Voice of Byron

Voice of Byron Opinion 

by Nicqui Yazdi

IN THE sixth and seventh century BC things changed in Ancient Greece, from the total disconnect between the aristocrats and the common people, where the common people rose up and made the wealthy become more altruistic. They were publicly shamed if they displayed their wealth, and were forced to spend their money on public buildings, supporting community initiatives and services and not displaying any visibly outward signs of their wealth, including having to dress exactly the same as the common people.

Luxury was a problem in Ancient Greece and the only way to stop the fact that people were valued by their material wealth, was to bring about change and no one did it better than Athenian statesman and lawmaker Solon, who is famed for the quote “nothing in excess”. He forced the hand of the wealthy in his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline. Democracy was finally born. What came in was absolute equality, egalitarian rights for every citizen! Well.. that was the intention anyway.

It seems that there is now an ‘elite’ class in Byron, who see themselves as above the common people, and who have lost any sense of altruism. When I was a kid growing up in Toowoomba, like in ancient Athens, every second building had a name on it, public buildings that were built and donated by the wealthy of the town, over many years. Sports grounds, wings of hospitals, aged care facilities and much more.

One man alone gave an extraordinary amount of these public buildings to the Toowoomba community and supported countless worthy causes from medical research to sports fields, Clive Berghofer, who always stands out to me as one of the most classic examples of just how much one person can do with their wealth to benefit a community. Clive left school at 13, he was basically illiterate and never had any qualms about admitting it. But, he worked hard and he bought and developed a huge amount of land, built a pub, then a shopping centre, then a retirement village and personally built more than 8000 houses in Toowoomba, and his money, his profits that he gave back, then helped to build schools and hospitals and he even gave $10 million to the Queensland Institute of Medical Research to assist in finding a cure for cancer.

Clive is a classic example of what just one person can do, if they choose to use their wealth philanthropically. But Toowoomba was full of Clives, with so many people generously building and gifting amazing things to the community. I often wonder where Byron’s Clive is? I see so many of the Byron ‘elite’ furthering the lining of their own pockets, but not giving one cent into the ‘public purse’ of this town. Clive Berghofer built homes for the common people, homes they could afford to buy and rent. Where are these types of developments here in Byron? Where are the philanthropists and the altruists? The only building I see going on in Byron, are studios, townhouses, holiday accommodation, that not one true average-income Byron worker can afford. Just think of some of the people who own properties and businesses here in this town… some of our country’s most wealthy and least giving! Yeah, Byron sure ain’t got nothing on Toowoomba or Ancient Athens! Byron is just full of greedy people, who have lost touch with why they came here in the first place… they were attracted by the people of Byron… the common people… those whose biggest wealth, is the love in their hearts! It’s the poor folk of Byron who give the most back to the community here… and just a very small smattering of middle-wealth folks.

I would like to challenge the wealthy of Byron… tell us what you have done for the community? Tell us what you plan on doing that will benefit the community and the common people of Byron? Show us where you have contributed to the community purse, the grass-roots community organisations and groups, who give their time, to make a difference here… The common people who give time, because that’s all they have to give, but they give it with gusto! Where are these community buildings and community spaces that have been donated by Byron’s wealthy? Where are there any new gifts to the community? Where are the true philanthropists who give to the community right here in Byron Bay? WHERE ARE THE CLIVES OF BYRON?