Council sponsors community events

Baw Baw Shire Council will allocate $13,000 to four organisations to assist them in staging community focussed events.

Council considered the requests for sponsorship through its community funding assistance program.

All four requests were approved and will see council allocate $5000 to the Drouin and District Business Group for the 2018 Drouin Lights Up Festival; $3000 to Warragul Camera Club for next year’s 46th Warragul National Photographic Competition; $2000 to the Neerim District Landcare Group for the 2018 Neerim Frog Festival; and, $3000 to the West Gippsland Chorale for the Choral Concert: Symphonic Adiemus and Puccini’s Messa Di Gloria.

A report to council said the Drouin Business Group was seeking to improve the Lights Up Festival and expand the event to cater for the expected large crowd and to continue to make this a free event for local families to enjoy.

Council also has a long history in supporting the Warragul National Photographic Competition, which is one of only three in the state and has been growing each year.

The Neerim District Landcare Group is holding its second Neerim Frog Festival, which aims to highlight the benefits of a significant habitat restoration project and created a valuable community asset.

The report to council said the festival was a co-ordinated effort by a number of agencies including Melbourne Water’s Waterwatch unit, VicForests, Latrobe Waste and Resource Recovery and Gippsland Water.

As well as local Landcare, other community groups involved include the Lions Club, Committee for Neerim South, Neerim CFA, Rubicon Outdoor Centre, local retailers and the local primary and secondary schools.

The West Gippsland Chorale sought sponsorship to put on a Choral Concert: Symphonic Adiemus and Puccini’s Messa Di Gloria. The event will be the second Australian performance of Karl Jenkins’ ‘Symphonic Adiemus’, and Puccini’s ‘Messa Di Gloria’ and will be held at the West Gippsland Arts Centre

Cr Jessica O’Donnell said these were four very worthy sponsorships.

She said the Drouin Lights Up Festival was an outstanding festival held just before Christmas each year.

“They are all very exciting events and I look forward to enjoying these community events,” she said.

Cr Keith Cook said the Drouin Lights Up Festival had grown into a wonderful event over the past eight years.

Cr Tricia Jones said over the past couple of months council had supported a number of events.

She said they were all organised by volunteers. “They are people who have what is needed and who want to present events to our community,” she said.