Funding for Wanaaring Health Centre upgrade locked in

Wanaaring is one of those fantastic small villages in the Barwon electorate, some 980 kilometres from Sydney, and 200 kilometres from Bourke (the nearest town) its home for 140 people.

In July last year I was contacted by a lady named Betty who is the Treasurer of the local Country Women’s Association branch. They had applied for funding through My Community Project for a grant to extend the doctors room of the Wanaaring Health Centre – there was just one problem.

Funding through My Community Project would be granted to projects who received the highest number of votes from the community. Even if every man, woman, child and dog from Wanaaring voted the community knew it wouldn’t be enough to get them over the line.

The Wanaaring Community wasn’t asking for much a small extension to their cramped doctors rooms so when the Royal Flying Doctors came to town they could be seen in a comfortable, uncramped room.

On behalf of the Wanaaring Community, I wrote to Minister Hazzard seeking funding for the Wanaaring Health Centre upgrade. I spoke to Minister Hazzard to urge him to fund this upgrade as this Health Centre is vitally important to the town.

I was delighted to be able to call Betty last week to tell her that the Health Minister has funded the upgrade to the tune of $79,200.00 + GST.

This is a fantastic outcome for the community of Wanaaring and could only have been achieved due to the amazing work done by the Country Women’s Association Wanaaring Branch.