AN OUTBACK council has received a government grant to recruit grey nomads and other caravanners for community work.

The $100,000 handout to Queensland's Barcaldine Shire Council comes as the skills shortage in the bush continues to worsen.

It will help finance Barcaldine's Blueprint for the Bush initiative which coordinates local projects for the thousands of travellers visiting the area every year.

Local Government Minister Warren Pitt said the grey nomads – 50-plus travellers who caravan around Australia in their retirement years – brought various skills and expertise to the communities they visited.

"The State Government has committed $100,328 through the Blueprint for the Bush’s Our Place Our Future program for Barcaldine Shire’s Caravanning to the Horizon project," Mr Pitt said.

"We've all heard of the grey nomads and I'm sure most of us even know some of the hundreds of thousands of wanderers who travel around the country each year, bringing vibrancy and increased tourism revenue to many regional communities.

"This funding will help Barcaldine Shire employ a local coordinator to organise and manage local activities and projects that take advantage of the expertise and skills of the estimated 2000 grey nomads who visit the area each year.

"These projects could include helping with high school careers markets, getting involved in the development of recreational facilities at Lagoon Creek or helping with displays at the Australian Workers Heritage Centre."

Mr Pitt said the Our Place, Our Future program would provide more than $7.4 million over three years to help improve community sustainability through social, cultural, environmental and/or economic development initiatives.

BACK TO CARAVANNING NEWS MAIN PAGE

SEND YOUR COMMENTS OR
STORY IDEAS TO
CARAVANNING NEWS