The Kyabram community has never been one to shy away from standing up for what it wants; this year again proved that.
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Community-led development dominated local news. Exciting infrastructure projects and controversial upgrades packed council chambers with Kyabramites, while volunteer shortages forced the cancellation of beloved festivals.
To chat about the year that was, journalist Jemma Jones sat down with Kyabram Development Committee outgoing chair Tania Chiswell.
The Kyabram Development Committee is the official overseer of Campaspe Shire Council’s 10-year place-based plan for Kyabram, which was released in 2021, but Tania Chiswell thinks it’s almost time for that plan to be adapted.
Kyabram faces a significant population increase, with seven residential developments under way simultaneously.
Tania agrees the town needs matching infrastructure development to support this growth.
The biggest project as part of the place-based plan was checked off this year, with the opening of two district off-leash dog parks in Kyabram and Tongala.
Like the long-awaited Breen Ave Walking Track, the dog park represented years of dedicated effort by the KDC. The committee had championed this project since its formation.
Another win for the KDC was launching the Visit Kyabram website, with hopes it will become the one-stop shop for visitors curious about what the town has to offer.
“They were both projects we’ve been working on especially for quite some years, so to get both up and going is good to see,” Tania said.
At the beginning of the year, the Free Press reported on uncovered plans for a pool at the Kyabram Stadium, with advocacy and a petition about reviving the project heavily driven by community development group Kyabram Deakin Residents and Ratepayers Development Group.
The group believed the current pool located on Fenaughty St was “reaching the end of its useful life”, and the existing plans could provide a better solution.
In November, an asset report released by council showed the group wasn’t wrong, with 57 per cent of council’s pool assets rated as either poor or very poor.
The petition attracted thousands of signatures, demonstrating strong community support for a new swimming facility.
However, council has shown minimal progress on the issue, apart from consulting on the new aquatic strategy.
Apart from infrastructure developments, event cancellations and volunteer shortages have largely hogged the front pages of the Free Press this year.
Following another triumphant year, the Kyabram Tastes and Tunes festival committee delivered heartbreaking news: the beloved festival would not return in 2026.
It was largely due to issues with permits and licences, which caused the committee to make the tough call to take a break for the next edition.
Tania said she was hopeful the KDC would be able to create a committee for a 2027 edition early next year; however, Tastes and Tunes wasn’t the only loss of the year.
The RV Country Music Festival committee also announced its event’s permanent cancellation following issues with permits and an ageing volunteer base.
Tania said the cancellations were a telling sign of the state of volunteering.
“A lot of people in Ky like things to be done, but they don’t like to help,” she said.
“If you look at a lot of the groups in town, they’re an older age group.
“It’s a culture we probably need to work on changing because if people don’t start volunteering, then all these things will start to be cancelled, and we’ll have nothing to go to.”
As for what’s next, Tania said KDC was focusing on providing Kyabram with more green spaces, like Edis Park and John Pilley Reserve.
The regional parks project is something that the group has been working towards for a few years, but Tania said one win it had in that area was council announcing it would be progressing the upgrades to Jaycee Park.
The large-scale upgrade project encompasses the pool, playground and area near the senior citizens’ building. Tania said the KDC hoped to extend improvements beyond the community gardens as well.
“We’re focusing on that at the moment,” she said.
“It’s a bit of a pie in the sky, and there’s a lot of money that we need to get it done … but it’s something that needs to be worked at.”
Looking ahead to next year, 2026 marks a special milestone: Kyabram’s 150th anniversary as a township.
Tania said the KDC wanted community input as to how the milestone should be celebrated.
Everyone is welcome to attend a community meeting on Wednesday, January 21 at 7pm at the Parkland Golf Club. The meeting will focus on planning the anniversary celebrations and discussing the year ahead.
To see what the Visit Kyabram website looks like, visit visitkyabram.com.au
Top headlines for community development in 2025
Push for a pool
A community group in Kyabram has reignited the push for a new pool after unearthing decades-old council plans that were never implemented.
The Kyabram Deakin Residents and Ratepayers Development Group has breathed new life into a 30-year-old vision for a heated pool adjacent to the indoor stadium at the Kyabram Showgrounds.
Original plans obtained by the group show the basketball courts on the eastern end of the plot of land, while a six-lane 25m pool, toddlers’ pool, spa and sauna were designed to be situated on the western side of the land.
KDRRDG resident Glenn Maddock said the existing pool, which opened in 1953 and sits next to Jaycee Park on Fenaughty St, was “reaching the end of its useful life”.
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Backlash doesn’t delay Wilf Cox Pavilion redevelopment
Even a bus-load of red-and-black dressed Kyabramites filling the Campaspe Shire Council chambers was not enough to stop the divisive Wilf Cox Pavilion redevelopment from going through, but boy, was it close.
On Tuesday, February 18, over 50 passionate Kyabram sports fans — part of the Wilf Cox Development group — packed into the council chambers, quickly filling seats then crowding against the walls, in the hope they could get council to reconsider the Wilf Cox Pavilion redevelopment plan.
The original plan centred on a $1 million Victorian Government grant aimed at promoting equity and inclusion by creating change rooms for female players and umpires, facilities currently absent at the reserve.
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Beloved Kyabram festival cancelled for 2026
The Kyabram Tastes and Tunes committee has regretfully announced its event will not be going ahead next year.
Committee member Karyn Grealy said mounting challenges with liquor licensing, grants and security requirements led to the difficult decision.
In a statement, the committee said that despite the challenges, the past three years of running the event had been an “absolute joy” and a source of pride.
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Dogs get first dig at Edis Park development
Bella, Teddy, Fergus and Misty had the time of their furry lives when they had a chance to run around the area soon to be Kyabram’s first off-leash dog park on Thursday, June 26.
It was an inaugural play session for the pooches, who were joined by Campaspe Shire councillors John Zobec and Luke Sharrock, along with Kyabram residents Vonda Meloni and Renee Pichler, to christen the park ready for construction.
The Kyabram off-leash dog park will be built inside Edis Park and will feature a quiet area for timid dogs, a new artificial grass area, landscaping, garden bed and shelter, along with new turf for dogs to stick their paws into, according to the concept plans.
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The last dance: RV Country Music Festival cancelled
Kyabram has lost a major financial lifeline after the RV Country Music Festival announced its permanent cancellation.
At the conclusion of this year’s festival on Sunday, November 9, president Allan Weeks made an announcement that brought the crowd of attendees, and even himself, to tears: this would be the last edition of the RV Country Music Festival.
Speaking with the Free Press, Mr Weeks said it was an enormously difficult decision, but one that had to be made for the wellbeing of the volunteer group.
He said a combination of volunteer exhaustion, an ageing volunteer base and ongoing permit difficulties had overwhelmed the committee, forcing it to cancel the festival permanently.