The past 10 years have seen the Goulburn Valley tackle myriad challenges and opportunities with the can-do approach that recently saw Shepparton named the best city for entrepreneurs in Australia.
And while the decade has seen rapid population growth, the region has largely retained the friendly supportive country vibes that have made it such a great place to work and raise a family.
Business has continued to flex and grow and adapt to growing costs and the challenges of local and international markets, maintaining a workforce and increasing climate change and water availability.
We have seen the same can-do approach used to tackle social issues with Shepparton Foodshare, Lighthouse and GV Cares as examples of the community coming together to support each other and address issues of food security, childhood wellbeing, educational outcomes and floods.
These initiatives and many others have shown the value of for purpose, community-lead, innovative solutions for addressing complex social issues and events.
These and other pieces of social infrastructure provide the fabric that helps hold our community. There remains much to be done and far too many women and children lack decent housing in the current crisis exacerbated by the floods.
Climate change is not some future prospect, it’s playing out every day around the world in changing weather patterns and extreme weather events. We are in unchartered territory.
The social infrastructure already in place and a long history of self-reliance, volunteering and an entrepreneurial mindset will be crucial as we adapt and create new solutions and care for each other in the decades to come.
