Recently Awarded Grants

Grants Approved April 2011

Australian Red Cross (Victoria)
Youth Health & Wellbeing – Bushfire Recovery
To conduct a youth health and recovery program in Kinglake and Marysville areas which involves a combination of two successful Red Cross youth programs ‘Talk Out Loud’ and ‘save-a-mate’. This follows extensive consultation with schools and community organisations in these regions and as evidenced by increased mental health concerns, such as depression, self-harm and increasing drug and alcohol abuse in the wake of the bushfires. The program will involve conducting over 125 sessions in schools and community groups, as well as trained volunteers attending at least 5 major events and hosting 25 community meetings.
$300,000 over three years

Education Centre Gippsland
Bunyip Ridge Bushfire Nursery
The Trust supported the establishment of a plant and tree nursery in 2010 for basic equipment. This grant enables the continuation of the operations of the nursery as some residents are only just beginning to rebuild, and to support those who have just rebuilt. It is planned that, in 2012, the nursery will be established as a social enterprise and employ four people with a disability.
$20,000

St John Ambulance (Victoria)
Mt Stanley Communication Equipment Replacement
To replace vital communication equipment destroyed at Mt Stanley during the 2009 bushfires. The Mt Stanley site provides a key link between their Head Office in Melbourne and across the North-east of Victoria. Whilst the replacement of the tower is being funded by the Wireless Institute of Australia, St John’s is responsible to replace the UHF repeater. The UHF repeater is a special transmitting/receiving station that facilitates extended radio coverage in remote areas. It is expected that the tower will be completed and operational by the end of 2011.
$22,500

Grants Approved November 2010

Eastern Access Community Health
www.each.com.au
Clinical Outreach in Yarra Valley – Locals Helping Locals
Some of the adverse affects of the Bushfires are only just becoming evident and there are examples of people going back into depression and having acute mental reactions. The program works with Yarra Valley Practitioners Project volunteers, which includes therapists, naturopaths, masseurs and relaxation practitioners along with EACH counsellors, working with individuals and families.
$40,000

Lifeline Gippsland Inc
www.lifeline.org.au/gippsland
Gone Fishing
To conduct the ‘Gone Fishing’ 6 week counselling and support program for men affected by the bushfires in the Boolara, Traralgon South and Callignee area. The program addresses loss/grief, dealing with stress, anxiety and depression, family/relationship issues and suicide.
$20,000

Victorian YMCA Youth & Community Services Inc
www.victoria.ymca.org.au
Marysville Indoor Pool
To maintain the operation of the Marysville Indoor Pool from March until November 2011. Since the Bushfires, Marysville has been left with little infrastructure to support local recreation and employment. The indoor pool operates during the colder parts of the year over 9 months and the outdoor pool for 4 months.
$25,000

Grants Approved June 2010

Evolve at Typo Station
www.evolve.org.au
Bushfire Recovery Program: second year of in-school and residential program for students from Yea and Alexandra Secondary Colleges who are displaying symptoms of trauma arising from the bushfires.
$40,000

Kinglake Ranges Mens Shed Inc.
www.kinglakerangesmensshed.org.au
Repair and fitout of building for Kinglake Ranges Mens Shed.
$24,950

Grants Approved March 2010

Berry Street Inc.
www.berrystreet.org.au
Festival for Healthy Living
To conduct a ‘Festival for Healthy Living Program’ (FHL) with schools in the Cathedral Ranges area (Marysville, Buxton, Alexandra & Taggerty) in 2010 and 2011. The festival program will involve collaboration between primary and secondary schools, artists, community health and welfare services, parents and the broader community.
$60,000 over 24 months

Murrindindi Toy Library
www.murrindinditoylibrary.org.au
To Establish the Toy Library
To develop a Toy Library for younger residents (6 months – 6 years of age) of the Murrindindi Shire for those who have lost homes and toys due to the bush fires. It is also hoped that the Toy Library will also become a meeting place for both parents and children.
$37,000 over 24 months

Sustainable Gardening Australia
www.sgaonline.org.au
Establishing Community Based Gardens in Bushfire Areas
To establish four pilot Communal Demonstration Gardens and up to six garden groups (PODS) across fire affected areas of Victoria. The project will involve an Expression of Interest process from communities, implementation of communal gardens and garden groups and the development of a Communal Garden How-To Manual. A local part-time community facilitator will be engaged for each garden.
$1,000,000 over 36 months

