West Arnhem Communities welcome 2026

The Warruwi community welcomed 2026 with a New Year’s Eve community countdown celebration.
Led by West Arnhem Regional Council’s Youth, Sport and Recreation team in Warruwi, the event featured a community barbecue and a lively dance-off at the Warruwi Recreation Hall.
The celebration received strong community support, with a fantastic turnout of residents excited to bring in the new year together.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make the event possible:
• Elijah from Night Patrol and William from the Works crew, who volunteered their time to cook the barbecue.
• Kylinda Brown, who prepared onions for the barbecue.
• Leonie Narul and Debbie Gough, who buttered three cartons of hotdog rolls.
• The community ladies who decorated the hall beautifully for the big night.
Dance-off winners:
• First place: Ray, Brenton, Gerrard
• Second place: Layla, Shanti, Nathalia, Timaya, Thelma
• Third place: John, Leroy, Phillip
Congratulations to Simone Brown, who won the Lucky Door Prize — an exciting first for Warruwi.
WARC YSR Officer Kylinda said, “This year was better than last year. Everybody really enjoyed themselves; they were really happy. It was the first year where we had a Lucky Door Prize — that is a first for Warruwi.”
West Arnhem Regional Council Services Manager Debbie said, “This was my first Warruwi event. It was amazing to see how the community comes together and volunteers their time to decorate the hall. 
The kids and adults are extremely talented, which was evident during the dance-off. Thank you to the Warruwi community for making me feel welcome and part of the community.”