By Jim Child, Mayor of Yarra Ranges
It has become a sad trend of the last few years, that the Mayor’s Message at the end of the year is wrapping up a difficult time, and hoping for better in the coming year.
Even though we have battled our way through storms, floods, and Covid, I continue to be in awe of our community, for the way in which we come together and support one another.
The Yarra Ranges is the best place in the world to live, to visit and to work, and the community is at the heart of that. Time and time again, we show how connected, how resilient and how vibrant we are – even in times of adversity.
Christmas means different things for each of us, but in a time when the words ‘normal’ and ‘routine’ needed to be abandoned, the approaching season feels like a very welcome time of regularity, charged with a renewed sense of meaning.
However you celebrate, I encourage everyone to find their reason this festive season in Yarra Ranges – to get behind our ‘Buy, Employ, Enjoy’ campaign, which has a strong focus on supporting local businesses and helping them get back on their feet after the past few troubling years.
This is one of our first festive seasons without Covid-19 restrictions in place, and tourism is back as the weather warms up. There’s never been a better time to visit a local business for gift shopping, Christmas catch-ups and family lunches, or to get out in our parks, trails and reserves to see everything the region has to offer.
From berry picking from local farms to exploring one of our 55 towns to experience our best local produce and captivating local art – you’ll find it all in Yarra Ranges this season.
There’s also local Christmas Carols and community wishing trees where you can donate to help others make the most of the festive season. If you have any last-minute Christmas shopping to do, I encourage you to buy from local traders to support our local economy.
If you’re not sure where to start, can I suggest visiting yarraranges.vic.gov.au/buylocal for a directory, where you can find more than 400 business listings – to help you find whatever it is you’re looking for, for anyone in your life.
There are so many people in our communities who are deserving of our deep and ongoing gratitude for all the work they have done to protect and support us this year and for these people especially.
In the spirit of Christmas, I hope each of us have an opportunity to stop, to relax, to and find time for the people we care about and come into 2023 replenished and ready.
For all those heading away over the break, please travel safely and take extra care during this busy time on our roads.