Grants Approved December 2009

Anglicare Victoria
www.anglicarevic.org.au
Resilience Groups in Gippsland
To conduct 15 additional group programs with students, teachers and parents during 2010 specifically to benefit children living in bushfire affected areas of Gippsland to work on issues of resilience and confidence rather than a focus on the disaster. This program will work with the 17 primary and 6 secondary schools in the affected areas based upon identified needs and school preferences.
$30,192

Chaplaincy Australia
www.chaplaincyaustralia.com
Community Tool Library
To establish a Community Tool Library in the Shire of Yarra Ranges to support families who are rebuilding their lives in the bushfire affected areas of Yarra Glen, Dixons Creek, Chum Chum, Steels Creek, Christmas Hills, Toolangi and Castella. The library will contain a wide range of tools and small equipment which can be borrowed free of charge on a temporary loan basis. The facility will also provide an opportunity for health and wellbeing information and access to chaplain support, and other trauma services.
$30,000

Education Centre Gippsland Ltd
www.ecg.asn.au
Bunyip Ridge Bushfire Recovery Support
To support the Bunyip Ridge Bushfire Recovery project to replace farm and community infrastructure destroyed by the February 2009 bushfires, establish a community garden and assist in re-establishing gardens lost by fire. The funds will be used for a planting propagation nursery.
$20,000

K.I.D.S Foundation
www.kidsfoundation.org.au
Creation of a ‘Victorian Burn Survivor’s Network’
To create a Victorian Burn Survivor’s Network to assist burn survivors and their families to reconnect with society, share experiences and develop new friendships.
$30,000

Regional Arts Victoria
www.rav.net.au
1000 Hands
The 1000 hands project will involve everyone in the Marysville area to make a clay hand tile impression which will be fired and installed as a public artwork in a public place. The installation aims to provide a vehicle for inclusion and help celebrate and acknowledge the efforts of all community members in rebuilding the region.
$11,350

Grants Approved June 2009

Cobaw Community Health
www.cobaw.vic.gov.au
The AFTER Project: Art From the Extended Region
To design, construct and erect a mosaic created through the use of community-contributed objects embedded into mosaic tiles on a side wall of the Kyneton Town Hall to commemorate the fourteen homes lost and one church in the Redesdale/Sidonia/Coliban area fires.
$10,700

Emergency Accommodation and Support Enterprises (EASE)
www.solvingthejigsaw.org.au
Solving the Jigsaw
To conduct Jigsaw, a school-based early intervention program which strengthens community connectedness and resilience in young people, at the Redesdale Mia Mia Primary school on a weekly basis for 2009 & 2010.
$18,000

Evolve at Typo Station
www.evolve.org.au
From Ashes to Aspiration
To provide a 12 month in-school and residential program for 30 students from Yea and Alexandra Secondary Colleges who are displaying symptoms of trauma arising from the bushfires.
$40,000

New Horizons Welfare Services Inc
Our Place
To enable New Horizons Welfare Services ‘one-stop-shop’ to continue for a further two years to serve the community affected by the bushfires in Bendigo. This shop provided information, referral, resources, emergency aid distribution and community development focus for renewal activities.
$10,000

Regional Arts Victoria
www.rav.net.au
Big Screen Marysville
To re-locate the old Federation Square Big Screen to Marysville for 17 weeks commencing in September to provide a community focus point for events, direct feeds from cultural performances and live events and other programs in efforts to help rebuild community spirit.
$25,000

Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals
www.rspcavic.org.au
RSPCA Assistance for People with Animals Affected by Bushfires
To provide practical one-on-one specialist animal behavioural training, environmental enrichment toys, regular information seminars and other support for owners of animals displaying behavioural issues due to trauma experienced during the bushfires.
$7,000

Wimmera Uniting Care
www.wimmera.unitingcare.org.au
The Coming Together Project
A project to engage the Haven & South Drung communities who experienced the recent Remlaw Bushfire near Horsham. The project will involve a community cultural development program to produce a piece of public art which will be a permanent sculpture at Haven Hall, the southern entrance to Horsham City. The sculpture will be launched as part of the Wimmera’s Awakenings Festival to be held 21-25 October 2009.
$20,000