RAA delivers $125,000 to make regional communities safer
In total, $125,000 in new grants – boosted by RAA’s new Community Impact Fund – will support 20 regional community groups to deliver practical, safety-focussed projects across South Australia.
Among the recipients this round are Kingston on Murray Primary School (to build a children’s bike track), Andamooka Opal Fields Tourism Association Inc (for a multi-tyre roller to maintain the local runway and roads after rain) and Middleton Community Association (for real-time speed signage).
The latest batch of funding is the largest ever awarded in a single Regional Safety Grant round.
RAA Chief Executive Officer Nick Reade said the grants demonstrate the power of local knowledge combined with targeted support.
“No one knows local communities better than those who live there,” Mr Reade said.
“These aren’t token gestures, they’re practical investments in equipment, education and infrastructure that genuinely make regional South Australians safer.
“Each project reflects the unique challenges and priorities of that community, and the innovative, grassroots solutions local people have developed to solve them.”
Since the program began in 2013, RAA has awarded around $700,000 to help communities across the state feel safer and more secure.
Applications for RAA’s Regional Safety Grants open around October each year, with guidelines and more information on the RAA website.
The successful recipients and projects this round are:
- Andamooka Opal Fields Tourism Association Inc: multi-tyre roller to maintain the local runway and roads after rain, ensuring 24-hour access for emergency services and visiting pilots.
- Booborowie Primary School: school oval fencing to prevent balls and children entering a nearby road.
- CFS Springton: chainsaw helmets with built-in microphones and speakers, and a Bluetooth-compatible UHF handheld radio, to help firefighter crews and chainsaw operators communicate in the field.
- CFS Middleback: support for operational expansion.
- Hindmarsh Valley Progress Association: reinstatement of bridge and road fencing after 2022 flooding event.
- Kingston on Murray Primary School: dedicated bike education track to teach essential road safety skills to local children.
- Lincoln Gardens Primary School: construction of a natural wooden pylon art feature to act as a protective barrier between a student pathway and adjacent car park.
- Napperby Tennis and Community Club Inc: backstop upgrades for tennis and pickleball courts.
- Northern Adelaide Senior College: extension of Student Pathways program to provide driving lessons for students, with an aim of accessing employment opportunities.
- McLaren Vale Bocce & Community Club Inc: repair of entry doors to secure community facility.
- Middleton Community Association Inc: solar digital speed sign to prompt drivers to slow down at the township’s entrance.
- Prospect Hill Community Association: purchase UHF radios to help the community maintain critical communication during catastrophic events.
- Port Pirie Longtrack Speedway Association Inc: upgrading emergency first aid kits.
- RSL Macclesfield: upgrades to offer safer and more secure access to building.
- SA Country Fire Service – Region 2 Operations Brigade: resuscitation dummy for ongoing CPR and resuscitation training.
- Stansbury Golf Club Inc: fencing to improve course safety for members and visitors.
- Tantanoola Football Club: upgrade to clubrooms’ electrical switchboard to meet safety standards.
- Tinyeri Children’s Centre: provision of free first aid training to parents, particularly those that face financial or literacy barriers.
- Waikerie High School: outdoor basketball court upgrades.
- Wool Bay Golf Club Inc: floodlights to improve safety and visibility around clubrooms.
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