Being a part of Great Southern Development Commission a privilege, says Bruce Manning as he steps away

Since Bruce Manning was first appointed as chief executive of the Great Southern Development Commission in 2000, a lot has changed in the region. Mr Manning has kept a keen and watchful eye over much of it through his involvement in the GSDC, first, as its chief executive for 21 years and then as the chair of its board for a further two. Now he has stepped away. An opinion piece penned by Regional Development Minister Don Punch last week said there were a “few who have contributed more to the economic development of the Great Southern”. During his 23-year involvement with the commission, Mr Manning rarely sought the limelight or credit. As such, the praise and kudos being heaped upon him now sit somewhat uncomfortably, but the acknowledgement from Mr Punch is something that means a little bit more as it comes from a person well-versed in the role. Much of Mr Manning’s tenure as GSDC chief executive crossed over with Mr Punch’s own 18-year stint as the chief executive at the South West Development Commission. Mr Manning said it was nice to read what the minister thought of him because “I have a lot of time for Don”, but it pointed to a key factor that had allowed the region to develop well over the past two decades. “To get things done whoever is representing you has to go in to bat for resources which are always limited by definition, so it’s the quality of their representation which is key,” he said. “I want to put on record that we’ve had very good regional development ministers through my time, and good local members to support the activities of those good things in the regions.” Development commissions dotted throughout nine regional WA areas play an important role in advocating for their communities, attracting funding for projects and growing economic opportunities. They are overseen by the Regional Development Minister in the State Government but act as an on-the-ground conduit for regional towns and cities. “Sometimes we are required to do lots of different things or the demands of the region are such that we get called on to do other things,” Mr Manning said. “We sometimes manage projects and we sometimes just sit on committees of community groups trying to drive projects to happen — it’s a pretty wide-ranging role.” Some of the changes that stick out in Mr Manning’s memory of over two decades involved in the commission are the Albany waterfront, establishing a university presence and building student accommodation. He also said there had been great developments in the agricultural sector through soil and water conservation and changing cropping techniques, along with the rise of farming groups like Stirlings to Coast. “Another significant development on the hospitality and tourism side of things has been the development of walking, bike and — drive trails in the regions,” he said. “I’m thinking about the Mundi Biddi and Bibbulmun Track, but also at a local government level, there is a big emphasis on trails which has a significant effect on our tourism sector. “And related to that there has been a realisation of the potential and consolidation of nature-based tourism, there is a much greater appreciation of the value of national parks.” He also highlighted the work done in numerous town centres throughout the region. “Almost without exception, each town in the region has made a real effort to try and enhance its appeal in terms of amenity,” he said. “One great example would be Katanning where a lot of effort and money has gone into creating greater amenity and beautification in the town centre, which has attracted and been complimentary to some really significant initiatives.” More recently he said the region had done “really well” during the COVID period and, separately, it has been a huge positive to see several “good young” Indigenous leaders come through in the region. He said it had been a privilege to be part of the GSDC for such a long time as part of a great team that continues to be “out there trying to make things happen and assist other people trying to get things to happen”. “One thing that becomes clear in regional development is that it is not about one person, it’s about groups of people and many people making a contribution,” he said. “I was paid to do the role, but wherever you go in the role half the people are sitting there providing their effort on a volunteer basis. “It’s important that we recognise broad effort in the whole thing.” He said the perception of the Great Southern as a desirable place to live and work had grown substantially compared with other places in WA and further afield. “If I ever do travel I always come back here,” he said. “I’m absolutely grateful for what we have here, the lifestyle opportunities and the natural environment is increasingly being recognised.”