The club funded the establishment of a community wellbeing officer at Rochester Community House in January and was recognised with the trophy for the best mental and social wellbeing program at the Leonda By The Yarra event in Hawthorn.
More than 400 people, comprising members of parliament, club presidents, board members, managers, important partners and suppliers from member clubs from all over the state, were in attendance.
Kyabram Club chair David Blake said the club went through an extensive judging process before being recognised at the awards.
“I believe they sent people up from Melbourne to have a look at the program,” he said.
“We are very honoured to receive the award.
“Initially, we (the Ky Club board) just wanted to help out, but rather than throw money at the recovery effort, we met with the Rochester Community House team and decided to fund a wellbeing officer.
“That was a key area identified at that first meeting.”
Kyabram Club funded the appointment of Bernadette Wright for 15 hours a week after her position was created in response to an emerging need, identified in the immediate aftermath of Rochester’s October 2022 flood.
Mr Blake said he met Ms Wright a few weeks after she started and had followed her work from afar.
“Of all the stuff we do, and have done, this has been as effective as we have been at putting money into a community,” he said.
Kyabram Club was among more than 1000 licensed clubs across metropolitan and regional Victoria celebrated at the event. The CCV network has 30,000 employees as part of its ranks and 2.3 million members.
Collectively the clubs contribute $1 billion to the state economy, including community donations, subsidised access to facilities and volunteer work.
Ms Wright, who lives in Bendigo, was initially concerned that Rochester residents may not engage with an “outsider’’, but that has not been the case.
She said it had been a privilege and a joy to work in Rochester.
“There is an overwhelming sense of grief and loss; however, the resilience and strength of the community is phenomenal,” she said.
Ms Wright has worked with 48 clients in total (with new referrals still being taken), 23 of whom she is seeing on an ongoing basis.
She is principally based at Rochester Community House (every Monday and Friday), but is also seeing displaced Rochester residents in Echuca and Bendigo.
Her work has enabled her to develop an understanding of the key issues impacting Rochester residents in the aftermath of the flood, which inundated 90 per cent of the town’s buildings and homes.
The issues she has confronted include ongoing triggering of issues by victims visiting their damaged homes, stress of living with family, friends and acquaintances, and disruption of family dynamics, along with escalated family conflict due to living in confined spaces.
She said the flood event had also amplified pre-existing physical and mental health conditions.
CCV chairman and president Greg Roberts said given the hard work by clubs and employees post-pandemic, the Gala Awards Night was the appropriate platform for these leaders in the industry to be acknowledged and celebrated.
“It’s an honour to be able to provide an opportunity to recognise the success of many of our clubs,” he said.
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