John Forrest (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a tremendous delight for me to stand on Friday in the Culgoa community in my electorate, just on the Calder Highway, and open a new post office for a little town of 100 people. The story of Culgoa is an inspiration. This small community, located in an isolated region of north-west Victoria, made up its mind that it would not roll over but would instead fight back and retain its community services.

Eighteen months ago, it responded to an invitation from the government to open a rural transaction centre. The community got itself together and purchased the general store, which was the last remaining business in the Culgoa township. The township now can boast a general store that provides to the community groceries and a whole range of services that people living in cities take for granted. These people have now organised to retain their postal services, with the support of the government through its rural subsidy programs.

It was a delight to be there. I congratulate Reid Mather, the Mayor of Buloke Shire, and his wife, Kerry, who have worked so hard to retain these services that are so important to people who live in isolated rural locations. I commend the community’s fighting spirit to this chamber.