The future of Harcourt is looking bright with the town’s Progress Association set to receive $50,000 in the Victorian Budget 2023/24 to help volunteers continue to deliver important community projects.
For years, the HPA has brought Harcourt locals together to help make the community a fairer and better place to live, work and raise a family.
The group have backed important local projects like the Harcourt roundabout redesign and the repurposing of the Harcourt Railway Station into a community space.
They are currently embarking on developing a neighbourhood house for Harcourt which will further extend their connection to the community, and further strengthen community participation.
Making the announcement at Harcourt on Wednesday, Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards said she was proud to deliver funding that matters for Harcourt.
“I congratulate the Harcourt Progress Association on securing this funding, and for their advocacy over many years to make Harcourt a better place to live,” she said.
“Their plans to develop a neighbourhood house for Harcourt are exciting, and will provide even moreopportunities for our community to come together.
“Volunteer groups like Harcourt Progress Association are the beating hearts of communities right across Bendigo West. We’ll always back the groups that help make our region great,” Ms Edwards said.
President of the Harcourt Progress Association president Sha Cordingley said the association is extremely grateful to the state government for renovating the lovely old Harcourt Railway Station for community use as well as providing a $50,000 grant that will enable them to start up the long-anticipated neighbourhood house fairly quickly.
“We are very appreciative of the continued and genuine support the Progress Association has received from our local member, Maree Edwards, who is always most
generous with her time and advice,” Ms Cordingley said.
‘The neighbourhood house has received a lot of interest from the local community and we are hopeful that classes and interest groups will start within the next month or so. Anyone with an interest in teaching, volunteering or participating in a community garden is encouraged to contact us via our Facebook page as soon as possible – we’d love to hear from you,” she said.
The Victorian Budget 2023/24 delivers $550,000 in funding to community groups across the Bendigo West electorate, as well as funding in education upgrades, creative industries and health infrastructure.
Ms Edwards said the Victorian Budget 2023/24 invests more than $5 billion for rural and regional Victoria – with fairer V/ Line fares, free kinder and creating thousands of good local jobs by bringing back the SEC.