by Willow Pryor
Introduction
The nature of life in the classic Australian rural town is changing, and fast. Where once the farm and the family formed the centre of life and the community, now family-run farms find it hard to survive as a consequence of an ageing population and the young leaving to study and find work elsewhere. In Yarriambiack Shire in Victoria’s northwest there is also the additional challenge of a growing low socio-economic group, and it is clear that change needs to occur if the ongoing viability and sustainability of this rural town is to be ensured. The questions workers at Rural Northwest Health now face are: Can we shift the culture of health care from cure to prevention in time? Who is going to look after us? Will technology help us win back our youth or will it create an even greater divide? (continue…)