PP Alan Bowes introduced our guest speaker for the night Dr Gordon Forth. Dr Gordon Forth lectured at Deakin University in the Facility of Education and Arts and was Director of the Centre for Regional Development. He has taught and been a visiting scholar with universities in China, Ireland and the USA. As well as coordinating a number major history projects, Gordon has edited and authored articles and books on rural and regional Australia. Originally from Sydney, Dr Forth and his wife Penny have lived in Warrnambool since 1975.
Of Topical interest is his well researched and readable book "A Tale of Two Cities" - Warrnambool's Modern History, published by Halstead Press. It covers 15 topics - community spirit, crime, religion, population, housing, industry, retail, employment, infrastructure, the new professional class, health care, education, commerce, politics and local government.
The book starts with the late 1980s manufacturing slump, compounded by the early 1990s recession which resulted in the demise of Fletcher Jones, Warrnambool Woollen Mill and many associated trade jobs.
Few are nostalgic about that period — particularly Pyramid investors following the building society’s collapse smack bang in the midst of an economic slump. Shops were shutting, sporting clubs were struggling and the collapse of the Pyramid Building Society cost many individuals and groups dearly. Headline after headline confirmed the state of malaise.
Fortunately, Warrnambool’s woes reversed within less than a decade.
A chat with then Warrnambool Mayor Glenys Phillpot at an art gallery function some years ago identified the need for some-one to write a history of this economic reversal.
“It would have been unthinkable in the late 1980s with no FJ’s or Woollen Mill but here we are today — a successful city without those gigantic factories that employed so many people,” Dr Forth said.
Gateway Plaza’s 1986 opening split Warrnambool into two cities — the established central precinct and its new flashy competitor on the eastern fringe. The impact of Gateway Plaza was not so much the building itself but the retail trend it set, with large complexes challenging traditional shops. The Harvey Norman complex popped up next door in the early 2000s, closely followed by the nearby Homemakers centre.
Warrnambool’s modernisation has not been without its problems. Intangible factors such as the “loss of community mindedness” threatens service clubs like Rotary unless they move with the times. Churches struggle with a declining and aging membership.
Although Warrnambool by and large is a safe place to live, alcohol-related violence was a particular problem during the 1990s. More recently conditions have improved with extra security and surveillance cameras.
The transition from industrial to service industries is highlighted by developments in the education and health sectors. However, it is a fragile transition. The region’s low year 12 attainment rate is impacting on the demand for tertiary education. Dr Forth believes that it is unlikely Deakin Warrnambool and South West TAFE will remain in their present form. The internet is altering the way undergraduates study already and there is less demand for face-to-face contact with lecturers. Many secondary students are taking a gap year and some do not subsequently come back to study.
Warrnambool’s greatest selling point is its coastal location compared to other regional centres. However our distance from Melbourne is both a blessing and a curse. Some people looking to relocate may be attracted by having space away from the urban sprawl while others may feel the travelling time is too great and fear isolation from families. Many young professional families on a defined career path come with the intention of staying for just a few years. Some grow to like it here and remain.
The Warrnambool of 2015 is far better for newcomers than 1975 Warrnambool. Today the city is more progressive, its citizens more open-minded, shopping options are far greater and we’re a lot more connected with the rest of the world.
Dr Forth’s book A Tale of Two Cities — Warrnambool’s Modern History, published by Halstead Press may be purchased at local book-sellers for $29.95 or on-line from www.booktopia.com.au
Dr Forth fielded numerous questions and was thanked by Past President Alan Bowes.
