Moriac Community Network (MCN) is a non-profit association formed to "build and empower our local community for us all to continue to enjoy living in a friendly, nature-rich semi rural environment - to get to know each other, to support each other, and to improve the place where we live, work and play".
Growing Winchelsea is "an advocacy and leadership group which facilitates and promotes community, business and tourism development throughout the Winchelsea Ward of the Surf Coast Shire".
Both of these self-directed independent organisations are volunteer powered and achieving amazing things for their communities. Do they have a parochial attitude? Absolutely! As well they should - they provide a direct connection to hyper-local issues for all sorts of third parties, from local government through to federal, institutions such as VicTrack, National Trust, water authorities, Landcare and more. Both constantly liaise with, work with, and feed into Surf Coast Shire.
Organisations like these are so dependent on active members of community joining in and driving the projects they are interested in. The benefits aren't just to the respective towns from the results of the various projects - the participants/volunteers themselves win from the connections they make, their achievements.
For example, MCN just got approval (after a year-long application process!) to change the ex-firetruck shed opposite the Moriac General Store into a community meeting space ie. a change from a 'storage shed' to a 'place of gathering'. This in turn quickly led to a VicTrack lease being available to sign, and that in turn now allows MCN to start designing the new space so that grants can be sought to make it all happen. This is an ambitious and long-term project, and it's making great progress thanks to the dedication of local volunteers. A superb example of community coming together for something that well be available to all and add an asset to the town. That area is on the cards to be beautified too - the town centre of Moriac will be transformed. Find out more on the MCN projects page.
Along similar lines, Growing Winchelsea have their "Winchelsea Arboretum Trail" project to to link the important sites, trees and buildings with treed trails and to develop mini arboreta (botanical collection of trees). There's a whole lot more to this than simply planting trees around the town. The project has multiple significant benefits such as town beautification, community connection through linking areas via walking trails plus involvement in planting and landscaping, preservation of old trees, creating cooler streetscapes and town pride. This project has already achieved major milestones winning grants to fund planting of 60 trees in the Mercer/Barkly street open space.
Council support has been an important element in both of these examples. Has it been smooth running? No, of course not. I think this is generally an area where Council could improve ie. work with such community groups to power through bureacracy and get things moving using existing Council resources and people. Relatively low cost, allowing communities to drive their own agenda for the benefit of all, and creating connection along the way.
All power to Growing Winchelsea and Moriac Community Network and others like them!