Earlier this year, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) made available quick response grants to Victorian areas affected by flooding.
In Rochester, four organisations received grants.
A quick response grant made the Rochester Secondary College Year 8 2022 Anglesea camp free for the students.
Rochester Secondary College student wellbeing coordinator Kate Taylor was mindful at the time of asking people for money, when they were going through a lot.
“And that added cost for camp was just something they didn’t need,” she said.
“So we reached out to FRRR and were very, very lucky to be able to gain $10,000 to provide the opportunity for our year eights to attend camp free of charge.
“It is those camps that we love to take the kids to, because even if they do get to go to the beach prior to camp, they certainly don’t get to do the activities that we can provide to them in a school camp situation.”
Currently Ms Taylor is working hard trying to make sure no one misses out on going on camp if they want to.
“We have been sourcing lots of grants and financial assistance with the aim to provide the opportunity for all our year levels to go on camp this year,” Ms Taylor said.
“Not all students are keen to go on camp or to go away at the moment, but we want to be able to provide that opportunity for those that do.”
Rochester Community House received a grant that went towards the additional staffing hours it needed to support the community in flood recovery.
The community house is still operating under extended hours, five days a week.
“Once we are back in our own building, which will be in April sometime, we will be reviewing the hours,” Rochester Community House manager Amanda Logie said.
“For people who might be wondering how they can assist, there will be varying times over the next couple of years where we will still need physical volunteers.
“We will be in that very situation in the next month or so when we move back into our building.
“And whilst there was a huge amount of volunteers around helping people clean out their houses, all of those volunteers have gone back to their lives.
“And unfortunately for us, as a community, this is something that is going to go on for some time.”
Grants also went to the 2023 Great Northern Show in Rochester and the Lockington Recreation Reserve.
FRRR place portfolio lead Jill Karena thinks grants like these are important to communities in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
“The state government is responsible for helping with early recovery, but there are some things that the government can’t fund,” Ms Karena said.
“That is what has happened with these grants.”
The grants were made possible with a generous donation from the Pratt Foundation to the FRRR.
Pratt Foundation chairm Anthony Pratt said the work of the flood-affected not-for-profit groups was admirable and critical to recovery.
“The organisations that have benefited from these grants are key to the recovery of these communities following the floods,” Mr Pratt said.
“We are very happy to be able to assist their efforts to provide support to the most vulnerable in the community, by providing the resources they need to start building back up.”