The Southern Forests and Valleys Heritage Festival is taking place in 2025, promising to be bigger and better than ever. Following two successful years as the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Heritage Festival, the event is expanding to include the entire Southern Forests and Valleys region.

In May 2024, the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes reaffirmed its commitment to honouring Aboriginal culture by reviewing and extending the Acknowledgement of Country policy. The policy has been enhanced to provide a clear and comprehensive framework, including guidance on when to include a “Welcome to Country” versus when to deliver an “Acknowledgement of Country”.

The Shire has been successful in securing $2.2M of funding under the State Regional Road Safety Program (RRSP) for Maranup ford Road. The funds are for shoulder widening and sealing, and the installation of audible edge lines.

We are thrilled to announce enrolments for the much-anticipated school holiday program, a collaborative effort between the local Leisure Centre and Library, open today. This initiative promises a fun-filled and educational break for children aged 5-12.

The Department of Agriculture and Regional Development has announced a significant expansion of the PSHB Quarantine Area (QA) effective from 6 September 2024.

The Bridgetown-Greenbushes Visitor Centre has unveiled its much-anticipated Advertising Prospectus for 2024-2025, offering an exceptional opportunity for businesses across the Southern Forests and Valleys region to showcase their products and services to a diverse and engaged audience. This prospectus outlines a variety of flexible advertising options designed to fit any budget, making it an ideal platform for businesses of all sizes to elevate their brand and attract new customers.

In a collaborative effort, the Shire, Greenbushes Primary School, Talison Lithium, and Bridgetown Landcare came together on Thursday 1 August, to create the gardens around the recently completed Greenbushes Youth Precinct adjacent to the Greenbushes Hall in Thompson Park.

The Goorbilyup Gallery, located at the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Visitor Centre, is proud to present "Lines and Layers: The Gordon Holdsworth Lithograph Collection".

The Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes receives RoadWise Award for its commitment to road safety.

Student Forum representatives from Bridgetown High School met with Councillors and staff in Chambers again last week to enjoy a shared lunch and informal conversation. These meetings are held once per term, providing an invaluable pathway to engaging with young people in our community to foster understanding and two-way communication with our young leaders.

Time is running out to experience the captivating "Rising from the Blackwood" exhibition at the Goorbilyup Gallery, located in the newly opened Bridgetown-Greenbushes Visitor Centre. If you haven't yet visited, this is your last chance to see the showcase before it closes at the end of August.

C.O.W. comes to Town! The Shire has partnered with Bridgetown Hub, Bridgetown and Greenbushes CRC’s and Blackwood Biosecurity Inc to present ‘ACTIVATE 2024’ - a series of FREE capacity building workshops to help strengthen community and volunteer groups within our region.

I was very pleased to see at our May Ordinary Council Meeting a successful change to our current policy on Mobile and Itinerant Traders in relation to mobile food vendors. We have now approved the Town Square Carpark (adjacent to the new Visitor’s Centre near the railway reserve) and the River Park car park for mobile food vendors to trade.