Praise for volunteers

Community volunteers who roll up their sleeves to manage and improve Baw Baw Shire's public halls and reserves have been praised.

In accepting the annual reports of 14 community asset committees (CACs), Cr Suzanne Allen paid tribute to extraordinary locals who "quietly keep our towns and neighbourhoods ticking along."

"These are places where people meet, celebrate, train, volunteer and connect," Cr Allen said. "They are where community actually happens."
Cr Ben Lucas sought to get more CACs up and running across the shire, declaring people wanted to be involved.

"You give people a sense of pride, purpose in their own community, some really, really good things can happen," he said.
The annual reporting detailed the activities of 14 delegated CACs that manage various public halls and reserves on behalf of council from Athlone to Narracan and Seaview.

Allocated $109,451 to manage the facilities from council's $355,691 hall and reserve annual maintenance allocation program, new installations included an outdoor shelter at Crossover School Hall, new fencing at Ellinbank Public Hall, cricket practice net synthetic wicket replacement at Neerim South Recreation Reserve and dance floor restoration at Nilma North and Lillico Hall.

The Athlone committee reported increased hall usage after a COVID lull, whilst Darnum Memorial Hall committee reported five to six bookings per month and good feedback. Crossover School Site reported an active and engaged committee.

However, Buln Buln Recreation Reserve committee reported volunteer labour was required as they struggled to make their budget cover costs. Narracan Hall also reported a slow year whilst Dowton Park, currently undergoing refurbishment, reported no income.

Several sought improvements and Neerim South and Ellinbank recreation reserve expressed frustration at council over lack of communication. Lack of drainage updates and demolition of a shed were behind the feedback.
Cr Allen said the CAC model offered value and good outcomes for ratepayers, communities and the shire.

In outlining improvements, she said "these might sound like small things on paper but, to the communities who use these facilities, they make a huge difference".
"For me, this report is a reminder that strong communities don't just happen," Cr Allen said. "They're built by people who give their time, their energy and their care, often without much recognition."

Based on conversations behind closed doors on how best to enable community involvement, Cr Lucas asked "can we get more CACs going around the shire?"

"If it's an instrument we can possibly use, we need to broaden our horizons a bit," he said, noting offers to help build the Drouin mountain bike track as an example.
Having spent Australia Day travelling to venues across the shire, Cr Brendan Kingwill said "some of these little halls are fantastic".

"There's a lot of push for things like community hubs," Cr Kingwill said. "This is what these really are, the original source."
Cr Kate Wilson said the committees and their 127 volunteers were a wonderful example of council and community working together.

"It's really all of those people who commit their time and effort to produce these facilities in a volunteer capacity that really makes this such a great place to live," Cr Wilson said.