Rabobank is again offering $10,000 grants to 10 rural towns for the restoration or upgrade of their halls or other meeting hubs.
The agribusiness’s $100,000 Rural Community Hub Program gives 10 rural recipients $10,000 each to carry much-needed work.
Rabobank Australia CEO Caroline Oosterbaan says they understand the vital role that meeting hubs and halls play in rural areas.
“These halls are often key meeting places for farming communities, offering trusted spaces for locals to gather, particularly in isolated areas,” she says.
“They can also provide refuge and support during emergencies and natural disasters, while hosting training sessions and workshops that give communities access to valuable education opportunities.
“While these hubs and halls may be modest in size, their impact is significant – helping communities create memories, build resilience and strengthen local spirit,” she says.
Oosterbaan says they received almost 300 applications from communities nationally for last year’s program, which began in 2021.
“We understand there’s a need to maintain and improve these important spaces,” she says.
To be eligible for consideration, the hall or hub must be based in rural areas and be open to the community. Applicants need to detail the building’s current use, what they would do with the funds and how the proposed improvements would help increase the facility’s usage.
Applications opened today (July 27) and closes on Sunday, August 30, with the successful recipients announced in early October.
Click here to apply or for details visit the Rabobank website.
ROWENA KEEPING COOL THANKS TO RABOBANK
Rowena’s residents in NSW have 10,000 reasons to be grateful after they received $10,000 last year to install reverse-cycle air-conditioning in their hall.
(Rowena has a population of 172 people according to the 2021 Census and can be found between Walgett and Narrabri in north-west NSW.)
Local farmer Vanessa Radford is also a member of the Rowena Community Association and says the hall is enjoyed by one and all, from the very young to the very old, for all kind of services and events such as for ANZAC Day, school concerts and presentations, Country Women’s Association Christmas trees and weddings.
“The hall had never had air-conditioning except for one small room; thanks to the Rabobank program, there is now reverse cycle throughout, which makes it a lot more comfortable for everyone – as you can imagine it can get quite hot here in summer,” she says.
Radford describes the hall as the “heart of the community” and is grateful for the funding which allowed that ‘heart’ to be restored.
“The hall was previously condemned and not used for four years so the funding kick-started a full community and local council campaign to restore the well-loved building,” she explains.
“It was a very hard four years considering our community uses the hall for so many functions.
“It’s so important; everyone needs somewhere to go and it can hold so many events,” Redford says.
“I look back on all my beautiful memories that we’ve had at the hall here during my time at Rowena. I think back on the four years that it wasn’t used – it left a huge hole in the community.”
ABOUT RABOBANK
Rabobank has more than 125 years’ experience in custom banking and financing for agribusinesses. The co-operative operates 1000 offices and branches in 38 countries with 87 branches across Australia and New Zealand. Click here to visit their website
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