THE SCEPTICISM to mining by many in the community that was highlighted in last month’s Herald is hardly surprising.
It is based on plenty of evidence to show the mining industry is masterly at promoting the benefits – so called jobs, jobs, jobs –, but woefully poor at either informing the community of the downsides, in particular environmental destruction, or fixing up the damage afterwards.
Those very downsides were highlighted by one correspondent in the same edition and no doubt there will be more unhappy letter writers as activity ramps up if and when the State Government gives approval for Chalice’s open-pit plans.
No doubt there will be some people who will end up with jobs generated by Chalice activity who would otherwise not have had local employment.
That is an undeniable plus.
But we should caution about throwing all our eggs into the mining basket as the salvation to the challenges faced by country towns such as Toodyay.
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Those challenges were also highlighted in the August edition which had news of yet another business closure in the town to add to others we have heard about recently, including one of our two remaining pubs.
The reasons for such closures are varied, and the country is still dealing with the effects of the post-pandemic economy, including very low unemployment and a shortage of skilled staff.
But the ability of all communities to survive changing economic circumstances is dependent in large part on having a diverse economy.
Surely what Toodyay needs, as well as the seemingly inevitable mining activity and the long-established agricultural industry, is a third leg to the economic stool, namely development of its tourism potential.
The attractions of the Avon Valley and Toodyay itself are much talked about in our local community but I suggest many of the nearly two million people that live on our doorstep are unaware of it or have not yet visited our region.
The good news is that we are not starting from scratch as Toodyay does already attract some of those two million people to events such as the Avon Descent, and the Moondyne and Fibre Festivals.
But surely we need to build on that success with a more genuine comprehensive tourist strategy that attracts visitors more evenly through the week and throughout the year?
This is not to point the finger at the local council as is often the wont of others in the columns of this local newspaper.
Some have talked about the need for a Toodyay Chamber of Commerce which could certainly contribute to a comprehensive tourism development strategy.
Whatever the strategy, it will not be an easy task because it will require the investment of significant skills and time for some in our community.
But we can surely learn from the efforts of other local towns such as Bridgetown that have succeeded in turning their local communities into more thriving ones where people want to both live and work.
A healthier, more diverse economy, aside from all the obvious benefits on employment, etc. might also enable the community to make better and informed choices about how it wants the town and the local environment to be developed in a more sustainable and liveable way.
Andrew St John
Toodyay
