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The Nerang Chamber of Commerce started in 1994 as an initiative of a group of local business people who were concerned at the lack of support that Nerang was receiving from many areas of Government. There was also a perception that Nerang was not a safe or good place to have a business.
These forward thinking business people believed that by banding together under the umbrella of a Chamber of Commerce they could improve the business climate in Nerang.
These people are to be congratulated – they paved the way for us to be traders in a progressive community and no-one will deny that Nerang has come a long way in the last 10 years.
Nerang is the geographical centre of the Gold Coast and we are attracting a lot of business that do not want to be located on the eastern side of the Gold Coast because they believe they can run their businesses more efficiently with less traffic congestion.
The first meeting was held at the All Sports Club at Nerang and attracted approximately 120 people who shared that belief. Many of these people are still members.
Arthur Earle was the inaugural Patron of the Chamber. Our current Patron is Mr Ray Stevens.
Ex Presidents of the Nerang Chamber were:
John McEwan
David Treacher
Ian Friar
Ian Rosser
Bob Janssen
Demographics of Nerang
The town centre (1) straddles the intersection of Price Street and Ferry Street and forms the core of the original settlement layout defined by Martin Lavelle in 1865. Later commercial development extended on the south of the river alongside Station Street (2). The outlier of business activity in south Nerang (3) is a mix of fastfood outlets, vehicle sales yards and wholesaling/retailing businesses, with Highland Park shopping centre (4) being one of the most recent (1995) retail developments in the town. The main shopping centres in Nerang include Nerang Fair (5), Earle Plaza (6), Nerang River Plaza (7) and Nerang Mall (8). Industrial activity in Nerang occurs in the northern parts of the town (9) and in the large industrial estate (10) east of the highway. Nerang Park Poultry occupies a large stand along the Gilston Road southwest of Nerang Mall and is classed as industrial land with the business involved in food processing.
Introduction to the Economy of Nerang
Whilst Nerang has always maintained its own identity, it is now very much integrated into the social and economic fabric of the city of Gold Coast. Nerang is the centre of one of nine economic sub-regions within the boundaries of the Gold Coast Local Government Authority and it is difficult to imagine Nerang without the Gold Coast. Each of these sub-regions plays a vital part within the economy and each has substantial linkages with the others. Because Nerang is centrally located within Gold Coast, because of its long history, and because it is the centre of local government, it probably has stronger linkages than all other regions except for Southport and Surfers Paradise.
Nerang has a diversified economy with relatively greater emphasis on manufacturing and service industries without the high tourism profile dominant in other parts of the city. It is a general perception amongst many business people that Nerang has enormous potential to become a much stronger centre within Gold Coast, or indeed “the key centre” of Gold Coast.
Nerang today continues to flourish as a supply center for the Gold Coast. Not only are many building materials for the region produced here, but also the home of many council services is located within the town. As the region grows in both population and production, it seems the early forecasts of Nerang being a major ‘supply centre' for the region and a ‘gateway of opportunity' are not far from being achieved. The beauty of the natural landscape combined with the opportunity Nerang presents as a centrally located business corridor accessing Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Hinterland makes Nerang an ideal location for both residential and business development. Early in the 1880's Nerang's townspeople shared a vision for the town that by 1980 Nerang would have a stock exchange, a major emporium and a population of some 200 000. It still is a township of vision but to achieve its God-given destiny we will need to turn away from our attempts to build our own empires, as the plantations tended to do in our early years, and to seek to serve another for the common good. It is time for a strong, vibrant Nerang known for its steadfast endurance (like our early pioneers), and its integrity and service in all areas of community life. We call on you to play your part in that future.
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