Hi <<First Name>>,

Welcome to the sixth edition of Golden Plains Shire Council's eGazette, sharing local news in between editions of the Gazette community magazine.

In this edition, you can read about updates from the June Council meeting, funding announcements, engagement opportunities, a selection of upcoming events and programs and much more. 

Council approves Budget 2022/23 

At the June Council meeting, Council adopted the Golden Plains Shire Council Budget 2022/23 and the Revenue and Rating Plan 2022/23.

In February, Council launched early budget engagement with a community survey and online engagement sessions with Councillors. The Draft Budget was endorsed by Council in April for public exhibition and was open for submissions from 29 April to 30 May. 

In adopting the Council Budget 2022/23, Council approved a number of amendments to the Draft Budget, reflecting issues raised and grants received since the Draft Budget was endorsed. 

• $45.7 million to deliver more than 70 services to the Golden Plains community
• $18.8 million investment in capital works, which is Council’s largest ever annual program
• $1 million for resealing local roads
• $800,000 for improvements to local roads
• $700,000 for gravel re-sheeting of local roads
• $400,000 for stormwater drainage improvements and $250,000 for kerb and channel projects
• $1.1 million for community safety
• $838,000 for community development
• $513,000 on youth development

A New Playground for Linton

The Linton Recreation Reserve Playground is back open for local children to enjoy following its recent upgrade. 

Complete with a bird nest swing set, slide, dynamic climbing features, monkey bars and natural play elements, the new playground will appeal to children of a range of ages. The upgrade also includes new soft-fall material and the installation of perimeter edging. 

The $213,064 replacement of the existing facility with the brand-new playground was funded by $153,064 contribution from Council and $60,000 from the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program. The Linton playground is the fifth playground to be upgraded with funds from the LRCI Program, following playgrounds in Enfield, Garibaldi, Dereel and Haddon upgraded in 2022. As 

Funding for Youth Crime Prevention

The grant will fund a dedicated youth professional for two years based at the Golden Plains Youth Hub, who will focus on programs, workshops and support positive interventions that disrupt risk factors and improve protective factors for young people, including building young people’s resilience, education, employment and training pathways.

In addition to the Building Safer Communities funding grant, Council has provided an in-kind contribution of $105,843 to deliver the crime prevention project.

Asset Plan 2022-2032 Adopted 

The Draft Asset Plan 2022-2032 was on public exhibition from 27 April to 18 May and Council thanks the community members who made a submission during this period.

The Asset Plan is a key technical document that details the maintenance, renewal, acquisition, expansion, upgrade, disposal and decommissioning in relation to each class of infrastructure asset under the control of Council. These assets include sealed roads and car parks, gravel roads, bridges and major drainage structures, buildings, kerb and channel, footpaths and trails, stormwater drainage and open spaces. 

Funding announced for Recreation Projects 

Council has secured $433,666 from the Victorian Government's 2022 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund for the Rokewood Recreation Reserve Netball and Tennis Court Upgrade and Golden Plains Shire Tracks and Trails Strategy projects.

The Rokewood Recreation Reserve Netball and Tennis Court Upgrade project includes the reconstruction of two new netball and tennis courts with lighting, as well as the installation of new fencing, undercover benches for players, coaches and timekeepers, and an extension of the current shelter to increase storage. The $650,000 project has received $433,666 from the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund’s Female Friendly Facilities category. In addition, Council will contribute $216,334 to complete the funding for this partnership project.

The $60,000 Golden Plains Shire Tracks and Trails Strategy project will see the development of a strategy to identify current and future track and trail opportunities and requirements across Golden Plains Shire. Council has secured $30,000 from the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund’s Planning category, which will be matched by $30,000 from Council to complete the project.

Grants Awarded to Golden Plains Shire Community Groups 

Council has awarded Community Strengthening Grants to 16 Golden Plains community groups in Round One of the 2022 program. 

Council awarded a combined $78,346 to the successful groups to deliver 17 projects across 4 categories: Environment and Sustainability, Healthy Active Living, Community Safety, and Creative Community. 

In this round, grants were allocated to 16 local organisations, ranging from the Friends of the Woady Landcare Group to the Inverleigh Historical Society. The supported projects include a welcome sculpture in Wallinduc, upgrading of local community facilities, rivers and reserves; and supporting new opportunities for community members to connect, learn and get active.  

Opening of the Bannockburn Football & Netball Club Grandstand 

Council supported the community project, which included the installation of a new grandstand at Victoria Park in Bannockburn, with a $10,000 contribution through the second round of the 2020 Community Strengthening Grants program. The Bannockburn & District Netball Association were the majority funder of the $57,000 project, providing $41,000, with an additional $6,000 contribution from Bannockburn & District Grants. 

The recently completed grandstand will provide optimal viewing of netball games on court one and includes tiered seating with a roof cover. Rear wall cladding also allows spectators different viewing height options and protection from weather elements for year-round enjoyment of netball. 

Community Satisfaction Survey Results 2022

The survey featured feedback from 400 local residents across a range of age groups and locations and was conducted in early 2021. Council thanks all residents who participated and provided their valuable feedback. 

