Honouring Bill Kraft
A street in the ACT has been named in honour of late visionary Drouin resident William (Bill) Kraft.
“Kraft Street” will be part of the new suburb of Strathnairn, north west of Canberra.
It was Bill Kraft’s story on the Stories of Drouin website which first attracted the attention of an ACT place names officer.
The nomenclature theme in Strathnairn is “primary industry and regional service” and Kraft’s service to the dairy industry, local government and community was deemed a good fit.
Judy Farmer from the Stories of Drouin project said everyone should be proud of the recognition of a man who put Drouin on the map in terms of dairy production.
“He really is one of our local heroes,” she said.
Bill Kraft OBE was born in 1900 and grew up in Bunyip.
He joined the Drouin Co-operative Butter Factory Ltd in 1918 and was appointed secretary at just 21-years-old. He was general manager from 1932 to 1970 and is credited for Drouin becoming known for its highquality dairy production.
Mr Kraft was also a Drouin Water Trust commissioner from 1947 to 1968 and Shire of Buln Buln councillor from 1958 to 1970. He also served as shire president.
Regarded as far-sighted and perhaps the most visionary man in the town of Drouin, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1968. He died in 1992.
Since launching in 2015, there are now 63 recordings telling 77 stories on the Stories of Drouin website.
To discover the wide range of local stories, visit storiesofdrouin.com.au.
A new digital portal has been described as a “game-changer” in helping connect and support businesses and jobseekers in Gippsland.
Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing said GROW Gippsland had already seen signs of success.
She said 35 members had reported offering job opportunities to priority job seekers, including young people, Aboriginal people and people with a disability. A further 26 have offered work placement opportunities.
The new portal provides more than 70 Compact member organisations with one easy place to access resources which will support their commitment to redirect spending back into Gippsland and employing inclusively.
Ms Shing said, as part of GROW Gippsland, more than 1000 local businesses were now using the Gippsland Business Connect platform to market themselves, find local providers, and grow their business through increased local revenue.
“This program is a game-changer for Gippslanders, with local organisations now implementing inclusive employment practices to help everyone in our community find suitable and sustainable employment,” said Ms Shing.
“The Andrews Government is pleased to support GROW Gippsland which is playing an important role in helping to redirect spend back into the Gippsland region and supporting local employment outcomes,” she added. “The new GROW Gippsland portal will further support Compact members to uphold their commitment to spend locally and employ priority job seekers.”
The portal is part of the state-wide GROW portal which has a presence across Victoria, including Gippsland, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Shepparton.
It is funded by the state government through the Latrobe Valley Authority and Regional Development Victoria.
Latrobe Valley Authority CEO Karen Cain said GROW Gippsland was continuing to work with both local organisations and ones with significant contracts in the region to ensure their spend contributes to Gippsland economy.
“GROW Gippsland is part of a long-term strategy to transition our community and economy and we are pleased to see early signs that the changes made by Compact members are having a huge collective impact for our region,” said Ms Cain.