The Fairley Leadership Program began in 1997 with modest funding and a belief that investing in local people could strengthen an entire region.
Four local councils – Greater Shepparton, Moira, Strathbogie and Campaspe Shires – each contributed $5,000 in seed funding, complemented by a $20,000 grant from the Sustainable Regional Development Committee.
It was a shoestring budget in the beginning, with experts also volunteering their time to help get the new regional leadership initiative off the ground.
The idea had emerged from concerns that the pool of people with senior management and leadership experience had diminished after rapid government and corporate centralisation to Melbourne in the 1990s.
A transformative partnership
A major turning point came in 1998, when the Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation committed $50,000 annually for five years.
The partnership was ultimately extended for another five years, and the program took on the Fairley Leadership name it still proudly holds today.
Over the decade, the Foundation contributed more than $500,000, providing significant support during the program’s formative years.
A new era of investment
As the Fairley Foundation began winding back its direct financial support, advocacy turned towards securing a more sustainable funding model.
In 2010-11, a $400,000 Victorian Government grant provided an important bridge into the program’s next era.
Fairley subsequently became part of the Victorian Regional Community Leadership Programs Secretariat, receiving support through Regional Development Victoria, including a further four-year funding commitment covering 2016 to 2019.
Government investment continued between 2020 and 2023 through the Regional Community Leadership Program Fund and Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions.
Throughout its history, that investment has been complemented by participant scholarships, including support from organisations such as the Gardiner Foundation and Hugh Williamson Foundation.
2026 program sponsors include a diverse range of businesses and organisations.
Participant sponsors include Berrigan Shire Council, Cadell Food Service, GMCU, Committee for Echuca Moama, GOTAFE, Goulburn-Murray Water, Goulburn Valley Water, Greater Shepparton City Council, GV Health, and Murray River Council.
Participant scholarships have also been provided by CFA, Bendigo Bank, Gardiner Foundation, GMCL alumni committee, Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, GV Water, Moira Shire Council, Warramunda Community Care, and Vision Radiology.
These supporters, and the graduates they have helped to develop, showcase the wide scope of Fairley’s reach, spanning local government, health, education, agriculture, water, emergency services, finance, community care, and business.
Their contribution also demonstrates that sustaining regional leadership is not the responsibility of any one organisation or sector. It is something businesses, governments, philanthropic organisations and communities can collectively invest in, helping ensure the next generation of local leaders has the same opportunity to step forward.
Investing in what comes next
Thirty years after its beginnings, the need to develop capable local leaders has not disappeared.
If anything, the challenges facing regional communities – from population growth and increasing diversity to climate resilience and cost pressures – are becoming more complex.
GMCL’s vision is consequently growing too: building on Fairley’s foundations to create a wider network of learning, connection and community action that can equip more people to contribute to the region’s future.
But building that future requires investment.
The Fairley Leadership Program will pause in 2027 while GMCL works to secure the financial support and organisational capacity needed to deliver its next chapter sustainably.
Across its history, Fairley has been made possible because governments, councils, foundations, businesses, organisations and individuals have recognised that investing in people ultimately means investing in their communities.
The opportunity now exists for a new generation of supporters to help carry that investment forward.
For a business, foundation, government body or individual looking to create a lasting regional impact, supporting leadership development offers something with a powerful multiplier effect: an investment in one person does not end with that person.
It travels with them into their workplace, their boardroom, their community, organisation, their town and the people they, in turn, encourage to step forward.
After 30 years, Fairley’s funding story is still being written, and its next chapter will depend on those who see value in helping regional leaders lead where they live.
