Winchelsea celebrates community initiatives

WINCHELSEA’S Eastern Reserve has a new solar system and is home to a community meal-sharing program under a pair of sponsored initiatives.

RACV and its ambassador Gary Ablett junior visited The Hub as Eastern Reserve last month to promote the initiatives, which provide a renewable power resource and weekly meals for local residents.

Winchelsea Football Club hosts a weekly bus to the Hub initiative each Thursday night after training, which involves a bus driven by local Lions Club volunteers to ferry residents without their own means of transportation to the club for traditional dinners.

The solar installation includes a 14.4-kilowatt of solar power generation and 21.7kw hours of battery storage, which provides back up power during an emergency or grid outage.

The Solar in Regions program will see 27 solar panel and battery systems installed across regional Victoria at community facilities as part of a $1 million RACV commitment.

Aireys Inlet and Anglesea are among the local areas that have already benefitted from the scheme.

Wincheslea Ward councillor Adrian Schonfelder said the initiatives were a significant boost for the town.

“It is excellent to see RACV further support the Winchelsea community by sponsoring the football club’s dinner,” Cr Schonefelder said.

“The club prepares around 200 meals each week, and football club volunteers entirely cook it, and other volunteers from the local Lions Club drive the bus service.

“It is a huge community effort, and many people benefit from the meal and the local connection.”