President's Report - Shire of Ashburton

Ashburton 

inside 

December 2011 

President’s Report 

Let me introduce myself to you all as the new Shire President, My name is Kerry White and I have lived in 

Onslow for the past seventeen years, with my husband Steve. 

We owned and operated the Onslow 

Supermarket up until last year. Being a 

mother and grandmother I appreciate 

what families and communities expect 

and want from our Shire. 

With the great team of Councillors 

we have this year we hope to achieve 

things for our towns. At the last Council 

Meeting in Onslow Council voted to 

pursue funding for the sealing of the 

Tom Price to Karratha Road. 

I especially acknowledge Cr Cecilia 

Fernandez for putting the proposal 

forward, her efforts and Cr Peter Foster 

for helping her collect signatures for a 

petition to be presented to parliament. 

in this issue 

Wheatstone Project Kicks off with 

Ground Breaking in Onslow.............. 2 

Chevron Hosts Town Party to 

Celebrate heatstone Announcement.3 

Mo:Athlon a success for 

Movember Celebrations.................... 9 

Red Dirt Rocks!................................12 

Council also voted not to proceed with 

a business case for a new airport near 

Tom Price. Owing to the fact that we 

have too many large projects underway 

and we do not have the resources to 

take on more at this stage. 

I will be in Tom Price from Wed 14 Dec 

to Sat 17 Dec and I welcome you to 

meet with me to discuss any issues that 

you may have. 

For Paraburdoo I will be working closely 

with our Deputy Shire President Linton 

Rumble and Cr Ivan Diaz to achieve a 

multi complex building for your town 

and for Pannawonica I will be lobbying 

Royalties for Regions and Rio Tinto for 

a water Playground and Community 

garden as requested by Cr Wright. 

I look forward to working for all residents 

of the shire of Ashburton and I wish you 

all a Happy and Safe Christmas. 

Cr Kerry White 

Have a Happy and 

Safe Christmas 

and New Year 

xx2 

xx 

3 Please Note 

Due to the close of business over Christmas the shire will not be putting 

together a January Edition of the Inside Ashburton however it will resume 

as normal in the New Year! 

12 

Page 1 | Inside Ashburton | December 2011

Wheatstone Project Kicks off with Ground Breaking 

in Onslow 

The Onslow airport got a work out this week as the Officials and guests of the Wheatstone ground breaking 

ceremony where flown into Onslow on the 1st December 2011. 

The Premier – Colin Barnett, Vince Catania MLA, Ben Wyatt MLA, 

Key Government Officials, The US Consul General Aleisha Woodward, Shire 

President Cr Kerry White, Chevron and its Partners Key Executives and a 

sizeable media continent all converged on Onslow for the event. 

The event marked the commencement of the $29 Billion Wheatstone LNG Project. 

This was a very exciting milestone in Onslow’s history and will see the return of 

industry and a port near to the area first developed in the late 1800s. 

The Premier congratulated Chevron and its Wheatstone joint venture partners 

Apache, KUFPEC and Shell on their commitment to the project. The Premier went on 

to say that Wheatstone is creating enormous employment and industry participation 

opportunities for the State and transforming Onslow, as well as cementing WA’s 

status as a major global energy supplier. 

Shire President Cr Kerry White said that 

whilst it is a very exciting opportunity, 

the community were yet to understand 

the enormity of the project. Cr White 

reiterated that industry would need 

to ensure it took time to understand 

the “Onslow Way” and work with the 

community to protect its way of life and 

hang on to its culture. 

Wheatstone will deliver considerable 

benefit to Onslow with spending of 

approximately $250 Million planned. Key 

community and public infrastructure 

will be built or upgraded including – 

the upgrade of the town’s water and 

electricity supplies, swimming pool, 

squash courts, library and visitors centre 

and new Onslow access road. Health, 

emergency services and education 

expansions are also planned. 

Wheatstone is the second major 

new LNG processing site to begin 

construction in the Pilbara since 2008. 

Wheatstone and Gorgon combined 

account for $72 Billion worth of new 

investment in the LNG industry in the 

state of WA and both are in the Shire 

of Ashburton. 

Wheatstone is creating 

enormous employment 

and industry participation 

opportunities for the State… 


Chevron Hosts Town Party to Celebrate 

Wheatstone Announcement 

Chevron threw a whole of Town Party in Onslow to celebrate with the 

community the announcement and commencement of the Wheatstone 

LNG project. Chevron flew in over 40 staff to celebrate with the town. 

Local resident Hannah Scott said “it was very responsible and nice 

for the community to be included”. 

It was a great set up and had something for everyone – the children 

were entertained with face painting and bouncing castles, guests 

were entertained by a Perth band brought to town especially for the 

event. Lovely food was provided and a good time was had by all. 

Darlene Bodanski said “It was lovely to be sitting on the Oval near 

the sports club, kicking back with live music and lovely food, the kids 

had a ball and as always the Chevron staff were extremely friendly 

and relaxed.” 

Shire President and Onslow resident Cr White congratulated 

Chevron on the sanctioning of the project. She further stated that 

Chevron needed to learn to respect the Onslow way “We also have 

our Onslow Way – the way we have learnt to live and work together 

for generations in this town. So I ask that you, as partners with us in 

Onslow for the next 30 to 60 years, 

respect our way of life. I ask that you 

work with us, try to understand us, 

and help us minimize your impact on 

our Onslow Way – our way of life.” 

