Welcome

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as the newly elected Mayor of the Southern Grampians Shire Council. I've been a long-term resident of the region predominantly spending majority of that time in the Coleraine community. Heading into my third year as a Councillor, I'm looking forward to continuing the work of our previous Mayor and getting positive results for our region.

This month we have been hit with flash flooding and intense rain systems which have undoubtedly caused much distress within our community. As we continue to work together to clean up and offer assistance where we can, we remind residents to reach out and ask for help if you are in need and we will endeavour to link you to the right contacts.

Mayor, David Robertson
Your Council. Your News.

Welcome to our November edition of Southern Grampians Now. Despite the recent flooding, this month has been filled with some fantastic community opportunities.

Take your time to read through the links below to find out what's happening across the Southern Grampians or click here to see my post Council wrap up video.

November Council Meeting

Outcomes from the Wednesday 9 November 2022 Council Meeting:

Council endorsed plans to move forward with a new Hamilton Gallery to build on the current Brown Street site and progress a CBD rejuvenation.
Council adopted the 2022 Hamilton Regional Livestock Exchange (HRLX) Strategic Vision as developed by the HRLX Advisory Committee (HRLXAC).
Council appointed user group representatives and community representatives to the Hamilton Showgrounds Advisory Committee and committed to further promoting the remaining Community Representative vacant position to fill the role.

Check out the latest Council Meeting agenda items here

New Hamilton Gallery

Council endorsed plans to move forward with a new Hamilton Gallery, confirming intentions to build on its current site and progress a CBD rejuvenation at last week’s Council meeting. Council will now move forward to developing detailed designs.

Designs will include a new Gallery on its current site, the development of a civic precinct on Council land to the rear of Council’s Brown Street buildings, with streets such as Gray, Brown, Lonsdale and Thompson to be revamped. Council’s purchase of 90 Lonsdale Street in 2021 will play a significant role with the facility to house a new Digital Hub, Library, Cinema, and office spaces which will also serve as a government hub in Hamilton.

The CBD location will support the broader Council vision for activation with the development of a vibrant and connected civic precinct the community can be proud of. The CBD will become a community hub with easy walking and cycling, highlighted with a civic square, public art, signage and greenspaces.

Council has previously explored the Lake and alternative CBD locations as possible sites, however these options were determined to be unsuitable. The current building is no longer fit for purpose to display and store such valuable works with issues including lack of display space for larger exhibitions, storage limitations, climate control issues and limited space for community engagement.

The proposed location with a footprint of approximately 5,800m2 will not only meet these needs, but will also provide spaces for artists in residence which is an exciting concept for the future of arts and culture in the region.

Click here for more details

Flood Recovery

We continue to focus on the clean up after last months flash flooding and rain events which impacted on a large area across the Southern Grampians. Council staff remain committed to assessing the damage in relation to our roads and infrastructure and assisting community members where we can. With more rain predicted for the remainder of the month, we will continue to liaise with emergency services and do what we can for our community.

We continue to encourage residents to get in touch with us and report and issues you find with roads and infrastructure. If you have them, please send us your photos and videos - sometimes a picture has the impact of 1000 words.

A number of grants and support services from the Victorian Government are now available to farmers, businesses and community sports organisations. Available grants and support include:

Primary Producer Recovery Grants
Rural Landholder Grants
Primary Producer Concessional Loans
Primary Producer Transport Subsidies
Business and Community Sport Flood Recovery Grants
Community Sport Emergency Flood Assistance Program
Rural Financial Counselling Service

To learn more about these opportunities including eligibility criteria and the value of grants, follow the link below. You can also stay-up-to-date with road closures via our Facebook page.

Click here for more information

Live4Life

If Not You, Then Who? Be The Change!

Local schools came together at HILAC last week for the much anticipated end of year Youth Live4Life Southern Grampians celebration. The program aims to improve awareness of mental health and to help destigmatise mental illness in our community amongst our young people.

With plenty of activities on offer and fun to be had after the main presentation, this event helped to equip young minds with the knowledge to identify behaviours in themselves and others that may need attention, and issued them with a challenge: "If not you, then who? Be the Change!" The event also gave them an opportunity to become familiar with mental health resources currently available.

Thanks to the talented Southern Grampians Youth Live4Life crew for organising the event with support from Live4Life, Western District Health Service and Southern Grampians Shire Council.

Click here to see more event photos

Project Update: HRLX Underpass

The Hamilton Regional Livestock Exchange (HRLX) underpass project is nearing completion after the initial concrete culvert was installed earlier in the year. The fencing is now finished, guardrail has been installed, the surface treatment is on the road and the electrical work will be completed over the next couple of weeks.

Site cleaning works are currently being completed and will be done in time for HRLX’s peak season.

Completion of this project will make it easier for staff to move stock to and from the saleyards while also eliminating safety issues associated with moving stock across a busy road.

We are looking forward to seeing this project fully completed and having a positive impact on HRLX.

Click here for background visuals on the project

Attention all budding lifeguards

The Hamilton Outdoor Pool reopened to the community today (Friday 18 November) with outer township pools set to reopen later in December (dependent upon lifeguard numbers). We are currently still facing a lack of trained lifeguards to man swimming pools across the region.

If you are new to lifeguarding or if your accreditation has lapsed – get in touch with us and we will help with training to get you out onto the pool deck.

Lifeguarding is not only a great summer job but could be the kick starter you need for a new career with Council. There’s still time to complete your training so reach out to Council as this is one way you can contribute to the wellbeing of your fellow residents.

We encourage all those interested in working as a lifeguard to please contact Council on 5573 0444 for more information.

Forward

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Southern Grampians Shire Council · 111 Brown Street · Hamilton, Victoria 3300 · Australia