High steaks in community award

By Lachlan Ellis

A local business has been nominated for a Victorian Community Achievement Award, and the owner says he’s feeling hopeful about their chances of winning.

The Ballan Local Butcher has been nominated under the Connecting Communities category, and owner Shane Zammit said it was exciting to be in the running.

“We’re over the moon, we’re pretty chuffed. It’s only early days, we want to take the award out, but we can appreciate the value of being nominated. It’s really good. There are a few other nominees, but we’re optimistic about our chances for sure,” Mr Zammit told the Moorabool News.

“Running a family business in Ballan has been good. There have been challenges at every corner, especially over the COVID period by having a retail business, but also in going through the evolution from a small family business into something more substantial. Although we are a family business, there’s a lot of corporate structure that’s had to be developed and incorporated into how we operate.”

The business is closely connected with the community, collaborating with other local businesses and supporting sporting clubs, schools, and charity groups, including the Ballan, Myrniong and Gordon Primary Schools, and the local Scouts.

It currently employs 17 staff, and uses its own family-farmed, locally grown lamb all year round.

Judging for the Victorian Community Achievement Awards will take place throughout October, with winners to be announced on Friday 1 December at the 2023 Community Achievement Awards Presentation Dinner.

The Ballan Local Butcher was previously the recipient of the Ballan & District Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year Award in 2019.