Noojee locals got together earlier this month to celebrate a very successful year for the project dedicated to helping the region continue its transition away from native timber harvesting.
On Sunday 1 December, the Noojee community came together for an end of year Christmas celebration held as part of the Noojee Forestry Transition Project.
Attendees enjoyed a Christmas dinner, complete with festive pudding and live music from local musician Liam Aghan, with a special appearance by Santa.
The Noojee Forestry Transition Project runs quarterly community events, with an average attendance of more than 80 community members who receive updates on the progress of the project while building and supporting their social networks.
Baw Baw Shire Council Mayor Cr Danny Goss said the Noojee Forestry Transition was a milestone project for Baw Baw and said there was much to celebrate this year, with more than half a million dollars in grants received.
"The cessation of native timber harvesting at the beginning of this year marked the beginning of a big transition for areas in regional Victoria, such as Noojee," Cr Goss said.
"Since the announcement in 2023, Council has been committed to working with the community, as well as with the State Government, to identify other economic opportunities and areas for growth, to ensure the town can cope with this change."
The forestry transition project includes five working groups that feed into the strategic direction of Noojee. These working groups are:
The Eco Tourism Working Group
The Specialised Agricultural Industry Development Working Group
The Multipurpose Community Hub and Education Centre Working Group
The Ethical Hunting and Game Processing Working Group, and
The Power and Connectivity Reliability Working Group
East Ward Cr Adam Sheehan added that the working groups have welcomed new members and proved to be extremely beneficial.
"We have observed strong business to business partnerships taking shape and community members obtaining work through conversation with other attendees, which is a fantastic outcome," Cr Sheehan said.
"The regularly conducted meetings and community engagement events have also provided a strong foundation to support the community in developing improved cohesiveness, transparency and networking."
The Noojee Forestry Transition Project is supported by the Victorian Government's Local Development Strategy Grants Program and Community Development Fund. Through the Community Development Fund, approximately $548,000 was awarded to the project in 2024 alone.
