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The Goulburn Chamber of Commerce’s History

The Goulburn Chamber of Commerce has proudly been serving and working with local businesses for over 103 years. On the 28 November 1913 a public meeting was held in the Town Hall to form a Chamber of Commerce. The first General Meeting being held on 20 January 1914. The Honourable G. H. Reid was elected as the Chamber’s first honorary member.

Since those very early days, the Chamber has been involved in local community and business development plans. Early committees played a part in urging the Government to proceed with the Burrinjuck Hydro-Electric Scheme in 1917. Between 1917 and 1924 the Chamber lobbied for a bridge over Paddy’s River. It has been instrumental in advocating for local businesses and in supporting the growth of many industries in Goulburn.

In 1933 a booklet promoting Goulburn city and our region was released, as a joint Chamber/Council venture. In 1937, the Chamber was instrumental in forming the Association of Country Chambers of Commerce. The first Trade Fair was organised in 1937 called ‘Made in Goulburn’ week, which had, as principal exhibitors F. R. Elton (furniture), Baxter & Co (boots), Gribons (bricks), F. W. Sandell (clothing), W. M. Connelly (flour) and the Permanent Ways Shops (railway).

Over the years, the Chamber’s prominence in the community has been up and down, as the needs of members and the community changed in each decade. However, the core focus of the Chamber has always been to be the voice of local business and to support the socio-economic development of the Goulburn region. We want our local businesses to thrive. Thousands of businesses have come to the Chamber to connect with their colleagues, to be informed on local issues, to gain support for their ventures and to seek advocacy for their business needs.

The Nineties and Noughties have seen many profitable community and business campaigns initiated and led by the Chamber, one being the Awesome campaign. As Goulburn continues to expand and we welcome more people to our city, the needs of our Members change too.

The past few years have seen a resurgence of community spirit, creative ideas, big visions and business confidence in Goulburn. Our initiatives in 2014-2015 saw us awarded the 2015 Winner of ‘Local Chamber of Commerce’ for the Far South Coast Region, in the NSW Business Chamber Awards program. In 2016 we were again finalists in this award and came in second.

Whether you are a new or existing or long-term business in Goulburn, a solo entrepreneur, small business owner, franchisee or large corporation, we look forward to connecting with you.

Town Hall : Goulburn, N.S.W. [postcard]

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