Celebrating 60 years of giving
By Deanne Jeffers
FOR six decades, a quiet force has helped shape the Greater Shepparton region – supporting bold ideas, backing community-led change, and opening doors for future generations.
Founded in 1964 by the late Sir Andrew Fairley, the Fairley Foundation has played a transformative role in the region’s development, funding major projects, seeding grassroots initiatives, and creating long-term opportunities across health, education, the arts, and social equity.
Chair of the Foundation, Georgi Fairley, said the Foundation’s 60th anniversary is a milestone worth celebrating. “Even though the Foundation is fairly small in the grand scheme of philanthropy, it is very much continuing Sir Andrew’s vision for what Shepparton can be,” she said.
“Sir Andrew saw a lot in Shepparton — not just what it was, but what it could be. The Foundation has always tried to enable that vision by helping people and communities to see what’s possible and create the opportunities to realise it.”
Ms Fairley, who was appointed Chair in July 2024, brings a strong background in regional development and community leadership. A practising architect with a focus on educational spaces and regional infrastructure, she is also a graduate of the prestigious Williamson Leadership Program.
We spoke in the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), a place Ms Fairley said her great-great-uncle would be especially proud of, both as a significant piece of local infrastructure and as a nod to his passion for the arts.
“In his will, he left money to the Shepparton Art Gallery for the purchasing of art and to make sure it was a continuing space,” she said. “I think this kind of cultural institution that brings so many people together and creates such a landmark for Shepparton, brings business and tourism, and all those benefits is something he would be very excited about.”
Ms Fairley is passionate about continuing the Foundation’s focus on aspiration, particularly through arts and culture, and giving young people the opportunity to imagine futures beyond their immediate surroundings.
“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” she said. “Fairley’s role is to support programs and opportunities that show people, especially kids, what is possible.”
She highlighted the Foundation’s support for programs that may seem small but have lasting ripple effects.
“We funded some training for an administrator at Africa House,” she said. “That kind of thing, in and of itself, might not make a big difference. But if it helps Africa House run more programs or reach more people because they’re more organised, then to me, those little nudge points have a huge impact that is hard to measure.”
Education and arts programs, she said, offer similar long-term impact. The Heinz Music Program is one she singled out.
“There’s lots of research now about the impact of music on literacy and numeracy, so it has that benefit, but there’s also just the connectedness of what it brings for kids. It’s intergenerational, which is really big.”
The Foundation’s shift toward aspirational giving complements the efforts of other organisations in the region addressing immediate needs. By focusing on scholarships, leadership programs, and creative initiatives, the Foundation aims to help the Goulburn Valley become a place where people don’t just get by, but where they thrive.
One of its greatest strengths, Ms Fairley said, is a deeply local approach.
“Place-based philanthropy means growing together — it’s not about parachuting in funding and walking away. It’s about sticking around long enough to see real change happen.”
As the Foundation looks to the future, she said the mission remains the same: building leadership, capacity, and pride in the region.
“There’s always more to be done, and Shepparton, like any place, has its challenges,” she said. “But we remain hopeful, and we believe in this community’s ability to rise to those challenges together.”
