RING Rock Strong

Longer than Cowboys celebrations, the Rockhampton Regional Council election campaign should be able to establish if substance remains once the fluff is blown away on the policies to be presented. I believe it will be round 3 of the 2016 NRL season when the election is held. Fluffy statements, ‘we are standing to realise our regions potential’ and the like should by then be answered with ‘how’. So far none of the local political players seem interested in inviting extra people to the region to stimulate economic growth, helping create jobs. Be interesting to hear over the next 5 months what economic growth strategies are offered. Let’s hope in more specific detail than Kevin Costner’s ‘build it and they will come’, assuming more people are wanted. In the meantime though about 40 people last night just got on with helping their business and in doing so our region. RING (Rockhampton Innovative Networking Group) held a business networking evening in the Kern Arcade on East Street. These days the main street of many regional centres is where you will find local owned and run businesses. Businesses that support local clubs and charities in addition to spending the majority of their earnings within the region. Thus the main street is like a barometer on the economic health of a town. There is a growing realisation amongst local businesses that collaboration is a key way of moving forward. Taking the time to meet other local business people enables this. Instead of the usual meet and swap business cards, attendees were challenged to discuss how each could specifically collaborate. Its part of RING’s Keep Rock Strong initiative; identifying local businesses, encouraging more business with them and witnessing their job growth. Attendees were also asked to consider embracing the Keep Rock Strong concept as a collaboration connector and strategy tool. Its early days and being under resourced no fluff to blow away. Substance will develop with committed grass roots support. Collaboration is powerful, it worked for the Cowboys on Sunday night, it can also work for the Rockhampton region. Let’s hope the next 5 months of election campaigning is not all division, but as all the political players assumedly do have the same motivation of bettering the region, can also work collaboratively in helping to achieve this.