General News
2 October, 2024
Letter to editor: Backing of business in small towns
Sir, I have been a ratepayer for over 24 years in the region. I have seen businesses come and go during that time, lots have lost money due to having closed the businesses for lots of different reasons. Tarnagulla lost its hotel, (meeting hub for...
Sir, I have been a ratepayer for over 24 years in the region.
I have seen businesses come and go during that time, lots have lost money due to having closed the businesses for lots of different reasons.
Tarnagulla lost its hotel, (meeting hub for many) due to the death of its publican. I’ll bet if it re-opens it will have demands of many thousands of dollars placed upon it by the shire.
Tarnagulla lost its petrol/caravan park. It lost its antique shop, its food store.
Behind a lot of these business decisions it was demands on small businesses by shire council expecting small businesses to have funds to just cover the demands of shire regulations.
The caravan park had 14 permanent residents, plus weekenders, all lost because the Caravan park had to find $50,000 for up grades.
Hell, they would not even make $50,000 profit in a year.
Small country businesses just do not make this extra amount of money.
In lots of these cases the shire could have avoided such closures by working along with the business owners.
It is time. Time to work with the business owners of the regions, they cannot afford to lose any more businesses and families from the area.
Can you imagine having to leave your country township to get petrol/food supplies from other townships, in today’s society it is unheard of, except in some country townships.
Wake up, support the townships that are struggling and put $$$$ back into the region, by building them up, supporting the businesses and helping them by not placing unreal financial demands on the owners.
That way townsfolk will perhaps not think of leaving and might stay and rebuild what they have lost.
Country people are genuine and have a real love for their community.
The shire really have to work along with every township to ensure that it survives, otherwise they will not have any residents to represent.
Peter Bell
Tarnagulla