Toodyay Herald

Sean Hefferon
TOODYAY faces a growing infrastructure crisis as the Shire Council struggles to maintain and replace ageing bridges, impacting residents and straining the local budget.

The closure of Slaughterhouse Bridge last month at short notice has highlighted the urgent need for action, while concerns mount over the condition of Dumbarton Bridge and the recent vandalism-related closure of the Newcastle Park footbridge.

Slaughterhouse Bridge, built in 1937 and spanning Toodyay Brook, was the subject of a Main Roads WA report in 2021.

The report revealed the “significant deterioration in the timber elements of the support structure,” and emergency repairs, including acrow props and steel bands, were undertaken in 2023, but the bridge’s condition continued to decline.

Council acknowledged the need to replace Slaughterhouse Bridge as far back as May 2024, however, new funding guidelines from July 2024 require the shire to cover 20% of the bridge replacement costs, with the remaining 80% sourced from State or Federal government grants.

THE TOWN of Toodyay has become an unlikely haven for Christmas enthusiasts, thanks to a unique store dedicated to festive decorations and items almost year-round.
Christmas 360, an enchanted wonderland of lights and colour, has become a major tourist drawcard for the town.

Founded in 2013 by Sean Byron, a former electrician with a lifelong passion for Christmas, the store occupies the space of a former supermarket and has since transformed Toodyay’s retail landscape.

Byron, a long-time resident of Toodyay, initially conceived the idea as a passion project.

However, a turning point came with his partner, Dr Richard Walkey OAM, receiving a diagnosis of gallbladder cancer in November 2012.

Dr Walkey, a beloved local GP for many years, encouraged Byron to pursue his dream.

Although Dr Walkey sadly passed away before witnessing the full extent of the store’s success, his legacy remains a significant part of the shop’s story and Mr Byron named the shop in his honour, “Richard’s Christmas 360” – symbolising Richard’s spirit and the idea of “Christmas all around”.

The name was later shortened to “Christmas 360” as the business grew and developed a broader brand identity, especially once it began attracting statewide visitors and launched its online store.

“Richard’s encouragement was the push I needed,” Mr Byron said.

“He believed in the idea, and I wanted to make it a reality, not just for myself, but for him and for Toodyay.”

Today, “A Toodyay Christmas” offers an extensive array of Christmas decorations, from traditional ornaments and twinkling lights to unique, handcrafted pieces.

The store’s commitment to the festive season extends beyond retail as it actively participates in local events, including Toodyay’s annual Christmas Street party.

More recently, Mr Byron’s partner, Simon Kohler, has become involved in the business, focusing on the wholesale side of the operation.

Together, they are working to expand the store’s reach and bring the joy of Christmas to a wider audience.

The store’s impact on Toodyay has been significant.

Local businesses report an increase in foot traffic and the town’s tourism sector has benefited from the store’s unique appeal.

Visitors flock to Toodyay throughout the year, eager to experience the magic that Christmas 360 offers.

For Perth visitors, Ian and Margaret a visit to Toodyay isn’t complete without dropping into the festive store.

“It’s an experience and it brings a smile to your face,” said Margaret.
Mr Byron leads the store with a commitment to improving the Christmas experience for customers.

His efforts and that of his team have made the Toodyay shop a popular year-round destination in the Wheatbelt.

Sean Hefferon

ROZ Davidson of Toodyay has been awarded the prestigious Badgingarra Roadhouse Local Legend Award at the 7NEWS WA Community Achievement Awards, recognising her tireless work championing equity, kindness, and community support in the region.

Roz is the founder of Toodyay Locals Care (TLC), an organisation she built from the ground up, starting at her own kitchen table, after she, herself a cancer survivor, learned of a U.S. program where people visiting cancer-treatment patients provided companionship.

From that point on TLC’s scope grew to meet other locals needs and with Roz’s determination transformed   into a vital service hub for the Toodyay community.

The winners were announced on Saturday 25th October 2025 during the Awards Gala Presentation Dinner with Noel Brunning from 7NEWS Regional WA Presenter as the MC for the evening. Over 270 guests gathered from across the State to celebrate Western Australia’s community achievers.

Leading a team of over 30 volunteers, Roz oversees a wide range of services provided by TLC including medical transport for those in need, food assistance programs, clothing donations and the provision of emergency supplies to individuals and families facing hardship.

Sean Hefferon

A SUMMARY, by definition, is supposed to capture the main points of something, however, arguably how answers to public questions at council meetings are summarised and documented may stretch that commonsense definition.

At issue is whether the council’s record-keeping accurately reflects the substance of discussions, concerning, in this instance, a major land development project.

The Toodyay Herald put a question at the September council meeting regarding the financial projections for a land development project with a budget of nearly $2.2 million.

The Herald sought clarity on the expected revenue forecast the shire anticipates from the project.

Sean Hefferon

THE 2025 Toodyay Agricultural Show drew thousands of visitors on what was a sunny October day.

That the show was a great success is no small achievement, given the shortage of volunteers to put the event together.

The show itself, a highlight of the Toodyay community calendar, featured a range of exhibits, livestock displays and entertainment, attracting locals and visitors alike.

The Julimar Volunteer Bushfire Brigade were kept busy as attentive children (unlike a former politician) were happy to hold a hose – and in this instance used the water gushing out of the firehose to knock over witches’ hats, much to the delight of their parents as they watched on.

Among those who made the journey to the country show were Ian and Margaret, who travelled by train from Perth to attend.

“We always look forward to coming to the Toodyay Agricultural Show and have done so for years,” said Margaret.

