Expo entices tree changers

It has only been four weeks since the Country & Regional Living Expo in Sydney, but people are making the move.

The team at Jeff Hort Engineering is already filling positions with expo visitors after they showed a strong interest in the regions booming engineering, metal trades and mining sector.

The company’s first employee recruited from the expo will begin work on Monday.

A further six from the Expo are expected to start work with the company later in the year.

“A lot of people we spoke to are sick of city living, they think the traffic and commute is absolutly atrocious,” Jeff Hort Engineering workshop operations manager Carl Roberts said.

“Country living is quite an enticement, so is the cost of living.”

Sydneysiders involved in medical and education careers, trades, childcare work, and running their own business also showed a strong interest in making the tree change to central west.

“We found the jobs that we took to the expo fitted the demand,” Cabonne economic development manager Sharon D’Elboux said.

The Cabonne and Orange stand saw 79 jobs registered for the expo employment board and over 80 businesses for sale on the business board.

This contribution was the highest of all exhibitors.

A high number of people interested in spending their semi-retirement in the central west explored their options, along with a number of people looking to buy an investment property and eventually relocate to the area.

It is important to attract a range of people to the area, according to Orange City Council industry and skills project manager Tony Boland.

“We need to make sure we dont rely on one sector,” he said.

“If something happens with mining we have to be able to take up the slack with something else.”

Mr Boland said visitors at this year’s expo came with a better understanding of Orange and the central west.

“There was alot of awareness of where Orange was, and we found the same at Taste Orange at Bondi,” he said.

Previous years we spent a lot of time showing where is was. People were a lot more researched and a lot more focused.”