The Concept
Described as a self help program designed to recycle precious dollars “Bush Bucks” is a concept developed by the Temora Shire Council and Temora Business Enterprise Group in consultation with the Temora business community. The “Bush Bucks” campaign is a positive approach to overcoming the challenges facing rural communities which are struggling as a result of long term drought.
There are three main aims of the “Bush Bucks” campaign:
1) Firstly to encourage the Temora community to keep local dollars local, by supporting local businesses wherever possible. More
2) Secondly, to raise awareness of how important every dollar has become in keeping locals employed and thereby retaining our population and safeguarding the provision of vital services across our communities. More
3) The third aim of the campaign is to rebuild the once strong links between rural towns such as Temora and the capital cities. The campaign hopes to attract external funds into the local economy by targeting city communities and extended friends and family groups. More
Supporting the “Bush Bucks” campaign is easy. Essentially “Bush Bucks” are like gift certificates which can be endorsed for any amount of money, and spent across our participating businesses, with the only requirement that the money is spent in Temora. We're not pleading for help, we're just trying to help ourselves and make better use of the money cycle. So if you are looking for a great way to support local business, strengthen the wider Temora community and get some quality products and services at the same time, then please show your support by purchasing some “Bush Bucks”.
1) To encourage the Temora community to keep local dollars local, by supporting local businesses wherever possible.
"The dollar you spend can employ a friend".
By supporting local businesses, including retail shops and service providers, you are supporting the jobs of our friends and family members.
Council and the business community believe it is important to rekindle our awareness of the need to keep as much as possible of our spending power concentrated locally.
If everyone in our community works together in support of the “Bush Bucks” campaign then we are assured of success.
How can you help? We ask that you initially identify areas where you may be able to support local businesses even more than you now do. Secondly we ask that you take the messages of the campaign to your friends and family both here and in the cities. “Be vocal on shopping local”.
2) Secondly, to raise awareness of how important every dollar has become in keeping locals employed and thereby retaining our population and safeguarding the provision of vital services across our communities.
Safeguard vital community services
There is an ongoing need for those in rural and regional areas to be more self-sustainable in terms of the retention of town population.
It is critical to raise awareness of just how important every dollar has become in keeping locals employed and thereby safeguarding the provision of vital services across our communities.
Remember by choosing to do business locally we keep our community strong, our people employed and our population steady. This ensures that our teachers, doctors, police, emergency service workers and other people, who are absolutely necessary to sustaining our community, remain in Temora.
3) The third aim of the campaign is to rebuild the once strong links between rural towns such as Temora and the capital cities. The campaign hopes to attract external funds into the local economy by targeting city communities and extended friends and family groups.
Rebuild links between rural towns and urban areas
Part of the Bush Bucks campaign focuses on rebuilding the once strong links between rural towns such as Temora and the capital cities.
In recent decades the drift of population towards urban areas and an increase in overseas migration has resulted in fewer and fewer direct links between city and country people. For much of the first 150 years of Australian settlement, nearly all of those living in the cities had "country cousins" or other people with whom they had regular contact. Sadly this is no longer the case with fewer city people maintaining personal links to rural and regional areas.
As rural people it is important that we strive to reconnect and endeavour to build a level of understanding with our city counterparts. Everyone in Australia knows about the drought, but only personal contact will stop the effects of the drought quickly becoming yesterday's news to those that live in the city. If we rebuild these links at a personal level it will make a difference in the long term.
Right now, if we can get some funds sent our way, especially over the next 12 months, it will make a special difference to our community. With this in mind the campaign also hopes to attract external funds into the local economy by targeting city communities and extended friends and family groups. Temora Mayor Counsellor Peter Speirs encourages “people living in major centres such as Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne to spend their money through this simple voucher, on their friends, relatives, business colleagues or employees in Temora” as a means if reversing the effects of the ongoing drought in our community.
So, use your established networks of friends and family to encourage shopping in Temora as much as we can especially over Christmas holiday period and help them send the money to our community.
