The Local Member for Barwon Kevin Humphries has described Narrabri as a ‘healthy, prosperous’ community, and encouraged the developement of local networking group ‘NextGen’.
NextGen invited the Minister for Western NSW, Land, Water and Natural Resources to speak at its Christmas function at the Crossing Theatre on Friday night, which was attended by almost 40 people.
Minister Humphries spoke about his political career, achieving success and Narrabri’s unique situation in terms of growth and development.
“There aren’t too many places that have got the opportunity that this community’s got going forward,” he said.
“Healthy communities are prosperous communities, and that is where Narrabri is at.
“You are in an interesting area where you’ve got a very robust agricultural sector, underpinned by water, climate, great soil and just as importantly, good land management and agronomics.
“The other side is you’ve got other resources here, coal and gas, that a lot of other communities don’t have, and whilst that might be a little bit controversial, it’s an opportunity.
“People need to make sure they get good information so they can make good decisions, and whilst the community might go through some growth pains, the developments proposed here are very significant.”
Kevin Humphries congratulated NextGen President, James Thomas, and Secretary, Carla Campbell on taking the initiative and ensuring Narrabri is an attractive place for skilled workers.
“You’re in the right place at the right time, for many of you that are in the room here tonight, opportunities have come along, and to have a professional network like you’re building here is important,” he said.
“If you then combine the network with discipline, persistence and planning, you’ve got it made, I quarantee you will not lose.
“Keep building your network along the way because you never know when those people will help you out.”
The NextGen Committee were extremely pleased with the event, and hope to hold similar networking functions throughout 2015.