$474K Community Grants Surge for Mildura Local Clubs, Groups

Council Grants recipients June 2024.jpg

Fifty-eight local groups and clubs have shared in more than $474,000 in the latest round of Mildura Rural City Council's Community Grants program.

The grants, ranging from $205 to $50,000, will support a broad range of projects and events, taking in everything from some of our region's biggest annual cultural and sporting events through to valuable equipment and facility upgrades.

More than $277,870 was awarded to 34 local event organisers through Council's Event Funding and Support Grants, while more than $196,000 in Recreation Assistance Grants were awarded to 25 local groups and clubs.

Councillor for Tourism and Events Mark Eckel and Councillor for Sports and Recreation Ian Arney congratulated this round's successful grant applicants.

"Our various Council Grants programs are really about creating partnerships with our community," Cr Eckel said.

"At the end of the day, the amazing projects and events Council is so fortunate to be able to support come from within our community. It's a real privilege to be able to partner with these groups to make their events and projects a realty."

Cr Eckel said the Mildura BMX Club was a prime example, successfully applying for two Event Funding and Support Grants, together totalling $22,500 to host rounds of the 2024 and 2025 Victorian State Series.

"The Mildura BMX Club has gone from strength to strength in recent years and has really shown the benefits of our Community Grants program," he said.

"The club has been successful in previous grant rounds for facilities upgrades and with this latest round of Event Funding and Support Grants is positioned to host rounds of the Victorian State Series in 2024 and 2025.

"This not only reinforces the club's reputation as one of the most progressive and active clubs in their sport, but will provide a significant boost to our local economy through the visitors the Victorian State Series will attract."

Cr Eckel also highlighted the broader economic benefits of some of the larger events supported by Council's community grants program, such as the Hattah Desert Race and Mildura 100 Ski Race.

"These are iconic national events, largely run by hard-working volunteers, that together inject millions of dollars into our economy each year," the Deputy Mayor said.

"While we certainly have these amazing event organisers to thank for developing and running these events each year, it's gratifying to know that we can play a part in their success and the resulting contribution to our local economy."

Cr Arney said he was always impressed by the innovative projects put forward for Recreation Assistance Grants each year.

"The Irymple Knights Soccer Club is a great example in this latest round, successfully applying for $19,000 to develop detailed plans for shared female friendly changerooms at Henshilwood Recreation Reserve," he said.

"This a project which will not only increase female participation in sport in the Irymple area, but benefit a whole host of Henshilwood Recreation Reserve user groups, not just the Irymple Knights Soccer Club, which is to be commended.

"The Mildura Dragon Boat Club is another example, successfully applying for five grants for equipment including new paddles, a cover and trolley for a second dragon boat the club was recently donated.

"Together these items will help increase membership and participation within the club, which is already making waves on the state and national dragon boat circuit, taking home nine gold medals and a bronze at April's South Australian Masters."

Quotes from grant recipients

"We've got big plans for our club, including being more competitive. We've already increased our ability to participate in more regattas because now we have a second boat, which we've never had before.

"To compete at a national or state level we need to be training more, and with this second boat, and the equipment we'll be able to purchase with these latest grants, it means that we can have more crews out there and be more competitive, as well as increasing our membership."

  • Karen Fumberger – Mildura Dragon Boat Club

"As part of rebuilding the club over the past couple of years after COVID, we have been working on a number of projects to improve facilities for all of our players, in particular the facilities we have for female players, which at the moment are very minimal. It's about trying to improve facilities to retain and attract female players at our club.

"We realised one of the best ways to progress to bigger projects like new changerooms was to collaborate with other clubs at Henshilwood Recreation Reserve.

"So this is a collaborative project driven by our club, and the idea is to strategically locate the shared changerooms so that there's benefit for all sporting codes within the facility."

  • Kimberley Strubelj – Irymple Knights Soccer Club

FULL LIST OF GRANT RECIPIENTS

Recreation Assistance Grants

Club Support Grant

Underbool Bowls Club

Purchase sets of bowls and jacks for beginner bowlers who attend the Come and Try/Barefoot Bowls/ Beginner Sessions.

$1,139.00

Red Cliffs Bowling Club Inc

Purchase new mats and jacks.

$936.00

The Mildura Life Saving Club Incorporated

Subsidise recruitment and training for new members.

$2,000.00

Sacred Heart/St Andrews Tennis Club Inc Mildura

A new refrigerator for the club house.

$800.00

Imperial Football Netball Club

Purchase training tops for Netballers.

$2,000.00

Sacred Heart/St. Andrews Tennis Club Mildura Inc

Purchase accessible chairs for the clubrooms.

$2,000.00

Red Cliffs Croquet Club

Defibrillator Package.

$1,130.00

Wanderers Baseball Club Inc.

Purchase new player safety equipment.

$2,000.00

Mildura Dragon Boat Club

New Dragon Boat Paddles to go with a donated second boat to cater for growth.

$2,000.00

Mildura & District Gem & Mineral Club

New electrical power points and tag and testing of electrical equipment used by the club.

$1,073.65

Red Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club

Installation of shelving in storage shed.

$1,579.20

Irymple Junior Football Club Inc

Purchase and Installation of Safety/Medical Defibrillator.

$1,684.38

Sunraysia Hockey Association Inc

Education program to attract, support and retain Volunteers.

