Mypolonga named South Australia’s agricultural town of the year for 2022
But with River Murray floods approaching, community members won’t be celebrating just yet.
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A small but mighty town on the banks of the River Murray has taken the spotlight at South Australia’s Regional Showcase for 2022.
Mypolonga was named the state’s agricultural town of the year at a gala event at Mount Barker on Friday night.
The town had been a finalist for the same award in 2021.
Progress association president Steve Hein said the reaction to the win had been incredible – not just from locals, but from anyone who had ever lived or worked in the area.
“A special bit about Mypo is that if you’re a Mypolongian, you’re always a Mypolongian,” he said.
He credited everyone at Mypo and in the surrounding communities of Wall Flat, Toora and Pallamana who had contributed to the ag town campaign and the area.
Clare Scriven, the state’s Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister, described Mypo’s agricultural industry as “remarkably diverse”.
“Mypolonga has a population of around 500 but is not short of energy,” she said.
“The entrepreneurial spirit is clear in the impressive range of businesses experimenting, diversifying, and value-adding from traditional products and outputs.
“Congratulations to everyone who makes Mypolonga a great place to live and work and contributed to this achievement for your town.”
A community celebration would be held at an appropriate time, Mr Hein said.
But with River Murray floods approaching, that time was not yet.
“We’ve been a resilient community for many years,” he said.
“Mother Nature has given us some things to be resilient around.
“Over the next few months, we’ll be resilient and go forward together.”
