Shire of Moora Update
May 2023

Each month, the Shire of Moora Update provides information about what the Shire has been doing on your behalf, community events, public notices, announcements and council meetings.

To provide feedback, or to join the mailing list, please contact us at comms@moora.wa.gov.au.

This update includes: 

• Community Group Focus: Moora Men's Shed
• Emergency Management Excellence: A Salute to Hugh Bryan
• Gardiner Street Resurfacing: Full Steam Ahead
• Shire President Tracy Lefroy & the CMSHS Leadership Group
• MPAC: A Place of Activity, Vibrancy & Laughter
• Shire Employment Opportunities:
  • Town Maintenance - General Hand (full-time)
  • Administrative Services Officer (2-3 days/week)
• 2023 Council Meeting Schedule and Minutes
• Moora's Electronic Community Noticeboard: current listings

Community Group Focus: Moora Men's Shed 

The Moora Men’s Shed is impressive. A vast array of tools and materials can be found inside its newly built walls, but its real value lies in its people and the connections provided to each other and the community.

On a quiet May Tuesday afternoon, treasurer Eddie Jennings was found tinkering in the shed, long after the other members had finished for the day. He was working on a project for Iluka Resources.

“Iluka has commissioned the Moora Men’s Shed to make steps for their workers’ accommodation. They drop off second-hand pallets and we convert them into steps”.

“We also restore furniture and unwanted bicycles, which we on-sell to generate a small income to cover our operating costs. We encourage anyone looking for a second-hand pushbike to contact us, we have accumulated quite the collection,” he said.

Eddie gave us a tour of the facility and showed us their dust extraction unit, sourced from Central Midlands Senior High School when they upgraded theirs. Members of the Men’s Shed installed the system, and it does a wonderful job of suppressing dust as they use various tools.

“The Men’s Shed is an important way for us to address mental health by chatting as we chip away on these projects or have a cup of tea. It’s a good way to learn new skills too.”

“We would love more people to join us. No previous experience is required. Just drop in and have a cuppa and a chat, and see what we are currently working on.”

Moora Men’s Shed has around 30 members and they gather every Tuesday and Thursday morning. For more information about the group (or their refurbished pushbikes!) contact Eddie on 0408 92 0408. 
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Emergency Management Excellence:
A Salute to Hugh Bryan 

In the heart of every community, there are individuals who go above and beyond in service of their neighbours. The Shire of Moora is fortunate to have many such individuals, but today we want to pay special tribute to one: Hugh Bryan.

During the demanding 2022/2023 bushfire season, Hugh, in his dual roles as a Fire Control Officer and the local State Emergency Service (SES) Manager, demonstrated extraordinary dedication. Not only did he attend the majority of incidents throughout the Shire, but he also gave generously of his personal time to train other volunteers as a trainer assessor.

Moreover, Hugh played a pivotal role in the installation of Starlink services recently funded by the Shire, across the Miling Fire Station, Bindi Bindi Fire Station, Koojan Fire Station, and the Moora SES/Incident Control Centre. This system will dramatically enhance the Shire's emergency management capabilities by providing reliable satellite communications, even when other channels fail. This is particularly crucial during extreme weather conditions, ensuring that we can always communicate with emergency services.

Our sincere thanks go to Hugh for his outstanding contribution. His dedication is a testament to the spirit of our community, and we are incredibly grateful for his service.

The Shire is also pleased to announce the upcoming installation of five Fire Weather Stations. This innovative initiative, which Hugh has been instrumental in developing, will provide accurate, real-time weather data, including averages, minimums, and maximums. The system will automatically alert decision-makers when harvest ban restrictions thresholds are met, and when conditions fall back below these thresholds. This information will be freely available to all residents via a public view platform, empowering everyone with the knowledge they need to stay safe.

In addition, each fire truck in the Shire has recently been equipped with Cel-Fi boosters to improve communication coverage. This is another example of our commitment to enhance the resources available to our hardworking emergency service volunteers and to ensure the ongoing safety of our community.

