General News
3 February, 2026
Opportunities to make rural areas bigger
SAM MARWOOD has called on Loddon’s community legends to keep opening doors for future generation
The founder and managing director of Cultivate Farms was guest speaker at Pyramid Hill’s Australia Day ceremony.
The progress association brought the event forward from its afternoon time to avoid heat, instead packing out the town’s new community centre.
Sam, who grew up at Dingee, established Cultivate Farms to “shepherd a new generation of enthusiastic people back to regional Australia”.
The company works alongside regional communities to retain wealth and rejuvenate their region through local farm ownership, provides guidance and options for community farm ownership and blend community awareness workshops with skills building and investment options to protect local economies.
“Over the years, I’ve been hearing about the great community initiatives being run out of Pyramid Hill and across the Loddon Shire,” he said on Monday.
“I’ve been out of the district for many years, but I’m working hard to change that.
Everything I’ll talk about .. is to help inspire you to keep building on what’s already happening here: to spark more ideas, encourage more people to step up, and get everyone trying new things together.
“Pyramid Hill is part of my formative years. I grew up on a dairy farm in Pompapiel, right next to the East Loddon school.
“I played footy for Mitiamo and yeah, Pyramid Hill thrashed us every single time, except my last year of Under 17s when we finally beat them. “Those days are stitched into me. When I talk about wanting people to thrive in regional communities, it’s not theory.
“This is home soil. I don’t want the next generation to feel like success lives somewhere else. That’s why I’m back and all in.”
Sam said he had two goals:
Light a fire under the next generation, show you the opportunities right here, right now in regional Victoria are bigger than ever.
Challenge the builders of this town, the legends who’ve kept Pyramid Hill and Loddon strong, to keep opening doors for that next generation.
“Look around this room, everyone here is here because you care deeply about Pyramid Hill and Loddon region. You believe in this place,” he said.
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