Working on a blueprint for revival
Southport is shaking off its troubled reputation to become the city’s central district for work and play, and the 29-year-old president of its Chamber of Commerce is leading the charge with plenty of passion
SHE’S so Sopo.
Southport may be the suburb the Gold Coast scorns, but the CBD is shaking off its reputation as the Crime and Bad behaviour District and embracing its new stature as the cultural centre for the young and hip.
And Ariana Margetts is leading the charge.
Turning 29 just this week, she’s not just the youngest president in the 109-year history of the Southport Chamber of Commerce, but also the first woman, and of Indigenous descent as well.
She’s every bit as diverse as Southport itself.
While in her day job she’s the general manager of Cohort Innovation Space at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, it was Southport’s after-business hours that first made her fall in love with the town.
It’s that passion which saw her join the board of the Chamber at age 25, in an attempt to represent and advocate for the businesses which built her new home suburb.
“Everyone knows Southport, but not everyone loves it. It hasn’t had the greatest reputation,” she says.
“It wasn’t until I bought my first apartment here in 2016 that I realised it’s actually such a dynamic place.
“I started connecting with people working here and open
ing businesses here, my friends were opening cafes and bars and somehow I just became a champion of Southport.
“We started to collectively throw some events – live music pop-ups, charity swap-a-sweater days, bowls functions … it was my first real connection with place. It felt like I was part of this new era.
“It still has its issues, but now Southport is one of the most inclusive suburbs on the Coast. It doesn’t have all of the glitz and glamour of Broadbeach and Surfers, but it’s somewhere that anyone is welcome.
“I think venues like Vinnies Dive, Swannies, Last Night on Earth and Mr PP’S have to take credit for that – they offer authenticity that you don’t find anywhere else on the Coast.”
In fact, one of Ariana’s aims is to encourage businesses and residents alike to have some Southport pride.
She says the suburb is not only a place of historical value, but of future opportunity.
However, she acknowledges it’s not without its challenges.
“Anti-social behaviour and delinquency is definitely an issue here – as it is in many suburbs across the Gold Coast,” she says.
“Where we’re lucky is that we have such a strong police presence.
“(Southport) Councillor Brooke Paterson has done a fantastic job around homelessness, she’s really making a difference. But it’s not a space where we can apply simple solutions, it’s a long-term problem without a quick fix – and I think most people understand that.
“Hopefully our members have confidence in the council and police because they are doing their best to address these issues.”
Unfortunately, when it comes to confidence, Ariana says we simply don’t have enough in the city.
She says the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland’s pulse survey shows the city has one of the lowest rates of business confi
dence in the state. The CCIQ survey showed the Gold Coast’s 12-month outlook, general business conditions, total sales revenue and employment levels had all fallen in the June quarter compared to the March quarter.
Ariana says expectations for the September quarter are still fragile, with conditions further declining due to uncertainty about Covid restrictions.
“We talk about being in a post-covid world, but we’re not there yet. It’s one step forward, two steps back … and then to the side,” she says.
“It’s extremely frustrating, particularly around border reopenings and restrictions, but everyone is just trying to do their best.
“Businesses just want to operate, being able to offer full capacity is so important for our venues and tourism operators. It’s been an ongoing saga for our hospitality, retail and entertainment sectors, and that has a cascading effect on everything else.
“Hopefully things will be better in 2022, but we said that about 2021 – it’s hard to remain confident, but businesses are trying. And we’re trying to help them.
“One of the great things about our board is that together we cover five decades, we have a real cross-generational knowledge and I think that’s crucial for businesses in such a diverse suburb.”
While business confidence may come at a cost, Ariana says Southport is rich in future plans.
She says the Chamber will remain relentless in its push to create a civic heart for the suburb.
“It seems that everyone agrees that Southport is the perfect place to create a real hub for legal and government offices, but it’s an effort to get a firm commitment.
“Australia’s short election cycles make it very difficult to get everyone to agree at the same time – and what we’re planning for will involve levels of government.
“We’d love to see the council move its chambers back to the CBD, to see the Supreme and Family courts based here, to decentralise Queensland state departments from Brisbane, or to open satellite offices here, and to really activate the civic heart of Southport.”
And just like the classic mullet that so many Sopo residents sport, the suburb will offer business up front … and partying at the back.
Ariana says while the Chamber is all about industry, it works closely with other stakeholders in the suburb and fully supports its growth as a sports and live music centre.
Southport Sharks Football Club recently unveiled the next stage of its 10-year master plan, which includes a boutique stadium catering for up to 10,000 people, aiming to make the club one of Australia’s premier sport, leisure and entertainment precincts.
Meanwhile, the City of Gold Coast is in the process of community consultations for the development of Southport as the next “Special Entertainment Precinct”, enabling the CBD to have more venues such as bars, clubs and even microbreweries.
“It’s fantastic to see this suburb move into a new age, I feel like I’ve been there for the ride and it’s an honour to help guide it forward,” she says.
“Forget what you’ve heard about Southport and come back to see what it’s really like now.”
When it comes to Sopo, Ariana is literally taking care of business.
We talk about being in a postCovid world, but we’re not there yet. It’s one step forward, two steps back … and then to the side