Tony Goodman, Gympie CBD Action Alliance continue plans for Mary St fix

Renewed effort to breathe new life into the Gympie CBD and main street, gutted in the February 2022 floods, has grappled with several hurdles as businesses and community leaders’ visions clash with economic realities.

Dreams of a thriving Mary Street replete with festivities met the reality of financial and practical hurdles as dozens of business and community leaders put their heads together in an effort to breathe new life into the CBD.

This was the tension at the heart of the latest meeting of the CBD Action Alliance, a group launched by former Chamber of Commerce president and Mary Street trader Tony Goodman in an effort to revitalise the city centre.

An initial meeting of the CBDAA in March 2023 heralded several possible ideas on restoring and transforming the street into a hive activity following the devastating floods at the start of 2022.

More than 50 stakeholders reconvened for a second meeting on Tuesday night at the Gympie RSL, with the focus on tackling and solving some of the challenges that lay ahead.

Several were not only discussed, but emerged directly during the 90-minute long meeting.

The 90-minute long meeting of the CBD Action Alliance, launched and founded by former Chamber of Commerce president Tony Goodman, presented several of the positive developments long the street like the new mural while trying to resolve questions over whether proposals like Sunday markets or Eat Street-like events were viable.

While visions of Eat St-like festivities and alfresco dining along the street emerged from the meeting of minds, on Tuesday night the reality of how to make them happen was the talking point.

Businessman Trent Kirkwood, the former owner of the 2 of Us cafe at Tozer St, said one elephant in the room in need of addressing involved the owners of the buildings along the length of Mary St.

Less than a handful of the assembled group on Tuesday night were landlords.

Mr Kirkwood urged the group to seek further input from these stakeholders saying “unless landlords get involved” the group’s efforts were at risk of amounting to nothing.

Questions over what the exact impact of any of the proposed ideas circulated the meeting too.

A suggestion of Sunday markets along the length of Mary Street faced pushback owing to economic realities, with one trader saying “we don’t have the staff” to be “open on a Sunday too”, especially with the day incurring penalty rates.

“If the trader’s aren’t open how does it benefit the street?” she said.

Former Tozer St cafe owner Trent Kirkwood said the CBDAA needed to secure greater involvement from landlords along Mary St, saying without them on board the group’s efforts were at risk of amounting to nothing. Less than a handful of the more than 50 people assembled at the Tuesday, April 18, 2023 meeting owned property in Mary St.

Stay at Home Mum founder and CBDAA secretary Jody Allen said a thriving Mary St was good for the region, not just those along its length.

“Every time we get outside money … it benefits us all,” Mrs Allen said.

“We want the group to be about more than just Mary St retailers.”

Councillor Bruce Devereaux shared this view, saying visitors “can and do make judgments based on (the) main street”.

Mr Devereaux said the transformation of the street came down to a matter of will.

Gympie Regional Council itself was a useful tool for achieving the group’s goals, Mr Devereaux said, but the best outcome would only be achieved by those at the meeting leading the charge.

To do that, they needed a plan.

“You don’t make a Lego castle off the picture on the front of the box,” Mr Devereaux said.

“There’s instructions inside.”