Community group pledged to save Darwin

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
 
Sir – We are appealing to Darwinites to leave egos and political allegiances at the door to form a positivity movement for Darwin on common ground!
 
We may not be Darwin born and bred, but after seeing and hearing of so many businesses falling like flies and people leaving the Top End in droves, we know something has to be done.
 
Hailing from interstate and having lived in so many different cities and towns around Australia, we knew we had discovered something magical here – home! And with the downturn, the time for positive, productive action had come.
 
Enter Darwin Reignite – a positive movement for change and action for our beautiful tropical city! With a Facebook group launched on January 10, in just 24 hours the group had over 1000 members, reflecting the discontent, disenchantment and hopelessness experienced and felt by so many.
 
Single parents, families, double income homes, small business owners, big business owners – you name it! All are saddened to see businesses that have been long – standing Darwin institutions, close for good.
 
I have owned and operated my own business here in Darwin since 2014 and it has been an amazing experience and Darwin has really treated me so well.
 
After talking to people and seeing with my own eyes what’s happening, particularly in the CBD, and all throughout the Darwin region, something’s definitely not working.
 
It has been a release I guess, for many of us, to whinge about the state of things, but the time for whinging is over. We have identified that things aren’t working and it’s now time for intelligent talk, creative thinking and most of all, action!
 
No matter who you are, what your background or experience, there is a place for you here in Darwin. That i s what we emphasise. We do not care about your political persuasions, if you want to one day enter politics or even if you’re a member of a party.
 
At the end of the day, all that matters are you want to stop people leaving Darwin and you want to roll up your sleeves and do the hard work at the community level – even if we fund it ourselves – to get this place pumping again.
 
Darwin Reignite is strictly a community action group, from the Guerilla Gardener who single handedly, out of his own pocket, has been greening Darwin street by street, to the amazing individual who feeds itinerants, again through her own hard work and personal funding. For every one story we hear about that is negative, there are 99 great ones just waiting to be heard.
 
The team are currently setting the agenda for an array of positive, creative and inspirational community action meetings and events. No protests or rallies here. Just intelligent, passionate and energetic people.
 
Ange Grose, businesswoman, and  fiancé Don Harding
Co-founders, Darwin Reignite. Telephone: 0409 860 823