07/09/2026
Community Update โ Monday 7 September 2026
Hi everyone, how is everyone going?
Itโs been another busy week at the Hall and depot as we continue working through recovery and also start preparing for some of the things coming up over the next few months.
In the hall
We welcomed Helen Haines MP on Wednesday, and we thank the attendees it was a great turnout, and our stories were told along with our anxiety over the bridges not yet being replaced.
Themes of abandonment, slowness of clean up, community led recovery achievements and processes around asset replacement needing to be updated were discussed.
Great to see and hear from Sandy and Sharon from Yarck Hall onsite as well. We may be only 10-15 minutes away but our stories are similar.
We also met with EMV on Friday, and the update is "agencies have met with local government regarding our bridges."
But no positive news yet and its 8 months on.
Saturday
Saw a few pickups, drop in by a few locals and a little box of S/H good quality gloves for our fencing and depot teams donated by a gentleman who was driving past - thankyou!
Sunday - a very stealth clean up.
With mowing ( thanks Ian ) washing floors and toilet clean up ( thanks Sam & Joy ) on Sunday in preperation for Monday.
Monday usual 10.15am spot with Nomes and today Nicole on UGFM - Radio Murrindindi- we even got time for two jokes picked by Nicole.
And yes I laughed way too much.
Monday saw Georgia from A Current Affair ( the Nine network ) who came to the hall to chat to many of the locals from 11 am.
Thank you Donna, Anna, Capt Scott and Fiona who spoke on camera.
There may be or may not have been some chanting, singing and gruff looks.
Thanks to Sandra who ensured we were warm and fed for lunch - Embassy of Ideas โ soup was a HIT! and thanks to Robyn from Foundation Murrindindi who ensured morning tea was covered!
Thanks Anna, Sandra and Donna who prepped lunch and to you all thank you for your support.
So, Iโm sorry but once again everyone will know where Fawcett isโฆ if and when we are on the telly.
( start from $6 ) ๐
๐ฑ Around the depot
We are continuing realigning and tidying the grassed depot area so we can better manage future deliveries of fencing materials. The final pallets arrive this week.
Then the counting begins.
There had been an upgrade of the entrance of the depot/ access areas for the deliveries of rail trail timber from the clean-up.
Thanks to Murrindindi Shire Council and EMV for that opportunity and thanks to the local crews who handled those massive timbers like they were toothpicks.
That timber is going to be incredibly valuable.
The plan is for it to be processed and used over the next few years as part of fundraising efforts, helping create a more sustainable future for the Hall.
Thereโs a fair bit of work involved before a pile of timber becomes firewood though, including the small matter of needing a decent wood splitter!
So, weโre working on that one as well.
Tiny Towns Grant update
Regional Development Victoria
Weโre also back to making progress on our Tiny Towns Grant works around the Hall.
This was a 3 mini projects amongst one large grant, paving brick path completion, interpretive signage and a septic update.
Orders for our named paving bricks have now been placed as well as the plain bricks that were fire damaged.
Weโve temporarily positioned some mock screens in the reserve so we can get a better idea of their size, placement and how everything will work together before the permanent installation by local artist Darren Gilbert MTD .
Once the weather is a little kinder, paving installation will re commence.
Itโs nice to see some of these projects that have been talked about for quite a while starting to move from plans on paper to things we can see taking shape around the Hall.
Thanks to DEECA Hume and
teams in building and planning working with us to get to this next stage of the project.
Also, a call out to Aimee and Tania from RDV who have assisted us as we survived drought, storms, bushfire, and flooding all in one round timeline and over 2 milestones.
๐ฑ Recovery Partners Thank You Day
Our big reminder is about our Recovery Partners Thank You Day at Fawcett Hall on Sunday 20 September from 12 noon.
Weโve spent the last few weeks trying to pull together the names of the organisations, businesses and individuals who have supported our community since the January bushfires.
That list has now reached an incredible 160.
That includes 45 organisations and community groups, 44 businesses and 71 individuals, families and people of note.
And I can almost guarantee that after eight months of fire fog and recovery fatigue, Iโve still forgotten someone!
The Thank You Day isn't just for those recovery partners.
We really want our Fawcett, Koriella and surrounding communities to come along as well, because the whole point of the afternoon is for our community to have the opportunity to say thank you.
It won't be overly formal.
Itโs simply going to be a relaxed afternoon at Fawcett Hall with great food, music, good company and an opportunity to recognise some of the incredible people who have stood beside our community over the past eight months.
Itโs completely free, but we do need people to RSVP so we know how many we're catering for.
You can find the booking link below.
Coming up at Fawcett - a couple of dates to keep in the diary as we head towards the end of the year.
๐ฑ Our big Fawcett Hall open weekend is coming up on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October.
The Hall will be open across the weekend with the plant sale, trash and treasure, BBQs, Great Divide coffee, our mini cafรฉ and, of course, the famous Fawcett Hall sponge cakes.
Itโs one of our major fundraising weekends for the year and, after everything that has happened in 2026, that fundraising is going to be particularly important.
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Then in December, on the 5th our Christmas Tractor Run will be back.
Itโll be another free community event, with decorated tractors heading out from Fawcett Hall and a community Christmas BBQ back at the Hall.
FINALLY
We are now almost eight months on from the January Longwood bushfires.
Recovery certainly hasn't finished.
There are still fences being rebuilt, farms recovering, infrastructure issues being worked through and plenty of advocacy happening behind the scenes.
But every week we also see another small piece move forward.
Whether that's fencing going out of the depot, a Hall project taking shape, a load of timber arriving, or 160 names appearing on a list of people and organisations who decided to help our community.
That list probably tells the recovery story better than almost anything else.
SAD NEWS
This week a long distance and quiet supporter of our hall, Neil Hickey passed away on the 2nd of September, โ we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his wife Jane, and family both here in Victoria and NSW.
( love to Lyn, Liz and kids who all grew up in part around our hall ๐)
Neil was a friendly and hardworking family man, loyal to his friends, he was a giant in the funeral business and very well respected. So, Neil, from your Fawcett mates across the ditch โ Haere ra and may you rest in peace.
๐ฑ Thanks again to everyone who continues to support Fawcett, Koriella and our surrounding communities.
Thatโs it from me this week.
Back at the hall on Saturday morning from 9am.
Ps Embassy of ideas has a huge garden event this weekend โ be sure to check it out.
Pres Sam
