The Tweed Heads Chamber of Commerce is an industrious pro active business group that assists many causes and lobby's for political action to improve the health and well-being of the Tweed Heads community and business engagements.
The meetings are held over a breakfast once a month and in the twelve years I have been a member, he has seen meetings so over crowded, it took a significant effort to make room with breakfast settings.
Tweed Heads is the commercial and light industrial centre of the southern part of the Gold Coast. The light industrial complexes are in Tweed Heads South.
As the Gold Coast fills up, people are moving south and real estate is becoming problematic. Two new sub-divisions are on the go, one has just been approved, Croki which is on the western side of the Gold Coast airport. The second, for which approval is expected very shortly is Kings Forest on the coastal road between Kingscliff and Casuarina.
The Tweed's expected rise in population over the next 15 years is an additional 75,000 people and this means several things for the Tweed Heads region.
Infrastructure by Tweed Shire Council with the State and Commonwealth will become heavy duty to meet this growth water, roads, electricity, gas, telephone and the NBN.
Coolangatta, Tugun and Kirra meanwhile are built out. The only way is up. But these huge sky rise apartments catering for the visitor, the tourist, rather than the resident.
Coolangatta's huge festival week is that which encompasses the June long weekend each year. 'CoolyRocks' is the week long festival includes both rock'n-roll along with the festive vintage car display and the Saturday morning street parade. The Cooly-Rocks-On church service is a huge event which was held for many years in the park now in the Uniting Church.
Tweed Heads cannot match such a festival, however the visitors that come in their tens of thousands enjoy the Tweed region from the Mount Warning hinterland, arts and craft, natural wilderness walks, to the Tweed coastal delights.
Other
A recent initiative has been the Walk of Fame outside the Twin Towns Club between Coolangatta and Tweed Heads. Like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, this Australian Walk of Fame has celebrated numerous Australian (entertainment and sporting) identities.
It is to this that the Tweed Heads Chamber of Commerce recognise the true value of the different things that appeal to Gold Coast visitors. Moreover the Tweed Heads Chamber of Commerce puts significant amounts of money into local school awards, the local Kingscliff TAFE and Southern Cross University.
It reminds me of the Scriptures where development of the community includes not only spiritual health but that the prosperity of the whole community is shared so that everyone benefits.
Speaking recently at a meeting, I spoke of the benefits of such strengths and questioned the overarching power of green groups that saw the international car rally taken from the Tweed to a more engaging region, Coffs Harbour where green politics as yet have not this kind of sway.
I wonder whether a sign might appear at every Tweed Shire entry point supporting the greenies: "Go back, we don't want you!" Strange, these green groups enjoy running water, sewage systems and good roads - yet they are all a direct result of sustainable development and growth.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html