WA town has its own supermarket again after seven-year wait
Perenjori Supermarket opened its doors on Friday, with a ceremony and guest speakers followed by a community barbecue.
The town's supermarket closed in 2018, forcing residents to travel to Morawa — a 100km return trip — to collect their groceries. The building was then destroyed by cyclone Seroja in 2021. The shire then bought the site after the building was demolished.
Construction of the new supermarket started late last year, with Perth-based construction company Breffini Group in charge of the $4 million project.
On its Facebook page, the Shire of Perenjori thanked everyone for attending the opening: 'It was a fantastic turnout and we are thrilled to have this magnificent facility in our town,' it said.
Durack MP Melissa Price spoke at the opening and congratulated the shire for making this happen.
'It's the little big things that count in our regional towns. Like a supermarket,' she said.
'Judging by the crowd (at the opening), the locals aren't taking this new important community hub for granted.'
Nationals WA leader and Mid-West MLA Shane Love was also at the opening and remarked on the 'great vibe in town'.
'This is a project built from pure community spirit, supported by $500,000 Cyclone Seroja Resilience funding,' he said.
Perenjori shire president Jude Sutherland previously said it was vital for rural communities to have access to services like a supermarket.
'Attracting new families, businesses, staff for the town is important, and it's very difficult to attract people without services like this,' she said.
'It creates a community hub, and links all the businesses in the main street.'
The council funded the project through its reserves, grants and a loan.
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