Hedland heart beats loud and proud at welcome night
Town residents offer a big 'Welcome to Hedland'!
Without a doubt, last Friday evening’s annual “Welcome to Hedland” night, held for the first time at South Hedland’s new town square, was a 4000 people reminder that this town thrives on community spirit.
60 stallholders, including community organisations and fundraising groups, ran rings around the outdoor facility.
Meanwhile, the new performance area enabled local and visiting performers to attract crowds of kids, families and stall participants.
Visiting blues performer Rick Steele and his band revelled in the upbeat vibe with such a wide cross section of the community participating.
“I think this is wonderful, the best way to do it,” he said.
“I did Karratha last year and I want to come up for a bit of an extended trip next time; it’s so good to come here and play to families.”
Recent Hedland arrival Keith Murfet took up the opportunity to run a stall as marketing distributor for card company SendOutCards and found the event incredibly worthwhile.
“I thought it was a brilliant opportunity,” Mr Murfet said of participating in the evening.
Organisations such as the YMCA, Hedland Playgroup, SES, Hedland Kart Club, Hedland New Living and the newly formed North West Roller Derby all enjoyed a huge turnover of interested visitors.
Roller Derby’s Sherri “Chattabox Kid” Hughes called the night pure gold.
“It was such a proud time for the girls who looked united in their home town to spread the word of a club they are so excited to be a part of,” Chatta said.
Meanwhile, with nothing like a hot sausage sanga over which to salivate, fundraising groups rolled out the bangers and sauce, among other treats, to raise money for their charities.
Mayor of Port Hedland Kelly Howlett was thrilled with the event.
“We’ve had fantastic performances on stages, stallholders, schools, community groups all fundraising, all getting out there showcasing their wares,” she said.
Town of Port Hedland representative Lorna Secrett and colleagues were also excited by the success of the event, not only for this year, but what it says about the town and the years to come.
“There’s a real strength in this community.
“Just to see all those smiling faces, people helping each other and just all those really simple things which make a community a good place to live were out in force on Friday night,’ Ms Secrett said.
Tags: hedland, Port Hedland, town square, welcome to hedland
