Toowoomba to keep on shining bright during 2017

HO HO HO, Merry Christmas! As I write the final epistle for 2016, I have cause to reflect on the year just past. It’s been an interesting year indeed.

Whilst on the face of it, it might seem all beer and skittles with so much development, the reality is that for many in our community it has been a tough year and the general economy has been mediocre at best.

A number of businesses have been struggling and many of the regions residents have had to look for new employment, especially those engaged in the resources sector.

There is also no doubt that our everyday expenses continue to rise and that continues to make it hard for many of us to make ends meet.

Notwithstanding that, I am sure most will agree – there has never been a more exciting time in Toowoomba’s history.

With weekly international freight services, a revitalised food and restaurant culture, and infrastructure development unparalleled anywhere else in regional Australia – we have a reason to be optimistic and proud of our city.

Maybe I am biased, but the new Wellcamp airport, whilst being a catalytic piece of infrastructure, has also been catalytic in the way we think about ourselves.

This year we saw over 200 people travel to Shanghai, China to explore new opportunities and we are talking about new hotels, new infrastructure, and new developments.

I cannot recall such level of optimism and enthusiasm in my 40 odd years of living in the region.

With brand new world class infrastructure in the Second Range Crossing and the airport there is no reason that we cannot be the inland port for Australia.

Now imagine what a great rail solution would mean... this is all being explored in our Toowoomba Transport and Logistics Symposium in late February next year.

There is a real sense of opportunity and our challenge now is to make that opportunity real, and bring everyone along for the ride.

Alongside these changes, we need to maintain our city’s heritage and this will be a challenge as we grow in population and industry.

The reality is of course, that we need to continue to change and adapt or we will be left behind - we need to continue to adapt and change to build a strong future for our children.

We need to create innovative and new employment opportunities as part of this growth.

Toowoomba had been long forgotten by state and federal politicians for too many years, but this too has changed and we are now showcasing our region as one of the shining lights in the nation.

There really is a great deal to be optimistic about and as always there is no place I would rather be than right here in good old Toowoomba town.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. And if you are travelling can I remind everyone to be safe on our roads in this festive season. Now bring on 2017!

We need to create innovative and new employment opportunities as part of this growth