How it all began

The Talbot Taskforce was formed at a public meeting in the Talbot ANA Hall in July 1999. The offering by the Commonwealth Government’s “Building a Future for the Country (BFC) project to the small town of Talbot to become part of a economic growth and development pilot project was very timely. Fourteen local residents put up their hands to form the Taskforce which resolved to try to deal with some of the despair and powerlessness that was seriously affecting the spirit of the people of the town. The closing of community facilities, local government amalgamations, the loss of young people to work and study elsewhere, high unemployment and an aging and dying population had taken their toll.

Taking Control of the Future
The BFC Project offered a new breath of hope. Some newcomers to the town and some of the older families were represented on the Taskforce. They saw the danger of the town dying over time and they were prepared to take up the leadership challenge and set the example of inspirational planning, which would enable the town to take control of its own future rather than continue to leave change in the hands of external powers. The project that developed through the BFC was therefore inspirationally lifting the spirits of the people, striving to return resources, information and services to the town and developing the town economically and socially, thus providing a prosperous, happy, healthy and safe community in which its people could live.

Extensive consultation
One of the first things the Talbot Taskforce did was to communicate and consult with the people of the town. They communicated through the monthly Newsletter “Talbot, Today and Tomorrow”, (perhaps a link to the TTT Newsletter here would be appropriate) then they conducted a sample survey of 101 households to tease out some themes and issues that were of concern to the people of the town. One such theme was the kinds of new industries that might be possible in the town, such as tourism. A consultation with the youth of the town was very successful with 61 young people coming to the Town Hall for free pizza and Coke and to express their hopes and dreams for the future of their town.

Development of Themes
The themes uncovered in the sample survey led the way to a full “tea bag survey” of every household in Talbot and the surrounding district. It was also apparent that a building of some kind was going to be required, which could become a rallying point for community action and development. The Shire Council and the town’s residents had identified a site right in the middle of town on the corner of Fyffe Street and Scandinavian Crescent, which , although privately owned, could only be described as a “bombsite”. Part of the old Lyons Commercial Hotel had been demolished altogether and there were bricks strewn everywhere. Behind the demolition site was the old hotel’s kitchen and dining room through which a fire had raged. Behind the old kitchen was a two-storey building which had been seriously attacked by vandals including a deliberately lit fire. Next to the old hotel stood an old goldrush drapery store called London House, one wall of which was being held up by a wooden buttress, but the whole north wall of the building threatened to collapse at any moment.

The Shire Council Bought the Property
The Taskforce applied some pressure on the Central Goldfields Shire Council to purchase the property for the people of Talbot from its private owner to provide the Taskforce with a physical project that could be worked on by volunteers and also provided a focus for applications for Government grants to undertake renovation and restoration of the buildings that stood on the site. The Shire Council, while unconvinced initially about the wisdom of the project, finally agreed to purchase the site for the people, but warned that no further funds would be available for the costs of renovation and restoration. Candidly, some officials and some councillors did not believe that the project would be completed.

Survey led to Business Plan
However the Taskforce was inspired by the outcomes of the “teabag” survey – it took as long to complete the survey as it did to drink a cup of tea. (Click here to see the results of the survey). There was plenty of enthusiasm from the people of the town not only to express some of their needs and ideas through the survey, but also a willingness to come out and work personally on the project as volunteers – “to clear the bombsite” as it were. The BFC Project offered to help the Taskforce with the construction of a business plan for the development of a Talbot Community Information and Resource Centre. The Business Plan was approved at a public meeting in November 2001 and gave the Taskforce a mandate to proceed with the plan and secure the resources necessary to complete it. (Click here to view the (PDF) Business plan). In particular see the section of the business plan which is called Key Results, which outlines a staged plan for the development of the Centre.

©Copyright 2004 Goldfields Online Last updated 28/03/06