FOOTBALLERS and politicians helped launch the next stage of a program in Tingha this week, designed to address social problems and disadvantage in the community.
Tingha Regeneration Inc. launched the Tingha Regeneration Program ‘Framework For the Future – 2012 And Beyond’ on Wednesday morning when a memorial maze was opened by the Member for New England, Tony Windsor, the Member for Northern Tablelands, Richard Torbay, Nathan Blacklock and Preston Campbell.
Program designer/facilitator, Bob Neville, said in terms of the regeneration program the launch had put Tingha up to a new plateau.
“It’s the end of the beginning and the beginning of the next phase,” Mr Neville said.
“The first three years has been laying the foundations for change, facing the issues and challenges and getting to understand the community and what it really needs to progress into the future.
“Now we’re ready to push a lot harder to make things happen over the next few years,” Mr Neville said.
The next stage is to implement some of the strategies and Mr Neville said these particularly involved the children and elderly of the town.
“A lot of the elderly people in this town are pretty well isolated, we want to start to acknowledge their contribution to the community and to acknowledge the fact that they’re very important to our community’s future.
“Tingha is going nowhere except up, you know, we have enormous potential here in terms of resources and opportunity and what we want to do is try to create an environment where people can feel they can be part of the new Tingha that’s emerging over the next 10 years,” he said.
The upmarket suburb of Inverell is how Mr Neville sees the future of Tingha.
“At this moment we’ve got a core of very dedicated people, but it’s growth, it’s a journey and as you progress people start to see what you’re doing and others come on board, and it’s been that way since we began,” Mr Neville said.
“It was pretty lonely for the first week, I can tell you.
“Now, we’ve got a lot more support and we’re encouraging people not just to sit on the fence but to come and talk to me and help to discover what potential they have to come and get involved and be part of the process,” Mr Neville said.
Mr Windsor told the 100 strong crowd that it was all about ‘turning up’ to make a difference and congratulated Nathan Blacklock and Preston Campbell for constantly turning up for their community over the years.
“I have been saying for years that the world is run by those who turn up,” Mr Windsor said.
“When you think about it when you don’t bother to turn up and have your voice heard, you end up with a world that’s run by someone else who did – particularly in the smaller communities where they don’t have the luxury of being divided – you have to find what you agree on, not the politics of what you disagree on, and then push hard,” Mr Windsor said.
Mr Torbay said bringing the community together was very valuable.
“To see the Aboriginal community, non-Aboriginal community, the community leaders and of course the young people from Tingha Public School, which is a very dynamic school, unite behind a strategy is a good thing,” Mr Torbay said.
“We’ve seen good projects funded here but I think bringing the community together will pay dividends and seeing such a show of support is a good thing,” he said.
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