Thread: Getting over being Done OVER!

Originally Posted by bob10

Jonesfam, what happened to the jobs promised by the various mining groups, in the area. The further from Brisbane, the harder it gets for people. I see the Gold coast want another highway , built alongside the current one. There are two Queenslands, one in the south, with all the millionares,& one in the north, with hard core Queenslanders trying to carry the weight. Time to split the State at Townsville, create jobs for these kids. Otherwise, there will be no answer.

Don't kid yourself. There's rich people up north too (I've lived both north & south). There would be value in splitting the state, but you've got to come down further, somewhere between Mackay & Rocky. Given how few people from Brisbane have been further north than Hervey Bay, I don't think they'd notice

As a bonus, State of Origin could then ditch NSW and be a real two state competition again.

Centaury Zinc has just closed up. They are keeping about 50 people on for rehabilitation of the site.
Even when it was running it had to employ people from all across the Gulf so after the build stage only about 20 people from here had permanent work there, Doomadgee has about 1500 people.
There has been a lot of exploration done for minerals & from the reports I've read there are masses of copper, zinc, lead, uranium & some silver all around our area. Problem is Australia already digs up plenty of the above.


The organization I work for was originally set up with Century Zinc money (we are a separate business within the trust) to develop Aboriginal business in the Gulf.
The Doomadgee Roadhouse is one of these. Although we employ locally the skill set for a local to manage the business is not here. There are people with the skills but there are 2 issues:
Those people are highly sought after so mainly have Government jobs on higher pay & a lot shorter hours.
Pressure from family/tribe to give never, never credit or just free goods away.
It has been tried & that is why I am now here. I can't go into detail but lets just say the Roadhouse had more than a few issues, some I'm still trying to sort out.
The other Aboriginal businesses that have been set up by the trust are all heavily managed by the trust, I assist with the management of 2 other business & whole manage another in addition to the Roadhouse.


We are trying to develop a tourist industry here but I just keep hitting brick walls.
We built 4 accommodation units 12 months ago, they have had 2 tourist stay! I have plenty of public servants & contractors stay (in fact we expanding this year because we are constantly booked out) but we built them to try to get tourist to stay, well that didn't work!
During the season we have 100's of tourist drive through or stop at the Roadhouse but they don't stay.
We are thinking about a caravan park but if 1 or 2 tourist get their cars or vans rolled or vandalised - word will get around.
I am starting a project to set up an Art Centre which I think will work well during the season. It will have to be next to the Roadhouse because if you have more than 2 cartons of mid strength beer in your car you can't go into town, we have an exemption.
I have tried (& I haven't given up yet) to get a fishing camp going up at the coast with local guides etc. I keep running into land issues & tribal elders thinking they will get huge money out of it. They don't like it when I give them projections that don't have any profit for 5 years.


So, yes, we are trying to get some things going, but sometimes you feel like that bloke who had to push the boulder up the mountain forever!


Jonesfam


PS Go a NQ State!
Stuff Brisbane!!

Originally Posted by jonesfam

So, yes, we are trying to get some things going, but sometimes you feel like that bloke who had to push the boulder up the mountain forever!;

Good work mate, wish more people would do the same by walking the walk and not this constant talking the talk.....

Originally Posted by Pinelli

Don't kid yourself. There's rich people up north too (I've lived both north & south). There would be value in splitting the state, but you've got to come down further, somewhere between Mackay & Rocky. Given how few people from Brisbane have been further north than Hervey Bay, I don't think they'd notice

As a bonus, State of Origin could then ditch NSW and be a real two state competition again.

Qld is governed from Brisbane, almost all infrastructure expenditure is in the South East corner. That's where the votes are. I've lived North as well, the state of the " highway " north of Rocky says it all. A separate State is a pipe dream. What would make more sense is an amalgamation of the N.T. and North Qld, administered from Darwin. After all ,this is the Asian century, so they say. Darwin is the gateway to Asia. As for the indigenous problem, It's the same now as back in the late 70's, early 80's , when I had the opportunity to spend time at places like Yuendumu, Papunya, Docker River, in the NT. Taking people from their home land, and placing them together to live with different tribal groups, is a recipe for disaster.

The Government solution is, no government has one. They think by throwing money at the problem , somehow it might go away. You can not pay people sit down money, and expect their society to advance. I feel sorry for the people at the sharp end, like Jonesfam, because frustration must eventually take its toll. Do I have the answer? Of course not. Does it sadden me? My great grand mother was a full blood from Central Qld. You bet it does.

I have left Doomadgee twice!
I'm her again, must be something about the place?
The mayor reckons he's got my plot picked out at the cemetery!
SWMBO reckons she's going to bury me here!
As good as any place I suppose?
Jonesfam

I dips me lid, Jonesfam.

Well done Jonesfam. It must be frustrating but don't give up.

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BBlaze, my father, who was in the army in Borneo in WW2, used to say that the best thing you could do was put the suspected thieves in charge of security of the stuff they were thought to be taking. Looks like he was right too...