Community (noun): a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common; or the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.
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Despite recent comments about the urbanisation or loss of community by the influx of metropolitan tree-changers, Hepburn Shire still has a very strong sense of community.
Yes, the mixture of community is eclectic. There is a combination of “old” – multi-generational – locals, of “new” locals looking for a permanent change from the metropolitan rat race and regular weekenders, who like to call the region their second home, even just for a few days.
This sense of community is what makes the Hepburn/Daylesford area so unique.
And rather than worrying about the loss of identity, the entire Hepburn/Daylesford region should be embracing that uniqueness of community.
By working together, the “old” and “new” of the region can keep this eclectic community alive. For this is the reason why so many people love this region. Why so many people return to the region again and again for holidays and for weekend trips.
But resisting change is nothing new.
Even back when the Swiss and Italians first called the Hepburn region home, there was resistance to change.
But over the years, those two communities have been instrumental in making the region great.
It is is the contribution of those ancestors which are recognised each year through the highly successful Swiss Italian Festa.
The festa celebrates the heritage and history of the early Swiss and Italian pioneers in the Hepburn Shire.
Festa organiser Bec Anderson said the event had become ingrained in the region’s culture, which had helped ensure its longevity.
“There’s been a real determination to keep the festa alive, because it’s such a part of peoples growing up here generationally.”
It is the vision and foresight of these past generations – originally new to the area – which make Hepburn …. well, Hepburn.
What would have happened if their vision wasn’t embraced back then? Where would Hepburn be if “new” locals decided to be “new” locals elsewhere because they didn’t feel welcomed by the “old” locals?
Embrace change. Welcome it. Work together for a great community.
