Hedland Chamber of Commerce chief will draw on community involvement and personal experience in her new role

A long history of community involvement and a personal understanding of the town’s issues is what Port Hedland Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Rebekah Worthington hopes to take into the new role. The Hedland Well Women’s Centre, involvement in Pilbara for Purpose, the Port Hedland Netball Association, Hedland Carols, Pink Pilbara Breakfast, and now the PHCCI. Needless to say, Ms Worthington has a breadth of experience in various organisations throughout Port Hedland and the Pilbara. But now she has looked for a new challenge and said the opportunity to improve the town’s livelihood through business was too good an opportunity to pass up. “What sparked my interest in the role, first and foremost, is the Hedland community because I know it, love it, and have a passion for the people here,” Ms Worthington said. “And having been involved in the community service sector — I love the community — but now I’m loving this new approach and how supporting local businesses improves liveability.” Ms Worthington moved to Port Hedland with her husband and firstborn child in 2010. Through her various community involvements and connections, she said she fell in love with the town. “I have a familiar story to many in Port Hedland where the husband comes and wife and children follow,” she said. “My first five years here were very hard but that’s why I fell in love with the place because I understand the challenge and how important it is to have family and community. “You get connected to the community, you get to learn about it, and then you get to love it.” Ms Worthington said the personal struggle she experienced when she first moved to Hedland had given her a great perspective on the challenges the town faces. “When we first came here we went through job losses, going through house after house,” she said. “We couldn’t find rentals and were living with a new baby in a camper trailer out the back of my mum’s house because we just couldn’t find a house. “We had to leave town once because we could not find a house but we came back.” Despite the initial difficulties, Ms Worthington said Port Hedland has and always will be a special place to her and her family. Her new position comes off the back of a position at C-Res, which administers the BHP Local Buying Program and the Local Buying Foundation. She said the position provided her with great experience and gave her a passion for regional economic development. At PHCCI, Ms Worthington said she was excited about getting the Chamber’s new Tradie Hub and Hedland Collective up and running.