In a tiny town of 450 people in the West Australian outback, the last remaining butcher offers a simple explanation for his lifestyle: "I am mad"."I haven't had a holiday, ah, it's … I can't remember when."Mount Magnet's Kent Lucy says he's the last butcher in the whole region "and the best looking one for 500 miles" but his cheery demeanour hides a concern for the region's — and his own — future.
Meanwhile, other gold towns like Meekatharra, Cue, Mount Magnet and Yalgoo have survived, but for how long? "The shire anticipates development of this sort of support industry will bring much needed people back into this community, allowing us to once again thrive and prosper," she says. She says staff are hard to find and the long hours producing and baking goods as well as serving customers had taken a toll.
"It's a place to come and meet and tell a few stories. If I close up, I know what will happen to the place. It will die."The council has resolved to make a provision in its budget to consider making an offer to purchase the Yalgoo pub.Yalgoo Shire chief executive Ian Holland says an average of 500 trucks, carrying royalty-earning minerals, passMr Holland says his shire receives less than 10 per cent of its annual funding from the state government.