All the fun of the festive season is here, and we are celebrating in a big way this year with a wide selection of activities in our Home for Christmas campaign. Whether it’s magical decorations, light projections, roving performers, local events or tapping into an augmented reality on your mobile phone, there’s something for everyone to enjoy right up to 31 December 2020.
With Deputy Mayor Bianca Sandri in front of the Christmas projection at Scarboro Surf Lifesaving Club
The mix of activities will be dotted across the City including the suburbs of Scarborough, Inglewood, Mount Lawley, Osborne Park, Doubleview and Mirrabooka. Some of the stunning decorations already in place include the Giant Gift Box outside the Osborne Community Hub in Tuart Hill, the stunning Christmas Gumtree in Doubleview and the glowing Christmas Star at the Inglewood Town Square.
The Giant Gift Box outside the Osborne Community Hub on Royal Street, Tuart Hill
The Christmas Shop Window Trail showcases more than a dozen WA artists who have teamed up with local businesses to create festive shop window displays. By voting for your favourite window display before Thursday 31 December 2020, you could win one of five Love Living Local hampers valued at $100 each. Visit our Home for Christmas page to find out about all the Christmas events happening this year including the Christmas Shop Window Trail.
For many years, the Wadjak Northside Aboriginal Community Group (WNACG) has done incredible work helping create a strong, healthy and prosperous future for local Aboriginal people. To share Aboriginal culture with the community, the group delivers events, smoking ceremonies, dance performances and cultural tours. The group’s resource centre in Balga also hosts Elders meetings and gatherings for groups including a homework club for local students.
With Director Community Development Director Michael Quirk, WNACG Chairperson Gordon Cole and Wadjak Elder Pam Yarran
With so many achievements already realised, it was rewarding for the City to recently sign a two-year partnership with the WNACG to deliver programs, activities and initiatives to support the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP provides opportunities for recognition and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s contribution to our community. With a $56,500 commitment from the City, the partnership ensures we can continue working together towards our common goal of reconciliation.
It was a proud moment earlier this month when we officially opened the Naala Djookan Healing Centre with the Hon. Simone McGurk MLA, Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence. The new centre in Mirrabooka will deliver support services for women, children and families at risk of or experiencing family and domestic violence.
With the Hon. Simone McGurk MLA, Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence at the Naala Djookan Healing Centre
Funded by the Department of Communities, the centre will specialise in supporting and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Services provided by the centre include mentoring and life skills programs, music and art programs, mental health services and drop-in clinics. Visit the City’s dedicated Naala Djookan Healing Centre webpage for all the services available.
Local businesses are the lifeblood of every community and we are always looking for more ways we can help them work towards a more profitable future. We recently hosted our first Business Friendly Expo that provided an opportunity for more than 100 businesses to connect with fellow local enterprises and key government representatives.
A look at the recent Business Friendly Expo
The event proved a great fit with our Small Business Friendly Approvals (SBFA) project. A collaboration with the Small Business Development Corporation, the SBFA project is about streamlining approvals processes and making it easier to establish, operate and grow a business in the City of Stirling.
A dual state winner at the recent Planning Institute of Australia Awards, the SBFA project was recognised for its achievements including an online Address and Application Assistant. The helpful self-help service offers an easy way to find out the development potential of any property within the City of Stirling.
Accepting the Planning Institute of Australia Awards (WA) with Chief Executive Officer Stuart Jardine and City employees
A simple process, the Address and Application Assistant enables residents, developers and small businesses to find out the approvals needed before renovation projects, property development or starting a new business. It’s one way we can make it easier for you to access data about City properties and help reduce red tape. Visit the Address and Application Assistant webpage to access this helpful resource.
Each year, we produce a free calendar for the community, and I think the 2021 calendar is one of our best. Featuring a collection of classic photos from the archives, the calendar marks three big milestones for the City of Stirling in 2021 including turning 50.
The free calendars are available from the City’s Administration Centre, Works Depot, Stirling Libraries and Stirling Leisure Centres or at Karrinyup Shopping Centre, The Square Mirrabooka and Westfield Innaloo.
As this is my final blog for the year, I’d like to wrap up this entry by wishing everyone across the City a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and happy new year.
See you in 2021.
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