Community Conversations
Come and have a chat with us.
We’re heading out across the Shire to connect with our community through a new series of drop-in sessions called Community Conversations.
You might remember these sessions previously as Your Village Matters. While the name has changed, the intent hasn’t - staying connected with our community and hearing directly from you remains just as important.
What are Community Conversations?
By bringing everything under one recognisable banner, Community Conversations makes it easier to know when we’re out in the community and how you can get involved.
These sessions are relaxed and approachable. Drop in, ask questions, share ideas and have your say on important projects. There’ll also be interactive activities for kids and adults, helping us understand what matters most to our community.
Why we're doing this?
Council makes decisions every day that shape how our region lives, grows and evolves - and it’s important those decisions are informed by the people who call this place home.
While we share updates online and through social media, we know that not everyone engages in the same way. Face-to-face conversations remain one of the most valuable ways for us to connect, listen and understand what matters most to our community.
Community Conversations create a clear and consistent space for open, two-way conversations.
These sessions will be held twice a year, allowing us to regularly connect with the community, share updates and build on the ideas and feedback we receive over time.
Who can contribute to Community Conversations?
We want to hear from a broader range of voices across our towns and villages and make it easier for people to be involved.
Whether you’ve lived in the Shire your whole life or have recently moved here, your perspective helps Council make better, more informed decisions.
Whether you can stay for five minutes, an hour, or prefer to provide feedback online — every contribution counts.
What to Expect
Each session is designed to be informal and interactive.
You can:
- Chat with Council Staff from different teams
- Learn about upcoming projects and provide feedback
- Share ideas for the big picture or areas of improvement
- Take part in activities about improving our Shire (for kids and the big kids)
- Get an insight into how Council and local government works
Creative Writing Competition
During our Community Conversations, younger participants shared a range of imaginative ideas for the future, including new bus stops, animal sanctuaries and even a rainbow volcano at Mount Kaputar.
Their creativity highlighted the importance of ensuring young people have a voice in shaping the future of our Shire.
Rather than traditional engagement activities, we are inviting students to share their ideas through creativity and storytelling.
We are asking all schools across the Narrabri Shire to participate in a Creative Writing and Drawing Competition, open to students of all ages.
Students are invited to imagine what life in the Narrabri Shire might look like 25 years from now. They don't need to be planning experts – no idea is too big or too small. This is about capturing hopes, dreams and perspectives for the future.
The ideas shared by students will help Council better understand what young people value and what they hope to see in the Narrabri Shire in the years ahead. Their contributions will help inform the long-term vision for our community.
Competition Categories:
• Early Years (K – 2): Illustrations or stories up to 300 words
• Primary (Years 3 – 6): Short stories (up to 600 words)
• Secondary (Years 7-12): Short stories (up to 1,000 words)
Entries can be any kind of creative writing including a short story or poem.
There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes awarded in each category, with movie tickets and other prizes on offer.
Entries are due Friday, 14 August 2026
Click here to view form.