How many people under the age of 50 did you see at Saturday’s rally? Photo: Denny Fachin/What’s on Griffith.
A sea of grey descended on Memorial Park on Saturday to hear the case for Griffith hospital to split away from the Wagga establishment.
How many? That’s in dispute. Facebook page Griffith Free Local News estimated 2000, WIN News said 1000 and the ABC claimed it was just 350.
But one thing was certain – you didn’t need many hands to count the number of attendees aged between 20 and 40.
There’s no doubt the oldies are carrying the can in the battle to save this town’s health service while the young are mostly indifferent to the struggle.
On social media, you often see those in their 20s and 30s complain about having to drive two hours to Wagga for basic services like getting a bone set or an MRI scan.
But few seemed willing to show up and protest in person.
Why?
It’s true they usually have busier lives than the over-55 demographic that dominated the crowd on the weekend. They’re working full-time jobs, raising families and having to take kids to sport on Saturdays.
But I can’t help think that whenever the Today Show comes to town, you see a lot more Gen Y and Gen Zers making the time to come out to see them.
Why is the desire to see a few TV celebrities greater than the push to preserve maternity services and get orthopaedics and a mental health ward at our hospital?
Perhaps a lot of people under 40 have never had the misfortune of being seriously sick or injured. Hence, they don’t appreciate the need for good health services as much as those who are ageing.
But as winery owner Bill Calabria pointed out, a country hospital represents a lot more than just a safety net for those who are unwell.
“If you don’t have a good hospital, we won’t be able to attract families to come and live and work here,” he said.
Winery boss Bill Calabria outlined the case for splitting from the MLHD. Photo: Denny Fachin/What’s on Griffith.
That means businesses struggle to survive, the population falls and the town slowly dies. Just look at some nearby rural locations.
Those who spoke at the rally argued the local hospital would have more services if it broke away from the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD), the Wagga-based health bureaucracy that makes decisions on staffing and services.
Veteran surgeon Dr Narayanan Jayachandran made a compelling case, arguing Wagga had prevented orthopaedic surgeons from coming here.
But not everyone supports this cause – some have argued creating a new bureaucracy would be costly and complicate future transfers to Wagga.
Could that have been the reason the young didn’t turn up?
Supporting a split from the MLHD wasn’t a compulsory prerequisite for attending the rally. Indeed, Mayor Doug Curran told the crowd his council was neutral on the issue. There were others on the fence who attended the rally to listen to the arguments.
But everyone agrees that things need to improve. We have a new hospital but so many basic services are missing. Every day Griffith residents are taking bumpy ambulance rides to Wagga, Canberra or Sydney for treatment we should be getting close to our homes.
That’s what Saturday’s rally was all about. To tell the NSW Government that it’s not good enough and to listen to a particular roadmap for change – whether or not you agree with it.
Those who gave up an hour of their Saturday on a cold windy afternoon deserve to be congratulated.
But if Griffith is to get the standard of health care it deserves, we can’t let the seniors, retirees and veterans do all the heavy lifting. All demographics and sections of the community will need to stand up and fight.