This year, Golden Plains Shire Council posted more favourable results in six Council performance categories, in comparison to the 2021 survey. These categoriess are: 

• Customer Service
• Waste Management
• Consultation and Engagement
• Lobbying on behalf of the community
• Decisions made in the interest of the community
• Value for money

Reusable Cloth Nappy Workshops for Golden Plains

The free workshops will provide a comprehensive introduction to cloth nappies including how to fit, wash and care for cloth nappies (it’s much easier than you think), as well as offering some tips and tricks for busy parents on how to use the environmentally friendly alternative.  

Attendees will also go in the draw to win 1 of 60 complimentary Evia Collective cloth nappy 5 packs to kickstart their reusable nappy collection. The prizes will be drawn at random for Golden Plains Shire residents. 

Art Program for Golden Plains Youth

Young people in Golden Plains are invited to join Golden Plains Shire Council’s inaugural Youth Art Program which will be held in Smythesdale over four weeks, beginning Saturday 16 July. 

Participants of the free Youth Art Program will be guided by local artist, advocate and volunteer, Barry Wemyss, in the creation of their own ‘art book’ as an expression of their own vision and interpretation of what art can be. Participants will also create a ‘wall hung’ art piece to be displayed in an exhibition that will officially close the Program.  

The Program will include four sessions to be held from 9am to 12pm at The Well, 19 Heales Street, Smythesdale, each Saturday for four weeks from Saturday 16 July.

The Program has a maximum capacity of 15 participants and participants must be able to attend each of the four sessions. To register contact Council’s Youth Development team at 5220 7111 or youth@gplains.vic.gov.au

Strengthening Local Sporting Clubs 

Council has partnered with Leisure Networks to deliver the Community Club and Volunteer Training Program, a dedicated program to help build and strengthen capacity within local sporting and recreation clubs. 

The program will support volunteers and representatives to develop their skills and make a positive difference in their clubs, through a series of online and in-person workshops. 

The free workshops will be held monthly, from July to November, and will cover topics including financial management, recruitment and retention of volunteers, sponsorship, governance and innovation.

The Community Club and Volunteer Training Program is open to all community members, participation is free and registration is required. 

Spring in the Shire on Tour

The Spring in the Shire photography exhibition is currently on display at The Well in Smythesdale and will remain open to the community until the end of August. 

The exhibition features the winners of the 2021 Spring in the Shire photography competition, which were announced in December 2021.   

The biennial competition is an opportunity for photographers from across the Shire to showcase their talents by capturing the beautiful surrounds and vibrant communities of Golden Plains. The 2021 competitions’ theme was ‘What we share’, and photographers of any skill level were encouraged to capture this theme through their lens.

From more than 70 entries, 30 images were shortlisted. The shortlisted entries are all included in the Spring in the Shire public exhibition. 

The exhibition is open to the public from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. 

Golden Plains Mobile Library 

In partnership with Council, Geelong Regional Libraries provides residents with a fantastic mobile library service which visits nine townships across Golden Plains Shire each week. 

The mobile library is stocked with a variety of books, audiobooks, DVDs and magazines. Residents can also access any of Geelong Regional Libraries’ 400,000 library items by requesting a hold through the online catalogue and then collecting from the most convenient mobile library stop in the Shire. 

Golden Plains Shire Council also provides residents with a permanent library located at 27 High Street, Bannockburn. The Bannockburn Library offers a full range of public library services and collections to the general community.

It's Movie Night at the Youth Hub

Council invites young people aged 12 to 18 to attend the FReeZA Movie Night at the Golden Plains Youth Hub on Friday 8 July, 2022.

Open to young people aged 12 to 18, Movie Night at the Hub it set to be an evening of fun, with music entertainment and a movie screening to celebrate the end of school holidays. A pizza dinner, popcorn and non-alcoholic beverages will also be provided.

A strictly drug, alcohol and smoke free event, Movie Night at the Hub will be held at the Golden Plains Youth Hub, Milton Street, Bannockburn on Friday 8 July from 6 to 9pm.

Share your thoughts on the Woady Yaloak Recreation Reserve Lighting Project 

The Woady Yaloak Recreation Reserve Lighting Project will deliver the upgrade of lighting on the oval and netball and tennis courts at the reserve to competition standard. This will see the oval lighting upgraded to 150 lux lighting, and the netball and tennis courts to 250 lux lighting, providing increased opportunities to program sporting and community activities, training and matches and events.  

Following a $500,000 election commitment from the Federal Government for the Woady Yaloak Recreation Reserve Lighting project, Council is now seeking an additional $250,000 from the State Government to fully fund the project. 

To ensure the lighting upgrade project meets the need of the community, Council is inviting community members to share their thoughts on the project and the possible impact on usage of the community facility.  

Online Councillor Conversation Post 

An online Councillor Conversation Post will be held on Thursday 28 July 2022 from 7 to 9pm. 

As part of the Councillor Engagement program, this online session follows the success of a number of in-person Conversation Posts earlier this year.

All Golden Plains Shire residents are welcome to Zoom in and have a virtual chat with their elected Councillors.

The Zoom link will be published on Council's website on Wednesday 27 July.