BUILD it and they will come is the motto in Donald, western Victoria.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rather than waiting for government grants, the community of around 1700, is looking to take its destiny back into its own hands by creating opportunities for start-up businesses.
Local business leaders and tradespeople have dipped into their own pockets via the Donald 2000 group to build a $140,000 shed in the town's industrial precinct that is available for a suitable new business.
The idea has come about as part of the town's strategy to retain vibrancy and sustainability.
Looking at the declining populations that have crippled many rural communities over the past 30 years, local leaders decided they needed to be proactive to ensure there were opportunities in the area and launched the DID (Donald Industrial Development) plan.
They looked at the successful industrial estate, one of the linchpins of the economy of the town of around 1700, which provides valuable income diversity from agriculture, the major employer in the local area and decided to add facilities there.
Already the industrial park is one of the major employers in town, featuring agricultural value adding businesses as pulse processors and biscuit manufacturers and successful non-agricultural enterprises, providing employment and allowing young workers to remain in the area.
"The idea is that we give them a bit of a leg-up to get started and then they can stand up on their own two feet," said Graeme Harris, a local businessman involved in the scheme.
"We're trying to do everything we can to attract businesses to the area and to make the town as friendly to new ventures as possible," Mr Harris said.
"Providing a new business with a ready made place to do business takes away one of the stresses of setting up and gives them more reason to establish themselves here in Donald," he said.
Alison McEwen, also involved in the construction of the shed, said locals wanted to future-proof the town and surrounding district and realised that it could not always afford to wait for government or council grants to get infrastructure constructed.
"Grants can be a great help to a small town but we also recognise that you can't always just wait for them to come through," Ms McEwen said.
"With this shed, we will help to set up a new business but those who have contributed will also get a return on investment down the track once the building is sold or being leased," she said.
Ms McEwen said she was happy to see Donald host a variety of small to medium businesses rather than have a reliance on one massive employer.
"We've got a lot of different businesses set up and it's great that we don't have that sole reliance on one huge employer to make or break the town's economy."
Typical of most of Victoria this year, the town's agricultural sector is expected to deliver a windfall to local coffers this year with crops in excellent condition in the lead-up to harvest.
The story Town bands together to provide space for new businesses first appeared on Farm Online.