The first is that a lot of young families, graduates and students leave to seek further education and other opportunities in capital cities, or even just bigger towns.
We do not have the capacity to host a university here and not enough teachers to offer all of the subjects. So, we leave to access these things.
However, I would like to remind today’s youth to have a good look at their town. While we do not offer university, you can do it online, start at the local TAFE and our local businesses even offer great traineeships and apprenticeships you can start while still in school.
The local community is forever giving and supporting, and I believe they truly want to help you, the way the people before helped them.
The second thing we all see is the difference between opportunities for city students and rural students. Not as many subjects can be offered, there are fewer scholarships and not everything is covered.
But I feel our local teachers work harder than others. They are constantly searching for any way they can support the vast dreams of their students and how to help them achieve their potential. We have some incredible, dedicate teachers, staff and schools who are constantly trying to give you a bigger and better opportunity.
Shopping is another way we are different to the city. We do not have a large variety of shops and services. Teens often feel they are not catered to as they seek the newest trends, big brands and designer items and you can’t access the shops 24/7 either.
But we support our local shops because they are the local community. We buy what we can from our town, supporting our neighbours. Our workers have time for their families on a Sunday and even after work each night. We bring you products and news from the local area and we will always choose you, because our local community is not just our customers, they are our regulars, our supporters and our friends.
So yes, we do not have the same opportunities as city people do, but I think there is a silver lining. I used to live in a city and think I could go nowhere from here, but this community continues to amaze me and prove me wrong.
So, don’t tell me or anybody else that the country has nothing, because if nothing else we have a truly unique big family.
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