ANNUAL REPORT 19/20
Cover photo: Red TV Productions. All other photos taken by Quairading CRC staff.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Who we are
04
What we do
05
Our Team
06
Chairperson’s Report
07
Coordinator’s Report
08
Community + Social Support
09
Workshops + Capacity Building
10
Business Development
11
Accounts + Finance Report
12
Auditor’s Report
13
WHO WE ARE We are a team of enthusiastic locals providing our community with resources. We're a not-for-profit organisation contracted and partly funded by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to provide a range of services to assist personal, community, economic and business development in Quairading. We’re also funded through various other state government contracts, user pay services, membership fees and one-off grants for specific projects. This enables us to offer a five day a week service to our local community from our rented facility at 1 Parker Street, Quairading. We have a passion for delivering proactive initiatives and events in response to identified community needs. We thrive on empowering locals to utilise and enhance their unique skill sets to contribute to our community. Where possible, we engage regional partners to compliment and boost our capacity, and are always seeking new ideas, collaborations and feedback. We offer a wide range of services including; free online access to state and local government information via our Government Access Point, regular business and social development activities and a Department of Human Services Access Point. Additionally we provide a range of professional printing and desktop publishing services. We are proud members of the Wheatbelt Business Network and of Linkwest (peak body for CRCs) and we are incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1987 (WA). Quairading CRC supports hundreds of residents and visitors of the Shire of Quairading each year.
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WHAT WE DO Building community connections
Economic & business development support
Social development support
Referral services to business development and employment support services. Facilitate business development initiatives. Production of biannual residents and businesses phone book Employment of a trainee each year. Information, support and workshops.
Referral services to social support services. Facilitate social development activities, seminars and initiatives. Information and support. Assistance to groups and clubs.
Social enterprise approach to provide access to services and products which have strong local demand but are not economically viable to deliver in a for-profit business model.
Access to local and state government information and services. Video conference services. Department of Human Services Access Point. Information and support.
Services and products
Access to government services
Communication strategies including the weekly newsletter ‘The Passion Sheet’ and monthly paper ‘The Banksia Bulletin’, our website and social media pages. Social community events. Engagement with community via feedback, surveys and community group meetings.
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OUR TEAM Our team comprises of three part-time staff members, one full time staff member and a volunteer management committee of five. Our diverse mix of age, experience and community involvement is instrumental in understanding our changing community and adapting to its needs. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Chairperson | Jo Hayes Farm Office Manager, Certificate III in Business via RPL, Governance training, 2012 Quairading Citizen of the Year, Treasurer – Quairading Agricultural Society. Vice Chairperson | Robyn Richards Farm Office Manager, Certificate III in Business via RPL, Governance Training, Chairperson Local Health Advisory Group, Board Member Quairading Farmer’s Cooperative, Secretary Quairading Football Club, Life Member Quairading Hockey Club, Small business owner Secretary + Treasurer | Lisa Powell School Teacher, Farm Office Manager, Diploma Agribusiness via RPL, HACCP trained, Quairading Gym Committee coordinator. Committee Member | Shae Johnston Teacher at Cunderdin Agricultural College, Farm Office Manager, past State Rural Ambassador. Committee Member | Rowlie Mellor Retired principal of Quairading DHS, Quairading Citizen of the Year, Treasurer— Quairading Curtain Raisers, Friends of the Quairading Nature Reserve and LCDC committee member. STAFF Coordinator | Jill Hayes Bachelor of Commerce– Management (Curtin), Secretary of Quairading Ag Society, Owner of JILL HAYES communications, Social Secretary of Quairading Football Club, committee member of Quairading Curtain Raisers, committee member of Quairading Rainmakers Inc. Admin Support Officer| Tamara Spark Certificate 3 Community Services (completed April 2019 with the Quairading CRC) Certificate 3 Tourism Retail Travel Sales, Diploma in Counselling, previous Manager Dowerin Roadhouse & Caravan/ Motel Park, Belles netball Coordinator & Captain, committee member of Quairading Rainmakers Inc. Accounts Officer | Sharon Richards Previous experience in a range of office and community positions, Small Business Owner, Ambulance Officer, member Quilters of Quairading, Association Delegate for AVLGA (Golf). Finance Officer | Melanie Mills Bachelor of Commerce—Accounting and Corporate Administration RSM 1999—2003, Bookkeeper, Farm Office Manager, various committee roles of local clubs and organisations.
