You may have heard on the grapevine, (or on the ABC radio for that matter) that Lancelin will soon say goodbye to its popular local general store, Have a Chat, championed for the past 15 years by Darren Gerrand. Like most successful small business owners in regional towns, Darren is a popular local personality, and it almost goes without saying that he’s also a volunteer firefighter and active supporter of local footy club the Lancelin Pirates. But Darren explained quite clearly this morning on national airwaves that he was just plain exhausted. Working 12-hour days often 7 days a week, plus picking up the Sunday shifts himself (those award-rate Sunday wages cost a pretty penny) wore him down. Whilst he was quick to reiterate how much he has loved helping his loyal customers, as well as sharing the best of Lancelin with the hundreds of backpackers and windsurfers from all over the world who frequented his store in peak seasons, he is looking forward to ‘enjoying life while he still can’.
The local supermarket will likely benefit from extra custom after Have A Chat is gone, and is no doubt capable of servicing local shoppers and transient holiday makers – but will they stop to share a yarn? Will they change a tyre for an elderly bloke or explain where the best sand boarding spots are? I think not. It’s actually a valid concern that regional towns will lose their unique character as small business owners like Darren give up the hard yards one-by-one. I wonder if we quite realise what our little towns will be like without these colourful and quirky local haunts? Will we regret forgoing them for a ‘bargain buy’ or a bulk discount down in Midland or Joondalup?
Darren sure hit the nail on the head when he explained the role his shop plays in town of Lancelin: “It’s a place of information, it’s a place of stability, and I was always willing to go the extra mile. Owning the shop is about a passion and love for what it is, it’s not about making a million dollars or anything like that. It’s about welcoming and greeting people!”
Sure is Darren. And it will be missed.
