Brigades district council to host barbecue

FORGING strong connections will be the aim when the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria District 7 Council hosts a community event on Sunday 17 August.

The barbecue is set for the Barunah Park Public Hall and organisers have said it’s all about bringing people together in recognition of concerns and pressures around the current economic environment.

State councillor for the district Rod Taylor said the event is being held in the wake of drought conditions and deeply-held concerns around the emergency services levy among farmers and others.

“There was a lot of upheaval around the western district in response to the levy,” Mr Taylor said.

“There was a lot of concern from landholders in the rural area so District 7, as a follow up, just wanted to touch base with the community that we represent. A lot of the concerns were really strongly felt.”

Organisers say the upcoming community connections event is designed to give people an opportunity to meet with fellow farmers, CFA volunteers and community members, to break down feelings of isolation.

“It’s not a rally, no guest speakers, just to touch base with the community as an open invite,” Mr Taylor said.

“We’re having a barbecue to reach out to anybody in the district, have a bit of a free feed and a chat with each other.

“Generally it’s just to touch base and just to show our support for the communities doing it hard. We’re here to help if anybody wants to reach out to us.”

The barbecue will run from 12pm to 3pm, and there will be people wielding the tongs cooking snags and burgers, along with other refreshments.

RSVPs for catering purposes are encouraged and people interested in attending can contact VFBV support officer Michelle Taylor on [email protected] or VFBV D7 council secretary Eddie Rees, on [email protected].

Responding to outcry, the State Government in May capped the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) levy at the 2024/25 rate for all primary production properties across the state for the current financial year.

The longer term future of the levy remains unclear and, while recent rainfall has helped ease some of the pressure, so does the longer term agricultural outlook for the area’s primary producers.