The party was a great way to 

formally kick off the project 

with the community and a 

great foundation for the 

relationship between the town 

and Chevron into the future. 

Are you in a hurry to 

get the news first? 

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Shire of Ashburton wins award for its support of 

the Onslow Community Garden 

The Shire of Ashburton won the Community Best Practice award for its support of the Onslow Community 

Garden. The Garden project is a whole of Community project that has provided a fabulous amenity to the 

Community of Onslow. 

The Shire, Pearse Herbert (Community 

Garden Chairperson), Josh Byrne 

(Designer), and the gardens principal 

funders Landcorp and Chevron 

attended the Regional Achievement 

and Community Awards. The aim of 

the Awards is to identify, recognise 

and pay tribute to the achievements 

of individuals, organisations and 

communities that strive to make regional 

Western Australia a better place. 

The garden, encourages togetherness 

and celebrates community spirit. 

The School, TAFE, Leaping Lizards, 

Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation and 

community business’s and volunteers 

all actively support the garden and busy 

bees. Get together’s in the garden often 

seeing a large number of volunteers 

attend. The garden is used for festivals, 

events and family gatherings and is a 

unique setting that encourages healthy 

active lifestyles. 

Numerous programs have been 

established to compliment the Garden. 

The Shire is honoured to be involved in 

the garden and was keen to celebrate 

this fantastic achievement with the state 

of Western Australia. It was great to 

showcase to the state that Onslow and 

the Shire of Ashburton can be leaders 

in community development stated 

Amanda O’Halloran Executive Manager 

Strategy and Economic Development. 

Ranger News 

Summer is here and so to is the Tropical Cyclone Season and Bush Fire Season. Shire Rangers have 

commenced block inspections in all of the towns in the Shire. 

Rangers are inspecting all blocks 

residential, industrial and vacant to 

ensure that they comply with the 

Bush Fires Act and the Emergency 

Management Act. 

Tropical cyclones are more common 

in the waters between Exmouth 

and Broome than anywhere else in 

Australia; Onslow in particular is 

right in the middle of what people 

call “Cyclone Alley”. Ranger Services 

urge all residents to make sure that 

all loose items around the house 

are secure to avoid them becoming 

missiles in the event of a severe 

storm or tropical cyclone. 

By now residents and land owners 

should have received a copy of 

the fire break notice issued in 

accordance with the Bush Fires 

Act 1954. It is a requirement in the 

Shire of Ashburton that all blocks, 

industrial and residential be clear of 

all flammable material including dead 

trees and dried grasses; failure to 

do so can result in a fine of $250 or 

that work being carried out on your 

behalf by the Shire of Ashburton, 

and billed back to you along with an 

infringement for failure to comply. 

2011 dog registrations expired on 

October 31, hopefully by now if 

required to do so, you should have 

received your renewal notice in 

the post, please ensure that you 

come down to your local Shire 

office and renew your registration, 

it could save you a lot of money 

and heartache later on. A reminder 

that under the Dog Act 1976 that all 

dogs are required to wear a current 

registration tag and an identification 

tag on their collar at all times when in 

public. It is not yet a requirement in 

WA to have your dog micro-chipped, 

so please even though this is the 

responsible thing to do remember 

you must have a ID tag on your dog 

as well. 

A reminder to all those who utilise our 

boarding facilities in Tom Price and 

Paraburdoo that your booking will not 

be confirmed until the Shire receives 

payment. Vacancies are at a premium 

all year round but especially so at this 

time of year and we operate on a first 

in first served bases and will not hold 

a temporary booking for you. 

Parking in the Tom Price town centre 

is at a premium at the moment with 

the revitalisation works going on, we 

ask that everyone parks sensibly and 

does not create further obstructions 

to other traffic. Please be mindful 

of where and how your park your 

vehicle. 


Rio Tinto Rail Access Road team 

support the vast rail network 

Pet Profile 

Working quietly in the background to support Rio Tinto’s vast network 

of railway in the Pilbara are the Rail Access Road Teams whose job it is 

to keep 1600 kilometres of gravel road maintained to a safe standard. 

It’s hot, remote and most of the Pilbara 

fly population keep them company, but 

these hardworking earthworks teams 

consisting of 16 mobile plant operators, 

the majority of which are indigenous, 

say they love their job. 

Mr Graham Tresidder, supervisor 

Access Road Team1 said the team’s 

main task was to bring the road back up 

to standard and then maintain it through 

a rigorous road works schedule. 

“The road works generally take the 

form of repairing the most hazardous 

areas, and re-sheeting the road surface 

with material from borrow pits which 

increases longevity of the road and 

reduces maintenance grading cycles,” 

Mr Tresidder said. 

“We have two main seasons of work, 

during the dry winter months we do the 

scheduled upgrades and maintenance, 

and in the wet summer months we 

focus on repairing wash outs and other 

damage caused by the wet weather. 

“We are also now rehabilitating our 

“borrow” pits in a similar method to the 

inland mining standards.” 

“Borrow” pits are where the road crew 

undertake earthworks by the side of the 

Important Dates! 

DECEMBER 

22 December – Office closes for 

Christmas break (reopens 3/1/12) 

25 December – CHRISTMAS! 

26 December – Boxing Day 

31 December – New Years Eve 

road to excavate gravel to assist in road 

repairs and maintenance, but in this 

process they stockpile the vegetation 

and top soil (which includes seeds 

and plants). 

