Rochester Scout Group leader Emma Solomano (centre in hat) and The Nationals candidate for Murray Plains Brett Hosking at the Scout hall last week for the $150,000 announcement.
Rochester Scouts group leader Emma Solomano has welcomed a pledge from The Nationals candidate for Murray Plains Brett Hosking guaranteeing $150,000 to repair the 1st Rochester Scout Hall in Victoria St when in government.
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At the same time, Mr Hosking announced there would be a further $250,000 for the 2028 Australian Jamboree at Elmore, funding which would provide a water treatment plant supplying a million litres of fresh water a day to the expected 10,000 Scouts and leaders.
Ms Solomano said the Scout hall had been unusable since the October 2022 floods, and the funding would bring the Scout group back to its home and give Rochester back an important community meeting place.
She said floodwater damaged the hall’s electrical system, kitchen, walls and ceilings, and flood debris and damaged materials remained on site.
“We have been using the Four Rs since the troop reactivated in 2024,” Ms Solomano explained.
“Between COVID and the floods, the local Scouts had lapsed, but we are back and doing well, with four leaders and 25 members across three age levels.
“It would be great to have our own home again. Scouting provides a great lifestyle option for youngsters who may not be into sport.”
Mr Hosking said the hall was damaged in the 2011 flood, was repaired and then, like most of Rochester, was hit again in 2022.
“The hall is unsafe and uninhabitable and the group has had to move out and run its programs from another venue,” Mr Hosking says.
“At the same time, the community has lost a hall it could previously hire – and funding has been the main barrier to repairing it.
“This $150,000 project will deliver testing and making safe the electrical system, repairs to the kitchen, walls and ceilings, removal of flood debris and damaged building materials and improved fencing and new signage.
“Local young people and volunteer leaders will be the immediate beneficiaries. They can return to their own hall and run their full programs, and the restored hall will also cater for members with mobility needs or disabilities in a safe, hazard-free building.”
The Nationals candidate for Murray Plains Brett Hosking talks to members of the 1st Rochester Scout troop.
Mr Hosking said as well as Rochester, Scouts, schools and community groups across Victoria would also benefit from upgraded Scout halls and campsites under a $16 million commitment announced by the Liberal and Nationals team.
He said delivered across four years, it was the largest single commitment to Scouting ever made in Victoria, recognising the enormous contribution Scouts and their volunteers make to young people and communities across the state.
“As demand from Scout groups and the wider community continues to grow, many of Victoria’s ageing Scout halls and campsites are struggling to meet the needs of those who rely on them, highlighting the need for modern, fit-for-purpose facilities,” Mr Hosking said.
“This commitment will deliver those facilities, including funding for new halls, modern bathrooms and kitchens and safer, more accessible campsites, so Scout groups can welcome more young people and keep serving their communities for decades to come.
