Cunderdin Shire A Beautiful Rural Community

In the Wheatbelt region of , 155 km east of the state capital , the Shire of Cunderdin comfortably sits in an area of 1,864 square km. The population of 1,302 constit- uents is spread across two towns, Meckering and Cunderdin. AT A GLANCE WHO: The Cunderdin Shire Council WHAT: The Council manages the 1,864 square km area of the Cunderdin Shire WHERE: Lundy Ave, Cunderdin WA 6407, Australia WEBSITE: cunderdin.wa.gov.au

Maintaining the roads to a serviceable standard

Currently, the Council maintains 390 km of sealed road and 470 km of unsealed road.

Keeping the roads serviceable for the local communities is a multi- faceted affair which requires immense planning and preparation. Currently, the Council’s main focus, as a part of Regional Road Group where funding is received, is three major arterial link roads to the central of the Shire. Bringing Sports Together

The Cunderdin Shire Council also deals with multiple community projects including the $5.5 million project, Cunderdin Sports and Recreation The rural community keeps the Centre. Completed eighteen months Council busy in various ways, ago, this project centralised all sports including new infrastructure, road into one area. The Centre itself is maintenance, and general works and also used as a community centre for facility upgrades. meetings and events.

“The whole idea was to try and that all money is being driven through bring sports together, to have a one channel. We also have only one single facility rather than trying infrastructure to maintain instead to have two separate lots of having separate areas”, of infrastructure. It says Peter Naylor, the has been kind of a CEO of the Cunderdin work-in-progress Shire Council. because you are trying to get all History and those sports Tourism clubs to try and talk to one another On the 14th of whereas they haven’t October 1968 had to worry about Meckering experienced that kind of thing in the a 40 second earthquake. past. And from a revenue WA’s largest earthquake and economic perspective of the registering 6.9 on the Richter Scale, development of the sports ground, the quake’s epicentre was almost having everything in one area means directly below Meckering and caused a stretch of ground more than 40kms been a huge project to ensure the long to rupture. It was so strong that long-term sustainability of the health residents in Albany, Esperance and care sector. In addition to the centre, Perth reported damage. the council has also received funding to develop a cluster of aged care units. Today you see part of the pipeline, These self-contained units have been part of the railway and many pictures designed for people to ‘age in place’. of the aftermath at the Meckering Though the $3 million project is still Rose Memorial Garden, constructed in its early stages, it is expected to be recently by the Shire of Cunderdin with completed in early 2018. the help of the Meckering Community. Opportunities for Caring for everyone Recreation

Health initiatives are also very high In addition to the sports facility, the on the Council’s list of priorities. The Shire of Cunderdin offers a few more new Primary Health Care Centre has entertainment options. The swimming pool, which has recently had some infrastructure will probably be the additional upgrades through the next step. Improving the region’s Department of Sport and Recreation’s aspects takes time and hard work but Community Pool Revitilisation there’s no doubt that the Council of Program. Anyone who appreciates Cunderdin Shire is up to the task. walking trails will be glad to know that Cunderdin is part of the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail. Furthermore, Cunderdin’s close proximity to the attracts tourists who take advantage of the unique Cunderdin Museum in their travels. Innovation for growth

The Council has to be innovative with their ideas as fostering growth in the region is not always easy. The Cunderdin Airfield, which was built as a training ground for pilots during World War II, is now home to the gliding club. Interestingly, Quiet Flight has built a glider allowing people with disabilities to fly, attracting large numbers. Apart from the gliding club, however, a private company is currently looking at the airfield with a view for a long-term lease for future commercial development. According to Peter, there are many projects in place.

The Council’s big projects, such as the Primary Health Care Centre and Aged Accommodation, will keep them busy for the next couple of years. During that time, they will also have to Supporting Partners continue offering important services Dome Shelter such as road maintenance to the domeshelter.com.au region’s residents. After completion of West Coast Synthetic Surfaces current projects, however, additional westcoastsyn.com.au USA \ CANADA \ BRAZIL \ CARIBBEAN \ AUSTRALIA \ NEW ZEALAND \ MID EAST www.BusinessViewMagazine.com.au