Woman’s group raises flood relief morale

A WOMEN’S flood recovery lunch was recently held at the Rochester Bowls Club to help connect and support the women of the still-suffering flood-affected community.

The Zonta Club of Bendigo hosted the event with the 100 women from the region attending the free lunch and going away with a goodie bag and the chance to win a number of donated door prizes.

Pilot, photographer and Australian Women Pilots author, Kathy Mexted was invited as a guest speaker and discussed her time documenting past disaster relief efforts.

Zonta Bendigo president Naidene Parry said the luncheon took place following a grant from Women’s Health Loddon Mallee.

“The 2022 floods and recovery efforts continue to impact women in the Rochester community,” she said.

“Many Rochester women are still involved in the cleanup and continue to experience financial hardship as a result of the 2022 floods.

“We were very pleased to be able to utilise the grant money to meaningfully support women’s wellbeing in what was a challenging time for many.”

CEO of Women’s Health Loddon Mallee, Tricia Currie, said the group had distributed $90,000 in grants across the region to help women who “suffer unique challenges” following last spring’s flooding events.

“These grants have been allocated across the region to provide women with opportunities to regroup, reconnect and recover,” she said.

Rochester Community House and the Red Cross were also involved in lunch and secured the venue as well as providing volunteers and decorations.