Let them go - but welcome them back

Stopping kids leaving the Clarence Valley isn't as important as encouraging their return

BACK HOME: Glen McClymont returned to the Clarence Valley after leaving to get a trade. Picture: Adam Hourigan

FOR one proud Clarence Valley local, trying to stop kids leaving town may not be the pathway to growth.

"The key is not necessarily in stopping people leaving - but in how long it takes to get people back." said Glen McClymont.

Young people leaving regional towns for major cities is nothing new, whether you are in regional Queensland or regional China, chances are you will be familiar with the scenario.

In many cases it is not just young people that are leaving, the vast wealth and power concentrated in metropolitan centres makes it a given that people of all ages will be sucked into their orbit.

Glen McClymont was one of those kids, leaving the Clarence to pursue a specialist trade - industrial refrigeration - and said while it was something communities such as the Clarence may never change, it should not take the focus.

"I don't know if you can ever get around that - young people want to experience an adventure. There is a drive to take risks and a lot of the time risk is not close to home."

"The battle isn't so much stopping people from leaving but more about being happy to let people go and constantly reminding them that they are welcome back."

The starting point for Mr McClymont was addressing how people talked about the community and fighting the concept of "the hole". He was passionate about shaping a positive identity for the town and he said while he understood some of the negativity he wanted to stay positive.

He explained how important it was to recognise the language people used had a tendency to stick with young people and influence them well beyond their teenage years - himself included.

"When you're a young fella you hear a lot that the area is a "hole". That is the term used and is probably used in every country town across the country," he said.

"For a lot of people I know it takes a long time to get over that entrenched idea that the Clarence is a hole - the more you hear it as a kid the longer it takes to get over it as an adult.

"Even some people who are really positive or driving for change can fall into the trap of using negative language to promote that change. And young people hear that."

Alongside fostering a positive community identity came the material things which help with what Mr McClymont described as the "internal conversation with yourself which you don't even realise you are having".

Things like schools, healthcare and job prospects all mattered when regional towns were trying to encourage people to settle in the region and he said even more important than that was lifestyle.

"I think the more opportunities - and not just work but for lifestyle - that are in a place like the Clarence Valley, the more evidence there is to counter that internal conversation," he said.

"Then there is a higher chance of winning that battle and getting people back to the area earlier."

Importantly for the Clarence Valley, the notion of 'the lifestyle' is an advantage the area has over many other regions and played a big part in Mr McClymont moving back with his wife Justine.

The wide range of activities stemming directly from the diverse ecological environments within the LGA can be leveraged and built upon.

"Where our strength lies is in that breadth of lifestyle in that cross section from Yamba, Maclean, Grafton and everywhere in between and around," he said.

Building on a platform brought by natural assets and positive identity would be made easier if people were encouraged to take risks and invest in more grassroots initiatives that could provide the example to the next generation.

"I think if there is a supportive and positive community people will take risks because they know the community supports them. And you find that when people take risks communities start to thrive."

Originally published as Let them go - but welcome them back