We’re often asked what we do at Creating Communities… Our answer? It’s in the name.
Our team use proven strategies to create communities from the ground up, by giving people the skills, attributes and attitudes to live rich and fulfilling lives, and creating space and opportunity to connect with each other.
We think it’s more important than ever that people feel part of something. We live in a society where it’s not uncommon for people to not know their neighbour’s name, and we want to change that.
We’ve been working on behalf of Peet Limited in Golden Bay for the last 12 years. Here we’ve established strong community foundations and have helped facilitate connections from the youngest members of the community with a playgroup, to creating a space for the veterans with an over 60s coffee club.
Peet recently won both the UDIA WA Award for Excellence in Social and Community Infrastructure and the highly coveted Russel Perry Award for Urban Development Excellence at the UDIA WA Awards, and was a finalist in the UDIA National Award for Excellence in the same category. The Western Australian judges considered Golden Bay to be a mature, masterplanned development with well thought-out community amenities and infrastructure that respects the natural environment.
Its three key public spaces, Shipwreck Cove, Treehouse Cove and Golden Bay’s Ladder have transformed the area, providing spaces for residents to connect with each other and the beautiful coastal environment that surrounds them.
Creating Communities community development lead Kylie Elsegood-Smith said these award-winning community spaces make the perfect space to facilitate connections and new friendships.
“Golden Bay is such a warm and welcoming community and this is the result of Peet’s commitment to creating spaces that facilitate connection and positive growth,” she said.
“This is a community that has really thrived. We’ve seen community members take on the initiatives we have introduced, like the over 60s Coffee Club, and continue it themselves. Successfully building the community’s capacity to facilitate and maintain these connections on their own is a great accomplishment.”
Creating Communities is honoured to have played a part in activating these spaces, through a variety of initiatives including a 4-week Health and Wellness Series at Shipwreck Cove in partnership with the City of Rockingham, Heart Foundation and local health and fitness providers. This event series proved popular, with up to 50 community members participating each week.
We’ve hosted multiple sundowners and workshop series, and even supported the establishment of the Golden Bay Community Garden.
We worked with the City of Rockingham to get them involved in activities and events and with local businesses to initiate the Golden Bay Business Network.
Golden Bay’s Project Director Craig Raynor said Creating Communities had played a vital role in the delivery of several key community initiatives that meet the needs of the Golden Bay, including the Golden Bay Health and Wellness Series, the Over 60s Coffee Club, the Golden Bay Sunset by the Bay Sundowner, and the Community Garden. It is initiatives like these that build community sustainability and allow residents to become strong advocates within their community.
