After serving as the local councillor for the Canungra region for more than 20 years you would have expected Virginia West to have taken at least a small time-out from her hectic community life.
Those who know her well knew that would never be the case and they were right on the money.
The well-loved former Scenic Rim councillor has quickly stepped into a new role and it’s one that fits her perfectly.
Many years ago she backed the Canungra Chamber of Commerce in their efforts to get a bank to open in the town.
It took a few years to happen, but the emerging Bendigo Community Bank answered the call and opened a branch in Canungra in 2017.
Now those entering the bank in Canungra and Beaudesert will be met by a smiling Virginia West wearing a Bendigo Bank uniform in her role as a customer relationship officer.
“I love the bank position because I still get to help local residents and the bank plays an important role in this area in the way it gives back,” she said.
“I must admit I do miss not being the councillor for the region, but it was time for me to step down and make way for someone with new ideas and fresh eyes.
“My decision not to stand at the last elections was made easier because I knew that Steve Moriarty was the right sort of candidate to take over,” she said.
Virginia was born in the small township of Hunterville in New Zealand’s North Island.
She said the sheep property the family owned and the local nearby village resembled a lot of what Canungra looked like a few decades ago.
After graduating from boarding school she completed a nursing degree.
A stint in major hospitals in NZ was followed by a trip to Europe where she continued working as a nurse while at the same time exploring the world.
When she did return home she started a family with husband, Paul, and the happy couple of two soon became a family of four when they welcomed Sam and Georgia into the fold.
The connection and move to the Scenic Rim in the early 2000’s was prompted by Virginia’s brother Jim and his wife Anna who had years earlier packed up their family to call Canungra home.
“We wanted to move to Australia and we wanted our children to have family nearby so it made sense to move to the Scenic Rim and be close to them,” Virginia said.
“The kids were only 10 and 13 so it was a big decision, but we have never looked back.
“Canungra has changed a lot since we first arrived, it’s much more crowded and the roads are a lot busier, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the community spirit. People here care for one another and this was shown clearly through the big fires and floods we have endured.”
Virginia is proud of what she achieved as a councillor and in particular helping to establish and grow the amalgamated Scenic Rim Council when it came into play in 2008.
“We didn’t have a big rates base when the state government split up the region, but we worked hard and with limited resources we achieved a lot.
“Our replacement bridge program was just one I look back with pride on. Many old wooden bridges were rebuilt across the region making the area more accessible and safer, especially in times of flood.”
Virginia’s two children have also fallen in love with the Scenic Rim and both now call the area home.
They have three children between them which means family gatherings at the West home are big occasions and no doubt will get bigger in the future because no-one wants to leave the place they have come to love.
