Pirie Voices

13/08/2026

We’re excited to share that Anita Kuss is joining the Pirie Voices team!

Following her time as CEO of Uni Hub Spencer Gulf, Anita brings a wealth of experience in community-led development and is passionate about ensuring local people remain at the centre of shaping the future of our regional communities.

We’ve had an incredible response from the Port Pirie community with almost 1,200 people sharing their hopes, challenges and ideas for the future. Our focus now is to bring together all those voices and put a plan in place – with the community – about how we turn what we’ve heard into meaningful action.

Over the coming months, we'll be sharing what we've learned, inviting the community back into the conversation and into the decisions, and working together on the next steps that reflect what matters most to Port Pirie.

Welcome Anita, it’s great to have you leading us through this next important part of the Pirie Voices journey.

📰 Read the full media release: https://www.pirievoices.com/news

11/08/2026

🙌 Every voice makes a difference.
As we prepare to finalise the Pirie Voices report, there's still an opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas.

Contribute here:
🌐 www.pirievoices.com

08/08/2026

⏳ Don't miss your chance to contribute!
The window to provide feedback on the Pirie Voices project is closing soon.

Join the conversation and make your voice count:
bit.ly/PV_ShapingourFuture

🌐 www.pirievoices.com

03/08/2026

Soon we will be preparing the 1000 report and sharing some exciting updates about what's planned for the year ahead.

💬 Remember your voice matters.
If you haven't yet shared your ideas through Pirie Voices, there's still time! Feedback will soon be brought together to help shape the final report.

Have your say today:
bit.ly/PV_ShapingourFuture

🌐 www.pirievoices.com

31/07/2026

We've been a bit quiet on socials this last month - but there's a lot happening behind the scenes. We'll have an update soon, but in the meantime...

📢 There's still time to have your say!

Share your thoughts today:
bit.ly/PV_ShapingourFuture

👉 www.pirievoices.com

02/07/2026

A big thank you to the staff and students at Mid North Education Centre for hosting Pirie Voices for breakfast and the opportunity to connect with parents.

It’s so important to us to hear from a diverse cross-section of our community, and we really appreciate you being part of the conversation.

We have reached our target of 1,000 Voices but the conversations continue. There is still time to contribute via our online survey 👉 bit.ly/PV_ShapingourFuture

01/07/2026

What a month for Pirie Voices!

Thanks to our amazing community, we've reached an incredible milestone of 1,000 conversations, in fact we have now completed 1154 conversations. 💬🎉

From connecting with local organisations and schools, to meaningful community discussions and learning alongside communities from across Australia at the National Place-based Summit, every conversation has helped strengthen our collective voice.

A special thank you to everyone who has shared their thoughts, stories and ideas so far.

Together, we're shaping our future, one conversation at a time.

There is still time to contribute, complete the survey here 👇
bit.ly/PV_ShapingourFuture

01/07/2026

On behalf of the Pirie Voices Leadership Group, we’d like to say a huge thank you to Paula Backstrom for the incredible work she has done over the past year. Commencing in July 2025, Paula took on the very first role with Pirie Voices – a completely new initiative with big plans to put community at the centre of driving their own agenda, believing that our community could achieve more when we listen to each other, when we work together and when we get to make decisions about our future and lead change.

Our first step was hearing from community, and we set a goal of listening to 1,000 voices in the first year. Paula stepped into the role with purpose, determination and such a strong passion for the community. From one-on-one conversations, to workshops, meetings, events, forums, pop-ups, media appearances and so much more - Paula has helped us hear so many local voices, surpassing our goal of 1,000 three months early. The Leadership Group always looked forward to Paula’s reflections on how incredible and meaningful all these interactions were.

We couldn’t have asked for a better Pirie Voices Coordinator to lead us through this first year! As Paula returns to her role at Country Arts SA, we’re well into planning for the next stage of Pirie Voices and will keep you posted with more updates on this very soon.

To Paula – your contribution to Port Pirie, surrounding communities and Pirie Voices has been incredible. Your belief and passion for the local community is unwavering, and we know you’ll continue to be a strong advocate and leader of the community into the future. Thank you!

30/06/2026

A farewell from Paula

As my time as Pirie Voices Coordinator comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what an incredibly rewarding journey this has been.

It’s been a privilege to work alongside such a passionate and committed community, from local residents and volunteers to our partners across government, NGOs and industry. Every conversation, every idea shared, and every connection made has helped shape what Pirie Voices is all about.

What has stood out most is the willingness of people in Port Pirie to show up, speak up and be part of shaping the future together. It’s something truly special.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their experiences, welcome me into your spaces, and support this work along the way. I’m so proud of what Pirie Voices is building and excited to see it continue to grow.

While I’m stepping away from this role, I’ll always carry with me the stories, connections and inspiration from this community and I'm excited to take on a new role within the initiative as a community volunteer.

Keep the conversations going...your voice matters.
— Paula

30/06/2026

🖤💛❤️ Our community have been telling us they want more events for young people and more opportunities to celebrate culture and this is one not to miss! 🖤💛❤️

Hosted by Uniting Country SA - check out all the details below 👇

🎉 EVENT REMINDER: PORT PIRIE NAIDOC YOUTH BALL THIS WEEK! 🎉

ALL young people aged 10–17 are invited to a FREE night of food, music and dancing to help celebrate 50 years of NAIDOC Week! 🖤💛❤️

📅 Thursday 2 July
⏰ 6pm–9pm
📍 Port Pirie Golf Club

It's almost time to dress up and hit the dance floor! 💃🕺 Formal wear, hair & makeup appointments available at no cost!

Grab your friends and don’t miss out on this fun, fully supervised event hosted by Uniting Country SA 🙌

If you want to be part of the fun, register via the QR code or vist ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/PPNAIDOCball2026 or contact Hayley on 0427 394 025.

Uniting Country SA
Discover Port Pirie
Yorke and Northern Local Health Network
Aboriginal Health and Community Group