Drought Resilience Leaders

A Moment for Me Picnic & Paint

Encourages connection, social and community cohesion as well as equipping women with the information and confidence to encourage conversations that support and offer pathways to actively manage (and seek help for) self, family and community care during the mentally challenging times of drought.

A Moment for Me is a series of coordinated events hosted by and for local women in Muttaburra, Isisford, Blackall and Stonehenge. Events will feature guest speakers from Outback Futures in conjunction with activities provided by Sip & Dip and LucyAnn Artistry.

Events give communities the ability to strengthen their resilience to mental wellbeing through reliable tools and strategies at their ‘fingertips’. It will give members of each community an understanding of the Weathering Well app and how to source more experienced help where needed.

The grant will support local events whilst aligning funds for promotion and engagement of event partners.

Why Work Out West? An Investigation

Build networks and encourage local people to find innovative solutions to local problems and initiate a change to the way people approach labour shortages.

Why Work Out West? An Investigation is a regionalised enquiry about labour shortages. The community has an opportunity to fast track its recovery from drought and build resilience through solid employment in varied sectors.

Through two workshops and a local survey, the project will bring together key stakeholders (local businesses, local families and community members, council, RAPAD, local Members) who, with the assistance of a facilitator, will connect, share ideas and ultimately create adaptive, innovative and actionable solutions.

The grant will contribute to the running and management of workshops and other resources to undertake the survey.

MLA & AWI MeatUp Forum 2022

To bring together over 100+ producers from around Western Queensland, at a forum focussed on drought planning, enterprise diversification and market options with an additional focus on personal wellbeing in order to improve business and community wellbeing.

MLA and AWI have collaborated to deliver the MeatUp Forum. As an event partner, the Leading Sheep Committee will host an agribusiness and community dinner and will engage a wellbeing and motivational presenter to tie in the key drought and resilience messages of the MeatUp Forum.

Industry and local stakeholders recognise the transition for the region as it adapts to extended drought, moving from traditional merino sheep and beef cattle to more diverse models of adding sheep meat and goats to existing livestock.

The flexibility and resilience of the local agricultural industry will rely on the wellbeing of the people making this change. The Forum will stimulate a mindset where producers and attendees have a renewed sense of identity and purpose in order to contribute to their business and community’s long-term sustainability. 

The grant will ensure drought resilience and mental health issues are prominent at the forum. Other Forum and event costs are being covered through MLA and AWI.

Regenerative Rangelands; Abundant Landscapes and Vibrant Communities

To enhance the health of ecosystems and pastures under the care of landscape managers, in a manner that improves their resilience to drought. Regenerative Rangelands; Abundant Landscapes and Vibrant Communities consists of:

• creating a "virtual tour": a series of short, engaging, digital videos, shared within a supportive, peer-to-peer community, that will connect innovative graziers and showcase examples where positive practice change is successfully regenerating land in the semi-arid to arid zone.
• the development of a landscape rehydration demonstration site/s within the Central West. This has been identified as a high impact, low-cost catalyst to widespread change, resulting in good environmental outcomes and positive returns for graziers.
• a field day that focuses on enhancing community engagement around adaptive practices that build resilience into landscapes and highlights emerging opportunities concerning environmental markets.      The grant will support the project team to collaborate and draw on their respective strengths and capacity to reach the broader community.

Two Ducks

Establish and manage a community garden in Winton which is sustainable, drought tolerant and provides a wellbeing place to enhance community resilience.

This is a new project for the community that will bring to life a community resource that employs the principles of a circular economy to increase the security of members food supply.

This small-scale community infrastructure investment to foster connectedness and improve wellbeing has a long-term vision of feeding the local LGA (1000pax), generate employment and secure fresh food for the region.

It will be a community space to enhance opportunities for social interaction amongst members, through the provision of Bush Tucker, medicinal and food production areas.

The grant will fund a landscape designer, material and tools required for initial establishment and support for a consultant to assist in setting the strategy for a long-term project.

End of Harvest Ball 2022

Bringing farming families together - facilitating social and community connection whilst providing education on topics including mental health.

Building on the success of the inaugural ball in 2021 and the continued community interest in hosting an event that celebrates agriculture, the End of Harvest Ball provides an opportunity for farming families to gather to gather off farm.

The Greater Shepparton Shire Council is supporting the event and neighbouring Councils have been asked to sponsor attendance of their primary producer family.

The grant will support the participation of local primary producers from the Shepparton Shire to attend.