Dying towns

Anything you like to talk about..Dot is the boss...
BernieQ2
Posts: 7119
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 7:57 pm

Dying towns

Post by BernieQ2 »

We are at the moment in Nyah Victoria, we had an occasion to go to the main shopping centre... It's in West Nyah, the majority of shop's were empty seems to be happening every where...even in Biggenden our closest centre.. where there is now not even a paper shop.
And the post office is also for sale.
The small towns are loosing thier identity.
It needs fixing...but what?
Bernie.
RobertNotBob
Posts: 2076
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:03 am
Location: Adelaide, SA

Re: Dying towns

Post by RobertNotBob »

Been that way for years because the Federal and State governments will not assist with establishing work centres in country areas. Every thing is major cities. Now with people starting to move out maybe they will listen but I doubt it.
User avatar
BruceS
Site Admin
Posts: 8879
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:32 pm
Location: Mannum, SA, 5238

Re: Dying towns

Post by BruceS »

Probably going to upset a few here ....
I keep seeing the gov is to blame for this, that & everything else.
Getting back to the problems these smaller towns have, I blame it on just modern 'progress'.
No one buys local newspapers now, no one buys state newspapers or even national newspapers. (well maybe a few)
Few people buy anything locally anymore except maybe food & some medicines.
One of the worst things here in SA is converting what used to be fully functioning hospitals into nothing more than old folks homes & minimal dressing of casualty patients whilst waiting for air or road transport to main city hospitals.
No more births in country areas. Terrible isn't it? Even cows & sheep still do it locally!!! hehe
I don't really see any answer to the problem.
*******************
BruceS
Mannum, SA

********************
native pepper
Posts: 1158
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:21 am
Location: Tasmania

Re: Dying towns

Post by native pepper »

This trend has been noticeable for a couple of decades and as Bruce has said, it's the governments fault for many reasons. It's also caused by automation, that removed many of the farming jobs around, then add the supermarket conglomerate which has destroyed local business by driving them out with low prices and now the prices of supermarkets are much higher than independent shops. Which is why I never shop at coles/woolworths, or any big or franchised retailer and always when on the road seek out local growers/sellers of food etc.

The only way it can be overcome and local communities revitalised is to bring in policies which drive farming, without destroying and contaminating the environment and there are ways to do that very simply. But as governments are driven by donating vested interests, they only concentrate on the industries that will give them the most money so they can stay in power and nothing will change, probably just get worse.

It's very sad to drive through empty towns where once we gigged to good size crowds, now most shops are shut and there is no money for entertainment, or to keep pubs etc open and people flee to the cities, only adding to the problem. Stopped at one almost deserted town a few years ago and went into the local pub to find, they were only serving stubbies and cans, which they could buy cheaper from the woolworths 30mins away than from the suppliers and they couldn't afford to buy barrels, because their turnover had dropped so much, the cost of transporting a couple of barrels was prohibitive.
User avatar
Greynomad
Posts: 7983
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 4:16 pm
Location: Rutherglen, Vic.

Re: Dying towns

Post by Greynomad »

Covid, in a perverse sort of way, may be the beginning of a revival.
People are realising that they no longer need to live in a city to work in a city.
Working from home has become entrenched in some industries (not manufacturing—yet), and house prices in towns 50km or so from major cities are booming. It’s happening in Rutherglen and many towns in our area.
Same thing around Sydney and Melbourne, 100km or so out.
As an example, Son-&-Heir is now lecturing in Critical Care Nursing — from home! He prepares online education programs for ward nurses throughout Victoria upskilling to CCRN, and conducts live lectures on Zoom. His partner is a Director in a large government department, who manages her team online. Most of them are working from home in the Sydney area. She lives in Melbourne. Prior to Covid, she would have been required to move to Sydney.
I hope that the population increases in those small rural areas might revive demand for services currently declining, and eventually manufacturing may return to country towns.
We live in hope...
Regards & God bless,
Ray
--
"Insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
Isaac Asimov, "The Last Question"

"I refuse to drink water, because of the disgusting things fish do in it"
W.C.Fields
User avatar
T1 Terry
Posts: 13613
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:44 pm
Location: Mannum South Australia by the beautiful Murray River
Contact:

