A Gravesend community group has started a petition calling for better mobile phone service in the district after residents say they’ve suffered severely decreased service after the shutting down of 3G services.
Craig Warby and his partner Kate, proprietors of the Gravesend Shop, stated that the community is “up in arms” over the lack of reception.
“Our reception overall’s nowhere near as good as what it was, so we started with a community meeting,” Warby said.
The Warbys were big drivers behind the petition, saying the need for better reception was vital not just for business, but safety.
Reception was out, Warby says, on the day a local farm had a minor paddock fire last month.
“There was a fire on one of the days it was out” Warby says, and Starlink had to be used to call for help.
Warby says that one of the firefighters, at the time, did not have coverage and was unaware of the fire.
“We live in a rural community, we’re isolated, and if something goes wrong we can’t make contact with people.
“We know there’s gonna be a few blackspots, but as a rule of thumb we should be able to make a call or send a text message.”
Coverage degraded after the 3G shutdown, residents say, and it extends to more areas in the shire, including Bingara.
Residents have taken to using to using Starlink for internet connectivity, with the Gravesend Store using it for its EFTPOS facilities.
Strangely, Optus Reception is more reliable, according to Warby, disproving the old adage that Telstra is better in the bush, with Telstra struggling significantly during Gravesend’s Cod Classic fishing competition with the influx of visitors.
Mayor Tiffany Galvin has spoken with Barnaby Joyce, whose electorate is due to shift to encompass large amounts of the Gwydir Shire.
“I went to the meeting community meeting in Gravesend,” Mayor Galvin said,
“I’ve spoken to Barnaby, and said we really need to fix the reception in the whole of the shire.”
The petition in the Warbys’ store alone has so far collected over sixty signatures, with copies of the petition place around the Shire:
- Bingara Bakehouse
- Bingara IGA
- Bingara Newsagency
- Meat on Maitland, Bingara
- Bingara Post Office
- Bingara Pharmacy
- Upper Horton Sports Club
- The Shop, Gravesend
- Croppa Creek Store
- North Star Club
- Wallaroo Pub, Coolatai
- Warialda IGA
- Warialda Pharmacy
- Warialda Newsagency
- Warialda Post Office
- Spoilt, Warialda