A HALL in a Wheatbelt town has been given a helping hand to serve its community by way of a $110,000 grant from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR).
Aldersyde Agricultural Hall received the funding as part of the Tackling Tough Times Together (TTTT) grants program, with the plan to use the money to upgrade the kitchen, toilet facilities, water storage, verandah and parking area.
The town hall was one of 41 community-led projects across Australia that were awarded a share of $1,454,165 in grants to help tackle the challenges that drought-affected communities around the country continue to face.
FRRR disaster resilience and recovery lead Nina O'Brien said it took 18 to 24 months of sustained average rainfalls for communities to finally be able to move beyond the immediate impacts of drought.
"Most communities have had nowhere near this amount of rain - and many have had none at all, which is why communities still need support," Ms O'Brien said.
"In spite of the difficulties, we are inspired by the many local organisations that persistently work to develop the places where they live - these groups are so resilient and continue to find ways to seed and strengthen, adapt and evolve and innovate and renew their community.
"They are finding ways to bring their community together and build that social cohesion, whether it be through community events and festivals, making things more accessible for people living with disability, or by repairing and upgrading facilities to create a safe place for locals to gather."
The hall was the only WA project to be given funding as part of the grant scheme and it also received the biggest allocation of money, getting almost double what the next recipient did.
Aldersyde Agricultural Hall committee president Suzanne Turner said they saw the need to promote the area and get the community together, but needed an extra hand to do that so they could stop fundraising and asking the community for money.
"The hall is a 100-year-old building that just doesn't work for us anymore - the kitchen is outdated, the toilets are outside, the septic overflows and it needs a lot of love," Ms Turner said.
"It's a focal meeting place where people can get together and chat about farming, agriculture and life in general, it's really somewhere everyone feels comfortable.
"It was so exciting for us to get the grant and means we can focus on the community and making it a better space for everyone."
FRRR program manager for TTTT Deanne Cavalier said the project would reduce the fatigue of volunteers who managed the Aldersyde Agricultural Hall through the upgrade of kitchen, toilet facilities, water storage, verandah and parking area.
"Maintaining this community hall will ensure the sustainability and safe use for many future years," Ms Cavalier said
"The drought has had a significant toll on the community and this project shows that they can innovate and respond to opportunities.
"The use of the hall from the local community is wide and varied, with the added benefit of it being a stopover for caravan clubs several times during the year."
The Aldersyde team has already met with a local builder to confirm timeframes and the contract, hoping the rebuild will be completed before next winter.
