Pegasus Post: October 11, 2016

PEGASUS POST Tuesday October 11 2016 11
Your Local Views
Community rebuilding
The Bridge
South
Brighton
Trust
chairwoman
Jane
Harrison talks about
how the community
has come together to
lead the recovery in
the eastern suburbs
The recent unanimous
vote by the city council
to grant The Bridge
South Brighton Trust
$325,000 to purchase the
abandoned church on
Bridge St was a victory
for community-led
regeneration in the east.
Sitting in the gallery of
the city council chambers
on the day of the decision,
the large contingent of
South New Brighton supporters
heard councillor
after councillor declaring
their support for our project
and their admiration
for the hard work that
went into preparing our
case.
Councillors also recognised
the lack of tangible
evidence of recovery and
regeneration in our community.
In many ways they
were right about the need
Previously
United Travel
for a gathering place for
the people of South New
Brighton and about the
commitment and expertise
brought by the people
involved in this project.
And yes, we are still
lacking much in the way
of visible evidence of a
commitment to replace
what we have lost in South
New Brighton.
However, I think the
bridge community hub
project actually shows just
how much our community
has not only recovered,
but has taken regeneration
into its own hands.
We are no longer waiting
for someone else to fix
or replace things – we are
doing it ourselves.
By supporting our local
school, sports clubs, community
groups, voting
in the competition to get
free foundation repairs
for the bridge building, or
helping with community
planting, estuary cleanups,
or the recent working
bee at the bridge building
– the people of South New
Brighton are not sitting
waiting for regeneration
to be done to us or for us.
For many of those
involved in projects such
as the bridge hub, the real
hard work has been behind
the scenes – building
relationships with people
in the community, with
other community groups
and with our local elected
representatives and city
council staff.
We have been fully supported
and guided by city
council staff whose names
most local people will
not know. We have been
adamant about using local
experts and community
knowledge to guide this
project.
These two factors have
made the creation of a
community owned and
managed hub for the people
possible.
While it is easy to focus
on what has not happened
in the east and to measure
progress by the building
work that we see above
the ground, it is important
to recognise the
value of building strong
relationships, trust and
community strength. It is
here that we find the real
drivers of regeneration.
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