Once the excavation is complete the 

earthworks site is contoured and the 

topsoil spread over the area. Recently 

completed and rehabilitated borrow pits 

are looking good from the rehabilitation 

works where it take about two years for 

them to blend seamlessly once more 

into the Pilbara landscape. 

Mr Kevin Mongoo is an operator and all 

rounder for the Access Road Team, and 

he has been on this job all up for about 

4 years. 

“At the moment I’m operating a 

Komatsu front end loader, and I love this 

job. I love coming out to work, its quiet 

and we have a great team,” Mr Mongoo 

said (pictured with his front end loader 

98km along the Deep Dale line). 

The Access Road Team is looking to 

attract Indigenous trainees into the 

business and provide quality training 

and mentoring to build upon the strong 

reputation established by Aboriginal 

Employment Strategy team. 

JANUARY 

1 January – New Years Day 

3 January – Shire Office Re-Opens 

26 January – Australia Day Celebrations 

11-28 January – Shire School Holiday 

Program, Please check Shire website 

and notice boards for details 

Name: Kyah 

Looking for: Person/s who 

like big dogs 

Age: 3 yrs 

Likes: Going for a walk, 

and getting attention 

Dislikes: Dominent dogs, 

Appearance: Ridgeback X (possibly 

Mastiff), large breed with plenty 

of muscle and big sized body. 

Tan colour. 

Other Pets: I grew up with a small 

maltese and we got on great. 

Relationship status: I was left 

behind when my owner moved 

to Perth. I would love to find a 

new home where I can get daily 

attention, pats, walks & love. I am 

being fostered with a family who 

has older children and I don›t jump 

or run around too much to knock 

the children over or get in their 

way. I know i›m bigger than most 

dogs i see but i would like to find a 

new home with people who love my 

size. I am good when meeting new 

people and live outside, I also know 

that just because the door is open 

I have to wait to be allowed inside. 

I am rather clever and will sit, stay, 

lie down on command. I have also 

been desexed, vaccinated and am 

regularly heartworm treated. 

To view Kyah contact SAFE Tom 

Price & Paraburdoo 0437511692 or 

tomprice@safe.asn.au 

SAFE Facebook Page – SAFE Tom 

Price/Paraburdoo & website www. 

safe.asn.au 

Mercede Fox 

SAFE Tom Price & Paraburdoo 

9189 3733 


The Shire of Ashburton is currently seeking expressions of interest for multiple positions, being Full time, Part time 

and Casual; 

Finance Officer JA 25 Salary: $27.18/hr – $33.98/hr 

Customer Service Officer JA 16 Salary: $25.88/hr 

Pound Keeper JA 28 Salary: $27.25/hr 

Recruitment Coordinator JA 144 Salary: $27.18/hr – $31.42/hr 

Skilled Town Maintenance JA 54/63 Salary: $23.46/hr – $27.18/hr 

Payroll Officer JA 12 Salary: $27.18/hr 

Waste Collection Operator JA 88 Salary: $23.46/hr – 27.18/hr 

Experience is preferred but not essential as Training will be provided 

Salary, hours and start date are negotiable dependent on skills and experience. 

To apply, submit a current resume and cover letter to felicia.mudge@ashburton.wa.gov.au 

For further information visit www.ashburton.wa.gov.au 

Don’t wait for closing date APPLY NOW! 

Jeff Breen, Chief Executive Officer 

Shire of Ashburton 

P O Box 567, TOM PRICE WA 6751 

ONSLOW 

Household and Commercial Rubbish Collection 

Monday 19th December 2011 


“Reef to Range” 

www.ashburton.wa.gov.au 

START THE NEW YEAR IN A NEW POSITION – Tom Price 

The Shire of Ashburton is an Equal Opportunity Employer Promoting A Smoke Free Work Environment’ 

Christmas Period Household Garbage Collection and Tip Opening Times 

2011-2012 

Commercial Rubbish 

The Onslow Tip Opening Times are as follows: 

Saturday 24th December 2011 

OPEN 

Tuesday 20th December 2011 

Domestic Rubbish 

Sunday 25th December 2011 

XMAS DAY – CLOSED 

Friday 23rd December 2011 



BOXING DAY – CLOSED 


Friday 30th December 2011 

Tuesday 3rd January 2012 

Commercial and Domestic 

Rubbish 


Commercial and Domestic 

Rubbish 


Wednesday 28th December 2011 

Thursday 29th December 2011 


Saturday 31st December 2011 

PUBLIC HOL – CLOSED 

OPEN 

OPEN 

OPEN 

OPEN 

Sunday 1st January 2012 

NEW YEAR’S DAY – CLOSED 

Monday 2nd January 2012 

CLOSED 

Tuesday 3rd January 2012 

OPEN 


Tom Price Community News 

Boom Boom Dance Academy 

Mystical Dance Performance 

Boom Boom Dance Academy in Tom Price recently held their 2011 

concert. The human audience was transported into the magical world 

of Trixie Hollow. 

The audience was greeted by Trixie Bell 

and shown the magical world of fairies, 

witches, cats, butterflies and a zombie 

or two. 

The well-choreographed program was 

set into two scenes with absolutely 

stunning costumes and scenery. Scene 

two show cased showed Mr Foxgloves 

Toy Shop and Mermaid Bay where the 

spectators was entertained by dolls, 

mermaids, pirates and genies under 

Captain Jackies control. 

