While it covers around 210 km, the locality of Porongurup in the Great Southern region of Western Australia has a population of only 370. A short drive east of Mount Barker, the community is nestled in the unique and ancient mountains of the Porongurup Range.

Thanks to a $9,961 Small & Vital Strengthening Rural Communities grant, locals aged 20 to 75 were supported to participate in the creation of an original, community led, intercultural, intra-regional dance performance. 

Called The Stars Descend, the final performance was part of a broader project called Distributed 15 – a work about climate action and hope that explored our shared responsibility to care for each other and the natural world through an immersive, ecological creative arts experience.

Auspiced by Denmark Community Resource Centre and facilitated by Annette Carmichael Projects; professional dancers, choreographers and artists ran 20 dance workshops with the participants during 2022 and 2023. Participants collaborated with facilitators throughout the creative process, and the importance of connection to the unique ecological sites in the region, climate action and hope were interwoven into the workshops and the culminating performance to a packed audience from surrounding communities.

The Porongurup dancers were joined by residents from Albany, Denmark and Mt Barker in their performance of The Stars Descend, creating connection through dance and art.

The project made a huge contribution to the vitality, social inclusion, wellbeing and community cohesion of Porongurup. One participant said there was an increased feeling of connection through the program and an intense pride in their achievement.

“This project gave me so much connection with people, place and myself. The joy that I felt contributing for the greater good was food for my soul. The way it incorporated the locals into a story that’s bigger than us all. We moved on the land, for the land.”

Watch the project in action here.

Thallon State School P&C is dedicated to supporting the local school, and in turn the vibrancy and sustainability of their small town.

After severe drought, a mouse plague and then COVID, student numbers were dwindling, so the P&C decided to upgrade the school playground, hoping to encourage new families to join. But first they needed to raise some funds. This led to the annual Thallon Team Truck Pull event. In its first year alone, the event drew 300+ attendees and raised more than $17,000 for the school playground project.

To make the event even more comfortable for those attending the Truck Pull – and to provide vital sun protection to students – the Thallon State School P&C Association received an $8,577 Small & Vital Strengthening Rural Communities grant, funded by Hand Heart Pocket – The Charity of Freemasons Queensland, to buy new shade structures. They are designed to be set-up with ease (just 60 seconds) and are 100% waterproof and UV protected, ensuring the safety and comfort of students and the wider community. The covers are also branded, showcasing the Thallon State School logo, which creates a sense of identity, wellbeing and place for its users.  

The structures are also now available to the whole community for a variety of purposes, including swimming days, athletic carnivals and community events such as ANZAC day and Christmas in the Park. To the Thallon community’s delight, the structures arrived before ANZAC Day, ensuring that they could be used for both the in-school and community service.

P&C representative Janna Spierenburg said, “This is one way that the school can offer support back to the community, as a thank you for their continued support.”

Local access to fresh produce in Geeveston was boosted through a SRC Small & Vital grant for the Geeveston Community House. A $9,419 grant was used to build micro plots and rejuvenate a community garden space at Scrubby Hill Farm, improving infrastructure and community access to allotments.  

Three generations of community members came together for the launch of the project, celebrating with pizzas and a working bee weed blitz. The project is a testament to the tenacity of volunteers and their goal of improving local food security.

The group even bounced back after project delays last year following flooding that left a trail of destruction and debris at the farm, decimating earlier site preparation works. The community rallied together and through their hard work got the project back on track after the flood waters subsided and muddy land dried out. Volunteers constructed new garden beds, installed irrigation, fencing and signage, as well as a hot water system for safe hand washing and food handling.

The community is proud of the garden they have built and continue to maintain. The volunteers said they value the comradery that comes from working at the community garden, with one volunteer commenting, “I like doing community events like this, it makes me feel connected to people, to life and the land”.