Inaugural South32 Collie Small Business Awards a nod to town’s resilience in tough year

Collie’s tight-knit business community has come together to celebrate the achievements and resilience of local business owners during what was a difficult year for the town. The inaugural South32 Collie Small Business Awards recognised the work of individuals and businesses, many of whom have grown and thrived despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 crisis. The event, which was run by the Collie Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was held on Saturday night at the Collie Mineworker’s Institute. A number of businesses were recognised in several categories, including Toscas Boutique, Black Diamond Lodge, the Stephen Michael Foundation and TraaVerse. The Outstanding Achievement Award went to mechanics Ian Guppy & Co, the Local Hero Award went to the Collie River Valley Bulletin and the Judges Award was taken out by the Collie River Valley Tourist Park. Patrick and Lorna Honeywill have owned the caravan park for six years and moved to the South West town when they discovered it was for sale. Now Mr Honeywill says there is only one way he will ever leave Collie. “In a box with the lid shut.” Mrs Honeywill said the awards were a special night and the couple and their team didn’t expect to be recognised. “We were pleasantly shocked but very proud of the staff for working so hard and making this possible,” Mrs Honeywill said. “Even on the night we never thought we would be anywhere among the winners and we didn’t have a speech even thought of. “It was a magical night, they did a beautiful job on the hall.” She said she was proud of the resilience of people and businesses in Collie. “Every business had to come up with a different way of dealing with things,” she said. “Without JobSeeker, we wouldn’t necessarily have been able to continue ... we were able to keep staff on and they were able to afford to buy things in Collie so it goes around in circles.” There was also an individual award on the night, with Seth Scolari from Chicken Treat Collie taking out the Young Achiever in Business Award. Robyn Morris, one of the judges tasked with picking a winner from the many applications, said she was impressed by the town’s small business community. “It always inspires me, the calibre of the businesses we have in the region,” she said. “You all make a huge contribution and there was not one application where there wasn’t at least one thing in that application that inspired me and made me realise how wonderful our businesses are in the region.”