$1,333.00

Mildura Dragon Boat Club

Purchasing a new Dragon Boat cover for a donated second boat to cater for growth.

$988.35

Mildura Dragon Boat Club

Purchasing a trolley for a donated second boat to cater for growth.

$2,000.00

Mildura Dragon Boat Club

Purchasing a Block & Tackle and a Strap for a donated second boat to cater for growth.

$345.50

Mildura Dragon Boat Club

Purchasing a twin pack of UHF Walkie Talkie radios as safety equipment.

$205.00

Recreation Planning Grant

Mildura Bowls Club Inc.

Strategic, organisation and financial plan to guide the growth and development of the club.

$3,500.00

Sunraysia Theatre Arts Group Endeavour Inc

Initial concept drawings for a Community & Performing Arts Building.

$10,000.00

Merbein Football Netball Club

Development of plans for the redevelopment of the Kenny Park tennis courts into a multi-use facility.

$19,000.00

Football Federation Sunraysia Inc

Develop detailed construction plans for a new Soccer Pavilion at Old Aerodrome Ovals.

$16,500.00

Ouyen United Football Netball Club

Develop detailed construction plans for a netball changeroom facility upgrade at Blackburn Park.

$19,000.00

Irymple Knights Soccer Club

Develop detailed construction plans for a shared female friendly changeroom facility at Henshilwood Recreation Reserve.

$19,000.00

Minor Facility Upgrade Grant

Mildura Pistol Club Inc

Installation of concrete pathway to increase accessibility and a new concrete floor in storeroom.

$5,596.00

Mildura West Cricket Club

Commercial kitchen Stage 1 upgrade.

$17,578.90

Irymple Football Netball Club

Installation of safety netting behind goals.

$20,000.00

Mildura Squash Inc

Installation of a match and pennant digital scoring system.

$9,970.00

Imperial Football Netball Club

Purchase of 2 Electronic Netball Scoreboards and two electronic honor boards to support the inclusion of females.

$16,890.00

Mildura & District Little Athletics Centre

Installation of a new electronic Timing system for athletics.

$10,350.00

Wanderers Baseball Club Inc.

Upgrade to back net on Diamond 5.

$5,646.00

Event Funding and Support Grants

Multi-year Agreements

North West Victorian Motorcycle Club

2024 Hattah Desert Race

Year 3 of 3

$50,000

Mildura District Ski Club

2025 Mildura 100 Ski Race

Year 3 of 3

$50,000

Mildura City Heart

2025 Easter Powersports Show and Shine

Year 3 of 3

$5,000

The Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph Inc

2024 The Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph

Year 3 of 3

$5,000

Major Events Tier 2

Sunraysia Drag Racing Association

2024 Sunset Nationals

$23,750

Mildura BMX Club

2024 Victorian State Series Round 8

$11,250

Desert City Street Rod & Custom Club

2024 Goanna Run

$13,750

Mildura Speedway Drivers Club

2025 Australian Wingless Sprint Title

$8,125

Mildura Speedway Drivers Club

2025 Easter Powersports / Australian Modified Sedan Titles

$8,125

Mildura Speedway Drivers Club

2025 Wingless Sprint Series Nationals

$5,625

Mildura BMX Club

2025 Victorian State Series

$11,250

Community Events

Mildura Writers Festival

2024 Mildura Writers Festival

$4,625

Ouyen Festivals Committee

2024 Mallee Root Festival

$3,500

Mildura Bowls Club

2025 Mildura May Bowls Carnival

$4,625

Mildura Field Days

2025 Mildura Field Days

$4,250

Patchewollock Music Festival

2024 Patchewollock Music Festival

$4,625

Love Our City – PMF Sunraysia

2024 Mildura Carols By Candlelight

$5,000

Cullulleraine Music Festival

2025 Cullulleraine Music Festival

$3,875

Ladds Boxing Club

2024 Hogarth Cup

$3,875

Mildura Show Society

2024 Mildura Show

$3,875

Mildura Racing Club

2024 Mildura Cup Carnival

$4,250

Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show

2024 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show

$4,625

Mildura Lawn Tennis Club

2025 Mildura Easter Open Tournament

$3,875

Community Events Support Grants

Gem and Mineral Club

2024 Mildura Gem & Jewellery Show

$2,500

Sunraysia Gang Show

2024 Sunraysia Gang Show

$2,500

Willys Downunder Club

4th Australian Willys National

$2,500

Merbein South Community Hall & Recreation Park

2024 Merbein South Community Hall Motor Show

$2,500

Mildura Murray Masters Swimming Club

2024 Mildura Murray Masters Swimming Carnival

$2,500

Garden of Hope

2025 Easter Egg Hunt

$2,500

Mildura Rowing Club

2025 Mildura Rowing Club Easter Regatta

$2,500

Mallee Sports Assembly

2024 All Abilities Cricket Carnival

$2,500

Sunraysia Indian Association

2024 Diwali – Festival of Lights

$2,500

Sunassist Volunteer Helpers

2024 Sunassist Motorshow

$2,500

Mildura Royals Club

2024 Mildura Royals Challender Bash

$2,500

Sunraysia Dirt Karters

2025 All Power Nationals

$2,500

Lifeline Loddon Mallee

2025 Sunraysia Lifeline Project Ride

$2,500

Merbein Community Rodeo Inc

2024 Merbein Community Rodeo

$2,500

/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.