Future Morwell, Future Latrobe Valley. My perspective.

My name is Nicole Salmela and in many ways I'm just a simple, ordinary Morwell resident who has chosen to live and raise my children here. I must confess that after growing up in Morwell as a humble foster kid, I couldn't wait to get out. Morwell was so different 30 years ago and the common thought seemed to be that if you wanted to make something of your life, then you needed to leave. I remember as a kid driving around the suburb and in just a few blocks counting 30 houses for sale. It had become a ghost town and it offered very little for young people who aspired to be something and change the world around them.

I was no different to anyone else except that as a foster kid I not only had to figure out what that 'something' was that I wanted to do to change the world, but I had to find out who I was. I must also admit that I didn't like this place and my memories certainly didn't lend me to come running back here. But there is still something about this town that without realizing it, had become a part of who I was and eventually would draw me back, as the circle of life often does.

I had my first child in Melbourne and very quickly became unsettled in a large and detached area. My husband is from Sweden and had simply settled where I was, so had no real attachment to any town. In my heart I knew that I didn't want to raise my children in such a large place so we started to look at our options at moving to a smaller place. There's something about country towns, raising children and the lifestyle it offers. You can imagine my surprise when an opportunity came up for my husband to co-open the new Bi-Lo at Midvalley - in a town I said I wouldn't return to.

But return I did and found a town that wasn’t the same. One thing I’ve always known about Morwell and its residents is that they are an incredible breed of people who have faced much adversity which has instilled in them the sheer grit and determination which has changed the very town around them. Houses may have been empty but the fighting spirit of the town never left.

We all have to do our bit, and I’m trying to do mine. A town is about its people and the effort we all take to make it a place we are proud of. My husband and I are Pastors of NOW church in Traralgon because we believe in people, I’m a learning support officer at St Vincent’s Primary School because I believe in our youngest generation and the impact they will have on our future. My husband and I have recently become foster carers because we believe that every child has a right to be loved, freedom to be a child and place to have fun and be safe. I’m an advocate for ASD because we are proud parents of son with Aspergers. 

Pastor of NOW Church Traralgon

I am a public speaker and advocate for ASD.

Morwell is forever changing and growing. It’s a town I’m proud to be a part of, to raise my family in, to work in and to give my ‘little bit.’ It’s a place of opportunity and the houses aren’t empty any more. The schools are buzzing, the community has gathered together in a strength I have never seen before. Businesses are booming and growing, changing and offering the modern services everyone wants. And if we continue to be proud and join together as a community, supporting each other and all that the town offers, then I believe Morwell and the Latrobe Valley can become the hub of Victoria.

I believe that the old thought that if we want to make something of ourselves we have to leave has gone. Instead, I believe that this place is a place we all want to come to. In 20 years it will be the place where leaving won’t be an option, moving here from other places will have great appeal and it will be modern and have all the opportunities we need to keep this great place alive. And in 50 years, when I’m sitting back in my retirement home, reflecting on a town that had become the very heart of me, I’ll smile and know that we’ve left the future generation with one of the greatest places you could ever live. 

Morwell 2015