Upper Hunter, New South Wales
In mid-2024, six towns participated in Stage 1 of the Upper Hunter Community Builders program, including Dungog, Clarence Town, Gloucester, Paterson, Stroud and Vacy. These six towns participated in monthly community conversations to network and share community-building skills and knowledge. A powerful sense of regional identity grew from these workshops, largely centred around the towns’ shared natural assets – their rivers, farms, forests, and wildlife.
Stage 2 commenced in early 2025, with each town offered the chance to participate in Community Opportunity Workshops (COWs). The towns of Dungog, Clarence Town, Paterson, Stroud and Vacy participated in COWs which involved asset-mapping their towns and brainstorming big ideas for the future. Each town then developed a unique Community Action Plan, which can be found below.
To keep up to date with the Community Builders program, check out https://www.facebook.com/groups/ruralaid.communitybuilders
For more information, please contact Steph Walsh – Community Development Programs Manager at Rural Aid on 1300 327 624.