“Catching the train up is a bonus as we get to also see the Avon Valley.”

Moondyne Men
Graham Hill

ANOTHER busy month for the Moondyne Men with several community projects being completed.

One in particular being the presentation of several boxes of Lego to the Toodyay Library by chairman Peter Phillips and received by library coordinator Heidi Malone and the Toodyay library team.

This is to entertain the younger people visiting the library and possibly some older ones as well.

Thursday September 18 saw a visit from Bendigo Bank manager Kirsten Barack.

Kirsten spoke to us about credit card fraud and scams and how to avoid them in particular with online transactions and, if required, check with your bank before parting with any information or money.

It’s particularly important as we age and become less familiar with the IT world.

We thank Kirsten for making time to come and speak to us as our guest speaker.

 

VBFB Toodyay Central
Peter Brennan

IN AUGUST, shire brigade members were advised our CESM, Rob Koch had resigned from his position and taken up an opportunity with DFES in the Northam regional office.

We offer Rob our heartfelt gratitude for the 10 years of outstanding service he gave to the community as our CESM.

Rob joined the Toodyay Central VBFB in early 2009 and he served as a volunteer during the devastating December 29 fire in which crews worked tirelessly until January 26 to contain flare-ups.

Rob was a great asset to the brigade and cemented himself as a sound leader amongst our team.

In May 2015 Rob resigned from the brigade as a Lieutenant to take up his new appointment as the new Toodyay and Goomalling CESM.

He has much to be proud of for what he achieved over his 10 years in the position.

A natural leader and a true professional, Rob gave 100 percent of his energy to everything he did in the job.

He ensured Toodyay brigades were at the forefront of new equipment instalments.

We have a great range of personal protection equipment (PPE), lockers in our stations or separate clothing storage rooms to protect from diesel particulate contamination and three new fire stations in the shire.

Rob expanded our trainer assessor team and along with himself, increased the range of courses available to be delivered, including on road driver training.

He encouraged us to increase the number of volunteers qualified on chainsaws and for individuals to consider greater roles within the brigades.

Furthermore, he obtained highly relevant training aids for the courses we ran.

During his tenure, we have received new appliances, expanded radio set ups and significantly improved burnover protection equipment within cabs.

Rob also oversaw the instalment of a television screen in the appliance parking bays to monitor the BART communication systems updates during callouts.

Further, he oversaw the reorganisation of several fire emergency water tanks across the shire to more relevant locations, as well as the installation of new waters tanks to cover identified vulnerable areas.

Additionally, Rob championed the installation of water bores at a number of fire stations along with sufficient tanks to help improve appliance refill turnaround times in emergencies.

Rob encouraged us all to improve our professionalism by quietly guiding us all in that direction through both his own example and a quiet word here and there.

Leading from the front, Rob always developed and presented comprehensive and significant papers to the Bushfire Advisory Committee, including a recent complete rewrite of our standard operating procedures.

Finally, he along with both our CBFCO Craig Stewart and DCBFCO Nick Griggs, demonstrated how good leadership inspires others.

It has been an honour to work with Rob since I joined the Toodyay Central VBFB in 2013 and we all wish him the very best for the future.

I have no doubt that he will excel at anything he turns his hand to and trust that the depth of knowledge and experience he has built over his time as CESM will not go unnoticed.

All brigades now await the appointment of a new CESM and will throw their full support behind both Martin Aldridge who is filling the position during the transition and whoever takes up a permanent tenure.

As a last note, the prohibited ‘no burning’ season begins on 1 November so by then firebreaks should be in place and properties cleared up in preparation for the coming hot summer.

The shire does conduct inspections each year to assess compliance and penalties do apply for non-compliance.

By Sean Hefferon

THE TOODYAY shire council has approved the minutes from its August meeting despite concerns raised about their accuracy.

At each council meeting, Toodyay shire councillors are required to confirm the minutes from the previous month’s meeting.

At the September 25 council meeting, the elected members voted 4-1 (for – Crs McKeown, Dival, Prater, McCormick; against – Cr Madasci) to accept the minutes of the August council meeting.

The approval came despite The Toodyay Herald bringing several errors in the minutes to the attention of the Shire President Mick McKeown and CEO Aaron Bowman by email on September 10.

This email was forwarded by the Herald to all councillors on September 11 – two weeks before the September council meeting when the minutes were to be confirmed.

A response was not received to either email.

By Sean Hefferon

THE TOODYAY TABTouch Picnic Races took place on September 28, attracting thousands for a day of country hospitality and racing.

The annual event blends the thrill of the races with family-friendly entertainment.
As horses pounded down the track, the crowd fell silent only erupting in cheers and shouts as winners surged ahead, while near misses drew groans and playful banter. The marquee event, the 2025 TABTouch Toodyay Cup, kept the

crowd waiting until late afternoon – to see an    angel finish first.

Capable Angel trained by Busselton’s Brandon Fiore and ridden by Lucy Fiore thrilled the crowd finishing a length ahead.

Voters denied chance to test council majority

Sean Hefferon

THE UPCOMING local government election for the Shire of Toodyay has been completed, with all four councillor vacancies filled by an equal number of candidates, negating the need for a public vote.

Returning councillors, McKeown and McCormick, will retain their positions, continuing their tenure on the council.

Both were also elected unopposed in 2021.

Joining them are Ray Mills, who previously ran for council in 2023, and Simon Van Der Heyden.

Each will assume their roles in the shire’s chamber (photograph below) from October, without the need to campaign.