Three UWA students brought knowledge and skills from different courses of study and personal backgrounds to help the Shire of Wagin revitalise community assets through McCusker Centre for Citizenship internships over the winter uni break.
Undergraduate students Fred Hawkins and Krish Jain, studying Conservation Biology and Business Analytics and Management respectively, along with Master of Business Analytics student, Anna Naiju, contributed 100 hours each to project-based roles with the Great Southern region Shire, gaining unique perspectives on work and life in WA’s wheatbelt.
Anna worked on a business plan for the Wagin caravan park, researching community needs, analysing booking trends, benchmarking against other parks in the region, and proposing improvements including infrastructure upgrades and online booking.
“The ideas I proposed, like improving safety through CCTV, creating accessible cabins for people with disabilities, adding power outlets, and making the park more pet and family-friendly, came from real conversations with residents,” Anna said.
“These are practical changes that reflect the voices of the community, which helped create a vision for a more inclusive, welcoming, and future-ready caravan park.”
For Fred, working on a renewal plan for the Wait-Jen Trail was an opportunity to contribute his skills to a culturally and environmentally significant tourist attraction for Wagin and the region.
“The Wait-Jen Trail is a 10km long cultural heritage track located just south of the townsite. The trail meanders through several picturesque and well-known salt lakes and lies in an area of Indigenous historical significance. Since its construction in 2003, the trail has fallen into disrepair; my internship role involved assessing the trail and researching the financial, communal and infrastructural requirements of redeveloping the trail, and what a renewed trail would look like,” he said.
“I believe my work will with the Shire will help attract support for the protection of WA’s biodiverse ecosystems by educating visitors on the rare and unique flora and fauna of the area, as well as the many Indigenous communities that have deep, knowledgeable and longstanding connections to these environments.
Krish gained experience as a Marketing and Communications Intern, putting together a prospectus for commercial use of a historic but unused building in Wagin’s town square.
Partnering with the McCusker Centre program for the first time, the Shire of Wagin team took the internships as an opportunity not just to gain the support of motivated interns for their projects, but to introduce emerging young professional to life in the Wheatbelt.
“It was a pleasure hosting Anna, Fred and Krish, who all made great progress on the projects they supported and brought enthusiasm to the office,” said Shire CEO, Kenneth Parker.
“The interns joined our community indoor soccer, and attended the volunteer-run district club to play darts and pool with the locals. They toured a farm with one of our Councillors, where they had the opportunity to drive machinery, see working dogs round up sheep, and learn about the processes for planning and harvesting canola and oats.”
For the interns, contributing to projects with clear links to the close-knit and welcoming community they were guests in was a highlight of the experience.
“Doing a solo walk-through of the Wait-Jen Trail to assess its condition and take reference photos for my report was a highlight, it featured idyllic and awe-inspiring scenery and showcased Wagin’s flora, fauna and geography. Interactions with my co-workers and other locals in this town who will benefit from a revitalised trail was another high point, everybody was really welcoming, warm and hospitable, immediately making me feel included,” said Fred.
“The internship gave me a new appreciation of how much team work and collaboration goes into plans and projects undertaken by Local Governments, particularly in a regional context,” he said.
“Being based in Wagin was one of the most meaningful aspects of this internship,” said Anna.
“The experience of living and working in a small regional town opened my eyes to the strong sense of community, warmth, and kindness that exists there; from the very beginning, I was welcomed with genuine smiles and support — not just from my colleagues at the Shire, but also from residents.
“I would wholeheartedly recommend the McCusker Centre internship. It gives you a chance to grow while giving back to the community, helping you find purpose, discover your strengths, and engage with real community needs.”
Image: Shire of Wagin CEO, Kenneth Parker, with UWA student interns Fred Hawkins, Krish Jain and Anna Naiju