The audience was then sent back to the 

real world, left feeling as though they 

indeed had a magical experience. 

Tom Price Cadets 

Have Fun in Broome 

Broome Cadet Camp is the 

highlight of the Cadet training 

calendar. 

40 cadets participated in an array of 

activities including: camel rides, surfing, 

raft building, learning how to care for 

native animals, kayaking to roping 

skills. All had a fabulous time and we 

all certainly received our fair share of 

sunshine and surf. 

A big thank you must go to Steve 

Moule, Jen Aberle, Greg Lincoln, Alvin 

Taylor, Simon Davidson and Carrie 

Stuart for assisting with the running and 

supervision at the camp. I also thank Tru 

Cut Lawns and Rio Tinto for providing 

financial assistance for the camp and 

Lestok for providing the transport. 

David Moule at top of team building exercise. 

Mitch Williams kayaking. Asha holland and Liain Copper make a turtle out 

of sand. 



Tom Price Pink Ribbon Breakfast 

After months of fastidious planning by the Tom Price Pink Ribbon Committee Saturday 5th of November saw 

almost every lady in Tom Price (& even a couple from Paraburdoo) dress up in their finest and head to the 

Tom Price Pink Ribbon Breakfast to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). 

This event has become a highlight of the 

social calendar and did not disappoint 

again this year. 

MC Simon Deegan opened the day 

with a warm welcome followed by a 

brief talk about the NBCF what they do, 

why should we support them and the 

benefits provided by supporting this 

cause given by his wife, Breast Cancer 

Survivor Nicole Deegan. 

After the attendees ate the delicious 

cooked breakfast and sipped a glass of 

bubbly or two the real fun began. 

Bra flinging competitions, a very popular 

balloon raffle, lucky door prize, auctions, 

decorated bra voting and a special one 

off appearance of our local version of 

LMFAO performing” Sexy & I Know 

it” hit kept everyone entertained and 

ensured the event would be talked 

about for many weeks to come. 

The 2010 Best Decorated Bra winner 

Jasmine Maxwell backed it up again 

in 2011 with her Rack of Ribbon entry, 

closely followed by Jen Aberle with her 

Starfish inspired design. 

A big thank you to our guest speakers 

Kath O’Brien who provided us with a 

follow up on her Cancer journey post 

surgery/ treatment & Susanna Tope for 

her very informative presentation on the 

importance of healthy living. 

Another big thank you to our sponsors 

Rio Tinto, ESS Eastern Gurama, 

Ningaloo Reef Resort, Karijini Eco 

Retreat, Shire of Ashburton, Tom Price 

Bakery, Indi Blu, Beachway Cottage, DJ 

Erik, Muzzy’s Home Hardware, Mondo 

Nougat, Trucut Lawn Services, Auski 

Roadhouse, Pilbara Food Services, 

Betta Electrical Tom Price, Tupperware, 

Little Starfish Swim School, Hush 

Beauty, Mister & Sister, Cassandra 

Bebek, Lindy Jordan, All Is Hair in Love 

& War, Beauty By B, QANTASLink, 

Curio Corner, Avon, Phoenix Trading, 

Blockbuster, Tom Price Tyres, Mitch & 

Cara Wright and the Tom Price Hotel. 

Without your support the day would not 

have been such a wonderful success. 

The total funds raised for 2011 was 

$14103.70 plus an additional $10 000 

being donated by Rio Tinto. 

If anyone is interested in joining the Tom Price Pink 

Ribbon Committee for 2012 please contact 

tppinkribbon@hotmail.com. 


Tom Price’s Final Market Morning for 2011 

The last market morning for 2011 was held on Saturday 26th November, 2011, proving to be a FANTASTIC 

event! After a good solid few weeks of planning and organising it came together nicely. 

The event was lucky enough to have 

Santa visit (thanks to Travis Hooper). 

The kids LOVED seeing him in his 

grotto, with a lineup of children that 

never seemed to end. A big thank you 

goes to Narelle Mcleod of Tom Price 

for her help with the set up and running 

of the grotto. The Market Day Group 

couldn’t have done it without her. 

Another thank you goes to the Shire of 

Ashburton’s, Mabel Gough for her help. 

The group was told by Santa that a 

majority of kids in Tom Price would like 

IPADS for Christmas. Santa received 

many lovely letters that he will reply to 

when he gets back to the North Pole! 

Santa’s grotto was the initiative of Melita 

Masterman and Lynsey Pyke from Little 

Wonders Kidz Corner, Tom Price. The 

look on the kid’s faces when they entered 

the grotto was priceless and is the whole 

reason Melita and Lynsey love supporting 

community events such as this! 

The markets usually have around 12 

to 15 stalls. On this occasion there 

were a total of 24 stalls and the grotto!! 

It was absolutely lovely to see small 

home occupational businesses, party 

plan items and hobby/crafts stalls all 

in one place. Some of the stalls were 

Little Wonders, Jo’s Costume Shop, 

Bali Pasar, Oasis Homewares, Learning 

Ladder, Body Shop, Tri Nature, Cass’s 

Nappy Cake Creations, Ladies & Littlies 

and MANY MORE! There was a huge 

variety of stalls and a great group of 

lovely ladies running them!! 

The Market Day Group is hoping to 

continue the markets next year. Should 

you be interested in holding a stall at 

a future event or being part of the new 

committee please contact Lynsey Pyke 

on 0400 031 442 for more information. 

