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The Playground Is Officially Open
Lakes Link News 19th December 2024 Suzanne Reeves It was wonderful to see such a major project as the All Abilities Playground come to fruition and be celebrated as part of the Harvest Festival. The official opening was conducted by Shire of Lake Grace President Len Armstrong and Shire CEO Alan George who then brought the All Abilities Playground Committee President, Nicola Kuchling to the stand to help with the unveiling of the plaque. The Harvest Festival will now become a collaboration between the Community Resource Centre and the Shire, this will enable us to grow the event into something really special. The Harvest Festival started small, coming out of a focus on local business called Living Communities, a pilot programme that was run in districts including the town of Lake Grace in 2010. Its purpose was to focus on connection of community, imagining possibilities and an economic audit that looked at decreasing economic outflows and identifying new inflows. This was funded through the Department of Agriculture. The peak event for this programme was a Business Expo with all local businesses asked to set up a stand in the Shire Hall, nonprofit groups and cottage industries without a shop front were invited to be a part of this. This was such a success that it was decided to have a similar kind of event prior to Christmas to encourage the community to shop local as much as possible. In 2010 the Inaugural event was held in the main street of Lake Grace. It was decided to make this an annual event, organise the road to be closed to ensure safety for those attending and it was renamed the Harvest Festival. It has been held in the main street all of those years bar two when it was held in the Shire Hall. Every year it has grown bigger with most attendees being local or coming from surrounding towns such as Kukerin, Newdegate and Pingrup. Last year more than 300 meals were sold so we judge that there must have been at least that many in attendance. In the early days there was three of us juggling this event; one organising equipment, another working the doughnut and fairy floss machine and the CRC handling the advertising, bookings and any other paperwork. Grant funding enabled us to bring in some entertainment however as the CRC is such a small organisation we were well aware that we couldn’t organise too much as we simply didn’t have the resources to follow through. Santa and his elf put in an appearance, being delivered by a 1973 Bedford fire engine; it was an opportunity for Greg Argent to flex his muscles as the truck has no power steering. The heat was unfortunate but little can be done about that. All of the stalls had a good night of trade and the feedback received by the CRC and Shire has been positive. Judging by the number of meals served we had around 500 attend. If you haven’t already, there is a chance to fill out a survey and give your thoughts on the evening; please go to the Shire Facebook page to find this or drop into the office and collect a printed copy. Credit must go to Aimee Turnbull and Sally Cullen for their efforts in helping the CRC staff to manage the event and to the works crew for their hard work in getting the site up to spec for the day. The Shire and CRC have already had a debrief and will be looking forward to getting together in January to start the planning for 2025. If you would like to be a part of this process then please contact the CRC or Aimee or Sally at the Shire, your input in any way, shape or form would be appreciated. We have already highlighted some changes and improvements; this includes day of the week, start time, layout and accessibility, Santa’s arrival and delivery of gifts (we had at least 50 arrive after the cutoff). We will be starting a list of activities/attractions for the evening so we can start on the process of applying for grant funding. |
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Lake Grace's Boots and Ballgowns - Lakes Link News 10th October 2024
On Saturday the 5th of October the Lake Grace town hall was transformed into a stunning venue for ‘Boots and Ballgowns’. Twinkling fairy lights draped across the ceiling creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, where rustic elegance reigned supreme. Tables dressed with linen and hessian runners paired with vases full of local greenery and sounds of laughter and excitement were heard as friends reunited and new connections were formed. Guests dressed to impress in a stylish blend of country and formal wear, ladies had long dresses paired with boots while the men had a mix of button up shirts, chinos and shining boots. As the evening began, the crowd was welcomed by MC Tyson Prater. He did a fantastic job of keeping the vibes high, introducing the guest speaker for the night Sean Phillips from The Shaka Project. Sean travelled all the way from Victoria to address the group on the mental health and the real rates of suicide that we are seeing around Australia, especially young regional men. The room was in silence as Sean shared his story, hearing a story about suicide is both heartbreaking and powerful. It reminds us of the deep struggles many people face, often hidden beneath the surface. He left us with the words “your future needs you”, a strong message to help keep people here. There is no Ball without a Belle and Beau! Mark Livall took out Beau of the Ball and Pia Johnston took out Belle in a stunning dress that she made herself. Once the formalities were over, The Murphy Brother’s took to the stage where they played a mix from the decades getting guests up to the dancefloor. Between dances, Pizza and Chinese were the dinner choices and several delicious cocktails available. Event coordinators are very happy with how the night went and hope that all who attended are as well! |
Photos Provided by Rochelle Earnshaw
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