IN our last column we made mention of Ararat Rural City Council’s New Settlement Scheme and we thought this week was a great opportunity to provide a bit more detail.

Council has been working in partnership with Wyndham Community and Education Centre to fill some of the municipality’s workforce gaps by encouraging people from the communities of Burma, particularly the Karen community, to relocate from metropolitan Melbourne and take up some of our job opportunities. A number of new settlers have been attracted through the scheme and will commence working in our region in coming months. It is expected that the number of new settlers will grow as interest increases in the opportunities available to those who enjoy rural living. Several potential residents are looking for work in the hospitality and retail sectors and as part of the program, preemployment and specific training is provided. If you would like to find out more about this program, please contact Carmel Goulding at Council.

SERIOUSLY SHIRAZ EVENT 3-SEP-22 JWARD MUSEUM-ARARAT

Saturday, September 3rd sees the return of Seriously Shiraz to the region and this year the headline event of the festival will be hosted at the historic J Ward Museum in Ararat. On offer will be amazing Grampians wines, produce and live music. Guests will also have the opportunity to get their hands on a bottle of the Grampians Winemakers’ “Barrique Shiraz” - the ultimate addition to any collection. Grampians Winemakers contribute some of their best Shiraz of vintage to be blended in a “Barrique” (a 225-litre oak barrel). Tastings will be included in the ticket price from 12 noon until 4pm, with wine available for purchase by the glass or bottle from 4 - 5pm. Book your tickets online at https://grampianswine.com.au/

BUSINESS AFTER DARK 17-AUG-22 SAINES LUCAS-ARARAT

For the calendar The GABN Committee is preparing for our next Business After Dark event, scheduled for Wednesday 17 August. Our host for the evening will be Saines Lucas with guest speaker Orry Pilven. Orry has worked with Saines Lucas since 2012, completing his law degree at La Trobe University and graduating with Honours in 2011 - also completing a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Human Resource Management.

As always, the GABN Committee is keen to hear from anyone interested in joining our proactive business community. If you are considering becoming a member of GABN or would like to know more about our upcoming Business After Dark please contact us on email admin@gabn.org.au.