AS the world mourns the loss of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, next week Ballarat has its own opportunity to take its own small step to a brighter future.
Armstrong was the face and voice of one of mankind’s great achievements – exploring frontiers no-one ever thought was possible.
Yet it was a man who developed rocket technology in Nazi Germany who, depending on your own take on space travel history, drove the exploration which most said couldn’t be achieved.
German-born Wernher von Braun was a one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany during World War II. He later moved to the United States where he became the first director of the Marshall Centre, specialising in rocket development.
It was von Braun’s articles, in Collier’s Weekly magazine which, while derided by many, opened the eyes of others to the possibility that one day man would walk on the moon. von Braun did not let his detractors – his involvement with the Nazis made many Americans very wary – sway his determination that man could land on the moon.
It was a Marshall-developed Saturn V rocket that launched the crew of Apollo 11 on its historic eight-day mission.
von Braun died in 1977, his role in envisioning the astonishing achievements of the NASA space exploration program which continued long after he had passed often forgotten, as Armstrong and fellow Apollo crew member Buzz Aldrin attracted most attention.
Yet, through explaining his vision, he helped change the world.
Today, The Courier touches on the views of just a few about where they see Ballarat’s future.
We’ve chosen today because this week the eyes and ears of the state’s decision makers will be on the city through a sitting of parliament at the University of Ballarat on Thursday. The parliamentary session will be controversial. On Wednesday, one of the biggest teacher strikes in the state’s history will disrupt the lives of tens of thousands. Thursday’s sitting will attract protesters against the government’s changes to TAFE funding.
Politics aside, on Thursday night, the Committee for Ballarat will host a forum, led by television moderator Jenny Brockie, which will ask serious questions of those in the audience about just what they want Ballarat to be, and look like, by 2030.
It’s not always easy to look past the here and now. That the debate about issues such as the Civic Hall, CBD revitalisation, job losses in manufacturing, the city entrances and community safety have been on the agenda for the past decade, or longer, and residents continue to be frustrated by the lack, perceived or otherwise, of action. Public leadership which can force a change in the conversation hasn’t eventuated for various reasons, not least the increasing politicisation of local government and the reactivity of public relations officers employed by governments and private firms which has become a blight on information flow. Upheaval in the media landscape, driven by changes in consumer habits which demands immediate news and information, has only exacerbated the problem.
Ballarat might never have a greater opportunity than this week to challenge governments to take a new view of our city and where it is headed.
What is the end goal for creating a vibrant sports and entertainment space in the Eureka Stadium precinct, which has significant community support? Can we redevelop the Civic Hall space into a vibrant multicultural hub? What is the industry, or industries, which will provide the jobs growth needed to support bubbling population increases.
Importantly, how will Ballarat build on its reputation as an innovative regional city? How can we use strengths in health and education to better the city’s reputation? How do we balance population growth with infrastructure investment? How do we encourage investment which better connects Ballarat to metropolitan areas, and to western Victoria?
From this newspaper’s perspective, addressing these issues will help create a vision for 10, 20 and even 50 years yet, remarkably, they only skim the surface of the challenges, and opportunities, the city faces.
We expect next week there will be people passionate about Ballarat’s future who will take the opportunity to have their own Wernher von Braun moment and suggest the impossible. Imagine how just one idea, or series of ideas could change the path of our city, just like von Braun helped to change the world.
With the audience the city will have next week, there has never been a better time to make a statement about what we want to achieve. It’s time to take one giant leap for Ballarat.