THE Welcome Experience is a step closer to being rolled out across the Moree Plains, with the announcement Fiona Kennedy will start as the new local connector.
The Welcome Experience is a free, concierge-style service supporting essential workers and their families to feel more at home in their new community through personalised support, local information and connections.
Ms Kennedy brings a wealth of lived experience and knowledge about relocating to the Moree Plains and the local community.
She has also been a positive advocate of living and working regionally through her previous work in Moree Plains Shire Council’s Regional Activation Unit.
“One of the amazing things about living in the Moree Plains is you really notice how one person can have so much impact in a small community,” Ms Kennedy said.
“Having a small family, I am acutely aware of the challenge in attracting and retaining our local doctors, nurses, teachers and childcare workers. I am looking forward to showing our newcomers what an amazing community we have.”
Ms Kennedy came to the Moree Plains as a backpacker in 2012 and fell in love with the big skies and wide-open spaces.
Following a hiatus in the United Kingdom for a couple of years, Ms Kennedy and her partner have called Moree home since 2018.
“Moree provides us with meaningful career opportunities and direct connections to Sydney for easier international travel to visit my friends and family,” she said.
Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty, said The Welcome Experience pilot program has been a major success since launched in June last year, supporting more than 511 workers and their families to relocate to regional New South Wales.
“Moving to a new town can be daunting, but the feedback we receive from workers is that having a Local Connector like Fiona to offer a warm welcome and local advice, significantly increases their likelihood of staying and contributing to their community long term,” Ms Moriarty said.
“We’ve had close to 1800 enquiries from a range of essential workers considering making the move, and this demand for tailored relocation support is one of the key reasons The Welcome Experience has been such a phenomenal success so far.
“The NSW Government’s recent decision to expand the program to 52 local government areas across the State reaffirms our commitment to regional communities by ensuring they receive the skilled and robust workforce they need.”
Government and non-government workers in the following industries are eligible for The Welcome Experience: health, aged care, education, early childhood, disability support, child protection and out-of-home care, and corrections and justice emergency services.
For more information about the program, visit: www.nsw.gov.au/welcomeexperience.
A community drop-in session will be held outside the Mungindi Newsagency on Wednesday, September 18 and an employer and community workshop will take place at Country Universities Centre at 21 Auburn St, Moree between 8.30am and midday on Tuesday, September 24.
