Call to be involved in a historic rail project

The Shire of Narrogin has officially started its much-anticipated restoration of the historic Narrogin Railway Station and goods shed, enlisting the help of heritage consultant Laura Gray. The railway building has been boarded up for more than 25 years, and the project focuses on giving it a new lease of life. “We’re going to conserve the railway station and goods shed, but really, you need a reason for it to be,” said Ms Gray of Heritage Intelligence. “There’s no point conserving it and doing nothing with it because in another 10 or 20 years we’ll be doing exactly the same thing. You need to use a building to conserve it. It needs life, it needs people going there.” The first step of the project is community discussion. It is yet to be decided what the buildings will be used for, but Ms Gray and project manager Susan Guy said they wanted the community on board to have their say in what the new era of the railway building would bring. “Narrogin was one of the most important railway stations in the Great Southern,” Ms Gray said. “Wouldn’t it be great if Narrogin was the highlight of the Great Southern again because of its railway building? “We need to think ‘how are we going to activate this space into something amazing?’ “We don’t want to take away business, activities or events from town. “We need to value-add and make something extra, we need to think outside the square.” Ms Gray hosted members of the community last week for a project briefing and walk-through of the site, discussing the history, architecture and possible future plans. “We want your memories and experiences of this building. We want Narrogin to be proud of its railway station again,” she said. “We want information from the community. You are part of this, this is your history and heritage, and we really want you to engage with us on this”. The next briefing and walking tour will be held on August 4.