Santa’s Grotto. 

Crowds flock to the final market morning for 2011. 

Mo:Athlon a success for Movember Celebrations 

On the 29th November Rio Tinto in conjunction with The Shire of Ashburton held the inaugural MoAthlon event. 

The idea behind the MoAthlon was 

to formally conclude the fundraising 

month of Movember and provide an 

event for the community to celebrate 

the amazing efforts of Rio’s Mo 

The Mo Bro’s 

brothers, Mo sistas and everyone 

involved. Held at the Vic Hayton 

Memorial Swimming Pool, a fun 

splash and dash event was entered 

by a range of age groups consisting 

of young teams to individual adults, 

completing either a 150m or 350m 

swim followed by a 1 or 2km run 

course on the oval. 

All participants and guests enjoyed a 

BBQ after the event with presentations 

from special guests and the 

Movember awards. Touching on the 

more serious side of Movember, guest 

speakers from Beyond Blue and the 

Movember council brought attention 

to the big issues affecting Australian 

men including prostate cancer 

and depression, showing how our 

fundraising is having a positive effect 

on the charities involved. 

The figures at the end of the month 

were a reflection of the huge efforts 

made by everyone involved from 

Tom Price and Marandoo, raising a 

combined total of $15,015 between 

the two sites. RioTinto WA reached a 

grand total of $116,500. 

Winners of the evening were: 

Kerry Kegs Sweetman – Mo Bro 

($1,815) 

Jamie Arthur – Mo Sista ($4,137) 

Steve Poynter – Best Mo 

Brad Malingre – Special Mo Mention 

($1,501) 

A big thanks to All is Hair in Love 

and War for shaving off some of the 

men’s moustaches and to everyone 

involved. We look to more mo’s, more 

fundraising and an even bigger event 

in 2012. 



Seal our road: Tom Price residents 

There has been a renewed push to complete the alignment and sealing of 

the direct road between Karratha and Tom Price; a move which could cut 

the travel time for non-four-wheel-drive vehicles almost by half. 

Tom Price resident Cecilia Fernandez 

has collected more than 900 signatures 

from residents of the inland town in 

a petition asking for funding to be 

allocated for the road to be sealed. 

She said she planned to pass on the 

signatures to her local member so 

the argument could be put before 

Parliament. 

About 110km of road from Karratha 

inland has already been sealed and 

about 25km from Tom Price out to 

Karratha has also been sealed. 

To travel via the inland route, travellers 

currently need permission from Rio 

Tinto to use a privately-owned road. 

Ms Fernandez is pushing to have funding 

allocated by the State Government to 

complete stages three and four of the 

alignment, a move which she said would 

require about 155km of road to be sealed. 

For residents of Tom Price like Kelly 

Waller, who travels to Karratha regularly 

for orthodontist appointments, the 

sealing of the road would turn a weekend 

away from home into a day trip. 

“I could go easily by myself, I wouldn’t 

feel like I would have to go with my 

husband – for security(and for) changing 

tyres,” she said. 

“It would be so much quicker and I 

could do it in one day. We wouldn’t stay 

the night because it wouldn’t take us so 

long to get over there; it wouldn’t be as 

exhausting for us.” 

For residents of Tom Price who don’t 

have a 4WD and are, therefore, not in 

a position to travel on the unsealed Rio 

Tinto road, the only other option is to 

take the route provided by the Nanutarra 

Wittenoom and North West Coastal 

Highway roads – a drive which can take 

Picture by Cameron Myles: Cecilia Fernandez 

with the petitions she collected. 

more than six hours. 

Mrs Waller said she felt the trip along 

the sealed route was more dangerous 

due to the amount of time spent on 

the road. 

“Why should we be so isolated? We’re 

missing out on so many things here, 

being in a regional area, that we have to 

go to Karratha … it’s our only option,” 

she said. 

Pilbara MLA Tom Stephens said he 

planned to put the petition before 

Parliament before it breaks for the end 

of the year. 

Tom Price Library News 

Book Club met on Thursday 17th 

November to discuss The Flight of 

the Dragonfly by Melissa Hawach & 

Salvation Creek by Susan Duncan. 

The ladies enjoyed reading Salvation 

Creek, they gave it a rating of 8 out 

of 10. 

The last book club meeting for the year 

was on the 15thof November. 

Book Reviews 

“Julian Assange, The 

Unauthorized Autobiography” 

Is a book that describes not only 

the work of Wikileaks, but from his 

childhood in Australia up to the 

present day. 

“Maggie’s Kitchen” 

120 favorite recipes she shared with her 

TV audience. 

Rhyme Time & Story Time 

Rhyme Time: Mondays at 11a.m – 

We are having fun singing rhymes and 

lately the kids have enjoyed using the 

musical instruments. 

Story Time: Fridays at 11a.m – 

The kids enjoyed making a tiger paper 

bag puppet and a dinosaur puppet, and 

paper plate dancing streamers. 

Our last story time session for this year 

will be on Fri. 9th December. 

Opening hours: 

Monday, Tuesday, Friday 10 am – 1 pm & 2 pm – 5 pm 

Thursday 10 am – 1 pm & 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm 

Saturday 9 am – 12 pm 

Wednesday & Sunday CLOSED 

COME IN AND CHECK OUT SOME 

GREAT NEW JUNIOR FICTION AND 

YOUNG ADULT FICTION BOOKS! 

