As Chair of the Peel Development Commission, I commend the ongoing work of many in the community and local businesses that have been doing it tough over the past few months as we continue to work through this pandemic and the impacts it has had on our economy and our region. Rest assured that we in the Peel are resilient and at the Commission, the staff have been working hard on a number of regional recovery initiatives liaising closely with State government as a range of programs and initiatives are announced.
Our role in regional intelligence gathering, stakeholder consultation and engagement is ongoing as are the number of projects we are working on to help create economic diversity in this region. The Board met this month for a workshop specifically designed to have an in-depth discussion and reflection on what we have learnt from going through COVID; what the Board needs to continue to advocate for and how best this is done. We are committed to the success and sustainability of this region and will be doing everything possible to progress our recovery efforts.
Mandurah Association of Independent Retirees
I also had the pleasure this month of being invited as a guest speaker to two events held by the Mandurah branch of the Dolphin Ladies and the Mandurah Association of Independent Retirees.
It is always a great privilege being asked to speak at these regular group meetings and getting to mix with a range of community members and volunteers who are so very active in our community and contributing to the social fabric of what makes the Peel a great place to live. I shared with them an update on the range of exciting projects planned for the region or already in train with topics such as tourism, industry and the environment covered.
WA Mum’s Cottage
Another project that I am very passionate about and which I attended the official opening of this month, is the work of WA Mum’s Cottage which just opened their new Cottage Café and Op Shop at 25 Davey St in Mandurah.
This is a social enterprise that was set up to financially support the work of WA Mums Cottage; a family resource centre for women and children in need. The Cafe and Op Shop will also be a workplace training opportunity- upskilling people for the workforce, teaching a range of barista skills to young people. This enterprise was made possible with the generosity of John and Bella Perry Foundation, Rotary Wishing Well and Lotterywest.
WA Mums Cottage has been operating for nearly 4 years. It is funded by the generous support of the local community. It is located in central Mandurah and is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Visits by guests are welcome anytime without appointments.
If you would like more information, you are welcome to contact Kaye Seeber on 043 1222 101.
Trade Commissioner visit
You may have recently seen in the local papers and promoted on our Facebook that it was the Commission’s pleasure to host earlier this month a delegation of WA’s Trade Commissioners who were joined by representatives from Invest and Trade WA. This visit was a prime opportunity for them to learn about local trade and investment opportunities and plans for our region’s future growth.
The staff at the Commission took the opportunity to brief the commissioners on the region’s development priorities and unique value propositions. The delegation enjoyed our beautiful waterways with a Mandurah Cruises tour and then headed out to the Peel Business Park in Nambeelup to see the development progress happening on site along with visiting Fruitico’s Riverdale Farm. I am very encouraged about the follow up potential from this visit and very grateful we had this opportunity to host this visit.
Infrastructure WA workshop
Mandurah was the location for a recently hosted workshop by Infrastructure WA calling for input into their recently released State Infrastructure Strategy Discussion Paper called “A Stronger Tomorrow’. I also had the opportunity to meet with Infrastructure WA’s CEO and Deputy Chair for a meeting hosted at the Commission.
The release of this Discussion Paper marks the commencement of a critical phase in developing Western Australia’s first state-wide infrastructure strategy and a range of stakeholders are encouraged to read the paper and provide comment. Infrastructure is critical to growing our economy and preparing for the future needs of our State, so I encourage you to take up their invitation to have input into this strategy. You can access the Paper by visiting – www.infrastructure.wa.gov.au/discussionpaper
Read more about the range of activities and initiatives the Commission has been involved with in our July e-news by clicking here.
Paddi Creevey OAM
Chair