Darren and Vivian, the owners of Manjimup Newsagency, live and breathe their tight knit Manjimup community in the beautiful South West.
“Our community is culturally diverse, active and hard-working, which makes for great community spirit,” said Darren.
Darren was born and raised in Manjimup, before changing scenery to the Goldfields for a short few years. It was in Kalgoorlie that he bought a newsagency and learnt the in's and out's of the lottery industry.
The husband-wife duo now have a team of 10 staff running Manjimup Newsagency, making them a bustling store in the town central hub and friendly faces to their customers.
“Our store is the go-to place for not only great products, but an information source to locals and visitors – giving service and advice to the community,” said Darren.
He’s been a retailer for almost 30 years and says in that time, he’s seen the impacts of Lotterywest support in getting countless local initiatives off the ground.
“Lotterywest has been a vital source of many grants for events and projects that not only stimulate our economy but in actually making them viable to happen in the first place,” said Darren.
Every year Darren volunteers at the Lotterywest supported Manjimup Harmony Cherry Festival, which celebrates the diversity of the horticultural industry in the Manjimup region.
“It’s a great community event which was first started when our timber industry was going through a restructure phase, affecting the entire community. It was a think tank idea to unite the community and showcase everything we have down here,” he said.
He says the event is a pinnacle for the area and showcases everything Manjimup has to offer!
