Together we can do this. Think Local First!

It's not a hard to know folks, if we believe in our communities, if we believe in the people in our communities - together we can do this.

Cr Jenny McKay, Sunshine Coast Regional Council spoke to the Baroon Dollar Dinner Event on Saturday June 27th 2009: Ensuring a future for our Independent Businesses (The evening focussed on community strategies to focus on Thinking Local First! including the Baroon Dollar community currency.)

"Today I was at a workshop and we talked about the ` To Do Nothing Option' - and as we all know, that's not an option in today's environment. I think this project is actually about doing something towards many of the problems we face: it can bring our communities together, it provides economic and social opportunities and the ‘buy local’ concept is also very much aligned to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s Corporate Plan. It's okay for governments to have documents with many words around valuing small businesses and rural activities; but it is now time for these to be translated into actions.
My family has had a long history in rural activity, so I can appreciate what you're trying to do here. At all levels of government we need to encourage people to eat local. We all know what happened when Golden Circle was no longer owned by Australian farmers; and the industry opened up to overseas trade and competition. At the time my husband spoke out about the changes this bring and the impact it would have on the industry, but his amongst others warning this fell on deaf ears.
Communities need to be brave and stand up in support of our local farmers and industries and get behind "Buy Local" projects.
Resilience is more than just sustainability. Recently a key note speaker at a workshop described resilience to the ‘big trees in the forest’ and their role in sustainability, the important part is nurturing all the trees in the forest. It doesn't matter how small the shrub is, it has a place in the larger scheme of things, but it also needs nurturing to bring diversity and growth to the forest environment.
This is aligned to our local independent businesses, if we have thriving small diverse businesses we will grow to have a more sustainable community into the future. On behalf of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council I'm very supportive of the concept of the Baroon Dollar community currency and if its going to happen anywhere I am convinced it will happen in Maleny. Maleny has been the forerunner of many initiatives including community banking and the co-operative societies. This could even become a popular drawcard for tourists. "

Two great ideas came together last Saturday evening in Maleny. The importance of building up the resilience of local economies and one tool for achieving that goal. Speakers addressed a number of issues on the importance of local buying - with the launch of the campaign: Think Local First! The Baroon Dollar project team and Sustainable Maleny brought together businesses and supporters to have a night of fun and hear about why supporting local independent businesses matters.

Julie Shelton, Churchill Fellow winner spoke on her passion for locally grown food and the importance of face-to-face relationships in keeping our communities healthy. Julie is a keen organiser for the Slow Food movement - launching the Sunshine Coast - Slow Foods Convivium next month.

Barry Earsman of Sustainable Maleny spoke on the connection between a successful global economy, growing global problems and unhappiness. He spoke of the world-wide movements to re-localise communities - one the Transition Town movement has some 1200 groups across the world including the Sunshine Coast and Maleny. "There is a need for communities and businesses to start thinking local in the face of future growing energy and transportation costs for the future. This movement is about building up our real economy by building on real face-to-face relationships in communities. I think the Baroon Dollar is a real, practical way to start this process."

Darren Mitchell, Baroon Dollar Project Co-ordinator spoke on the importance of communities and businesses working together to build up the local economy. "One idea on the table is the creation of a new kind of business alliance across the Sunshine Coast hinterland - with the message `Think Local First! There has been keen interest from independent businesses across the region." Impetus for the new alliance has come from visiting economist Michael Shuman, author of the book`Small-Mart Revoultion' and Director of Research and Public Policy with the US Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

"The Baroon Dollar can become a great symbol to drive tourism to the area and a practical way to help build up our local economy - it's not business as usual, just better business. Combining the community currency with a Think Local First! campaign run by the businesses themselves working across towns - that where the idea is truly innovative!"

As volunteers we're all working together with business to create a better community. He commented `Last weeks ABC story on cartoonist Michael Leunig and national living treasure said it all for me. The story focused on embracing the financial crises and finding the opportunities within it. Leunig went on to say `when the going gets tough people are forced to change and act creatively', what a message!"

The dinner was a great success with many thanks to all or volunteers including our host Mo Darbas from Bountiful Dinners. Special thanks to all the musicians including Maleny's magnificient Noel Gardner, the splendid vocals of Eleanor Angel , whitty lyrics of Dermot Drogan and the Theatrical Comedy of Yvonne Roworth. A special thanks to Dr Kate Crawford, Sue Mihovilovich and Michael Cole-King.

Mr Mitchell is planning several workshops across the hinterland for businesses on the `workings and benefits' of the Baroon Dollar next month. He is also keen to hear from business leaders interested in joining the steering group of the new type of independent business alliance. Email: baroondollar@gmail.com