Third time's the charm for Leonie

Some might see it as a nuisance, but Leonie Sargood says the de-amalgamation debate is an "opportunity to reclaim the community”.

GO FOR IT: Leonie Sargood is onto her third de-amalgamation/amalgamation and says the Granite Belt community shouldn't give up the fight. Picture: Matthew Purcell

SOME might see it as a nuisance, but Leonie Sargood says the de-amalgamation debate is an "opportunity to reclaim the community”.

She should know - she's lived through three of them.

In the early nineties her small town of Yarram, Victoria, was one of several swallowed up in an amalgamation of the Wellington Shire.

She said the move decimated the once thriving fishing community.

"Bad move and still a bad move. That small town of Yarram has basically, not totally, but basically turned into a ghost town,” Mrs Sargood said.

All the industry was taken to the bigger city centres and has never recovered, she claims.

"There's never been a fight back and don't think there ever will be because the town's got nothing.

"The main town of Sale went 'Thank you, we'll have all your stuff'. Which is what we can see here.”

They relocated for a period to Stanthorpe, before shifting right around Queensland due to her husbands work.

They landed in Noosa, which would soon have it's own local government spat.

The Beattie Government at the time forced the Caloundra, Maroochy and Noosa regions together in 2008 to form the Sunshine Coast Council.

"We got there and thought 'Oh god, an amalgamation. This is not going to be good'. And it wasn't,” she said.

"Everything started falling down. People would ask for basic services and just didn't get them. People were angry as. That's what it is like here.

"It wasn't a big group of people who were actively active trying to get the shire back, but they were just determined and never gave up.”

On January 1, 2014 the Noosa Shire was granted its wish and broke away.

"As soon as de-amalgamation happened it was instant change. People were happy, the place was vibrant. Jobs came back to the locals.

"All these comments about how there's going to be an 85 per cent rate rise here... it's just not true. Not a cent came out of our pockets in Noosa. Rates didn't go up.”

They shifted back to Stanthorpe and could be forgiven for feeling a little hard done by having to live through another proposed split. But Leonie said it'd be the best move for the region.

"I think if nothing happened it'd be disappointing. We can see the disharmony. De-amalgamation is not a bad thing.

"Everybody that I know is so for it. If you think you can you will, if you think you can't, you're right,” she said.