TTTT - Better In Blackall, QLD

Welcome to FRRR’s Tackling Tough Times Together podcast – about how people in remote, rural and regional Australia helped one another pull through the harshest droughts in living memory.

In this episode, we hear how Blackall in central western Queensland lifted local’s spirits by starting a celebration festival after seven years of drought. We chat to community leaders about the challenges they faced, how they responded, what impact their project had and the legacy it left. They share their stories and lessons learnt, as we all learn how to cope with an increasingly dry climate.

After so many years of drought, the community around Blackall in central western Queensland was struggling, along with more than half of the state. As long time local Gill Russell remembers, the pastoral and agricultural industry had been brought to its knees, and everyone was emotionally and physically drained. So, what else to do, but start a celebration festival of what the region had to offer. Gill is now the President of the Better in Blackall Festival, which brings together locals from near and far for cabaret, concerts, and billy kart races. Gill tells us how the festival has kept the community together when climate challenges could have split it apart.

This project was funded by FRRR - the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal– thanks to partnerships with philanthropy, government and business, and the generosity of individuals, all of whom share the vision of a vibrant, resilient, sustainable and empowered rural Australia.

FRRR acknowledges the Dja Dja Wurrung people as the Traditional Custodians of Jaara country at Bendigo, where the organisation is headquartered. We also acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations around this vast country, and pay respect to their Elders past and present, and to the continuation of the custodial, cultural and educational practices of Australia’s First Peoples.

GET IN TOUCH
The Tackling Tough Times Together podcast was produced for FRRR, the only charity focussed on building the social and economic strength of remote, rural and regional Australia. It was funded in partnership with the Australian government.

For further information on anything shared in this podcast, or if you have a project and would like to apply for funding, or you would like to support these kinds of projects, head to www.frrr.org.au or call 1800 170 020.

CREDITS
Host: Nance Haxton
Production Assistance: Michael Adams
Interviewee Gill Russell, President of the Better in Blackall Festival

RESOURCES
FRRR - www.frrr.org.au
Better in Blackall Festival - www.betterinblackall.com/