By Martin Vedris

DONGARA: BSR, the national franchisor of the Betta Electrical group, is putting WA’s rock lobster capital on its map with a new Betta store in the town around three and a half hours north of Perth.

The town of Dongara is in Irwin Shire WA, which has a general population of around 3,050 as per the 2006 Census. Dongara is best-known for its rock lobster fishing and processing industry — the region is responsible for catching half of WA’s 10 million kilograms annually.

Now Dongara has a Betta Electrical store which officially celebrates its opening on 30 May. It’s Betta’s 15th WA store, taking the Betta group to over 150 stores nationally.

“This is a great opportunity for us and we hope a welcome asset to the people of Dongara both now and in the years to come,” said BSR Group general manager Ian Brown.

‘‘We are very pleased to welcome another store to the fold.”

The store is located at 26-27 Moreton Terrace and it will be open five and a half days a week, from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday and 9 am to 12.30 pm on Saturdays.

Steve and Helen Prestidge are the store proprietors — they moved to Dongara 18 months ago.

“Betta is the best electrical retail set-up going around,” said Steve Prestidge, who has eight years experience running his own real estate business and lived and worked in the mining town of Karratha for 25 years before deciding to raise his family in Dongara.

“With most of its store in rural areas, the Betta brand is also well-known and accepted in a rural community such as Dongara.”