Heart of Wisconsin
Business & Economic Alliance and
Community Foundation of
South Wood County
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A Joint Initiative Between Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance and Community Foundation of South Wood County |
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Enterprising Rural Communities Study Tour 2004 Australia November 1, 2004 A Note Before We Depart for Australia Hello Good people of South Wood County and Town of Rome: My name is Bill Lubing. I'm the Executive Director of the Arts Council of South Wood County and Co-Chair of the Tourism Cluster of the Community Progress Initiative. At the Arts Council I work with our volunteers to bring great performing arts to our area. It's a job that I love. Except for the next several weeks I'll be working for participants of this site. I'll be working for you. You see, you and I are about to depart on a fantastic journey. Actually, we're continuing a journey that began back in February, when the first public Community Progress Initiative (CPI) meeting was held at the Centralia Center. Since that time we've been working to realize the goals of the Initiative. To refresh our memories, those goals are to: Create a business-friendly environment and empower entrepreneurs; Shape a shared vision for people throughout the region; Stimulate new enterprises, resulting in additional job opportunities; Build the areas endowed charitable assets to support sustainable community development; Motivate emerging young leaders to drive positive change; Inspire community spirit & pride. In a nutshell, this three-year program in South Wood County and Town of Rome will help us create vibrant communities with prosperous local economies. For me and I suspect you, "learning by example" is a great way to take someone else's good idea, then tweak it to apply to your situation. Here's where our journey continues. David Beurle, the fellow whose company, Innovative Leadership Australia, has been helping to coordinate the CPI does this for a living, is working with several communities in the U.S., and is based out of Australia. On Friday, November 5 a contingent of us will be traveling to Australia to see first-hand successful rural community revitalization projects. We'll land in Melbourne, Victoria and spend the next several weeks traveling around Australia, visiting excellent examples of community revitalization. For a full itinerary Click here. Now folks, please note: That itinerary is not mine, it's ours. I make this journey as the "eyes and ears" of our community. My responsibilities are two fold: 1) to document as much of the experience as I can through photographs, interviews, and articles; 2) to feed this information to you on as "real time" a basis as possible via this web site. So you'll get a taste of our experience, can become a part of our "Australia Journal." By following our progress on this site you'll share the journey. Even if you can't actually be with us, you'll be looking over our shoulders, asking questions, forming your own ideas to transform "learning by example" into concrete steps to better our community. The study tour runs from Nov. 5 through Nov. 21. The goal is to update this web site every day or two with pictures, commentary, and articles marking our journey. A portion of the CPI Message Board will be dedicated to the Australia Journal, so we can all share our ideas on one central forum. Traci Stinebrink and Mary Olson of Community Foundation of South Wood County will be acting as web masters for the CPI site. Mark Treinen, editor of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune will also be posting the Australia Journal on the newspaper's web site. Thanks to all of you for supporting the tour in this way. While the tour is taking place, you can contact me via email at australiajournal@yahoo.com. So if you're game, I'll pack the bags and you come along as we travel from Nov. 5 through Nov. 21, harvesting great entrepreneurial ideas to bring back to our community. Before we go, though, a little problem has come up. There's too much to pack. I'll be worried sick until I've got a bag of peanuts in my hand and a cloud or two between my feet and Earth. Before we depart I'll be shuffling and packing and repacking some more. It's unfortunate, but camera and computer equipment make lousy traveling companions. First, they're heavy, at least according to airline baggage limits. Second, they're delicate. This is my first trip farther out of the country than Canada. The most delicate thing I've ever had to pack before was a canoe paddle. Well, I've received oodles of conflicting advice on how to pack the equipment, what should go as carry on and what should go as baggage. I've heard horror stories of "indestructible" equipment boxes being splintered to bits in the holds of airliners. "If the baggage handlers don't smash them, the turbulence will," was a bit of sage advice that caused me to blanch. I've weighed which equipment to bring and which to leave. My lap top computer must go, as it will be the remote photo, transcribing, word processing, and communications center for the Australia Journal. But isn't there just one camera lens I could leave behind? Unfortunately, when it comes to photo equipment I'm compulsive. So therefore, "No." My friend Mary Carel, a seasoned traveler, assured me that I wouldn't need to bring "that many" clothes, as I could wash them in the hotel room and let then dry. "Unless you're going to be moving every day," she mentioned in jest. I told her that, no joke, we'd be staying in a new town just about every day. Her response was, "Oh." Then there was a long pause. Finally she said, "Buy a cheap hair dryer when you get over there. Dry them at night with that." Well okay, I think I've got a plan. My first Australian purchase will be a hair dryer. I'll pack all the lenses, but fewer pairs of underwear and socks. The bulk of equipment will go as carry on. The sturdiest "sacrificial lambs" will be packed for baggage in a box that the manufacturer guarantees to survive all damage, "except shark or bear attacks or children under five." I'm assuming that won't happen in the hold of an airliner. So it looks like the packing problem may be solved. But now there's another worry. It concerns the trip back home. Won't airline security be suspicious of a bald man packing a hair dryer? I'll keep you posted. --Bill Lubing 
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