Case Study: Regenerating a Town
Geeveston: regenerating a timber town
In Geeveston, an hour south of Hobart, the timber industry that dominated the township closed in 1982. Soon after, businesses closed and many of the working community left to seek employment elsewhere.
Geeveston was slowly becoming a ghost town. The elderly residents, led by the postmaster Laurie Dillon decided to do something.
They started by cleaning up the main street, doing some minor painting and planting shrubs. There are people up to 78, 79 years of age who have come back out of retirement to work (voluntarily). Some work every day in the town doing something and it is just a wonderful thing to be involved with those people, it gives you a real feel good approach to it,” Mr Dillon said.
People began to take pride in their community again as they worked together. Their activities came to the attention of the then Deputy Premier and Forestry Minister, Paul Lennon, who commented ‘when I see people helping themselves, I think we should do something’ and he provided $350,000 to pay for additional work to be done in the streets, and local parks.
A celebration was held and the community tackled yet another major project, by taking out 10 kilometres of willows and repairing the local riverbanks. The elderly residents discussed ways of making the town friendlier and hit on a UK concept of red coated guides, ‘knowledgeable retirees who gave tourists a guiding hand’.
The Geeveston elders decided on green jackets and made themselves available to guide tourists around the vicinity. As the community continued to build on its success, the State Government announced they would fund a $4.5 million forest air walk to be built on the Huon River, near Geeveston.
The community has gone from strength to strength. People are returning to live in Geeveston, new businesses have opened and they started the first community bank in Tasmania. When asked how this model could be achieved elsewhere Laurie Dillon responded: “ ... don't be shy, get out there and do it and I think your council will do what you want, rather than you doing what the council wants, because if you don't do it no one else will”.
www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2004/s1181101.htm
Image: Forest Festival Geeveston 2002 | Photo Peter Pepper