Men’s Shed volunteer who helped create Narrogin’s unique entry signs urges council not to change them

One of the volunteers who helped craft the signs that welcome people to the Narrogin townsite is pleading with the council not to replace them with $171,000 rock designs that “every second shire has got”.

Narrogin resident Frank Heffernan was one of about 10 Men’s Shed volunteers who a decade ago helped build the elements of the gate and silo statement signs positioned at the town’s four main entries.

“It was a local artist that designed it as a result of the competition that was run, and that was the winner,” he said.

“The men’s shed were asked to build silos and, we built 16 altogether for four different sites, and we also were given the lettering, and we welded them onto the gates, and we also did the painting of the original ones.

“The men’s shed did all that as volunteer labour and we were very pleased and proud of what we’d done.”

Mr Heffernan was horrified to hear the Shire of Narrogin was asking the community its opinion on replacing the current signage with new stone-look statements, at a total cost of $171,000.

“It is a much photographed icon of Narrogin, and I see no reason at all why they need to be replaced,” he said.

“It seems to me that a waste of $171,000 for no good purpose whatsoever.

“There are plenty of things that we could spend that money on that would be a much better use and much more useful to the residents who will be paying for this, and I can’t see they’re going to get any benefit from it at all.”

He said the design of the signs, which are situated at the east and west entries on Williams-Kondinin Road, and the southern and northern entries on Great Southern Highway, reflected the town’s character.

“Narrogin is an agricultural town and the silos represent the grain growing industry of the area, and the gate represents the livestock enterprises of the area,” he said.

“The design is quite unique, it’s low maintenance, it stands out as an original, and it’s different from any other town design in the area, it’s low maintenance.

“The rock wall that they’re talking about replacing it with, every second council’s got one of those — it’s like keeping up with the Joneses, but for no good purpose.

“It’s a bit of an insult to us.”

The community consultation period for the project closes on June 29 at 4pm.

Feedback on the signage can be emailed to enquiries@narrogin.wa.gov.au, posted to PO Box 1145, Narrogin WA 6312 or dropped off in person to the shire administration office at 89 Earl Street.

Comments should have the subject line: Entry Statement Design Consultation.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Narrogin’s executive manager of infrastructure services John Warburton via enquiries@narrogin.wa.gov.au or 08 9890 0900.