General News
24 February, 2025
Residents drive change
Residents of Rainbow turned out in force for The Rainbow 2050 Community Workshop last week, exceeding expectations with more than 25 attendees.
The Rainbow Progress Association organised the event at the Rainbow Football Club rooms on February 12 to gather ideas on the town’s priorities.
Housing emerged as the top concern for Rainbow.
Participants also highlighted childcare, business support, volunteering and better connection between longtime residents and newcomers as key issues.
Following an online survey to collect community input, Dimboola’s Prue Cook from Nine Creeks Consulting led the workshop.
Ms Cook met with local school students, preschool parents and local groups to compile the findings.
Residents responded enthusiastically, 160 people completing the survey – far passing the 38 responses from a similar survey two years ago.
Rainbow Progress Association secretary Bernard Young praised the community’s engagement.
“This is the best response I’ve seen to this sort of survey anywhere,” Mr Young said.
“Rainbow people care deeply about their town and these results show we have plenty of work ahead.”
Mr Young confirmed that the association would submit the final report to Hindmarsh Shire Council by the end of the month.
He expressed confidence that council members would take the findings seriously but acknowledged that major projects like housing and childcare would require long-term efforts and partnerships.
“We need co-operation between the committee, council and the state government to make real progress,” he said.
Participants also mentioned the urgent need for better childcare options as many families currently relied on grandparents, but when they travelled or faced other commitments, young parents struggled to find reliable alternatives.
The active participation of residents in the workshop and survey has ensured that their voices will help to shape the next steps as they have spoken clearly about the town’s future.