With the development of the Sutton Farm land pending, Mr Powell suggests restoring the Sutton Farm buildings and opening then up to the public.

“We could use Edenvale in Pinjarra as an example,” Mr Powell said.

He said it could be a win-win situation for Sutton Farm developers Cedar Woods and Mandurah City Council, and the buildings could be used for community projects.

“They could get sponsors on board and the Heritage Council and the National Trust and just get people interested.

“If people have a positive attitude it will happen.”

He said heritage sites like Sutton Farm gave people a sense of belonging and a sense of heritage and was important for future generations.

Mr Powell suggested using the heritage-listed buildings, established by Eleanor and John Sutton in 1839, as tea rooms or for local arts.

“We need to get things happening and get people on board,” he said.

“May I suggest that the present councillors and the community at large could engender a new sense of place and belonging by getting together to create our own little Edenvale at the site of the Old Sutton Farm,” Mr Powell said in the Mail’s letter to the editor section last week.

“If in doing so, the youth of today learn to place some values that connect to our immediate past, well so much better.”