REGION - Halls Gap and Pomonal will have an electronic information sharing hub aimed at bringing different community sectors together when the town's brand-new website goes live later this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Residents from the two communities are invited to see the website's potential at the official launch on Thursday. May 16 when the website team, made up of local residents and Northern Grampians Shire Council officers, show residents through the site and how they can use it.
Cr Paul Russell, who has been involved in the website's development, said the council and residents were excited about the new site, which will include emergency and general information, news, events and a community directory.
Cr Russell said the website was paid for by the State and Federal Governments' Community Recovery Fund, which allocated funds in the wake of the January 2011 floods and storms that caused widespread landslides in and around Halls Gap.
The website has been developed by community members and officers from the Council's Flood Recovery Team.
"The website will be a fantastic resource for the community, providing it with a one-stop-shop for information," Cr Russell said.
"The website will be a portal for local organisers, community associations and sporting groups to come together and share information, and for government departments and other organisations to include important emergency information.
"We encourage everyone to come to the launch on May 16 and see the websites' potential."
Halls Gap resident Monique Cummings was involved in developing the site and said it aimed to bring the many different groups within the two communities together through information sharing.
"The two communities contain a lot of different groups and associations all doing their own separate thing so we really wanted to bring all of them together in one place," she said.
"The Halls Gap and Pomonal Community Website will be a wonderful way to achieve this and we really encourage residents to get involved in its development.
"We want it to reach everyone - the young, our retirees, business, sporting and community organisations."
The website has been developed by Mrs Cummings, Halls Gap resident Margo Sietsma, Pomonal resident Alison Bainbridge, Cr Russell, the Council's Flood Recovery Team and the State Library of Victoria Community ICT program, which assists in the development of community websites.
"Northern Grampians Shire Council and the State Library have been a great help in developing the website and we thank them both for their assistance," Mrs Cummings said.
The Halls Gap and Pomonal Community Website launch will take place from 7.30pm on Thursday May 16 at MOCO Gallery, 481 Grampians Road.
At the launch, community members will be able to look through the website, provide feedback, and upload information on their group or event.