THE ARTS AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES: A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT IN THE MID WEST REGION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Cover Image: Drover’s Rest, Mingenew WA JULIA ANWAR MCHENRY Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Arts Management), Edith Cowan University Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Murdoch University AUGUST 2011 THIS THESIS IS PRESENTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY CENTRE FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT FACULTY OF NATURAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA