Welcome to Walgett — A Night of New Connections

The Welcome Experience Orana, Welcome to Walgett event on 4 March was our biggest and best yet, with over 50 attendees packing the Walgett CWA rooms for an evening that was about much more than introductions.

The turnout from local organisations and community groups was outstanding. Representatives from WAMS, OCHRE, WCCAC, Walgett MPS, NSW Police, SES, Fire & Rescue, Walgett Shire Council and Coolibah Kids were all in the room, introducing their staff including new essential workers to attendees and building the kind of face-to-face familiarity that makes a real difference both in service delivery and in everyday life around town. Community groups including the Walgett Show, Walgett Mud Trials, Cumborah Cub Club, ICPA, Walgett Singers and Walgett Quilters were also represented and actively connecting with new residents.

It was particularly exciting to welcome graduate nurses from Sydney and Wollongong who have relocated to train at the CREST Training Centre before heading out to Walgett. It's a great pipeline for health services in the community, and events like this help them feel connected from the start.

The highlight was an icebreaker bingo game, with two new essential workers winning fantastic local prizes. Several groups picked up new members on the spot, and there's genuine excitement about a chess club getting started, thanks to one of our new nurses who happens to be a state chess champion.

NSW Police officer Daniel Bashford shared his experience of moving to Walgett, and another young officer celebrating one year in Walgett next week told the room it had been the best twelve months of her life. CWA President Judy Campbell summed up the spirit of the evening perfectly; you get out what you put in.

A big thank you to the Walgett Branch CWA for their wonderful hosting and generous catering, and to the Walgett RSL, Walgett Sporting Club and Walgett Shire Council for their contributions to the welcome packs provided to new residents.

We're also excited to be partnering with Walgett Cultural & Community Aboriginal Corporation (WCCAC) to deliver cultural competency workshops for our new essential workers. These workshops will provide a better understanding of our local community, improve service delivery and make the experience of living and working here even more rewarding.

What made this event special was seeing last year's new residents bringing along this year's newcomers, plans being made on the spot to catch up and try new activities, and the sheer warmth of the Walgett community showing up to welcome people in.

TWE Coordinator Alana Copelin said the program would build on the evening's momentum with regular catch-ups, starting with a chess event. "We're so excited for our new essential workers to share their skills and their time in the community."

Our next event is Welcome to Lightning Ridge on Monday 16 March at the Lightning Ridge Bowling Club all new residents welcome.