General News
3 February, 2026
Community groups input invited on local resource hub’s feasibility study
A central hub to support local community groups is at the heart of a feasibility study now underway.
A community led feasibility study is underway which explores the need for a central hub to support local volunteers and community groups.
Maryborough Volunteer Resource Group (MVRG) recently announced the appointment of Phillip Walker, the new feasibility study coordinator, who will lead the project over the next six months.
Mr Walker will be interviewing local community leaders and volunteers, as well as creating a website for local resident’s submissions, to design a community hub proposal that suits the region’s needs.
“It has to be a community driven and owned process and in that sense I’m the facilitator,” he said.
It’s a process not only backed by Mr Walker’s formal qualification in community development, but almost four decades in the field, three of which overseas, as well as numerous projects in central Victoria.
MVRG president Tony Macer said local not-for-profit community groups have, for years, said they need a hub to help them prosper.
“We have found that leaders and volunteers have consistently identified the pressing need for a central resource hub to help organisations with volunteer recruitment and management, red tape, grant writing, fundraising, training, meeting spaces, succession planning, building a sustainable executive, strategic planning and legal issues,” he said.
It’s a need Mr Macer said has only grown as community groups, who rely on volunteers, struggle to fill their committees or run at their best.
“This need has continued to grow as many community groups are facing serious challenges,” he said.
Beyond established community groups Mr Macer said a hub could also support grassroots efforts like the recent campaigns to refill Goldfields Reservoir, keep Maryborough’s VicRoads, or reopen the Maryborough Outdoor Pool.
“A hub is actually multi-functional — it will address the changing nature of volunteering and community participation,” he said.
“It’s really quite exciting.”
Mr Macer encouraged local organisations, leaders and volunteers to use this opportunity to work out what could help address their concerns and improve their future outlook.
“This is a really exciting and important time for our community; it’s a chance to have real input into shaping our not-for-profit sector, creating a strong network, making it more vibrant and encouraging greater engagement and participation,” he said.
It’s an opportunity made possible thanks to funding from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) received by MVRG in mid-December last year.
Interviews and consultations with the community are soon expected to begin, as well as a website launched, with further information available by contacting MVRG.