Ben Lomond Landcare Group chairperson Richard Makim said the grant would provide much needed signage in and out of the town centre.

“There are five ways to get out of Ben Lomond, people are regularly knocking on the door of residents to get directions,” he said.

A sign would also be erected which details the historical significance of Ben Lomond. Because there are currently no public amenities in the village, some of the grant money would go toward building an amenity block near the tennis courts, while gas heating would be installed in the Ben Lomond Hall.

The hall requires three gas heaters to heat the area. The grant would fund the installation of one heater and piping for the other two.

“We are gradually trying to re-establish a strong social hub with barbecues, cricket grounds and be able to re-use the tennis courts,” Mr Makim said.

“We are trying to pick up the pace since the closure of the railway and store. There are new houses being built in town and renovations happening. There are new tree changes to town and for the first time the school enrolment numbers are steady.”

Prior to the allocation meeting and Landcare AGM on June 13, the community held a community get together event attended by approximately 25 people. The guest speaker was Clare Edwards from the Department of Primary Industries who spoke about using the internet to access weather information and identifying pasture species. A DVD was show entitled ‘Mate helping Mate’ featuring John Harper a NSW farmer who spoke about depression and its affects; one in five people suffer from it while four in five are affected by it.