The NSW Government is looking to roll out The Welcome Experience to more locations in an attempt to help boost the regional workforce.

The program is a basically a concierge service that helps essential workers like nurses, teachers, police, and paramedics move - then settle - into their new communities.

At each location, a “Local Connector” helps essential workers moving from outside the region to find things like schools, sporting clubs, places to live, and they can help with partner employment and make introductions to help them feel at home quickly.

Walgett was one of the eight locations selected to roll out the pilot program.

Amy Loomes, a police officer who grew up in Sydney, moved her family from Cronulla to Walgett last year and said the program has been wonderful to help them all settle in and get familiar with a new community.

“In the early days, we got an email from Alana Copelin who is the welcome experience person here is Walgett,” Amy said. “I said to my husband, if we’re going to make this move, we have to throw everything into it and become involved in the community as much as we can.”

“Alana grew up in Walgett, so she was the ideal person to make a connection with, because she knows the place so well.”

Amy said she caught up for coffee with Ms Copelin and chatted about her family’s different interests and reasons for moving to Walgett. She then “threw herself into everything,” based on Ms Copelin’s recommendations, becoming involved in the garden club and town sports.

“Alana said she would compile information about what we could get involved with in town, based around our interests,” Amy said. “She organised a girl’s night so I could meet some local ladies and before that she introduced me to another lady whose son was the wife of a local farmer, and her son was going to be starting school at same time as my son. Everyone was just unbelievably welcoming.”

“In a city you don't realise how busy you are, often doing things you don’t really want to. You don’t realise how you are missing real connection with people, not to mention the time wasted on travelling to work through the traffic.

Ms Copelin even helped organise laying hens for the Loomes family and now the children love collecting the eggs, fresh from the back yard.

There are lots of little things that go to giving a new family a warm country welcome.

Ms Loomes said she and her family can’t imagine ever returning to Sydney and city life.

“The welcome program was invaluable to us. We get group emails to know what’s coming up and Alana often checks how we are going – she is so personable and approachable and passionate about her community. A lot of people move to remote areas and don’t think much happens, and they just stick to themselves and stay isolated, but they don’t realise there is a really big community out there.”