Gosford  33 Henry Parry Drive

August 5th 1999

A fairly large and lively group met at Carmel and Frank Poussart's house and created a spirited Conversation.

To make sure we had space to speak we created a 'Talking Stick' which helped enormously in allowing us to be properly heard and have our presence felt.

The issue of a sense of isolation in the community was raised over and over again and it is believed that this 'separation' is highly exacerbated by the fact that something in the order of 35,000 people commute to Sydney daily for work.   This travelling leaves people in 'downtime' mode when they return to their homes and there is little energy left for community affairs or activities.

Local employment was raised again and a lively discussion ensued about how the attitudes and self esteem of some sectors of our community have been impacted with disastrous consequences in some cases.  Some of those influencers included parental role modelling, education and attitudes of some teachers, and a deterioration of the quality of life perhaps due in part at least, by the modern shopping setup. 

Other issues canvassed included Land Clearing methods and Deforestation.   Environmental issues are almost mandatory in Conversations and there was obvious concern displayed by this group.

There was just time to explore some of the activities we might get involved in to have an effect in the community and as this room was full of people who are already making an impact in so many useful ways, I think that this Conversation group could well become something quite formidable.

We had a visitor from the local press who interviewed and took pictures so we are expecting an even bigger turn out next month.

Let me add a rousing "Thank you" to Carmel and Frank for their splendid hospitality.  A very community spirited pair who, it turns out, are fulcrum to many activities in Gosford.

The next Conversation in Gosford is scheduled for Thursday 2nd September.