Community
Beyond the jobs generated by industry, our member companies provide for their local communities through donations, sponsorship and in-kind support.
Donations Many companies donate firewood for local seniors and as raffle prizes for numerous charitable organisations. Some companies also donate woodchips for community gardens and nature playgrounds. Companies donate other products too, like logs for their local horse riding club or Men’s Shed. One company even donated wood for the replica Duyfken. Wesbeam donated several 15 metre long logs and provided the harvesting, processing and transporting of the 3 tonnes of pine used for the masts of the replica Duyfken.
Sponsorship
Several companies sponsor their local or regional shows and festivals, particularly the log chop event. If you've been to the Albany Agricultural Show, the Binningup Spring Fair, the Busselton Festival, the Collie Agricultural Show, the Dardanup Bull and Barrel Festival, the Donnybrook Food and Wine Festival, the Donnybrook Apple Festival, the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival or the Moora Agricultural Show, you've been to an industry sponsored event. Log Chop event at the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival; joint industry information booth at the Brunswick Show; industry machinery at the Brunswick Show; joint industry information booth at the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival
Companies also sponsor numerous local sporting teams – football, golf, cricket and others, and sporting events like the Collie to Donnybrook Cycling Classic and the Moora Race Day.
Companies sponsor local schools, universities and various other community events and programs too. Some examples are:
In-kind support
As well as donating money through sponsorship and products, many companies offer in-kind support through organising and facilitating a wide variety of events and programs. Companies are often involved in education outreach, for example facilitating tree planting that forms part of students' coursework, or workshops like from Seedling to Woodchip which supplement learning material, like that available from Forest Learning. Shedworks is an inspiring program delivered by Bunbury Senior High School, and is supported by one of member companies – providing materials and even employment for some graduates. Students from Denmark Agricultural College learning about plantation management with PF Olsen; students from Denmark Agricultural College planting trees; creative Shedworks sign.
Some companies also facilitate student exchange programs, such as between students from Great Southern Grammar in Kalgan and schools within Nichinan city in Japan.
Many companies participate in and contribute to various local community groups with an environmental focus (ENGOs), to inform groups about industry activities. Policy
Many companies make a top priority of contributing to their local community. For example Wespine has a community grants program, with two rounds available each year. While not a member company, the Forest Products Commission also reflects WA’s timber industry and you can read about their Community Support Program here. |