Bowling for Bowels: June is Bowel Cancer Awareness month, to raise awareness of Australia's second deadliest cancer which claims the lives of 103 Australians every week.
Education about bowel cancer and bowel health was the topic looked at in an interesting way last week at the West Arthur CRC when they combined an indoor bowls session with a bowel information session!
Thanks to a grant from the WA Cancer Council the CRC put on the bowls and a talk by physiotherapist Pam Stockley about bowel health and also a healthy afternoon tea.
Works and Projects: Maintenance graders will be winter grading in the central north area of the Shire.
Works planned for this fortnight include finishing the landscaping at the rear of the Health and Resource Centre and roadside pruning.
Also keeping the shire busy was the installation of the new ceiling in the Darkan oval change rooms with the patio to be constructed this week.
Tidy Towns: The Tidy Towns committee has completed their 2019 submission to Keep Australia Beautiful
WA and the judges will visit Darkan this week to meet with the committee and view local projects.
Generator Test Run: Darkan had a scheduled power outage last week and the Shire of West Arthur used the opportunity to test a generator to power the Hawthorn Room at the Health and Resource Centre.
That room is to be used as a control room as part of the Shire's emergency management arrangements.
Power to the room allowed it to be used during the day by anyone who needed some warmth or entertainment while the electricity was out everywhere else.
This was a great training opportunity for the Shire and means they are fully prepared if there is a real emergency that affects the district.
Your Say on Plastics: Do you want to have a say on plastics and the environment in WA?
If so, you're invited to video conference at the West Arthur CRC on Friday, June 28 from 1 - 2.30 pm to discuss ideas on reducing single-use plastics.
Take time to read the Government's issues paper "Let's not draw the short straw" outlining the impacts of single-use plastics, and complete the online survey.
These are at www.dwer.wa.gov.au/single-use-plastic-issues-paper. No RSVP required.
WAX 19: West Arthur eXpression, the biennial West Arthur CRC arts program, is ramping into gear for 2019.
The theme this year is "Hot Metal" and participants will learn welding to make garden ornaments or a fire pit.
We are on the hunt for some scrap metal to use in workshops and this can be left at Putland Motors in Darkan. Please contact Stuart Putland on 9736 1196 with any enquiries.
Wildflower Painting Workshop: Artist and biodiversity educator, Angela Rossen, will visit the Darkan Primary School to work on a woodland diversity project with students and will present a workshop for adults while in town, on July 3 at the West Arthur CRC.
Angela will teach participants the basics of painting a wildflower, so bring along your favourite wildflower to paint.
The art class and supper is free thanks to an Australia Post Workforce Community Grant.
The event is from 6.30-9.30pm and bookings are required to the CRC by July 1 on 9736 2000 or to westarthur@crc.com.au.
Quiz Night: West Arthur Quiz Night on August 9. Tables of up to eight. Members and non-members $8.
Footy in Darkan: June 30 - Second home game of season; Wagin Bulldogs vs Boddington at Darkan oval.