Don’t have a plumber, electrician, aircon mechanic, car mechanic, tyre shop, independent ag mechanic, hydraulic shop etc in your town? Then do something about it.

The council or a group of farmers should get together to buy an industrial lot, build a lock up shed, offer it out for $1 a year then stand back and watch the rush.

Even better if you can throw in a transportable out the back or at the caravan park to help them get settled in.

Skilled people who are good on the tools, qualified or not, will go bush and set up a business if we make it easy for them.   More than one group of farmers I know have employed a mechanic between them on a drive in drove out basis to service all their machinery.

Take it to the next logical step and it only takes a small group to get together to underwrite a $200,000 investment in a quality industrial shed in town and a lease on a house and they have their own priority mechanic.

Even better, insulate it and add air con and watch the fly in fly out boys line up to work there.

Another idea, fund an expansion of your local small dealership to take on two more apprentices and the community buy the block next door to expand the size of the business. Help them to get big before they get out of town.   The big dealers are getting bigger and consolidating to the bigger towns.

Big sheds attract small businesses that will grow and help fill the schools and football teams.   Pick the business you want the most in town, build it and they will come.