Studies have shown if people moving to a new region are not deeply connected within 12 months of relocating they will move within two years, if not earlier.
Anecdotally, moving house is one of the most stressful things a person can do. Add to that moving to a new location, and anxiety levels can go through the roof.
I have personal experience with this special type of stress — I come from Broken Hill and I have moved house, cities and states multiple times.
These moves didn’t really affect me until I had children.
My last move required my three children to move to a different town, away from their friends.
On the first day of their new school, after dropping them off I had to put myself back to bed — I just couldn’t cope with the rest of the day.
Of course, my kids were fine — annoyingly so. They had no worries at all and gave me sideways looks, as if re-assessing my sanity.
So I come to the role of Community Connector co-ordinator with an enormous amount of empathy and understanding for people who choose to upend their lives and move to Shepparton.
As the Community Connector co-ordinator I make contact with new professionals who are referred to me by local businesses and organisations, and assist with some of the challenges of relocating, including helping to find a home, a job for their partner, childcare and educational options for their children, plus social networking opportunities.
Once I have connected with my client, requests for information come thick and fast.
Most are fairly standard — where is the best place to get coffee, where can their children learn to swim, who to talk to about buying a car. But some have definitely surprised me — is there a ghost-hunting group, and where can the client’s wife learn pole dancing!
Happily, I was able to help with both those queries.
This assistance is critical, as research has shown a person will choose to either stay or leave their job/town/area if their and their family’s life aspirations are not being met by the current set of living, schooling and social arrangements.
And by keeping professionals here once they have moved, it goes a long way to improving the economic outcomes for our region.
The Community Connector Program, since its inception in early 2021, has assisted more than 500 professionals moving to this region.
Interestingly, according to the City of Greater Shepparton website, the average household spend for the latest reporting period was $105,643, so economically, bringing these professionals to our region and assisting them to stay is valuable to our economy.
Needless to say, helping to find and secure a long-term rental for the Community Connector Program clients is difficult, and not only because we are in the midst of a nationwide housing crisis.
Those professionals who are travelling from overseas, which 47 per cent of my clients are, may not have the exact documentation they need for the application process.
It is ironic they are qualified to save a life, design a factory or monitor food safety, but as they may not yet have a driver’s licence or an Australian bank account, it is difficult for them to rent a home when they arrive.
Fortunately the Community Connector Program has built up knowledge and networks with our local real estate agencies, and together we are helping our new professionals find a home.
Earlier this month, the Committee for Greater Shepparton was a major partner with Greater Shepparton City Council in participating in the 2023 Melbourne Career Expo.
Our stand focused on promoting the lifestyle on offer in the region, as well as the multiple career and study opportunities.
In the 24 hours after the expo ended, I had already received eight emails from professionals, including a civil engineer, a project engineer specialising in water treatment, a marketing manager, an IT specialist and a mechanical and mechatronics engineer, all requesting their resume be sent to appropriate businesses and expressing a strong desire to move to regional Victoria. These emails are continuing to come in.
Multiple conversations were had with potential new residents/employees/professionals, who expressed surprise and approval at the Community Connector Program and how it would have made a huge difference and helped make relocating easier when they had moved to a new area.
During the expo, people were asked to fill out a survey about Greater Shepparton.
More than 150 people have completed this survey, and the results are surprising.
Just over 55 per cent of respondents said they did not know about Greater Shepparton before attending the expo and 61 per cent said they had never visited the area.
However, after speaking with the team, 77 per cent indicated they would consider moving to Greater Shepparton, with fresh air and beautiful sunsets (51 per cent), more family time (44 per cent), art and culture opportunities (48 per cent), and less traffic (42 per cent) all scoring high on the reasons why.
Helping people create a rich and happy life here in Greater Shepparton is such a rewarding job.
Add to that, each professional who comes and stays here will strengthen both the industry they are employed in and the economy in general. Well, that is just a bonus.
To learn more about the Community Connector Program and read testimonials from previous clients, go to the website Community Connector Program | Greater Shepparton: Great Things Happen Here
By Fiona Blick
Community Connector co-ordinator
Committee for Greater Shepparton