🦩 What's West Vic doing for veterans?

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

• FRIDAY, 26/09/25 | AFL Grand Final entertainment at Port Campbell Hotel

• SATURDAY, 27/09/25 | AFL Grand Final entertainment at Port Campbell Hotel

• SUNDAY, 28/09/25 | Kavisha Mazella, The Summer Sessions, Noorat Presbyterian Church

Latest headlines in West Vic 🗣️

🧠 “It’s hard to talk about”: Mental health awareness at the heart of Ballarat veterans expo

When David George left for Vietnam in 1968, he was just 21-years-old. A rifleman in the infantry, he spent seven months in the warzone before being sent home.

“I don't talk about it very much,” he told the Brolga. 

“I've ended up with PTSD… I was nearly killed several times, I was wounded, a shrapnel wound in the leg.” 

Now, David is working to organise and support veterans and first responders across western Victoria who may have similar experiences, with an expo to be held at the Australian Catholic University Ballarat, on October 25.

David said his return to daily life after returning from war was “extremely difficult” and something that has been hard for the rest of his life since. 

For decades after his return, he said he went by “just trying to stay sane”. 

Building a life with his wife, Lyn, and raising two children, David eventually found connection through the Military Brotherhood Motorcycle Club. 

That group went on to form the Ballarat Vic West sub-branch as well as the Ballarat Veterans Assistance Centre. The sub-branch now organises the Veterans, First Responders and Families Expo, which will be held for the second year running in October.

This year’s event has doubled in size from last year, with 41 ex-service support organisations attending next month.

Groups on hand will range from suicide prevention services to government agencies, including supporters I’ve Got Your 6 Foundation, Lifeline, and March Ahead. 

The expo runs from 11am to 2pm and is free to attend. Everybody is welcome.

“You never know what can come out of it,” said David. “Some people who aren’t veterans may know someone who is and can pass the word along. Just getting the word out that there is help.”

🚜 Southwest farmers are still reeling from drought. Landcare says its new program can help.

Southwest Victorian farmers are being urged to rethink land management, with the Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network launching a program to provide funding, materials and advice for regenerative agriculture and revegetation.

Senior Landcare facilitator Geoff Rollinson told the Brolga the program aims to help farmers adapt to a changing climate. 

📓What’s in a program? The program supports two main approaches: 

• Revegetation to provide shelter for stock and protect soil along waterways. 

• Multispecies pastures, which combine 10 to 16 plant species with deeper roots to improve soil moisture, boost pasture growth, and activate soil biology. 

Farmers can access funding through grants from WCLN for seedlings, direct seeding and fencing, as well as guidance on species selection and site preparation.

❤️ “A necessity, not a luxury”: Hamilton Library set to install dispenser for free pads and tampons

Hamilton Library will soon provide free period products to women and girls, making essential sanitary items more accessible to the local community.

A period product dispenser will be installed in the library’s amenities in the first week of October, allowing visitors to access pads and tampons discreetly and conveniently.

Southern Grampians Shire Council Senior Library Coordinator Kelly Pitt-Lancaster said the library was proud to support women and girls in the region. 

“Pads and tampons are a necessity, not a luxury. This machine ensures those who need them most can access vital products,” she said.

The dispenser will be located at the back of the library in the toilet facilities, providing privacy and ease of use. 

The library hopes the service will prevent local students or workers from missing school or work due to lack of access to period products, and to support overall wellbeing.

SEEN THIS WEEK 🤓

Colac’s first-ever Taiwanese cultural festival went out with a bang on Saturday, with dumplings, lanterns, mooncakes, milk tea and traditional art and craft activities.

Check out the video below for a full rundown of the day.

@westvicbrolga

Did you get to the festival on the weekend? 🏮🌕🥟 #festival #moonfestival #culture #taiwan #taiwanese

We all need a moment of calm before a big event sometimes, right? I certainly do. So I took off for a walk along the Tiger Rail Trail near Forrest recently, and it did the trick.