OUR MEMBERS Our membership base as at June 30 2020 is: 43 local businesses 35 local clubs and organisation 101 families or individuals Being an incorporated association, we’re only as strong as our membership base. Although our members receive member benefits we greatly appreciate their financial support. It speaks volumes of their regard of our efforts on behalf of them and their community. Tamara expertly supervising our 2019 Quairading DHS Work Experience Student, Jacinta.
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CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT It gives me great pleasure to present our Quairading Community Resource Centre Inc. 19/20 Annual Report along with this Chairperson’s report. Another twelve months have flown by, due in no small part to it being filled to the brim with all things informative, interesting, educational, entertaining, consultative, creative and more. From my observation it appears that there has been a distinct increase in external agencies utilising the services of our CRC, generally with some financial remuneration. It is pleasing to see more opportunities for our community to be engaged, consulted and have their say via both face to face and video conference across a range of topics that affect their daily lives. Our CRC also continues to engage, connect and support our community by hosting work experience students and business gatherings, utilising the Co-op Pop Up space and tapping into locals to deliver information and support, to name just a few activities. COVID-19 put a little dampener on us for several months and I’d like to acknowledge the professional, swift and considered approach taken by our CRC staff and support of their actions by the Management Committee. Amongst other items we were able to assist others in their COVID endeavours such as the Co-op, provide relevant updates & information via social media and maintain a weekly Passion Sheet and monthly Banksia Bulletin in an effort to keep things a little normal. With the support of external agencies, we were also able to act in an informed and proper manner in regards to the Federal Government support provided in the form of Cashflow Boost and JobKeeper. ZOOM meetings, webinars and videoconferencing have certainly increased in their use during these times and many learning experiences and much information gathering has been useful. Outstanding job all round team! It is pleasing that our current DPIRD contract has had a two-year extension and work will soon begin on what a future contract might look like. We certainly welcome the opportunity for the CRC Network to come together with government and other stakeholders to again review our value to the state of WA and seek ways it can be further enhanced. This contract extension has not been without some tweaking and we continue to embrace these changes the best we can for the best possible outcomes for community. We continue to work with the Shire of Quairading on the Tourism Strategy that was launched to the public in February. I feel the contributions by the CRC, many behind the scenes, have been very valuable and we will continue to work with the Shire in good faith, again for the benefit of our community and seeking remuneration where possible. We hosted a visit by Australia’s Golden Outback CEO, Jill along with a Councillor attends Roe Tourism Association meetings (now that we are a member again) and Visit Quairading continues to have good reach and engagement on social media. I believe our next challenge lies around supporting economic development within our district. We should identify opportunities, seek input from experts where applicable and be ready to act. My thanks to our amazing team for their ongoing diligence, enthusiasm, care and patience that ensures our Quairading CRC delivers excellent outcomes for our community and beyond. I look forward to the next financial year and all it might throw at us. Jo Hayes | Chairperson Quairading Community Resource Centre Inc PAGE 07
