So the other day Di told me her daughter wanted to be the boss of Pitchfest when she grows up, because thats what she sees her (awesome) mum doing!
We have so much talk about STEM or STEAM and learning to code and tech, tech, TECH and this is great, I shouldn’t say talk, I mean action things are happening and yes all good *high five*
But you can’t be what you can’t see.
So when I was packing my groceries and read the front page of our newspaper and someone else besides me banging on about tech. I was excited!
“My question would be, what’s in it for Wagga?” Dr White said.
“It would be a great shame if this piece of land belonging to the university is flogged off for more bloody housing.
“With the NBN there’s no reason you can’t attract tech industries like those in Silicon Valley (San Francisco), creating the tech capital of Australia.
“Our smart kids go the city and disappear and they won’t come back unless there’s a bloody job for them.”
If we want all our kids to learn how to code to build business and create jobs that don’t yet exist — in the regions we need some decentralisation.
I can’t keep up with the kids that want to do work experience with us, or people who want to pick my brain about their App idea. Our developer Sam is a Wagga boy and unless you want to end up on an IT help desk, or create your own tech startup, there is no where to work.
A tech park would change ALL. of. that!
If we want kids to learn how to code, they need to see the canvas and Atlassian and facebooks and snapchats and slack etc. If you want parents to understand the opportunities and encourage kids to study STEM they need to see it too.
It was not so many years ago — there was no tech companies in Australia, off the top off my head, google was first — google maps invented by Australians!
A tech park in Wagga or in any region will be game changing! So lets start at the start.
A university research park, science park, or science and technology park is an area managed in a manner designed to promote innovation. It is a physical place that supports university-industry and government collaboration with the intent of creating high technology economic development and advancing knowledge. source
CSU South Campus is 13.32 hectares and could be sold off for 4–10M
If developed into housing you will have a shiny new housing estate, and 130 new houses.
If developed into a tech park you could attract global tech companies, build a data centre, pop up shops, cafes, and house any of the local 17 startups we already have here!
Now lets look at the Canberra Innovation Network that was founded in November 2014 (yep 2 years ago)
312 Events // 22 Programs // 10,500 Participants and 56 Businesses!
FIFTY SIX BUSINESSES!
Can you imagine what 312 events, 22 programs, 10,500 participants and 56 new business would do for the Wagga Wagga economy?
Just googling there is currently 338 rentals available in Wagga
Showing 1–20 of 338 total results source: realestate.com.au
And to my surprise 602 homes for sale
Showing 1–20 of 602 total results source: realestate.com.au
So do we need another housing estate or could we be bold and brave enough to do something great and leave a mark for our kids for generations to come?
Lets start the conversation, lets talk about a tech park and lets be bold and brave and really do something great for our city, its like all the stars are aligned, and seriously who can connect me with Dr Graeme White?
