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How we came through

Tristan WheelerManjimup-Bridgetown Times
Transition Bridgetown steering committee group members Sharon Wilkinson, Ingrid Baker, Geoff Bourgault and Cameron Baker.
Camera IconTransition Bridgetown steering committee group members Sharon Wilkinson, Ingrid Baker, Geoff Bourgault and Cameron Baker. Credit: Manjimup-Bridgetown Times

Transition Bridgetown marked its first anniversary with a workshop to encourage a spirit of resilience within the community.

Held at the Bridgetown Cidery, the group watched three videos on the topic, before forming discussion groups and reflecting on how Bridgetown managed with the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions on travel that were enforced earlier this year.

“It is very much about looking at how we coped during the COVID isolation,” Transition Bridgetown steering committee member Ingrid Barker said.

“Just looking at how resourceful are we as a community within our own town and then broadening it to the South West and then broadening it to WA.

“It’s very unlikely that we are not going to have this sort of scenario in the future, some kind of pandemic ... it’s really to see how can we grow enough food, have our own source of energy.”

Since starting in July 2019, the group has been behind a number of initiatives and programs in Bridgetown, including the screening of the documentary film 2040 — as part of the Bridgetown Summer Film Festival — and the establishment of a repair cafe, held at the Bridgetown Community Garden.

“One of the big pushes that we had, as a response from the community from the open space ... was recycling, and we are really happy with what we’ve done so far, working with the shire to get people more informed, mostly about soft plastics, what to put in (the) recycling bin, what can’t be put in the recycling bin, just working with the shire to try and increase the facilities we’ve got,” Mrs Barker said.

The group has a seven-person steering committee consisting of Mrs Barker, Cameron Barker, Geoff Bourgault, Sharon Wilkinson, Julia Boyle, Susie Ascott, Lisa Gibson and Julia Boyle.

The group started after a coffee meeting between Mrs Barker and Ms Ascott in the aftermath of the 2019 Federal Election.

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