By Dominique Tassell
Community groups gathered at Warwick Chambers last week to pitch for funding from Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) ahead of next financial year’s budget.
The media were not informed of the meeting, with no agenda posted until the day beforehand though community groups confirmed they were given a time to be at the meeting at least a week prior.
Groups pitching for funding included the Stanthorpe & Granite Belt Chamber of Commerce, Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival, Jumpers and Jazz, Granite Belt Wine Tourism, Warwick Art Gallery, and Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery.
As the groups were required to submit their applications prior to pitching to SDRC, not all groups declared how much funding they were applying for.
Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery spoke first, with Director Mary Findlay stating that “what we’ve done in the past is what we’re going to do in the future”.
She highlighted the work of volunteers at the gallery, stating that they have a very low turnover rate with volunteers staying on average for around six years.
Gallery President, Chris Sayer, stated that the annual grant they receive covered two salaried staff.
She stated that the gallery’s reserve is one that any professional not-for-profit would have, and is for emergencies.
Warwick Art Gallery then pitched for $215k in funding.
Director Karina Devine highlighted that they have highlighted a new staff member to look after community engagement.
Karina highlighted the success of the Condamine Country Art and Open Studio Trail (CCART), as well as their recent exhibitions.
She stated that they would like to be able to pay the artists participating in CCART for their work, and funding from SDRC would help with this.
Karina further stated they need to change over their IT from the current SDRC network and need to update their website.
Both galleries highlighted the impact of Covid-19, with the Warwick Art Gallery stating that it added expenses like professional cleaning as these tasks used to be done by volunteers.
Jumpers and Jazz stated in their pitch that they are aiming to expand the festival’s reach, including attracting larger sponsors from outside the region to ease the pressure on local businesses.
They also stated that changes to the Regional Art Development Fund (RADF) have “created difficulty”.
Granite Belt Wine Tourism stated in their pitch that they need a website upgrade and have a destination book ready to go that would be able to publish using SDRC funding.
They highlighted the importance of tourism to the region, stating that the next 12 months will see enormous competition in the industry as borders open.
Stanthorpe & Granite Belt Chamber of Commerce applied for $15k in funding, highlighting two projects.
President Graham Parker stated that $5k of this would go towards the Shop Local Christmas Promotion Market Shopping Day, while $10k would go towards a multimedia project.
The Chamber has approached Lou Bromley from the ABC to interview a selection of Granite Belt businesses and create a podcast and video series for the Chamber’s website.
The Apple & Grape Harvest Festival, represented by Vice President Samantha Wantling, then pitched to SDRC.
She stated they were asking for $10k, the usual amount they have received for their past two off-years.
She gave a “conservative estimate” of 45,000 attendees at this year’s festival, stating that they were very pleased with this as the committee this year was “very green” and they faced difficulties such as Covid-19 and extreme weather.
Samantha stated that the committee would like to keep the event alive in their off year by holding a long lunch in March, as well as holding the open gardens again.
The busking usually goes ahead in the off-year, and this will continue.
She also stated that there is upkeep for the festival even in their off-year, highlighting their rent and the salaries of their marketing team, insurance, and their Secretary and Treasurer.
Samantha stated they are aiming to purchase their own shed, tables, and chairs so that they will not incur this cost every festival, and so they will be able to provide them to other groups in the community at a lower cost than they would incur sourcing outside of the region.
The committee is also aiming to become more self-sufficient financially, and to sign up sponsorships on a multi-year basis.
