Walpole Community Resource Telecentre (Inc)

How it all began ...

Walpole Telecentre (Inc) was officially opened on 31st January 1995 by the Hon. Paul Omodei, MLA and the Hon. Monty House, MLA. The Telecentre was initially housed in a Single Mens' Quarters, kindly loaned, rent free, by Dept. Conservation and Land Management, Walpole.   By March 1996 it was evident that serious upgrading of marketing and management strategies were required if the Telecentre was to continue its' operations.

On the appointment in October 1996 of Jennifer Willcox as CoOrdinator the Walpole Telecentre merged with Denmark Telecentre, under the name of South Coast Telecentres (Inc).   In November 1996 the Telecentre relocated to its' current premises, Vista Centre in Vista Street, Walpole, a Shire of Manjimup owned building.

By June, 1997 Jennifer had developed the Walpole Telecentre into a thriving and profitable Telecentre, allowing for the dissolution of the merger with Denmark Telecentre.  It was then that Walpole Community Resource Telecentre (Inc) was born.
 

Jennifer Willcox

Since that time Walpole Community Resource Telecentre (Inc) has flourished under the passionate, bordering on obsessive, management of Jennifer, with keen support and assistance from the Management Committees of the day.  New and innovative initiatives were introduced following a sound marketing campaign, which continue to be enhanced each year.

On January 26th, 2001, Australia Day, Jennifer was presented with the Citizen of the Year Award for Walpole, within the Shire of Manjimup, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the development of the Walpole Telecentre, which is now  a vital facility in this remote and rural small town in Western Australia.

In 2000 a CoLocation Committee was formed to oversee the feasibility of upgrading the Walpole Community Centre to relocate the Walpole Public Library to the current Lesser Hall and build a new Telecentre/Rural Transaction Centre.  Architectual plans have been drawn up for the project and a number of applications have been lodged with various funding sources.  The project has the support and backing of the Shire of Manjimup.  It is envisaged the project will be completed by mid 2004.

CoOrdinators :  Margaret Hughes                             January 1995       -       August 1995
                         Fiona Cooper                                  August 1995        -       October 1996
                         Jennifer Willcox                               October 1996      -
 
 
 

Official opening 31.01.1995	Current premises

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