Kalbarri local Grace Crogan, 21, recognised with 2023 7News Young Achievers Awards nomination

A Kalbarri local who has spent years supporting regional arts, and helped raised tens of thousands for her hometown when it was hit by cyclone Seroja, has been nominated for an award recognising young people and their contributions. Grace Crogan, 21, has been nominated for the WA Young Achievers Awards’ Regional Service Award. It has been a great moment for Ms Crogan, who said she didn’t see it coming. “It was a surprise, honestly. A friend, a regional worker, nominated me, and it came at a hard time so it meant a lot,” she said. “It felt like an honour someone saw the work I have put in.” Ms Crogan’s introduction to volunteering and the regional art scene began when she organised a youth arts group for the 2016 Kalbarri Zest Festival. Since then, she has been an active part of the regional art scene, volunteering and working for groups such as Regional Arts WA, Euphorium and Perth Festival, and climbed the ranks to become an executive board director and secretary for RAWA, where she continues to advocate for regional youth. Ms Crogan said she believed strongly in promoting regional art, so young artists could have the opportunities she did not. “I advocate for bringing opportunities to kids in the regions, ultimately I left because there wasn’t any opportunity for me at home to develop in that direction,” she said. In 2021, after cyclone Seroja hit Kalbarri, Ms Crogan travelled from Perth back to her hometown to answer the call for help. “Three days after the cyclone, me and my family were taking up cars and trailers with foods, bedsheets and supplies up to Kalbarri,” she recalled. With her mother and two other locals, Ms Crogan started up the Kalbarri Rebuild Fund to help get money to those who needed it most. “It was such a freak event, the town was completely unprepared . . . people who needed money most were often those without,” she said. “We needed to help make the grants process as simple as possible, because a lot of people were still recovering from emotional shock and trauma.” With her background in management and experience applying for grants, she played an important role as her town rebuilt, and the fund raised $90,000 which went to 40 households. Looking back at her seven years of volunteering, Ms Crogan said it was one of the best things a young person could do to help find themselves. “All that can happen is you find out you don’t like something, and that just clears up the trajectory for where you want to go,” she said. The 2023 7News Young Achievers Awards WA winners will be revealed on May 26. Youth Week runs from April 14 to 21.