Back in 2019, previous Mayor Mark Radford was successful in leading a campaign to acquire ten pedal boats for people to use on the Wimmera River through the Victorian Government Pick My Project initiative. The project was completed in 2020 during the pandemic, with the acquiring of the boats, life jackets, timers and a purpose-built trailer.
At the time of the successful proposal, it was identified that a local community group would need to come on board to run the pedal boats as a business, offering the boats for hire.
Since then, the boats have been sitting idle, waiting for the chance to be used. There is an excellent business opportunity for a community group to take up, and a fantastic tourism offering for our beautiful Wimmera River. With all the improvement works taking place, what better way to view them than from the water?
Speaking of community groups, I would also like to acknowledge the huge effort that is put in by volunteers across our municipality who keep sporting, cultural and social groups running for the benefit for us all.
Just in case you a reading this and think, 'who even has time to volunteer?', I'd like to say that many of us volunteer without even realizing it. Do you cut up oranges for half time or run water out to players on the weekend? If you help out, you are a volunteer, and the whole community benefits from your involvement.
I'll also add that despite what people might think, volunteers don't have to be retired people either – there are lots of working people and school students who put up their hands to help out community initiatives, such as participating in stage productions or workshops, sitting on advisory committees or being part of the Youth Council.
For people who think they would like to get involved in volunteering, there are two exciting opportunities coming up for groups and individuals that I would like to highlight.
The first is Seniors Week. If you have an idea of an activity you would like to run for older residents in our community, please reach out. Council coordinates a month-long program of Seniors Week activities in October and is keen to hear of any groups willing to contribute.
