Katanning: Diversity Built Through Work

Katanning lies in the sheep-and-wheat country of Western Australia’s Great Southern, roughly 300 kilometres from Perth. Noongar connections to this country long predate the town. After European settlement, it was the opening of the Great Southern Railway in 1889 that brought the township into being. The roller flour mill completed in 1891 became the region’s first major industry, linking farms, freight, commerce and public services.

The shire now describes a community of about 50 language groups. Sheep saleyards, grain handling, an abattoir and meat processing continue to provide employment, allowing migrants and refugees arriving in different periods to do more than pass through. They have established families, shops, places of worship and community organisations. In 2014, the council formally declared Katanning a Refugee Welcome Zone.

Its multiculturalism is not a decorative idea imported from a capital city. Work first opened a practical point of entry; schools, streets, businesses and local institutions then helped turn strangers into neighbours. Katanning suggests that a regional community’s capacity to absorb difference depends not only on goodwill, but on structures through which people can work together, settle for the long term and participate in public life.

Sources:
https://www.katanning.wa.gov.au/the-story-of-katanning.aspx
https://inherit.dplh.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/9d926e29-3cd2-42ad-89cc-ef4db6510f7f
https://www.katanning.wa.gov.au/services/other-community-resources/refugee-welcome-zone.aspx