12/05/2026
⚠️Political Post Warning ⚠️
A Love Letter to the Shoalhaven ❤️
There is no place like home.
And I wish I meant that purely in the positive sense — but in many ways, the Shoalhaven really is a home that many of us have outgrown.
This region is bursting with talented people. I won’t even touch on the academic, sporting, cultural and business success stories that come from here — because they are endless. What I do want to talk about are hobbies.
Hobbies are often the lifeblood of communities.
They bring people together. They inspire greatness. They preserve tradition, celebrate creativity and enrich the lives of others. They create spaces where older mentors guide younger generations toward becoming better stockmen, gardeners, athletes, artists, breeders, horsemen, craftspeople and community members.
For many of us, hobbies become more than hobbies. They become purpose.
My life has become deeply connected to the things I love doing. Almost everything that gets me out of bed every day ties back to those passions. But the reality is — I travel outside the Shoalhaven to participate in most major events, because to be quite frank, I’ve outgrown what is available locally.
Mediocre is not what I have my eyes set on.
And mediocre shouldn’t be what any of us settle for.
The Shoalhaven is missing something significant. We are missing a central place where all parts of our community can come together and showcase the best of who we are.
A pavilion to exhibit poultry, pigeons and caged birds.
A ring for horses, cattle, goats, sheep and dogs.
A convention centre capable of hosting conferences, exhibitions, fundraisers and community events- a centre where community groups can congregate and dream BIG!
Athletic facilities that are genuinely fit for purpose — places that foster the next generation of sporting stars.
Trial gardens where local gardeners can grow, test and display plants suited to our climate and conditions — showcasing the flowers and plants created by local legends.
A one-stop, all purpose destination that becomes nationally recognised. A place to host every event we travel outside of this region to participate in!
A drawcard.
A place tourists actually travel for — not just drive through.
The Shoalhaven has the people.
The talent.
The passion.
The climate.
The land.
The stories.
What we are missing is the vision and ambition to build something iconic.
Because this region deserves more than surviving.
It deserves to lead.
We often criticise youth.
We complain about the technology they overuse. We whinge about antisocial behaviour. We shake our heads at disengagement and wonder why younger generations seem disconnected from community.
But the uncomfortable truth is — we do very little to enrich their environment.
I stood on the front line campaigning for local council, and the most common requests were always the same:
“Fix the roads.”
“Address the rate rises.”
“Sort the rubbish.”
“Make this place better for younger generations.”
And while some may find it controversial, that last point is actually the most important.
You can fix the roads, the rates and the rubbish — but an ageing population alone is not going to grow a thriving community.
We can keep talking about revitalising Nowra.
We can keep applying bandaids to deeper issues.
We can hold meetings, write strategies and repeat the same rhetoric.
Or we can finally be honest enough to admit the real cultural issue we are failing to address:
We are not preserving what community is actually about.
Community is about celebrating the things that bring people together.
It’s about creating places where passions are nurtured.
Where skills are passed on.
Where young people feel inspired instead of isolated.
Where people gather not because they have to — but because they want to. If we do a better job of this the other issues are easier to address.
If we fail to invest in that, we shouldn’t be surprised when people disengage from the very towns we expect them to care about.
The Shoalhaven deserves better than managed decline.
It deserves vision.
If we are going to be in debt anyway — let’s at least have something positive to show for it.
Something future generations can be proud of.
Something that builds culture, community and opportunity.
Something that gives people a reason to stay, participate and believe in this region again.
Because endless conversations about decline achieve nothing.
Vision does.