COORDINATOR’S REPORT How lucky we are to be where we are right now, geographically as a town, socially as a community and financially as a community owned, not-for-profit organisation. It is not lost on us how well our centre, community, state and country have faired in comparison with others around the globe through the recent and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our doors were closed to the public for a quarter of the last financial year, a position we never imagined we’d find ourselves in. We’re thankful for government support provided to small businesses like ours that allowed us to keep our brilliant team employed throughout and ready when we re-opened in late May 2020. It’s a bit hard to remember back to the world pre-pandemic—luckily our excellent record keeping has provided a helping hand and I’m delighted to report on another successful year for the Quairading Community Resource Centre Inc. We worked hard to deliver an array of entirely new workshops, programs, initiatives and events over the last 12 months (even a couple of remote /virtual activities during our closure!) and maintained ongoing community and economic development, benefiting many demographics of our community. We progressed on collaborative work with the Shire of Quairading and our local Quairading Tourist and Tidy Town Committee to produce and launch a Tourism Development Strategy. We’re thoroughly enjoying an ongoing improvement in strategic, collaborative action and we’re looking forward to developing many of Quairading’s physical attractions and social appeals to benefit our centre and our local community over the coming 12 months. There are so many lessons to take away from the experience of a global pandemic, the best of which that has influenced how we work as a team at the Quairading CRC is: connection is key. By staying positively connected as a team, through clear and open communication, we’re improving internal processes and working even more efficiently. By staying connected with our community, which includes maintaining all forms of communication for information sharing (email, newsletters, social media, mail drops, phone calls, conversations galore) we can be assured we’re working in their best interests. And by staying connected with our friends and family, both in and out of the workplace, we can be well positioned to overcome whatever hurdle gets thrown at us next. A huge thank you and congratulations are owed to the entire CRC staff and committee—in particular Tamara, the ever smiling and ready for a chat face at reception. Tamara has taken on additional responsibility through organisation of events and programs in the past twelve months and is handling it all like a boss. Jill Hayes | Coordinator Quairading Community Resource Centre Inc
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COMMUNITY + SOCIAL SUPPORT In the last financial year we delivered a range of events and programs aimed at providing support and improving community participation and social development. These included:
School Holiday Wellbeing Workshops featuring Core Confidence and Regional Men’s Health Big Bus Day Out Luke O’Donohoe Mural Project Kaleidoscope 2 Exhibition Senior’s Week Comedy Lunch A Reinmakers Christmas Street Party Quairading Photo Challenge Online Let’s Get Quizzical Cuppa with a Copper
HIGHLIGHT: Senior’s Week Comedy Lunch Arguably, laughter is the best medicine—so that’s exactly what we delivered for WA Senior’s Week 2019 (plus a delicious lunch of course!). Made possible with grant funding thanks to COTA (Council on the Aging), contribution of funds from both the Shire of Quairading and Quairading CRC, plus ticket sales; over 70 local senior community members enjoyed an early afternoon of comedy and social engagement. Sufficient funding also allowed us to out source the catering requirements and engage the services of local business, Flavour Town Catering. With the blessing of the Shire’s Parks & Gardens team, we had easy access to stunning roses grown outside the hall, which teamed with white table cloths elevated the whole affair. We made the most of the captive audience and sought meaningful, documented feedback which provided us with heaps of positive reinforcement and an abundance of ideas for future seniors focussed events. We’re thoroughly enjoying a very mutually beneficial relationship between the Quairading CRC and our community of seniors, and with their ongoing support and feedback we truly believe we’re supporting them to the best of our ability and providing opportunities for connections they just may not get elsewhere.
Comedian Simone Springer performing at the 2019 Seniors Week Comedy Lunch.
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WORKSHOPS + CAPACITY BUILDING Providing information and training opportunities can take on many facets throughout the year and is all about remaining dynamic and flexible. The keen uptake of the use of webinars from various government and non-government organisations has allowed us to offer an even wider array of affordable, informative sessions this year.
