General News
8 June, 2025
Chance to learn and think about being drought ready
After 18 busy months, the Wimmera Southern Mallee’s 11 drought resilience projects are drawing to a close.
So what better opportunity than join with community to both showcase achievements and impacts and consider what is next.
This will all happen at the free Drought Ready Think Tank being held at Horsham on July 3 and organised by Wimmera Southern Mallee Development.
Attendees will hear project reflections and insights and help shape future resilience activities during the day-long event.
These 11 projects all grew out of similar co-design processes in 2023 and 2024.
In response to concerns about our ageing and unsuitable housing stock we created Hot Property, which audited scores of houses across the region for suitability to future climates and energy supplies.
Common community renewable energy development questions were researched by experts who presented on economic, technical, insurance and justice issues.
In partnership with Federation University, we learned that businesses often access supports too little and too late, so created Wimmera Southern Mallee Business Connect.
WestVic Business also worked across multiple communities to help foster business changemaking and Wimmera CMA led the Midday at the Oasis project to identify priority green spaces to be preserved in drought.
Wimmera CMA also led projects to complete the First Nations Ranch Billabong siphon project at Dimboola and to support better use of our network of private soil moisture and weather monitoring stations.
Our young migrants have learned about drought through regular opportunities to meet together and with community representatives and at Harrow, the rural community is partnering to build resilience activities around connections and targeted workshops.
There have been two leadership programs and a Get Ready campaign highlighting local resilience in action.
The Drought Ready Think Tank will cover all these projects and then attendees share their thoughts on what should happen next.
Are there next steps to take from existing projects? Are there unmet needs in our community we must tackle. Or do people see new challenges ahead that need to be planned for?
This year we have seen simultaneous fire, flood and drought events along our east coast, such disasters are real and will likely continue into the future.
We encourage people from across the region to join in the listening, talking and planning activities during the free Drought Ready Think Tank at Horsham Town Hall from 9am-4pm on July 3.
Bookings are essential and can be made through Eventbrite at: https://tinyurl.com/mry2fm7k
The 11 WSM projects were funded from the Federal Drought Fund through programs with both Agriculture Victoria and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
CONTRIBUTED BY SIMONE DALTON