It’s taken 15 months but at last, Orange has some colourful flags flying on the flag poles along Summer Street, all thanks to the efforts of Put Orange First, a group of local business people who are trying to do good things for the business community of Orange, particularly our retailers.

On one hand I’m absolutely delighted to see the flags flying but on the other hand, I feel absolutely dejected by what it’s taken for the group to get this far. I played a part in getting Put Orange First off the ground in the first place, and although I’m still a keen supporter of what they are trying to do, I’m afraid I’m far too old, far too impatient and far too much a get things done person to wait around for things to happen. I’ve stopped attending Put Orange First meetings and decided to do what I can personally and only those things where I don’t need someone else’s help to get things done. I’m sure other business owners are doing the same thing. If it takes 15 months to get a few flags flying in Orange, how long will it take to achieve anything that’s really important?

It’s a well-known fact that setting up business in Orange requires a lot of patience and more often than not, the hoops that are involved and the hurdles put in people’s way are considered over the top, that’s compared to other cities like Orange. I don’t want to elaborate on that here but one thing I do want to say is this.

Put Orange First set out to do something really good for the business community of Orange and just about every step of the way they have hit hurdles, hurdles that simply shouldn’t have been put in their way. With the right co-operation and teamwork from other groups who claim to care about business owners, we might be in a far better position than we are now to wage war after the coronavirus fallout is known. If there is one good thing that could come out of the coronavirus, my hope is it’s a better appreciation of the role small business owners play in the scheme of things and how important they are to our society. Here in Orange, and everywhere else, small business owners deserve better respect from everyone.

My personal opinion is that the co-operation and enthusiasm the Put Orange First group has received from the Orange Business Chamber and from our Councillors has been pathetic, sections of both the Business Chamber and the Councillors appear clueless as to what business owners really needed and that was before the Coronavirus made life harder again for many and caused the likely demise of others.

Please, PLEASE support your local small business owners!