In Focus: Border Trust

Community Stories, 29 July 2021

In June 2021, FRRR staff had the privilege of listening to a presentation by Glenys Atkins, Executive Officer of Border Trust. The story below captures some key highlights of that presentation.

Border Trust is the community foundation for the Albury Wodonga Region, which encompasses six local government areas around the NSW / VIC border, many of which were badly affected by the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. 

It was established in 2015, and with less than one full-time equivalent staff, has now distributed just shy of $2 million.

Located in Albury, their office accommodation is supported by Hume Bank. A recent move means that the Foundation now has street access, which greatly increases the potential for community engagement.

Border Trust first partnered with FRRR in late 2015 to establish a Community Foundation Account, which enables them to leverage FRRR’s Deductible Gift Recipient status to receive funds from other philanthropic organisations, such as The Geoff and Helen Handbury Foundation, as well as make grants to non-DGR organisations in their region.

Funds raised through FRRR contribute to Border Trust’s annual granting round to community organisations, which is enormously beneficial for the region, as well as Border Trust. At present, many grants are supporting bushfire recovery in the region, and groups supported include Thowgla Hall, Acres & Acres, Man from Snowy River Tourist Association, and FoodShare.

One of Border Trust’s early projects related to the Headlie Taylor Header Museum in Henty – a tribute to a real pioneer in agriculture. Through the Community Foundation Account with FRRR they raised funds for a statue of Headlie Taylor, which was opened by his nephew Bruce Taylor. More than $80,000 was raised towards this project, thanks to the generous support of the community, with nearly half coming through the account with FRRR.

In early 2020, Border Trust established a Bushfire Relief Fund following the Black Summer bushfires, in response to locals wanting to give locally, and be sure of where their funds were going to be used. So far, they have raised $212,000 and distributed around $160,000 toward local bushfire recovery projects. Their Account with FRRR has helped them to make grants to many local non-DGR organisations.

Glenys said that a sub-committee was established that included representatives from affected communities, and they learnt a lot from the committee, especially around the type of projects that would be of most benefit to the communities. A recent visit to Corryong highlighted the impact of the grants, and helped them see what the community is really trying to achieve in its recovery. A common theme coming through from many communities references mental health as an ongoing concern, as are upgrades to community halls, which are the lifeblood of the communities.

In addition to the Bushfire Relief Fund, Border Trust also launched Give500 in March 2020, and the first full donor gathering was scheduled for June, hosted by one of the donors. City2City – a walk or run between Albury and Wodonga, was another fundraising initiative aimed at supporting Albury Wodonga Health, and to say thank you to front line health workers – a total of $16,000 was raised.

Glenys said that the major challenges they face as a Community Foundation relate largely to organisational and operational capacity – they just don’t have the resources to take up every opportunity. There is some funding in the pipeline that will enable them to scale up their resources, but it’s taken a long time to get there, and is resource intensive to make it all happen. But Glenys said that by far, the greatest benefit to being a Community Foundation is that they’re local, and people can come and talk to them and actually see where their gift goes.

For more information on FRRR’s support of Community Foundations, contact our Philanthropic Services Manager, Jo Kemp on 1800 170 020 or info@frrr.org.au.

You can also read a summary of Natalie Egleton’s comments during a panel session at Philanthropy Australia’s online National Conference 2021.

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Amy Crawford

Amy Crawford has an extensive career in complex public policy and its intersection across government and communities.

Amy is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), representing 537 councils across the nation. Amy holds over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. She has a deep understanding of federal government policies and structures, with over 10 years’ service in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has worked for the federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Amy has shaped a wide range of policies and programs including regional development, telecommunications, immigration, emergency management, social policy and pandemic preparation.

Amy is a Board Director of Austroads and represents ALGA on the Public Skills Australia Industry Advisory Group, and the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. She is also a Board Director for the Canberra Youth Theatre which provides voice for Canberra’s youth through intelligent and challenging theatre.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Queensland, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Amy was appointed to the FRRR Board in January 2025.

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Kylie Hansen

Kylie brings leadership and management experience from across academic, corporate, not-for-profit, social enterprise and impact investment sectors, having deep dived into a myriad of specialisations and systems. Her six tertiary qualifications are equally as diverse and complimentary, covering commerce, politics, international development, community development, project management and law. Her breadth and depth of experience enables her to draw on a number of disciplines and innovative ways of working and thinking, and she is well recognised as consistently delivering work and services of a high quality.

Kylie uses her strong background in sustainability, governance and impact measurement to support collaborative initiatives across sectors oriented at improving social outcomes, and to support socially conscientious businesses to articulate their social impact. As founder and director at Impact Seed she has been instrumental in developing the impact measurement, evaluation, learning and ESG practice which advises numerous corporates, and is passionate about supporting First Nations empowerment particularly in the context of regional economic development.

Kylie is also a Director of the WA Social Enterprise Council, a member of the B Council (B Lab Australia and New Zealand), and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

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Hon. John Anderson AC

The Hon. John Anderson AC is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from NSW, who served in the Australian Parliament from 1989 to 2008.

He was a senior Cabinet minister in the government led by John Howard (1996 to 2005), including six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the latter role, Mr Anderson played in important role in FRRR’s history, working closely with Baillieu Myer AC and others on a proposal to establish a philanthropic organisation to benefit rural Australia. The concept was discussed at the National Regional Summit in 1999 and FRRR was established shortly thereafter.

Mr Anderson currently hosts a regular podcast, where he is in conversation with thought-leaders from around the world, and is a regular media commentator.

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Regina Cruickshank

Partnerships Specialist (WA)

Regina supports FRRR as the WA Partnerships Specialist. With over two decades of experience in partnerships and marketing, she has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s social impact landscape. She brings a strong passion for leveraging purpose-built networks to create positive change.

Regina previously worked with Playgroup WA and founded a Health Promotion Charity dedicated to supporting Social Emotional wellbeing for underserved communities. She’s excited about the opportunity to connect with partners and explore ways to make a meaningful difference in WA.

She lives in Perth with her family and enjoys mindful moments of connection to Country, whether on horseback, on foot or underwater.

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Anna Palmer

People and Culture Manager

Based in Central Victoria, Anna is a senior Human Resources, Organisation Development and Industrial Relations professional, with significant private and public sector experience across every facet of people and culture leadership.

Her most recent roles have been with Don KR in Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Shire Council. She has also held senior HR roles with Victoria Legal Aid and the TAC among many others.

From Mildura originally, Anna has postgraduate qualifications in Change Management and a Masters in Organisation Dynamics.

Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to balance her creative pursuits and work as an HR professional.

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Philippa Twaddle

Management Accountant

Carolyn joined the FRRR team in March 2017, and is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO, effective coordination of the FRRR office and general administrative support to the management team. A key responsibility is supporting the administration of FRRR’s Donation Account Services.

She has over fifteen years’ experience working in local government in the Tourism and Arts Sector, Civic and Event Management and Community engagement.

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship, majoring in psychology, and grew up on farming communities in Cohuna and Echuca and currently lives in Bendigo.