The THBOA are those businesses that look to the future of the Tuross village and wish to remain informed of any Council initiatives that might have an affect on how the community and business might benefit.

Our THBOA members share a common voice of informing Council of its opinions and requirements when required.

Our THBOA members believe in the mutuality of all Tuross businesses being there for their own families and for the community and acknowledge that a collective approach to business in the village is vital for the lifeblood of the village, their own families and its residents.

What do I get for my $5 annual membership fee? You are listed on our directory and in the local monthly newsletter..... * meetings are only held when there are important issues to discuss with potenntial to affect ALL businesses in the village such as Council's decision to not fund a beach patrol in Tuross for the summer of 2010/2011 or Council not showing any interest in dredging the boatramp so that Christmas visitors can gain access to the lake remembering that fishing is the major drawcard of visitors to Tuross Head. Something such as the above - No Beach patrol and No Lake access - could see visitors staying away - No visitors equals NO revenue and that equals HARD Times across the board for your own business and that of your fellow Tuross buisness peers. But I'm a bricklayer, I'm a painter, I'm a cleaner, I'm a hairdresser - why should I be a member of the THBOA? Because every action made by Council or any other body that impinges on your right to an income needs to be questioned and rather than as an individual the Tuross businesses can collectively say - "NO - this is wrong" via the far stronger voice of their THBO Association BUT I HAVEN'T TIME to attend meetings........ you don't have to - however as a member of the THBOA when a meeting is announced * you will be emailed an invite with all the background reading you need to keep informed. * you will be emailed the minutes of the meeting to be informed of what happened. The meeting comes to you via your email - unless you want to vote on something..... then you will need to attend a meeting Also - there is this THBOA website with members listed. As a member you can use the website (for free) as a front end to promote your own business if you don't have a webpage already. Your business is also listed in the monthly village newsletter All that is required is to email our Secretary with the text and images and your webpage will magically appear at no cost with no annual fee.   Members are informed that as the AGM is held in December members need to be financial in order to vote and need to be financial in order to stand so the membership due date has been set at at November 1st.   Become a member   The THBOA: • encourages business growth and supports loal business and community needs • promotes Tuross Head as a quality tourist destination • develops marketing, media and publicity opportunities for Tuross busnesses • provides regular communication of relevent business information to its members • strives to ensure that the Tuross Head business community has a voice within local and state politics • strives to ensure that members receive good value for their annual membership

 

A bit of History of the THBOA

An organisation by the name of the Tuross Head Business Owners Association was formed several years ago with a view to having a common voice to represent the interests of business owners in Tuross Head.

There were a dozen or so meetings of the Association's members, but interest in the Association languished, probably because of lack of membership (the membership fee was $100), a lack of interest in the membership in attending meetings and a lack of burning issues to form the agenda.

In August 2010 it was found that there were a few interested people around the town who wanted to see the Association resurrected.

With over 120 businesses in Tuross (including home-based businesses) the reformation of the Association would allow all those in business to speak with one voice, becoming a force with a greater influence than held individually.

The hottest topic, which was of major concern all Tuross business owners was (and still is) the likely adverse impact on tourism to Tuross Head of the Council's continued refusal to fund lifeguards for Tuross Beach this summer holidays.

The impact of such actions to the town's economy is difficult to estimate. However, it is believed that the impact of, say just a 10% decrease in tourists visiting Tuross could be severe.

Any decision that is made by Council that has any potential impact on Tuross businesses must be seriously considered and the THBOA must ensure that the opinion of its members is heard and seriously considered before ny Council resolution is made.

The Consequence of any negative action to business in Tuross

Firstly, businesses that are already trading close to the line of being non-viable would be more likely to fail. If any of the businesses that do a good tourist trade should fail, that would diminish the sufficiency of the shopping facilities and discourage even more tourists from making Tuross Head their holiday destination.

There would be a snowball effect over time. Less tourists, leading to less business supplies and services for tourists, leading to less tourists, and so on. And, a decline in tourism woouldn't just affect tourism-based businesses, such as a caravan park. There would be less food sold, less hair to cut, less beer sold, buying power for local shops will be diminished and there would be less items on the shelves at higher prices. Locals would then begin to shop elsewhere accelerating the decline. An exact example of this happened in recent years and this community can not allow a situation like that to happen again.

A downturn in tourism would also bring an impact for the building trades. Owners of holiday homes and tourists who might think about buying a holiday home in Tuross would become fewer as they looked elsewhere to invest. Holiday homes for sale would increase. There would be less demand for new buildings and for renovations of existing buildings. Real estate sales would eventually decline as interest in Tuross as a desirable destination with a vibrant business community diminished.

Property owners could also expect to be impacted by any detrimental Council decisions that impinge on Tuross tourism opportunities and potentials. Less tourism means less demand for property and reduced property values. The only good news is that residents might save on Council rates.

The business community of Tuross Head needs to support itself to form a strong and representative voice that works with and encourages the Eurobodalla Council and Eurobodalla Tourism to best represent their interests and livelihoods.