Welcome boost for buzzing Wee Waa Community Arts and Cultural Centre

Wee Waa Community Arts and Cultural Centre’s famous yellow door will remain open for at least another three years, thanks to a $399,840 contribution from the NSW government.

“The NSW government is committed to supporting engaging creative experiences for communities living in regional NSW,” said Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty.

Through the sizable funding boost, Narrabri Shire Council said it engaged Lyniece Keogh from Integr8y as a consultant to develop a program which identified new and innovative artistic and cultural activities, while increasing resilience and inclusiveness within the Wee Waa community.

Working closely with the management committee and the local community, NSC praised Lyniece’s simple yet very engaging program.

Many meetings and workshops were delivered and as a result, the program is well underway, increasing participants’ skills and knowledge as well as building community connections.

Since its opening in 2022, WWCACC has attracted crowds to the Cotton Capital while offering locals a unique and different experience.

It’s been the Wee Waa home of the CREATE festival, hosted fabulous exhibitions and talented artists, fancy opening nights, school holiday programs and more.

WWCACC has been a drawcard for locals, art enthusiasts and tourists visiting the region.

The art hub’s eternally enthusiastic coordinator Lisa Almagro has supported local creatives, artists and ideas.

Lisa is the pocket-sized powerhouse behind WWCACC but since day dot she has credited the art hub’s success to its committee members and the community.

“Everything we have accomplished would not be possible without the many, many hours of hard work that our committee members put in behind the scenes and the support of the Wee Waa community and wider Narrabri Shire,” said Lisa at the time of WWCACC’s second anniversary celebrations.

Recently, Lisa said it was the friendships she’s formed and the people she’s met through WWCACC, who make it such a satisfying role.

A big fan of collaborations that offer opportunities and lift the town, Lisa has warmly welcomed local projects and initiatives through the yellow door – from a mother’s group to Pilates, and the arts hub is now the home of Wee Waa’s Rotaract Club and the soon-to-be-launched RiverBank Youth Works.

The seed for the arts hub was planted in 2017 when the district was impacted by a devastating drought and Wee Waa was one of the three towns across Australia chosen by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal for a pilot project that centred on the Disaster Resilient: Future Ready Project.

Wee Waa and District Chamber of Commerce and community members were the driving force behind funding applications and saw the idea come to fruition.

At the ‘yellow door’s’ official opening, then committee vice-president Gerda Vogel, paid tribute to the late Ann-Maree Galagher “who as president of the chamber of commerce, threw herself behind the project.”

Years later, the idea and legacy lives on with WWCACC a thriving meeting place for Wee Waa district artists, residents, community groups and visitors to the town.