What are CRCs?
Community Resource Centres (CRCs) are friendly, locally owned and operated service and information centres.
Our Centre is one of over 100 centres funded by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Resources under the Western Australian Community Resource Network.
The Community Resource Network aims to deliver quality social, business and economic outcomes to support sustainable growth in regional communities.
Our Vision
For the Yongergnow-Ongerup Community Resource Centre to be a hub for the community providing services, education and training while emphasizing conservation of the environment as its point of difference in the Western Australian Community Resource Network.
Our Mission
To provide the Ongerup district with advanced technology facilities which will stimulate the effective and creative use of telecommunications and computer technology for community, education, business, social and cultural development.
To partner with Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre, pooling resources, facilities and volunteers to educate and promote the community and general public on all aspects of the natural world, emphasizing conservation and knowledge.
Committee Members and Staff
CRC Staff |
CRC Committee |
|---|---|
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Emily Kelly – Centre Manager Melissa Hawkins – Administration Officer Laura Page – Library Officer Mel O’Connor – Administration Assistant Emma Spink – Children Events Alyssa Dickson- Hospitality Trainee Brooke Vlaaschaert – Administration Trainee Alyce Langdon – Cleaner |
Roz Thompson – Chairperson Clair Flavel – Vice Chair Emma Spink – Secretary Kelly O’Neill- Treasurer Sandy Vaux Jane Campbell Alyce Langdon |
History
The Ongerup area was first explored by Surveyor General John Septimus Roe in 1848. The first settlers, the Moir family, took up land along the Warperup Creek in 1870.
In 1910 the land was subdivided into 405 hectare (1,000 acre) blocks. The township of Ongerup was gazetted in 1912 and land clearing and settlement increased with the opening of the railway in 1913. The Great War and years of drought brought a halt to Government assistance and many farms were abandoned. During the years of the depression (1930s), hunting kangaroos for skins and stripping mallet (a type of eucalypt) bark, which was sent overseas to be used for tanning, provided a source of income. The railway line was closed in 1957.
In 2010, the Ongerup District Telecentre was rebranded into Yongergnow-Ongerup Community Resource Centre.
The Region
Covering an area of approximately 5,000 square kilometres, the Shire is largely rural, including about 100,000 hectares of productive farmland supporting highly efficient livestock; sheep and cattle and cropping; wheat, lupins, barley, canola, clover seed, peas, oats and faba beans, and industries. The area is noted Australia wide for its Merino sheep and attracts large crowds at the annual Stud Field Days.
The Shire of Gnowangerup supports a population of 1271 (ABS 2011), a range of small to medium businesses many based around the agricultural and manufacturing industries and also a number of tourism enterprises.
There are three towns within the Shire; Gnowangerup, Ongerup and Borden and one locality, Amelup.
Bounded by the Stirling Range National Park to the south and the Shire’s of Jerramungup, Broomehill-Tambellup, Kent, Plantagenet and Albany, the Shire of Gnowangerup is the heart of the Great Southern region.
Tourism
Located close by is the majestic Stirling Range – a growing eco-tourism destination which attracts an estimated 175,000 persons annually, with well known climbing and scenic delights such as Bluff Knoll, Mount Toolbrunup and Mount Trio. The Shires theme “Heart of the Stirlings” typifies the attraction of the area. Wildflowers abound during the season in the Stirling Range National Park.
Other must-see locations include the Ongerup Museum, Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre, the Lily Dutch Windmill, the Steam Tractor outside the Shire administration offices, and Aylmore Springs, next to the Gnowangerup Swimming Pool .
Events of note include the Ongerup Wildflower Show and the annual Merino Sheep Field Days held throughout the district in August and September. Council also participates in the annual Hidden Treasures of the Great Southern Bloom Festival, every spring, showcasing local art, gardens, tourist attractions and our towns.
For more information the Gnowangerup Shire website is located at www.gnowangerup.wa.gov.au.
Yongergnow-Ongerup Community Resource Centre 