Community workshops to discuss drought and resilience

The Northern Midlands Business Association will bring farmers, business owners, community groups, and local residents together to explore how drought has touched different parts of life across the region in a new project aimed at building community resilience.

Working with the Northern Midlands Council it has launched From Paddock to Town: Stories of Strength and Resilience, and organisers want to hear stories about:  

• how drought has affected your workplace, business, community group, household, or wellbeing
• decisions you’ve had to make during challenging dry periods
• ways you’ve adapted, supported others, or found support yourself
• ideas or lessons that could help our region prepare for the future

The project recognises that drought can subtly shape the future of a region on a wider scale than the obvious impacts on agriculture.
NMBA chief executive Gordon Williams said drought is becoming a more frequent and unavoidable part of life in Tasmania. 

“With a changing climate and increasingly extreme weather patterns, our region is likely to face longer dry periods and more challenging seasons. While drought is often spoken about in relation to farms and paddocks, the reality is that every one of us feels its effects.
“When water becomes scarce or rainfall is unreliable, the impacts ripple outward, affecting local businesses, community organisations, households, tourism, supply chains, recreation, town amenity, and even the way we connect with one another. 

“Rising prices, reduced local spending, stress on small businesses, constraints on services, and shifts in employment can all stem from prolonged dry conditions.”

There will be a series of free community workshops to complement the program.
Campbell Town Workshop: 10:30am–1:30pm (light lunch included), Saturday, May 16 in the
Town Hall, 75–77 High Street, Campbell Town. Book at www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1563228

Longford Workshop: 10:30am–1:30pm (light lunch included), Saturday, May 23, Longford Memorial Hall, 55 Wellington Street, Longford. Book www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1563232

The workshops will be welcoming, practical sessions where community members can talk openly about how drought has affected them and what resilience means for the future of the Northern Midlands region. 

As part of the project, organisers will also be developing information and visual resources that capture local experiences and practical insights to become long‑term community assets, helping residents, businesses and organisations better understand drought impacts, plan ahead, and build resilience together. These resources will continue to grow as more people contribute their perspectives.

“By bringing together stories from across farming, business, and community life, we can build a richer understanding of how drought shapes our region and, more importantly, how we can face it together with strength, empathy, and shared purpose,” Mr Williams said.