Halls Creek councillors will vote at its next meeting on whether to rescind a new shire logo design amid cultural concerns.
The motion to rescind the new design adopted by the council at the March 2026 ordinary council meeting, has been put forward by councillors Paul Robson, Rosemary Stretch and Patricia McKay.
It follows a petition submitted to the council at the May 21 ordinary council meeting with 234 signatures, requesting councillors to rescind the logo change on cultural grounds.
The new logo design is an interpretation of the Wat Na hand gesture using local palm fronds, symbolising “welcome, connection and a hub of cultural strength”, honouring Halls Creek’s reputation as a central meeting place where people, roads and ideas converge.
The lines in the logo represent waterways and the land’s ancient stories while the colours were colour-matched to the rivers, earth, wildflowers and flora in and around Halls Creek.
The new tagline You Beauty is designed to acknowledge the beauty of the area and its people, and as a nod to the “beauty” of a winning goal or a community achievement.
It is set to replace the old logo which has been largely unchanged for decades and features a Brahman bull, an Aboriginal family sitting around a campfire, a gold prospector and the Bungle Bungle ranges representing the towns gold prospecting, farming and Aboriginal history.
The logo was previously changed in 2021, simplifying the design and replacing an image depicting three Aboriginal men with spears to the image of the Aboriginal family around the campfire.
Petitioners objected to the removal of the Bungle Bungles and the parts of the logo representing the traditional owners on cultural and spiritual grounds, in addition to the changing of the logo’s tagline from Golden Heart of the Kimberley to You Beauty.
The rescind motion also claimed there had been no community discussion or input on the designs.
The March 2026 decision to adopt the new logo was split three for and three against and was only carried by the casting vote of shire president Brenda Garstone.
The shire has already begun rolling out the new brand with work currently under way on a website redesign, and the new logo has already been placed on rate notices, invoices and social media.
Shire chief executive Susan Leonard warned revoking the decision now could lead to reputational damage, “duplication of expenditure” and a waste of staff resources.
“Revocation of a recently adopted council resolution after implementation has commenced may reduce confidence in council’s strategic planning and long-term decision-making; affect confidence among funding agencies, suppliers and other external stakeholders; and create uncertainty for the community, staff, contractors and government stakeholders,” she noted in the agenda.
The motion will go to a vote at the July 23 ordinary council meeting.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails