A NUMBER of recent exchanges by readers in the Guardian letters to the editor page have centred on the ‘us versus them’ parochialism, principally between Nambucca Heads and Macksville.
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It should come as no surprise that these sort of rivalries between places exist worldwide and surely have been waged since year dot – such as Australia versus New Zealand, Sydney versus Melbourne and hyperlocally, Urunga versus Bellingen.
For the most part, the jibing is good natured, though pockets of genuine resentment have festered.
Particularly, there has been a perception – in Nambucca Heads at the least – that Macksville has enjoyed more than its fair share of public resources.
The theorists argue that Nambucca, as the largest population centre, should be the biggest beneficiary of local government investment.
The counter-argument from Macksville is that it is the administrative capital of the valley – or at least since it usurped that role from Bowraville decades back.
Thankfully, many more local residents realise these days that we need to take a wider view – as the fortunes of all of our major towns, from Heads and Macksville to Bowra, Valla Beach and Scotts Head are inextricably linked.
Actions taken in one town or in many should be seen as a universal improvement. The need to embrace ‘the greater good mindset’ is never more critical than it is now as we prepare for the finalisation of the Pacific Highway duplication – and the bypassing of Nambucca Heads and Macksville.
Council has taken a lead role in managing this process, establishing a Business Advisory Committee which is tasked with identifying the challenges and the opportunities presented by the new highway.
It is incumbent on the committee to act in the interests of the entire shire.