REVEALED: Monto’s Rural Aid makeover projects decided

THESE are the projects the volunteer army will be working on for the North Burnett town’s $100,000 makeover.

North Burnett councillors with Rural Aid members outside Gayndah Museum. Picture: Sam Turner

UP TO nine projects will be completed by Rural Aid’s volunteer army when they descend on the North Burnett town of Monto for its $100,000 makeover.

Planned since January, 47 community and farm volunteers will arrive in town from August 30 – September 5 armed with tools and the know how to revitalise the former dairy hub. .

Community consultations were conducted in late January by small towns specialist Peter Kenyon, with dozens of ideas generated on how to beautify and improve Monto.

The list of projects have been narrowed down to nine, with the farm and community volunteers given a week to help with the much needed long term renewal.

North Burnett councillors with Rural Aid members outside Gayndah Museum. Picture: Sam Turner

The projects include:

• Planting and staking 30 Mount Ash trees in the recreational area behind the railway precinct

• Lister Street Art Walk – oil the information hut and bridge and paint the ablution block

• Laneway Community Garden/Walk

• Main Street of Monto – create landscape spaces and planter boxes, and install park benches and herb garden

• Showgrounds – paint the show ring and ticket booth, refresh the buildings as well as repair and maintenance

• Sports complex in Thomson Street – repair and paint the cricket oval fence and paint the internal doors of the old hospital.

• Mungungo Hall – remove and replace old cladding, paint the new cladding, repair front and partial north wall and fixtures, and rear balustrade to ablution block

• Mulglidie Hall and Fairweather’s Park – tidy and prune gardens and exterior ground as well as repaint Frank Fairweather’s memorial.

• Three farms in the Monto area will also receive much needed makeovers.

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said it has been a long road since October last year when Monto was announced as one 10 towns selected for a complete makeover.

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“These long-term renewal projects have been made possible thanks to the generosity of our volunteers in giving their time and expertise for such a great cause, as well as the remarkable Monto community,” he said.

“Monto’s community has worked hard, coming up with ideas and forming those ideas into a plan for their vision of their future.”

Mr Warlters gave special thanks to Evolution Mining for their $100,000 donation to support community activities across multiple years.

“Many of their employees and their families live in rural towns in the area and their community will benefit from the work being done, the financial injection and most importantly, the community coming together for their town’s future,” he said.

“I would also like to thank Ergon Energy Network for adding their generous support to the Our Towns initiative, with Monto being the second after their support of Gayndah last month.”

Rural Aid was also in the Monto area on August 21 delivering 60 bales of much needed hay to four farmers.

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