The Tom Price Library will be closed 

for the Christmas Break, from 

Thursday 22nd @ 4pm, until Monday, 

2nd January. Reopens on Tuesday, 

3rd January. 

THE NEW BOOK EXCHANGE 

HAS ARRIVED FROM THE STATE 

LIBRARY, SO COME IN AND 

CHECK IT OUT! 


Paraburdoo Community News 

What’s New to the Paraburdoo Library 

Midnight Zoo 

by Sonya Hartnett 

This story follows two 

young brother’s who 

escape from an atrocity 

involving German soldiers 

in Europe, during World 

War II. Tomas and Andrej show courage 

and endurance drawn from strong 

family bonds to flee across the war 

torn country. They eventually reach a 

deserted town and find shelter in an 

abandoned zoo. 

During their time at the zoo the animals 

begin to talk to them and share 

their insights into the selfish world of 

humanity from their point of view. 

This is a deeply moving book that will 

touch the hearts of all who read it and 

is recommended for readers 13+ but 

should not be missed by adult readers. 

New Items 

• The Reversal/Michael Connelly 

• Pale Demon/Kim Harrison 

• 10 short stories you must read 

in 2011 

• Duck for a Day/Meg McKinlay 

• Just a Dog/Michael Gerard Bauer 

• The Red Wind/Isobelle Carmody 

• Six Impossible Things/Fiona Wood 

Christmas Crafts at 

Story time 

We have had huge numbers at our 

story time sessions this last month and 

would like to thank all of the mums, 

dads and beautiful children who come 

to the library each Thursday morning. 

We will be continuing with the singing, 

dancing and sharing of stories, focusing 

on Christmas crafts, up until the 8th 

of December 2011. We send our best 

wishes to our little friends who start at 

kindergarten and Pre primary next year 

and thank you for the enthusiasm you 

have turned up with each week. 

Story time will recommence on January 

19th 2012 with an Australia Day theme. 

We wish you all a very Merry and Safe 

Christmas and look forward to Story 

Time in 2012. 

PARABURDOO PUBLIC LIBRARY 

WILL BE CLOSED ON THE 

FOLLOWING DATES FOR THE 

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. 22nd Dec 

@ 4pm reopening 3rd January 2012. 

Opening Hours 

for Pools 

OPENING HOURS FOR THE 

XMAS AND NEW YEAR PERIOD 

Vic Hayton Memorial Swimming 

Centre – Tom Price and Paraburdoo 

Swimming Centre 

Saturday 24th (Xmas Eve) 10am to 6pm 

Sunday 25th (Xmas Day) Closed 

Monday 26th (Boxing Day) 10am to 6pm 

Tuesday 27th Closed 

Wednesday 28th 10am to 6pm 

Thursday 29th 10am to 6pm 

Friday 30th 10am to 6pm 

Saturday 31st (New Years Eve) 

10am to 6pm 

Sunday 1st (New Years Day) 

10am to 6pm 

Monday 2nd (Public Holiday) 

10am to 6pm 

Tuesday Closed 

Then back to normal hours. 

Christmas Period Household Garbage 

Collection and Tip Opening Times 2011-2012 

TOM PRICE AND PARABURDOO Household Rubbish Collection 


Wednesday 21st December 2011 

Thursday 22nd December 2011 




Paraburdoo 

Tom Price Central 

Tom Price Area W 

Paraburdoo 

Tom Price Central 

Tom Price Area W 

Tuesday 3rd January 2012 normal services resume. 

The Tom Price and Paraburdoo Tip Opening Times are as follows: 

Saturday 24th December 2011 

Sunday 25th December 2011 






Saturday 31st December 2011 

Sunday 1st January 2012 

Monday 2nd January 2012 

OPEN 

XMAS DAY – CLOSED 

BOXING DAY – CLOSED 

PUBLIC HOL – CLOSED 

OPEN 

OPEN 

OPEN 

OPEN 

NEW YEARS DAY – CLOSED 

CLOSED 


Paraburdoo Community News 

Red Dirt Rocks! 

So begins the second annual 

Red Dirt Rocks Festival held in 

Paraburdoo, a community fundraiser 

for the Royal Flying Doctor’s 

Service (RFDS), Police Legacy and 

Paraburdoo Parents and Citizens 

(P&C). Now known as a night on the 

rocks and a day in the dirt. 

Festival members turned the local 

hall into a magnificent and glamorous 

Venetian theme with gold, black and 

white, feathers and glitter complete with 

gondola silhouette on the glass window. 

Add to this the vibrant Soundstone band 

and everyone knew they were in for a 

fabulous evening. 

Platinum sponsor Rio Tinto was 

represented by Scott Wilkinson – Greater 

Jo Barron-Perry Decorations 

A glitzy Friday night was had by all at the annual Paraburdoo Ball 

with a Venetian Masquerade theme at the Ashburton Town Hall in 

Paraburdoo followed by a challenging game of golf in the red dirt 

on Saturday. 

Paraburdoo Operations general manager, 

and Gold Sponsors representatives from 

the Shire of Ashburton, Linton Rumble 

– Deputy Shire President and ESS 

Gumula Rocklea Palms– Christine Ray, 

Site manager. 

Other special guests included Craig 

Walton, Senior Sergeant and Officer in 

Charge Paraburdoo Police Station and 

WA Police Legacy, and Jason Perry, 

President of the Paraburdoo (P&C). 

