The question is posed on the reverse of postcards Campaspe shire is using to collect suggestions for its Rochester economic development plan.

Respondents are offered six colours to choose from: earth, dairy, royal purple, heirloom tomato, tavern pink and tigers yellow.

Another approach the council has adopted is asking Rochester residents to describe their town in three words. 

Suggestions include “resilient”, “traditional” and – perhaps in a nod to the previous question – “green”. 

Economic and community development general manager Keith Oberin said planners would use the responses to identify a “town brand, which includes colours, reflective of community choice”.

Read more: Reinventing Rochester after factory shuts its doors

“The postcards are used to capture comments about colours as well as asking the community to identify their strengths,” Mr Oberin said.

A brand is just one of the objectives of the plan, which would also consider: 

The plan follows a decision by dairy giant Murray Goulburn last May to close its Rochester factory; at the time, more than 100 workers were employed at the site.  

Residents were given their first chance to provide their council with feedback at a community market day in December and are now invited to participate in two more sessions.

More than 80 of the postcards asking respondents to name “what makes Rochester great” have already been returned.

A “community visioning workshop” will take place at the Shamrock Hotel on Tuesday, January 30, between 6 and 8pm, while a drop-in will be held outside the IGA supermarket from 11am on February 1.

Mayor Adrian Weston urged the community to participate.

“Once all comments are received, the information will be collated, reviewed and a draft plan developed which again will come back to the community for input before finalising,” Cr Weston said.