Re: Dying towns

Post by T1 Terry »

Probably going to upset a few with this, but I feel it needs to be put out there.
If the original NBN had been rolled out, each and every small town could have become a tech centre for some branch of an industry, even 3D printing components or manufacturing/designing circuit boards, the heart of nearly every product these days.
Staff from all over the country could have worked together, shared ideas and brain stormed problems. It has only just recently become semi feasible because programs have been written that can transmit the data at a speed that works and the telco's have introduced a WiFi product that would not have got off the ground if the real NBN had been rolled out.

What was the true cost to Australia when the NBN was reduced to a 3rd rate system? I can't see any evidence $$ were saved, only evidence that ridiculous amount of money were paid to big companies to use a wires network they had written off yrs ago.
Small towns will always suffer when narrow minded govts make policies based on getting re-elected rather than what is good for the country.
I heard the term NSW a while back from residents of smaller country New South Wales towns, the $$ are spent in NSW, Newcastle, Sydney Wollongong .... I guess all the other states suffer the same.
We do ok here in Mannum, but this is where the main Council office is so ....... A trip into Adelaide and WOW ...... the term on one of those annoying tv show promos comes to mind, "we're not in a different state or different country, we are on a different planet" if we don't live in one of the major city centres .....

Maybe small towns can centre their ecconomy around the young people's pension, the dole, affordable housing and social activities for the kids and their parents to avoid the boredom of a life without a job to fill in part of the day. Maybe they could attract funding for work-skill training building affordable housing where they build each others house .... they might take more care of it if they have the pride in having built it in the first place and suffer the peer pressure if the damage it and others in their work team have to repair the damage they caused ..... If an employer is looking to set up a manufacturing facility or any sort of business really, they look to see if they can get the workforce that know what working means before they even consider setting up. Attract business back to the small town by training the workforce in the actual skill of getting out of bed each day and turning up for work ... every day, what employer wouldn't be happy to retrain someone they know will turn up each day and want to work?

T1 Terry
A person may fail many times, they only become a failure when they blame someone else John Burrows
If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine. – Jim Barksdale, former Netscape CEO
User avatar
Greynomad
Posts: 7983
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 4:16 pm
Location: Rutherglen, Vic.

Re: Dying towns

Post by Greynomad »

Know what you mean, T1!
Rutherglen is the poor relative to Beechworth, where the Jeff-powered council amalgamation located our council chambers.
Rutherglen Shire was debt-free. Indigo Shire is mired in debt, and we get f-all in funds spent.
Our Mens Shed had to find our own government funding sources and raise extra money ourselves. Beechworth Mens Shed was given $250,000 to build a shed, and a further $250,000 for machinery.
Same for RV Friendly Town status: Beechworth is in; Rutherglen would take trade away, so we’re not getting RVF accreditation.
Regards & God bless,
Ray
--
"Insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
Isaac Asimov, "The Last Question"

"I refuse to drink water, because of the disgusting things fish do in it"
W.C.Fields
Shirley
Posts: 4058
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 4:06 pm
Location: Lake Macquarie. NSW.

Re: Dying towns

Post by Shirley »

Terry we live in the Newcastle telephone district our area only received NBN late last year & everyone on the local FB page are continually complaining about how inefficient the service is, we live in a dead end street & contractors have told us that we will be last on the list to get new cable laid if ever, so it's not just country towns suffering.
Shirley & Bruce.
User avatar
Greynomad
Posts: 7983
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 4:16 pm
Location: Rutherglen, Vic.

Re: Dying towns

Post by Greynomad »

Shirley,
Think yourself lucky.
Rutherglen is still waiting for NBN.
Regards & God bless,
Ray
--
"Insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
Isaac Asimov, "The Last Question"

"I refuse to drink water, because of the disgusting things fish do in it"
W.C.Fields
BernieQ2
Posts: 7119
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 7:57 pm

Re: Dying towns

Post by BernieQ2 »

We will never get it... unless one wants satalite.
Bernie.
Post Reply