Support membership Please support KDPA with a support membership, valid from 1/7 - 30/6 annually. Fill out the form below and make your payment by direct deposit to: Kaniva & District Progress & Action Association BSB 083088 Acc 588327484
Kaniva & District Progress Association 2022/23 Our upcoming meetings dates for the rest of this financial year are: 26th Apr and 26th Jul Meetings are generally on the 4th Wednesday of the month. We welcome everyone to support our organisation by way of a $30 support membership. Support memberships help with all of our ongoing costs including this website. NAB account details: Kaniva & District Progress & Action Association BSB 083088 Acc 588327484. Form can be found at the bottom of this page.
KDPA statement of purpose:
To provide a platform for community consultation and promotion of Kaniva & District.
To further the success of all business and tourism in Kaniva and District.
Advocating to West Wimmera Shire Council in the development of improved amenities and liveability.
To facilitate community development and encourage a feeling of civic pride.
For more information contact Chair Charlie Ferrier, Treasurer Cristina Ionita or Secretary Helen Hobbs, Ph 0429 888 250. Or Email us.
Love Where You Live 2022 KDPA are pleased to be one of fifty successful applicants for a Living Local grant for $5,950 for digital equipment with video capacity. This will be used to build on our 'Love Where You Live' project and assist with meetings, websites, social media and digital creation for promotion and storytelling purposes. Storytelling includes short film production capturing local stories. This is an ongoing project and if you'd like to share your Kaniva and district story through short film, whether it be community, tourism, or history, then please get in contact with us. These grants are increasingly competitive and this was the fourth application for the project in 18 months, Many thanks to Dan Schulthesis from Cinespace Inc for help, inspiration and advice through the 60 second short film Smartphone Stories project. Help Brighten Kaniva Project 2022 Thank you Kaniva! The main street is looking amazing with four sets of fairy lights now installed. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated to our solar light project. Together we raised $3,466.48. The lights are commercial quality and have been professionally installed thanks to DJ McKeown and team. The solar light project was designed to help brighten the main street promoting a vibrant town by both day and night, supporting hospitality businesses and accommodation operators that rely on night time patronage. KDPA wish to thank the following people for their generous donations; West Wimmera Shire Council, Kaniva Lions Club, The Purple Starfish Community Shop, Kaniva CWA, Kaniva Bus Service, Maidment Drilling, Richard Hicks, Terry Maddern, Victor Perton, Jill Hendy, Diane Mitchell, Letty and Jen Goodwin, Marlene, Tim, Taryn, Jason, Steve and Sharon Carter, Bruce, Wendy, Tim, Jeff, Kelly Meyer, Ruth Adamson, Ann Rabone, Nanette Jolly, Sally Hicks, Gary & Deb Hill, Nancy Alexander, Lorraine & Adrian Coad, Bruce & Wimke Dodson, Maria Ahilarus. Thanks also to Warren Newton for his donation of Red-tail Black Cockatoo prints towards this. Thanks to everyone who purchased fundraising produce via the Purple Starfish. The total project cost was $6,500 with KDPA picking up the balance.
About KDPA Kaniva & District Progress Association were named as West Wimmera Shire Council, Australia Day 2020, Community Group of the Year. We presently have over 60 members which is made up of a cross section of retail businesses, tourism businesses, agri-businesses, trades, community groups and residents. We undertake a variety of community partnership projects and work to promote all community events, services, businesses and volunteer opportunities. Your involvement can help shape Kaniva’s liveability. Just five meetings a year with subcommittees to help move ideas forward!
We have several projects that we always need assistance with:
Writing grant applications.
Content creation, scanning, photography and video for print and digital media.
Creating games and tours for the Actionbound App.
Decorating the town for Christmas and for special events.
Dropping off brochures to neighbouring information centres and local visitor hotspots.
If you would like to help with any of the above, we'd love you to be part of our association. We are 100% volunteer run and rely on membership subs which are just $30 per year. To supplement our funds, we receive a $5K annual allocation from West Wimmera Shire Council to assist with town promotional costs. We also appreciate any support people can offer us financially to assist with projects in line with our goals. Your membership also helps to cover costs including this website, maintaining the Sheep Art Trail, ongoing printing costs of brochures and financial contributions necessary to accessing grants.
History Kaniva and District Progress Association was formed by the local business people in 1911. It was responsible for many initiatives including getting the Post Office, Kaniva Caravan Park development and the Memorial Swimming Pool. Other initiatives included a day passenger train, a tree plantation at the western end of town and the formation of the Kaniva Ambulance, Kaniva is fittingly described by historians of the day as the 'self-help town'. The progress association has undergone many name changes, but has been operating in its present format for the last 23 years. In 1999, West Wimmera Shire Council assisted 4 town groups, Kaniva and District Advancement Committee, Kaniva Traders and Promotions Association, Kaniva Tourism and Kaniva Beautification Committee to merge, forming an umbrella group for Kaniva under the present name of Kaniva and District Progress Association. Watch the video below to hear former Kaniva Shire Councilor Rod Coutts talk about the inspirational and holistic community collaboration behind the main street re-development of the eighties.
.Past Projects:
2015 saw KDPA instigating the Wetlands and Fauna Park re-development as a community partnership project.
In 2017, we registered interest in Silo Artand were successful in our 2018 Pick My Project application for $198K for Kaniva and Serviceton.
In 2019, we took on developing a Sheep Art Trail linking the Silo Art with theWetlands and Fauna Park. The Sheep Art has been an ongoing project throughout 2020/21/22 which has seen significant work restoring the original flock of sheep.
In 2021, we were fortunate to receive a grant from the Stronger Communities Programme for the Kaniva Konnection project. This entailed upgrading the touchscreen at the Information Centre, rebuilding the Kaniva website to a touchscreen compatible format, Actionbound app for digital games and tours and weatherproofing the QR Codes. We implemented Eat, Stay, Play signage at three visitor hot-spots, along with upgrading Sheep Art Trail signage, along with brochures and posters. We also applied for a grant for digital equipment to assist with film making and content creation, however both applications have been unsuccessful to date. A third is presently in play.
In 2022, we undertook 3 small covid recovery projects, 'Kaniva Optimism', 'Eat, Stay, Play' marketing campaign (thanks to WWSC small grants), and 'Sheep Art Restoration & Repair' thanks to Australian Galleries and Museums Association Victoria small grants program. We also utilised a $500 Christmas town allocation towards fundraising for commercial quality solar lights for four trees - total project cost $6,500.
Lobbying to WWSC for the Kaniva Caravan Park upgrade. To be completed 2022 cost $593K.
Digital marketing: Kaniva website in 2005, Kaniva facebook page in 2010 and Instagram in 2013
Coordinated and developed many PR flyers and signage projects over the years.
Implementing several community consultations, 'Meet the Candidate' forums, Politician visits, ABC broadcasts and general media stories.
Town decorating projects for Christmas and Easter.
Supplying brochures to visitor hot spots.
Support membership Please support KDPA with a support membership, valid from 1/7 - 30/6 annually. Fill out the form at the top of the page and make your payment by direct deposit to: Kaniva & District Progress & Action Association BSB 083088 Acc 588327484