Community
7 August, 2026
Partnership continues to support community
THE ongoing partnership between Berrybank Wind Farm and Corangamite Shire Council has supported another eight community groups.
Councillors voted to allocate funds to eight groups at last week’s Ordinary Meeting of Council, which totalled $104,225.
The funding allocation represented both the annual $100,000 contributed by the Berrybank Wind Farm and the underspend from the previous round of $4225.
A total of 12 applications were received for the 2026-2027 round, which had a total ask of $179,778 – which was $75,553 over the allocated budget.
The Lake Bookaar Recreation Reserve Committee of Management was among the recipients, with $11,550 going towards the installation of an all-abilities toilet facility to the old Bookaar School building.
Darlington Mechanics Institute and Recreation Reserve was also among recipients, with $20,000 going towards recladding, insulation, paint and new doors and a window for the Darlington Hall as part of ongoing upgrade works.
Skipton Football Netball Club received $20,000 to go towards the replacement of the club’s commercial kitchen equipment.
The Murnong Indigenous Garden was granted $20,850 to go towards creating a pathway to improve access to the site.
A community recovery project run by the Skipton Progress Association in the wake of the January fires was provided with $10,000 in funding.
The Skipton and District War Memorial Swimming Pool received $2000 towards installing an air conditioning unit in the kiosk area.
Camperdown Little Athletic Centre also received funding under the Berrybank Wind Farm Grant program, receiving $15,000 towards relevelling and restoring a 400-metre athletic track.
Councillor Nick Cole moved to approve the grants, saying council was very lucky to have Berrybank Wind Farm grants available to get jobs done.
“There are some decent amounts of money going out to some community groups to get jobs done,” he said.
“Some of these things are becoming legacy projects.
“I know for one the Darlington Hall has been re-roofed and refloored – now it’s being reclad with new insulation and more.
“With any luck, that hall now should be good for the next 80-90 years – it’s already been there for about 140-150 years, so hopefully it’ll keep going for a lot longer.
“These grants are a bit bigger than some of the other grants, so you can actually get your teeth into a few things which is the way I want to see these grants going.”
Cr Ruth Gstrein seconded the motion.
“This is certainly a very popular fund which received 12 applications – unfortunately, there’s only so much money that can go around,” she said.
“There are a great range of projects funded in this round, and it’s good to have Mr (Chris) Lang in our gallery to see the Murnong Indigenous Garden is receiving $20,850 to improve their access.
“They’re all really worthwhile community projects, and a good allocation of funds.”
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