Leanne Kohler and Colin Chambers 

were announced Best Dressed Couple, 

Naomie Bryers-Shelley as Belle of Ball 

and Tim Garnett Beau of Ball. 

The evening was a huge success with 

catering by ESS Gumula, Paraburdoo 

Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service 

running the bar and local 

business Pilbara Party 

Solutions setting the 

party mood. 

The auction included 

a 0.49 ct Champagne 

Princess cut diamond donated 

from Adamas Diamonds, Kailis in 

Broome donated a ‘Contempo’ necklace 

featuring Australian South Sea pearls 

and 0.02ct ‘secret’ black diamond with 

all proceeds going to RFDS, Police 

Legacy and Paraburdoo P&C. 

Jason Perry Paraburdoo P&C president 

expressed his gratitude on behalf of the 

P&C at being one of this year’s recipients 

from the Red Dirt Rocks Festival. 

“The monies received will be used 

to purchase items for the school that 

will directly benefit the students of the 

Paraburdoo Primary School,” he said. 

Counselor Douglas Ivan Dias and RFDS 

Fundraising Coordinator for Paraburdoo 

and Tom Price said “It is fantastic 

that an event like this can be held in 

Paraburdoo. The ball is a highlight 

of the year and it gives the ladies an 

opportunity to dress up. The bonus is 

that it also a fundraiser for the worthy 

groups. The RFDS are extremely grateful 

to Paraburdoo as a small town of 1500 

they are one of the highest fundraising 

communities per head in the state from 

not only the Red Dirt Rocks Festival 

but also from other smaller fundraising 

activities, tins and personnel donations. 

Saturday saw seven Ambrose teams of 

four competing in the ‘Day in the Dirt’ 

golf challenge, including ‘the Pirates’ – 

who travelled from Karratha. 

The Fitzgeralds 

Girls Night Out 

Naomi And Renee 

Fran, Rozie, Jay & Willie 


1st team (28.9 points) – Jessica 

Montague, Wade Montague, Bhuvanesh 

Malhotra, David Camm 

2nd Team (29.9 points) – Keith 

Hartley, Scott Wilkinson, Dave Kerr, 

Russell Kimbo 

3rd team (31.6 points) – Bo McLean, 

Geoff Hill, Craig Walton, Darryl 

Gnezdiloff 

Last – Can’t Play Golf Team – James 

Henry, Colin Macartney, Gloria 

Hutchcraft, Mo Rivai 

Longest Drive Men – James Henry 

Longest Drive Ladies – Kim Bowley 

Longest Drive Novice Men – 

Bhuvanesh Malhotra 

Longest Drive Novice Ladies – 

Alice Krakouer 

David Camm, Golf Day organiser, said it 

was hot, fun and entertaining. 

“Non golfers were hitting shots like pros 

by the end day and real golfers not 

making the ladies tee box, which cost 

them dearly from the beer fridge.” 

The day ended with mouse races, 

slippery slide and cupcakes for the 

children and more items on auction. 

Some impressions from the guests 

and organisers: 

Fran Bentley Ball Committee head – 

“Great to see people put the effort in 

their costumes which added to the 

fabulous evening, and also fabulous 

that we could support a newly formed 

Paraburdoo local business as their first 

customers – it saved us thousands of 

dollars in freight.” 

Will Garnett –Beau of the Ball said 

“Good night for all and fantastic to see 

people dressed up and in suits, a great 

event in the outback” 

Christine Ray – ESS Gumula 

representative sponsor said” It was an 

imaginative stretch to go from Venice 

to Paraburdoo but with lateral thinking 

the hall was transformed, creating a 

uniquely beautiful ambience of Venice.” 

For more information please contact 

Jo: M:+61 (0) 417 970 046 (after hours) 

Great to see people 

put the effort in their 

costumes which added to 

the fabulous evening… 

Local business discuss opportunity with Fortescue 

Opportunity and choice for local 

business were the main themes 

of discussion when the Tom Price 

Paraburdoo Business Association 

hosted representatives from 

Fortescue Metals at a business 

dialogue in Tom Price on Tuesday 

November 29. 

Bob Stump and Rhys Edwards from the 

TPPBA toured the Fortescue people 

through Tom Price town site, as well as 

the Mine Road and Boonderoo Road 

light industrial areas. After lunch at the 

Tom Price Hotel, a presentation from 

the TPPBA focussed on the factors 

affecting Pilbara businesses and the 

capability of local business to take 

advantage of future opportunities. 

Fortescue gave an update on the 

Solomon iron ore project, 70 kms north 

of Tom Price, and discussed with the 

group topics including their aboriginal 

engagement strategy, local buy position 

and procurement direction. 

After the presentations, there was an 

open forum facilitated by Bob and Rhys. 

Bob Stump said it was good to continue 

the dialogue between Fortescue and the 

local business sector. “It was clear that 

Fortescue are very interested in working 

with the business association towards 

positive outcomes for local businesses 

and, thereby, the community,” he said. 

“The local businesses that attended 

came away much better informed about 

the Solomon project and the choices 

that local business will be faced with 

in the future regarding expanding or 

establishing new businesses in the area. 

This set of circumstances will work 

towards creating a more sustainable 

future for Tom Price, as long as a 

solution to the land and accommodation 

issues can be addressed. Either way, 

I urge local businesses to support the 

business association so we can be a 

strong advocate for the local sector.” 

