The community at Wedderburn has had no luck in their search for a hairdresser to date, but that hasn’t stopped them.
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Response to a social media callout for a hairdresser in May was promising but without results.
Several hairdressers showed an interest in establishing a business in the town, but in each case the premises proved to expensive to set up.
So several community members have decided to establish a community enterprise which will allow them to set up a salon.
Read more: Wedderburn rallies for a hairdresser
Committee member Robyn Vella sees a hairdresser as an essential service for a small community.
She said that such services were critical for people must rely on others for help with transport.
It was not until treatment for breast cancer left Ms Vella unable to drive, that she realised how much Wedderburn needed a hairdresser.
It’s not just about providing service either, Ms Vella said, it’s about sustaining the economy of a small town.
Ms Vella said that as soon as residents start driving out of town for essential services, they begin to spend money out of town.
“Wedderburn has a butcher, a coffee shop, a hotel, a supermarket, they're all essential services in a community. And one of those missing links is a hairdresser,” she said.
“We’ve got to provide it, we’ve got to support it and we’ve got to be able to keep jobs to be able to attract new people to our areas.”
Establishing the salon as a community enterprise will allow the community to own the premises.
The enterprise will cover the cost of setting up a salon space, which it will then rent out. It is currently fundraising to install all a salon could need, including chairs, basins, a massage therapy table, shelving and hair dryers
The group will operate as a sub-committee of the Wedderburn Community House.
Ms Vella said that the enterprise hopes to create an opportunity for hairdressers who might not otherwise be able to afford a salon, for instance TAFE students or mobile hairdressers.
For Ms Vella, the enterprise has a threefold purpose.
She hopes to see it create jobs, practically help families who need a break by providing an essential service close to home, and boost community spirit.
Ms Vella saw this realised when she made the initial callout on Facebook in May, asking whether the Wedderburn community thought it could support a hairdresser.
The idea for a community enterprise was born out of this momentum.
“People were really excited about it because we’ve never really thought of it in this way,” she said.
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