The following is a list of the achievements of the Talbot Taskforce to date (that is Apil 2003).

The Taskforce’s Achievements to Date
From 1999 to 2003, the Taskforce has been gradually implementing its Business Plan.
London House has been completely restored and is a proud example of what a town can do when the resources and the people are available. This building houses the Goldfields on Line Networking the Nation Project and volunteers provide assistance to residents who want to learn how to use the internet, e-mail services and e-commerce opportunities. The building will eventually provide a café associated with the computing centre which spills out on the northern side onto a sunny verandah and the opportunity to take food and coffee in the community garden.
This garden which has has bird attracting native plants, a perfumed garden and espaliered fruit trees, olives and grape vines reflecting some of our local produce, was donated and planted by the people. Inside London House may also be found a visitor information centre and local goods and services on display. Volunteers operate these facilities at weekends and on public holidays. Soon a small display from the Talbot Museum will be available.

Next door to London House on the site where the front of the Commercial Hotel used to stand, a petanque area has been set aside and local enthusiasts can use this day or night, because it is well lit by a street lamp. The old hotel’s kitchen and dining area is currently being renovated and restored retaining its kitchen stove and open fireplace to be used as a Leisure Centre for Mums and toddlers in the daytime and for the youth of the town and district after school and at weekends.

One of the small rooms will be available as a sterile consulting room for maternal child health services and other para- and allied health service personnel to use when they visit the town.
Another small room will be a supper room and kitchenette for use by leisure centre users. A range of clubs, societies and interest groups are expected to meet here also.
The Kitchen/Dining area will be joined to a two storey former residential section of the hotel by a male and female toilet, which will have a fire escape stair on the roof. The two storey building will eventually house a farmers’ market, two rooms will be extensions of the Talbot Museum on Gold Rush Themes and other rooms will be available for visiting consultants such as solicitors, tax consultants, bookkeepers or other professionals from out of town.

The Talbot Community Information and Resource Centre
The whole complex is designed to provide the town with a new locus, a centre for community life and evidence of its great achievements. It will be called the Talbot Community Information and Resource Centre, all achieved within less than 5 years. It will contribute to health, well being, commercial and social development of the people of the town today and will stand as a community facility for the children of the town, well into the future. Already since the complex started there has been a property boom, particularly of heritage and historic buildings and it is anticipated that people looking for a lifestyle with rural and regional benefits that has local community resources and a respect for its proud history will want to come and live in the district. This will enable the town to live and grow, rather than to diminish and die.

Talbot stands now and will continue to stand as an exciting example of turning despair and decline in rural Australia into something of lasting beauty and satisfaction. All this has happened because of a small seeding grant, access to government resources, a group of people with enormous amounts of heart and will and a faith that the future still lies in the hands of those who want to build it.

4th May 2003

©Copyright 2003 Goldfields Online