Village Visionaries: Celebrating the Power of Placemaking in Wellard Village!

I am incredibly proud to turn a spotlight on the remarkable work of Alyce Brewis, the City of Kwinana's Place Leader, who has been instrumental in transforming the way our community engages with and experiences village life in Wellard. Alyce’s dedication to placemaking has left an enduring mark on the Kwinana community, setting a new benchmark for local government authorities across WA.

When I first joined the City of Kwinana, Alyce took me out to Wellard on a quiet Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. during my first week. It was a stark introduction to the challenges we faced - empty streets, vacant shopfronts, and while neat and tidy, it would be fair to say was lacking a little life and energy! While there was a lot to love about Wellard, including an already-active Town Team, aptly named the Wellard Village People, my first impression was that it would have been a stretch to state that it was a vibrant village at that time of day, that’s for sure! We walked the length of the main street, The Strand, for nearly an hour, and at best, saw a handful of people. The silence was only broken by the occasional car passing through, and the occasional train departing the station that lays adjacent to The Strand. The potential was there, but it was clear that something needed to change. Someone needed to breathe life back into this community hub. The scene was set for, Alyce Brewis! An ex-planner, and South Australian, but lest we hold that against her (says the Canberran with a wry smile)!

Enough about interstate politics, Canberra may not win that battle, so let’s get back to the story..

Let’s fast forward to a year later, and Alyce and I found ourselves back in Wellard. You guessed it, another Tuesday at 10 a.m. but this time, for a meeting. The transformation was nothing short of remarkable. The main street was bustling with activity—children playing on the newly installed structures, mothers with prams stopping for coffee, people enjoying the sounds emanating from the piano that a generous community member donated, and residents lounging in the arcade designed by local Kwinana youth. The once-empty shopfronts were now vibrant and full, and the entire village radiated a strong sense of energy and connection – on a Tuesday, at 10 a.m.! It was a living testament to the power of placemaking, and more so, Alyce’s unwavering commitment to the Wellard community. You see, Placemaking is more than a job. It is the cross-section of asset-based community development, strategic place management, considered economic development and all fed and fuelled by a strong desire and commitment to leave a place, and community, better off for the future! ?

You see, since 2019, Alyce and the City’s Place Team have been actively collaborating with the Wellard Village People Town Team and the Wellard community to bring life to the heart of the village, hosting events like Halloween celebrations, Gift & Take Markets, and much more. This ongoing relationship allowed the City to capitalise on an opportunity through RAC’s Reconnect WA initiative, leading to the rejuvenation of Wellard Village’s Main Street - The Strand.

Initially planned as a traditional co-design project, the community’s enthusiasm for a more dynamic approach firstly informed, and then led Alyce to champion a 7-Day Makeover, a concept planned and delivered by the truly unique, David Engwicht and his committed team at Creative Communities Australia. For context, the 7-Day Makeover is where residents plan, design, and transform a street (or place) in just one short action-packed week!

Strong leadership was pivotal in coordinating this ambitious project, from fostering partnerships to advocating for a flexible, agile planning process, Alyce used the initiative to deepen her relationships with many teams across the City – Assets, Planning, the Depot, Engineering, Community Engagement, Youth, Finance, Marketing – you name it, Aly was working with them!

An appetite for risk is important (and often referred to in Placemaking as a ‘trial’), but perhaps second to an ability to convince people that risk can lead to high-stakes reward! Again, Aly used her negotiation skills and planning nous, to develop a communal interest, and hunger to step outside the box!

What happened?

Well, I am proud to say that the results speak for themselves:

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• 177 local volunteers, contributing a mammoth 441 days of blood, sweat, and tears to this local community project. Fun fact: this community effort is valued at over $162,000 when looked at through an ROI lens.
• ?94% of participants reported increased pride in their local area and a stronger sense of community.
• ?A dramatic improvement in the public space’s accessibility, usability, comfort, and sociability, with sociability alone rising by an impressive 94%.

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Beyond the physical transformation, however, the project has woven a stronger, more connected community fabric in Wellard. Alyce’s work has proven that when local governments listen, adapt, and truly engage with their communities, the results can be extraordinary and actually life-changing. Community-changing even, and I don’t say that lightly.

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The project has gone on to win the following awards:

• ?The Minister for Local Government’s Place Innovation Awards - Outstanding Achievement Award (Monday 18 September)
• LG Pro WA Honour Awards - Partnership and Collaboration Award (Wednesday 8 November)
• 2023 Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) WA Awards for Planning Excellence - Stakeholder Engagement Award (17 November 2023)
• 2024 PIA National Awards for Planning Excellence – Commendation for Stakeholder Engagement

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Awards aside though, the biggest gift is the gift of change. Wellard will never be that same meek and quiet community again. Thank you, Alyce, for your unwavering commitment to making Kwinana a better place to live, work, and connect. Your impact will be felt for years to come.

A special thanks and kudos also to the following wonderful people/teams:

• Wellard Village People (our local Town Team)
• RAC – the wonderful team who sponsored the event and volunteered extensively
• Jenny Marslen (fellow Place Leader) & Alexi Peacock (Coordinator)
• Creative Communities Australia – David Engwicht and team
• Claire Cardew and family (who coordinated & engaged many volunteers)
• Julian Corliss (Perth Wicking Beds) who donated skill, and immense time to the effort
• Kwinana Youth Advisory Council, aptly led and supported by Nikki Chatham (who worked and volunteered for a total of 93 hours over the week)
• Councillors – especially Cr Matthew Rowse, Cr Michael Brown, Mayor Peter Feasey
• City of Kwinana’s Executive Leadership Team and staff across the organisation

(Special shoutout to the team from the Depot)

• The generous community of Wellard – 177 of them who actively planned and constructed the new-look high street
• Wellard Square Shopping Centre
• The property owners who took a leap of faith in allowing a community-led project to alter the street

Many of us work for years and even decades looking to make an impact in a community. In this case, Aly has forever changed the Wellard community for the better. Aly’s impact will be seen and felt for years to come. It will live in the interactions that people have on the Strand, it will live in the laughter of the children that play and socialise in areas dedicated to them, it will be felt in the hip-pockets of the small business owners up and down the Strand, and it will be seen in the increase in amenity and rise in house prices, as Wellard becomes an even more desirable community to live, work and play in!

Aly Brewis, take a bow!

#Placemaking #CommunityEngagement #LocalGovernment #Kwinana #WellardVillage #Leadership

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