Great community day at the Mansfield Health, Community and Volunteers

Published on 27 May 2025

The Mansfield Health, Community and Volunteer Expo was held on the median strip on High Street on 21 May 2025 with great success.

The expo was a collaboration between Mansfield SIAG, Mansfield District Hospital and Council.

With 33 stalls showcasing what the local sector has to offer, the opportunities for community participation and volunteering across local groups, organisations and health support services was out on show for the community.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie opened the expo and Councillors and Council staff attended on the day.

“What an incredible day it was, with heaps of people chatting and everyone enjoying being out and seeing all the incredible services we have on offer,” said Cr Rabie.

“One of the things I love about this community is our can-do attitude, which sets us apart in our quiet approach to getting things done in a resilient way. We also have a strong sense of community. These two things mean that we have a strong volunteer base but that we don’t see or hear about them much – they work quietly in the background, supporting our community and offering what we need to make us the best little Shire in Australia.

“I’m grateful to SIAG and the hospital for their partnership with Council to put this well-organised day together,” said Cr Rabie.

Michelle Harmer, member of the Mansfield SIAG, said “What an amazing and fabulous effort all the stall holders put into their info stands! The whole median strip looked beautiful, inviting, vibrant and visually very interesting.’

Deb Westphalen, Friends of Mansfield Library, said “There was a real atmosphere coming from the volunteer groups, lots of positive thought. We engaged with 61 members of the community, handed out 45 out of 50 'showbags' and had a real interest from people to donate books to our Shop” – Deb Westphalen Friends of Mansfield Library.

Michelle Spence, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Mansfield District Hospital, said that it was amazing event for the hospital.

“This was an opportunity to showcase the Health, Wellbeing and Care initiatives available to each and every member of our community,” Michelle said.

“We loved seeing our regular clients and meeting new members of our community. The Expo is part of our overall vision “Healthy Community, Trusted Healthcare”. It is important for our organisation to understand gaps in healthcare closer to home, we don’t want anyone to miss out or be isolated from the care they need.

“The Expo is an additional step in bridging the gap in the healthcare needs of our community,” Michelle said.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said he had received a lot of good feedback about the event.

“The event was very well received by the whole community. It was great to see people of all ages throughout the afternoon. We ran out of free sausages at record speed so we know we had an unanticipated amount of people coming to enjoy everything that was on offer,” said Cr Rabie.

For more information about SIAG or community health and wellbeing, go to siag@mansfield.vic.gov.au