Local community and business leaders are continuing to work together to attract skilled migrants to the Shire as part of Welcome to Central Goldfields – but this is not a new concept.
Many local businesses look beyond the boundaries of the Shire to recruit when jobs can’t be filled locally.
Moving from Orange, New South Wales to Maryborough in 2017, Taren said she moved to the Shire for a job when Priceline was recruiting pharmacists.
“We do look different – we’re Sikh’s and my husband and son wear a turban, but Maryborough has been very welcoming.
“When I moved here, I was lucky enough to stay with Bronwen and Peter Haywood, former owners of Priceline, while we looked for a place to live and we went there a lot for dinner before we knew anyone else,” Taren said.
“Since then, we’ve been able to connect with families through local sport and schools.
“It’s definitely those personal connections that are key to making relocation a success.”
Taren said particularly in rural healthcare, recruiting from overseas has been common practice for many years. She also said recruiting has been made harder by the pandemic.
“We do need to bring our overseas trained doctors, pharmacists and other health care workers to help fill gaps in the workforce.
“This is not a new concept and has been happening for a very long time.”
Often struggling to fill skilled roles locally, Taren was able to connect with Elisa who originally came to Melbourne for a holiday in March 2020 – just 10 days before Australia’s borders closed due to the pandemic.
“After the borders closed, I started looking for a job and applying for a Visa which would allow me to work. After some time, I was put in touch with Taren and started working here in Maryborough in November of 2020,” Elisa said.
“When I applied for the job, the first thing Taren asked me was ‘have you looked up where Maryborough is?’ and I said ‘yes, I know it’s between Ballarat and Bendigo’
“Initially Taren helped me to look for accommodation and Bronwen, also helped and I moved in with locals Fiona and Peter.”
Elisa was connected with local community groups, from the Community Garden, to Zonta and the Supreme 1000 Laps Challenge. Elisa said she was able to meet a lot of new faces.
“Now I’m a member of Zonta and I go to the Community Garden as well. It’s really nice to have that connection. I’ve been able to meet a lot of amazing people.”
Taren said having a plan around how to support new residents was essential.
“There are pockets of society that are not going to respond appropriately to people who look like myself and Elisa, people who don’t value our contribution to society for whatever reason.
“I think it’s important for people to understand having an accent doesn’t mean that your knowledge is reduced – in fact it often means you know something in two languages.
“Having support systems in place and education around relocation is really important.”
Taren said finding a local connection was key for herself and her family to feel more welcomed to the Shire and that this should be a focus for businesses moving forward and as part of Welcome to Central Goldfields.
“From community sport, connecting with parents from your kid’s school or their sporting clubs, volunteer groups – those personal connections are so important and should form part of recruitment processes. They are key to making it a success.”
Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Cr Chris Meddows-Taylor said Taren and Elisa’s story highlight that relocation is not a new concept.
“We know businesses are already recruiting from far and wide, Welcome to Central Goldfields is an opportunity for us all to put our heads together and help really strengthen that process.
“This includes advocating for more housing, building on the Council’s Welcome Packs and offering multi-cultural education opportunities. Not only will we fill specialist vacancies our employers can’t presently fill but we create a richer cultural diversity in line with our Community Vision.”
