It was a bit of a climate shock when Victoria Shorter moved from her home in the colder, mountainous New Zealand to the sizzling hot Pilbara. However, 14 years later, she’s acclimatised to both the weather and the challenges of living in a regional community.
Working in communications, Victoria has always had a focus on the community and all the happenings in town.
While she’s worked in many different sectors, her role in the Town Team Movement has earned her the Hedland Hero title, as she’s passionate about bringing the community together through simple, effective events and activations.
“I was already in the Portside town team, and I just love the Town Team movement. The vibe is what it’s about,” she said.
“I thought, I’ve lived in South Hedland for 13 years, I was passionate about South Hedland and to foster a sense of pride in South Hedland.”
Victoria collaborated significantly with the Town Team Movement when they brought their national conference to South Hedland. This event has inspired her further to activate different local spaces.
She says the Town Team movement is about removing the red tape and putting on simple, effective events and activities that bring the community to common spaces to chat, discover and learn about each other.
“I think there is a great opportunity here for the community to activate the spaces themselves,” she said.
“There’s much more potential for people to come together and make things happen themselves rather than rely on big organisations.
“People like to talk to other people and meet one another. So, the activity really is a side line to that. It just creates the opportunity.”
Her fellow Town Team “Doer”, Karli Beresford, told Hedland Heroes that Victoria is a real champion for her community. She’s a positive force who will give her time and kindness, which makes her one of our Hedland Heroes.
