield Griffin Club Branch / The Lions Club of Cohuna Incorporated | Cohuna Airport Maintenance and Safety Help volunteers maintain runway safety at the Cohuna Airstrip with an airstrip sweeper. | Cohuna | $5,000 | |||
| SOUTH-WESTERN DAIRY REGION | ||||||
| Anam Cara House Colac Incorporated | Strengthening Community Connections through Information Technology Improve the organisations ability to service and support the community by upgrading technology at the centre and promoting Anam Cara House. | Colac | $4,501 | |||
| Camperdown Toy Library Incorporated | Camperdown Toy Library Get Active Encourage children’s learning and development through play by providing resources for the Camperdown Toy Library. | Camperdown | $4,986 | |||
| Colac Otway Residents Action Group Incorporated | School Lunches for Children that Do Not Have a Lunch Improve the welfare and enhance educational outcomes for students in six primary schools across the Colac region by providing support for the Colac Otway Residents Action Groups School Lunches program. | Colac | $5,000 | |||
| Hawkesdale and District Development Action Committee Incorporated | HADDAC Mower for maintaining the Common Grow volunteer vitality by providing a zero-turn mower for the regular lawn maintenance of community facilities at Hawkesdale and District Development Action Committee. | Hawkesdale | $2,500 | |||
| Kawarren Recreation Reserve | Made for Shade Enhance community use of the Kawarren Recreation Reserve by installing shade sails over the outdoor entertaining area. | Kawarren | $5,000 | |||
| Macarthur Recreation Reserve | Storage Shed Upgrade Improve volunteer vitality and support by installing a storage shed at the Macarthur Recreation Reserve. | Macarthur | $5,000 | |||
| Terang & District Historical Society Incorporated | Update Terang Historical Society's Computers Improve the organisation’s ability to support and service the community through the purchase of new computer equipment. | Terang | $4,043 | |||
| Terang Community Art Show / UCA - Terang Uniting Church | Terang Art Show - Artist in school program Improve access and engagement in education for children in years 5 to 8 in the Terang area by providing access to indigenous art lessons and local indigenous elders. | Terang | $5,000 | |||
| Warrnambool College | Indigenous Perspectives Project Improve local students to access educational opportunities relating to local indigenous culture, language, and art by providing professional development of staff at the Warrnambool College. | Warrnambool | $5,000 | |||
For the residents of Coragulac and its surrounding communities, having access to excellent early childhood education with the right facilities is a top priority for local families.
The Coragulac & District Kindergarten has provided care and education for their small community for many years. The facility’s three staff and local volunteers run a three-year-old program for 21 children, and a four-year-old program for 20 children.
Play-based learning helps to develop coordination, motor skills and problem solving skills, while focusing on social skills that are invaluable to kids, such as how to get along with their classmates, how to communicate and follow general rules. It also allows kids to follow their imagination and explore their interests.
The energy and imagination the kids bring to the kindergarten is endless, however their ability to play outside was often met by challenges due to weather, and between the scorching summer heat and chilly winter days, the kids weren’t able to enjoy being outside for very long.
This made some play-based activities very difficult, as the kindergarten lacked a suitable area for things like pot planting and chalk drawing. To continue providing great childcare for local families, the kindergarten needed to upgrade their facilities.
The Kindergarten was awarded $5,000 through the Gardiner Dairy Foundation Community Grants program for their Sheltering Our Children for a Bright and Happy Future project, which built a new verandah for outdoor learning and activities.
The new space allows the kids to enjoy being outside without worrying about the weather, and provides an area for ‘messy’ play-based learning. In addition to the kids who attend the kindergarten during the week, the space is also used after school and on the weekends by families with school-aged children and children with disabilities, as it provides a sheltered, fenced and safe play space.
Bendigo, 11 July 2019: Twenty-six projects in Victoria’s three dairy regions will share in $120,326 in grant funding from the Gardiner Dairy Foundation’s Working in Dairy Communities Small Grants program, run in partnership with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal.
In its 17th year, the Working in Dairy Communities Small Grants program offers up to $5,000 to help build Victorian dairy communities’ capacity to deal with local issues and enhance existing community infrastructure.
Gardiner Dairy Foundation Chief Executive, Clive Noble, said the grant funding aimed to strengthen dairy communities through supporting local initiatives.
“These grants help to create more resilient communities, enhance infrastructure and assets that all local people can benefit from,” Dr Noble said.
“Many of these projects leverage support from multiple sources to build community facilities where locals gather, like halls and clubrooms; support lifelong learning through education and training; and create community arts and health programs. Others look to contribute to creating a more vibrant, cultural community.”
“The Working in Dairy Communities Small Grants program continues to bring us these wonderfully creative ways of strengthening the various support mechanisms that many of us, at one time or another in our lives, will fall back on,” said FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton.
“I’m continually amazed by the exponential value and genuine long-term impact that is created from these grants funded by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation. It’s a program we are very proud of.”
A complete list of the projects supported is below. They include:
- Gippsland Dairy Region – Fish Creek Community Garden received $5,000 to commission and install a new artwork at the community garden, connecting it to the rest of the town and engaging local residents and tourists.
- Northern Dairy Region – Greater Shepparton City Council received $5,000 to build community resilience through delivery of mental health first aid training in the communities of Tatura and Tallygaroopna.
- South Western Dairy Region – South West Community Energy received $5,000 to strengthen environmental awareness and education outcomes by fitting out a renewable energy education van.
Since the launch of the annual program in 2002, the Gardiner Dairy Foundation has invested more than $1.7 million in this program and has supported a total of 445 community projects.
| GIPPSLAND DAIRY REGION | NORTHERN DAIRY REGION | SOUTH-WESTERN DAIRY REGION |
| Bena Public Hall IncFish Creek Community GardenFoster Primary SchoolFriends of the Lyre Bird Forest Walk IncHeyfield Tennis ClubLoch Memorial Reserve IncMirboo North Playgroup and Toy Library IncNyora Cricket Club IncProm Coast Centres for Children IncState Coal Mine – Rescue Station Arts Inc | Cobram District Childrens Services IncCohuna and District Progress Association IncCorryong and District Memorial Public Hall IncGreater Shepparton City CouncilGreta Valley Landcare GroupMurrabit Men’s Shed IncRochester Community House IncStanhope & District Development Committee IncTatura Civic Halls Committee Inc | Anam Cara House Colac IncCamperdown & District Community HouseColac Otway Residents Action Group IncEmmanuel College IncPort Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail CommitteeSouth West Community EnergyThe Courthouse Camperdown Inc |