Cabernet & Canvas Farm Security Info Session Alzheimer’s Awareness Day Get Online Week Pop Up Photo Booth Fabric Wreath Workshop Kidsafe WA Workshop Low Waste Living Workshop Photo Saving and Sharing Workshop
HIGHLIGHT: Photo Saving and Sharing Workshop For older Australians that weren't lucky enough to grow up with an innate understanding of technology, learning new skills to get by in this modern world can be a huge challenge. Thanks to our partnership with the Federal government’s BeConnected program, we’ve continued helping our local older adults within our community learn how to use smartphones, iPads, computers and more. The willingness of community members to learn new ways of doing things is a huge contributor to the success of our capacity building, and doesn’t always come easy. Our local Photo Club who meet monthly and hold a photo competition were forced to find a new way of operating when COVID restrictions took away their ability to meet in person and peruse over hard copy, printed photos each month. A majority of members adapted quickly to their plans for an online competition which involved members transferring photos from their camera to their computer in order to email it to the competition coordinator, who would then post the photos in a Facebook group for all members to view and then email votes back in. However, this left a few members excluded from the competition as they lacked the skill and knowhow to get their photos submitted. Luckily, it didn’t take long for the Photo Club committee to reach out to the Quairading CRC and we were able to quickly develop specially designed, hands on workshops for their members to learn these skills. When relevant restrictions were lifted, we worked with these members in a COVID safe way and provided them the skills and the confidence to use the equipment they already owned, and continue participating in their club. PAGE 10
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Over 100 local business people and employees attended different activities and events aimed at upskilling and building capacity throughout the year. These included:
Accredited Pilot Training Truck Driver Training Tourism Strategy Launch Business Breakfast
HIGHLIGHT: Business Breakfast One of the most beneficial activities we held this year for our entire local business group, was buying them breakfast and coffee and having a good old chin wag. Once the height of the COVID-19 pandemic had somewhat passed from our rural community, we called our local business owners together. We were sure to consult with key stakeholders on choosing an appropriate day and time and settled on an early morning, before the work day even started to ensure as many as possible could attend. We took the opportunity to use local catering businesses to provide breakfast and (real!) coffee and enjoyed an excellent round circle discussion. Each business shared their experience of the few months prior, ways in which COVID-19 had affected their business and changes they’re looking forward to implementing in their business in the wake of the pandemic. The format of the circle discussion was the perfect platform for business -to-business interaction and all participants went away feeling more connected to one another, and clearer in their role in the business community. This event also achieved a commitment from all present to encourage and attend regular meetings of the like to continue the flow of information and experiences between local businesses.
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ACCOUNTS & FINANCE REPORT Another year has flown by, and what a year it has been! COVID-19 certainly made life a little more challenging and impacted our CRC in many ways. This has resulted in lower Service Income throughout this period due to no activities, events and our doors being shut for close to three months. We adapted quite well to the challenge and were thankful for Xero and its ability for us to be able to work remotely. We were lucky enough to receive extra funding through JobKeeper and Cash Flow Boost from the Federal Government to ease pressure on our finances and enabling us to maintain our current staff. This has resulted in increased reporting to the ATO monthly with our estimated and actual monthly income. Most income and expenditure items have remained fairly stable. Our Service Income has increased, due to the sale of Curtain Raisers Tickets; however, this is offset with an increase in Customer Jobs Expenditure. Project Income for the financial year is also down, this is due to Truck Driver Training, which was postponed due to COVID. Fees, Permits and Subs are reduced due to the postponement of Gym Memberships for the period gyms were required to close. Room Hire Expense is also down due to our closure. Salary and Wages are up but that is offset by the JobKeeper reimbursement. Our audit for the 2019/20 completed by Graham Sheriff, saw no accounting errors and a couple of recurring recommendations. Well done to the staff on continuing our high standards of record keeping and adhering to the systems in place. Contract Income and Service Income this year contributed to close to 90% of our income and Wages and Salaries is still our largest expenditure item for the financial year. Melanie Mills | Co Accounts & Finance Officer Quairading Community Resource Centre Inc.
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Quairading CRC 1 Parker Street Quairading WA 6383 Phone: (08) 9645 0096 Email: quairading@crc.net.au Website: www.quairading.crc.net.au Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm Just over the railway line!