OUR CITY, OUR FUTURE - Lewis von Stieglitz

CONFIDENCE, investment, role models and even a little thinking outside the box.

These are a few things that Lewis von Stieglitz believes Warwick needs.

From his roles as CEO of the Warwick Credit Union and president of the Warwick Chamber of Commerce, Mr von Stieglitz has a pretty good view of where Warwick has come from, where it is now and where it's headed.

"Warwick is well on the way to becoming a very substantial regional centre," he said.

"We already have a great base to build upon further.

"Great agriculture, wonderful history and scenery and a good industrial base.

"We'll see them grow and and prosper over time."

Mr von Stieglitz said he had no doubt about that.

"Over the long term, Warwick has changed from a country town to a provincial city and it really is a great time to be living here," he said.

"That's what I tell everybody.

"We have it so good here, the clean air, the time it takes to get to work, the scenery, you get to see the sky and the weather changing.

"Nowadays, with the advancements in technologies, you don't need to be stuck in the middle of the city.

"You can do it all from here."

Mr von Stieglitz said Warwick could benefit greatly from three things.

"We need to build confidence, we need investment and we need role models," he said.

"We want people to have the confidence to invest here, then to come and build their homes or expand their businesses and we need role models to show the rest that it's possible.

"People who are willing to come here and bring their skills and their dreams."

Mr von Stieglitz said Warwick must fight hard against the hollowing out that happens in country towns.

"We want people to want to stay, and want to come and build their businesses," he said.

"Chasing these few things is much more important than building a bigger bridge or a water park for example."

Mr von Stieglitz said in order to build these ideas into reality, the town needs to be positive, welcoming and have an open-for-business attitude.

"That sort of success doesn't happen with the flick of a switch," he said.

"It takes a lot of hard work from the community and the embracing of ideas that a might seem counter-intuitive."