These initiatives, and the contributions of dedicated community members like Hugh Bryan, demonstrate the Shire of Moora's commitment to protecting and serving our residents. We are proud of our emergency services, their dedication, and their continuous efforts to keep our community safe.

Nicholas Parry
Community Emergency Services Manager                                      
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Gardiner Street: Full Steam Ahead 

Those of you who have driven or walked down Gardiner Street lately would have observed two things: a sea of witches' hats and progress. We, along with Main Roads, are working hard to make some much-needed improvements to, what was, a very tired and damaged road.

So far, the troublesome trees have been removed, along with the kerbing, and the resurfacing by Main Roads is well underway. We apologise for the temporary road closures and any inconvenience you may have experienced, and hope it will all be worth it in the end. We expect the majority of the work to be completed by mid-June. The photos above, taken by Shire Works Supervisor Trevor Longman, indicate where things are currently at.

If you would like more information about this project, please contact the Shire on 9651 0000.
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Shire President Tracy Lefroy & the CMSHS Leadership Group 

What a treat! Thank you to the leadership group at Central Midlands Senior High School for spending time with me recently chatting all things leadership, governance and community.

With two student representatives from each year group, plus two First Nations student leaders attending the session, the questions were excellent and certainly gave me pause of thought as I reflected on how best to convey the privilege, I feel in serving our community as Shire President and the way in which decisions are made.

Thank you to Mrs Jane Keeffe for organising the session and a massive THANK YOU to the students for their insights and comments.

I have come away from the afternoon feeling such a deep sense of gratitude for the role I have in our community and immense confidence in the future of our region with such incredible young leaders.

Tracy Lefroy
Shire President                                                      
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MPAC: A Place of Activity, Vibrancy & Laughter 

The Moora Performing Arts Centre (MPAC) was filled with laughter this month, with two vibrant, energetic, and vastly different shows.

On Thursday 11th May, the Shire invited 265 students from Moora Primary, St Joseph's Primary, Miling Primary and Dandaragan Primary schools to watch Snow White & the Seven Cool Dudes, written by A.J Bailey and produced by Jally Entertainment.  

The interactive and fun performance for kids had messages of acceptance and kindness, keeping fit, not talking to strangers, and making healthy food choices. The costumes were fabulous, larger than life and eye catching. The performers involved the kids and got them up to form part of the show and actually be the ‘seven cool dudes’. The modern sound track included age-appropriate rap tracks that got the whole audience moving!

And for those of us who fall into the 15+ age category, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow was held on Tuesday 23rd May, and by all accounts was a hilarious and enjoyable evening. It provided everyone with a much-needed belly laugh and opportunity for a night out with friends. We thank everyone who supported the event.        

Photos of both events were taken by Shire Administrator & Records Officer (and freelance photographer), Elektra Black.      BACK TO TOP   

Shire Employment Opportunities

We have two exciting employment opportunities currently available at the Shire of Moora. If you are curious and would like more information, please get in touch. We are a friendly bunch, provide a great working environment, and would love to hear from you.
 

Town Maintenance: General Hand (full-time)

2023 Council Meeting Schedule & Minutes 

Meetings are held in the Council Chambers, located at the rear building, corner of Padbury & Clinch Streets in Moora, at 5.30pm unless stated otherwise.

• Council meetings are open to the public. Agendas are available for inspection 48 hours prior to the meeting on the Shire's website, or at the Shire Offices.

• Committee meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month and are closed to the public, however presentations for individuals, groups or organisations may be arranged.

The next Council Meeting will take place on Wednesday 21st June 2023.

To view the 2023 Council Meeting Schedule, click here. For Agendas & Minutes, click here.       
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Electronic Community Noticeboard

The electronic noticeboard is an effective way for local not-for-profit groups and organisations to promote their community events and activities. To place a listing contact the Shire on 9651 0000, comms@moora.wa.gov.au, or fill out the online form. Here are some of the listings currently on display:

• April, 2023
• March, 2023
• February, 2023
• January, 2023
• December, 2022