WA Governor Chris Dawson has taken an extended trip to the Wheatbelt, immersing himself the rural communities

WA Governor Chris Dawson has paid tribute to the communities that play a pivotal role in the agricultural industry, taking an extended trip to the Wheatbelt to meet the people “in their element”.

In his first excursion following the Governor’s Benefit Ball on August 30, Mr Dawson and his wife Darrilyn toured the region that plays an important role in WA’s economy, and in national and global food security.

The WA-raised Governor was sworn in as the 34th Governor of WA on July 15, 2022, after he provided 46 years of service in Australian law enforcement.

Notably, he was the former WA Police Commissioner — a role he served in from August, 2017, until July, 2022.

Kicking off the visit to the region, the Dawsons spent the whole day on September 2 in Narrogin where they were first shown around East Narrogin Primary School.

This was a special return visit to the school for the South West-raised Mrs Dawson, whose first teaching position was at the school.

The Governor was then welcomed at WA College of Agriculture — Narrogin before he visited Arts Narrogin, the not-for-profit association that supports and promotes art, culture and entertainment in Narrogin and the dryandra country region.

It was at the association’s venue in the centre of town that Mr Dawson viewed the new mural on the building’s exterior which was painted by artist Jerome Davenport in tribute to the recovery effort and resilience in the community following the 2022 bush fires.

The Governor wrapped up the day at a community reception hosted by the Shire of Narrogin, where he spoke of the vital work of volunteers in building and maintaining community, and highlighted how much their impact is felt in regional areas.

The following day, Mr Dawson officially opened the 2025 Newdegate Machinery Field Days — “the most renowned and recognised field days not only in regional WA, but in all of Australia”.

He spoke about the importance of agriculture for everyone – from farmer to seller to consumer – and highlighted the great work of regional communities like Newdegate.

“It (agriculture) is not just an industry. It is a community – made up of all the people involved,” he said.

On September 4, the Governor met with Wheatbelt and Beyond Youth Mentoring, toured the Merredin Revitalisation project and attended the Merredin Community Reception hosted by the Shire of Merredin.

To wrap up the tour, the Governor stopped into Northam and toured the Evoke Living Homes site, attended the Northam Women in Business morning tea and visited the Bilya Koort Boodja Centre for Nyoongar Culture and Environmental Knowledge.

Mr Dawson said there were many great things about the unique job of Governor but a highlight was meeting the people of WA.

“And even better when you can come and meet them at their place because that is where you see them in their element,” he said.