IN SHORT

• Central Darling Shire Council has allocated its remaining $3,000 in community grant funds for the financial year across four applications.
• Funding was approved for Wilcannia Central School's student attendance project, the White Cliffs Gymkhana and Rodeo and the Tilpa Fishing Club's annual Mud Marlin Muster.
• A new draft community grants policy is currently on public exhibition to improve the clarity and fairness of future funding rounds.

The final community grant round of the 2025-26 financial year for Central Darling Shire has delivered modest but meaningful support to some of the region's most important grassroots activities, with $3,000 allocated across four applications at the February ordinary council meeting.

The Tilpa Fishing Club secured funding for its annual Mud Marlin Muster, one of those quintessentially outback events that draws visitors to a tiny river community and generates a spirit of connection that no marketing budget could manufacture. Tilpa, sitting on the Darling River with a population that can be counted on two hands most days of the week, punches well above its weight when the Muster rolls around each year.

The White Cliffs Gymkhana and Rodeo also received approval for funding assistance, helping to preserve an event that speaks directly to the pastoral heritage of the Far West. Gymkhanas and rodeos across the western region are not merely entertainment. They are living expressions of the skills, traditions and community ties that define rural life, and the costs involved in running them safely and successfully are real.

At Wilcannia Central School, a project designed to improve student attendance through community-supported incentives received council backing. Attendance at remote schools is one of the most persistent and complex challenges in rural education, and initiatives that engage families and community members as partners in the solution are among the more promising approaches to the problem.

The fourth application, from St Mary's Church in White Cliffs, involved discussions around a waiver for outstanding water rates. The council resolved that any waiver would be subject to the parish first paying down its remaining arrears, a reasonable condition that acknowledges both the community value of the church and the financial realities facing the shire.

Looking ahead, a new draft community grants policy has been placed on public exhibition. The aim is to ensure future grant rounds are governed by clear and transparent eligibility criteria, making it easier for community organisations to apply and for the council to allocate funds where they will have the greatest impact.

This funding will be vital for the volunteer-led groups. Local events, school programs and community organisations in every small western town depend on modest injections of council support to keep functioning. The amounts may be small but the signal they send, that the council sees and values community-led activity, matters more than the dollar figure.