Twenty-four Wheatbelt communities across 15 shires will soon benefit from a Lotterywest grant of $86,804 to encourage them to develop community enterprises.
Member for Wagin Terry Waldron MLA said the local shires of Cuballing, Lake Grace, Pingelly, Wagin, Wandering, West Arthur, Wickepin and Williams would benefit from the recent grant, which was allocated to the Regional Development Australia Wheatbelt’s (RDAW) Enterprising Communities program.
“I met with RDA Wheatbelt Chair Graham Cooper this week in State Parliament and they are delighted with the funding,” Mr Waldron said.
“Their innovative program is designed to encourage a culture of community enterprise development and aims to assist the regional communities involved to become more viable and sustainable.
“RDA Wheatbelt hopes to inspire other groups to initiate new enterprises by showcasing a range of successful community enterprises, in particular highlighting their community motivation, organisation, and management and how this translates into successful outcomes and economic gains.”
Delivery of the program will involve the provision of films of two successful community enterprise examples in regional WA, along with four other examples drawn under licence from the ABC BackRoads and Landline programs to be used in promoting the concept in regional locations.
The program will be delivered via film events with follow up facilitated community meetings.
Mr Waldron said the program goal was to raise awareness of innovative local economic development opportunities independent of Government funding.
RDA Wheatbelt Chair Graham Cooper noted the collaborative effort involved in this project: “We are so pleased to be able to offer this program with the support of Lotterywest. In facilitating the program we have also raised funds from RDAs across three States which was used to complete one film on a Nyabing Community Enterprise, with a second film focused on Kulin underway.
“Though without the support of Lotterywest it would be difficult to engage communities in the information and inspiration available from telling these stories.”
Mr Cooper said the second film on Kulin would focus on festivals, however the Kulin Bush Races, which continue to go from strength to strength and had contributed about $1 million back into community projects since they began, was an excellent example of a community investing in itself. The Lotterywest grant will fund the community awareness film nights and meetings. The positive outcome ensures this valuable program can be delivered in 2017 to those communities that completed the EOI to support the application.
The shires of Brookton, Bruce Rock, Cunderdin, Dowerin, Goomalling, Tammin, and Wongan Hills will also benefit from the program.
For media enquiries contact Terry Waldron on 9881 1225 or email terry.waldron@mp.wa.gov.au.