Fortescue’s community superintendent 

Scott Hansen said that the Solomon 

project gives Tom Price existing and 

future businesses an opportunity and 

Rhys Edwards 

Bob Stump 

choice to develop local capability within 

the community. “A positive side-effect of 

Solomon will see opportunities emerge 

for companies to establish non-critical 

services in the Tom Price community,” 

he said. “Fortescue and its large 

contractors will continue to educate 

local contractors about its contracting 

posture, terms and conditions; receive 

requests from local contractors for prequalification 

training; and to scope the 

contracting volume it wants to source 

locally within a number of years. 

“We will continue to engage via 

one on one discussions with local 

businesses and through the local 

Tom Price Paraburdoo Business 

Association,” said Scott. 


Pannawonica Community News 

What’s New to the Pannawonica Library 

Ape House 

by Sara Gruen 

Gruen, the author of 

the bestselling novel 

Water for Elephants, has 

once again has written 

an entertaining tale of 

the relationship between humans and 

animals. Ape House is a thriller based 

around a family of Bonobos and a 

scientist, who feels more at home with 

her hairy charges than she does with 

her own species. This storyline will tug 

at your heartstrings and may change the 

way you look at the world. 

What else is new on our shelves… 

New items arriving each month! Come in and 

check them out. 

Storytime 

Tuesdays 10.15am and 11am 

During School Terms 

Bring the children down to 

read a story and practice 

their craft skills. 

We would like to wish 

you all a Merry Christmas 

and have happy 

and safe holidays 

Jeanet and Ali 

REGISTER YOUR FLOAT! 

FLOAT PRIZES 

1st Prize $300 2nd Prize $150 

Junior Prizes 

Plus LOTS MORE ! 


Onslow Community News 

What’s New to the Onslow Library 

Onslow has received some great new 

items in our monthly book exchange 

from the State Library. 

For those who enjoy reading the larger 

print books we have received the 

following 4 new titles: 

Long Time Coming by Sandra Brown 

Caught by Harlem Coben 

Red Dust – An outback novel of love, 

intrigue and redemption by Fleur 

McDonald and 

Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde 

New Talking Books also now available 

for loan include: 

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett 

(41 hours) and for the Juniors we have 

Billionaire Boy – by David Williams 

(4 hours) 

A brand new item to the Onslow Library 

includes the new “All – in – One Audio 

books” These new easy–to-use Audio 

books (similar to an MP3 player), come 

already loaded complete with a battery 

and earphones. This can be carried 

easy when going for a walk or when just 

relaxing at home or on the beach. 

As usual we have also received a 

number of fiction and non-fiction books 

for all age groups. 

Lastly for anyone thinking of joining 

the Thursday night Hobby group in 

Onslow but not sure what craft activity 

they would like to do, we have a great 

new book called Easy Cards for All 

Occasions. It contains step by step 

instructions on how to make beautiful, 

original hand-crafted greeting cards. 

Never been to the library? We are 

located in the Shire office at Second 

Ave, Onslow. Please feel free to drop in 

and have a look! 

Opening Hours 9am – 4pm 

Monday to Friday 

Phone: 08 9184 6001 



With Bush Fire Season upon us, residents and visitors to the Shire of Ashburton are reminded that the 

following conditions apply to 

RESTRICTED BURNING ALL YEAR 

FIRES ARE PROHIBITED ALL YEAR WITH OUT A PERMIT OTHER THAN FOR THE PURPOSE OF CAMPING AND 

COOKING. 

*ON DAYS OF VERY HIGH OR ABOVE FIRE DANGER ALL FIRES ARE PROHIBITED 

Please listen to ABC local Radio for Fire Weather information or visit bom.gov.au 

The Shire of Ashburton hereby revokes 

all previous FCO appointments and 

appoints the following as Fire Control 

Officers for the Shire of Ashburton: 

Morgwn Jones as CBFCO 

Ian Chance as DCBFCO 

Chris O’Connell as DCBFCO 

Sebastian Reeve as FCO 

David Darling as FCO 

Glyn Potter as FCO 

Darryl Hannah as FCO 

Paul Madden as FCO 

For the whole of the Shire of Ashburton. 

Ivan Diaz as FCO 

Robert Morgan as FCO 

For the Paraburdoo area only. 

Matt Campbell for the Western Parts of 

the Shire of Ashburton (Pannawonica) 

Michael Booth (CBFCO Shire of 

Roebourne) as FCO 

Andrew Norris (CBFCO Shire of 

East Pilbara) as FCO 

Peter Wilden (CBFCO Town of 

Port Headland) as FCO 

David George (CBFCO Shire of 

Exmouth) as FCO 

For areas where the Shires of 

Roebourne, East Pilbara, Port Headland 

and Exmouth share a boundary with the 


For all Fire Permits please contact your 

local Shire Office 

Jeffrey Breen 

CEO 


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ADMINISTRATION CENTRE 

Poinciana Street, 

Tom Price WA 6751 

(PO Box 567) 

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Disclaimer 

This newsletter is for general information purposes only. The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Shire of Ashburton. The Shire has taken all measures to ensure the contents in this 

publication is correct, however it accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or the completeness of the material. Readers are advised not to rely solely on this information when making any decision. The Shire of Ashburton 

reserves the right to change the publication as it sees fit. The Shire of Ashburton disclaims any responsibility or duty of care towards any person for loss or damage suffered as a result of this newsletter. 

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President's Report - Shire of Ashburton

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