The
users of the Uki Hall are the proud Uki villagers. While Uki used to be conservative politically, the village
has in recent years been going towards the more alternative. Being close to
Nimbin, that since the 60’s has been known to be a hippie town, but also being
quite close to the expensive and more conventional Gold Coast, it is a cross
between the conform and the new-thinking. While Uki is slightly more expensive
than Nimbin further west, it is more alternative than many of the other Tweed
villages, and is often referred to as the hippie town of Tweed. This does not
seem to bother the villagers, however, and they are more than willing to
describe themselves by their love for the environment, their high volunteer
rate, and their high green vote.
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| Uki resident's bumper stickers |
Two of the Uki villagers are the friendly Geoffrey Colwill and Eddie Roberts. While Geoffrey moved here four years ago, Eddie has lived in Uki for about 30 years. Geoffrey can tell us how he has been living many places in his life, but after having driven through Uki several times, he decided now was the right time for him to move here. This is what often happens, he says; while driving through, people fall in love with the place and stay longer than they had thought. They are easily charmed by Uki; its easy pace, the beautiful surroundings and the sense of community. This is why there is such a varied and international population in Uki.
Like with the rest of the rural villages in this area, many young people move closer to the coast or to bigger cities, and the population in Uki is aging. Geoffrey and Eddie are optimistic, though, and think the population will eventually get slowly younger again. They have a preschool and a school there, and also a range of alternative schools outside the village and in Murwillumbah. One of their suggestions for making the population younger is to make internet and mobile phone signals more accessible, so people can more easily bring their home offices and work here.
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| Uki Public School |
While in earlier
days people in Uki lived mostly from farming and logging, the villagers now do
a range of different things. Many are retired or semi-retired, but still do a
bit of everything for the village. With the post office, dentist, cafes,
school, preschool, massage place and Bed & Breakfasts offering people jobs,
everyone seem to contribute in some way. There are also people giving art
courses and yoga classes, and there is still a bit of farming, giving dairy,
orchids and fresh produce to be sold at the Uki Hall weekly market. There is a
monthly newspaper distributed, and anyone can contribute. Geoffrey currently
writes a regular column, and Eddie has also added to the Uki News.
The Uki villagers have a great sense of community, and are supporting each other no matter what. Geoffrey says that while the gas outside the village comes at a cheaper price, he still buys it at the local gas station, because he wants to support the Uki economy. The villagers are also working together for a greener world, and take care of the environment collectively. Looking up at the roof tops in Uki, you will see more solar panels than satellite dishes. The inhabitants would rather be active and outside than passive and inside. They enjoy hiking, canoeing, bicycling, or just relaxing in one of the many green spots of Uki. Although a small population, they are a happy community.
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| "Happy Lunch". Photo taken near the Uki Public Hall, with the consent of the depicted. |
Author
Ingeborg
Kjaerstad
References
Geoffrey
Colwill (personal communication, March 6, 2014)
Eddie
Roberts (personal communication, March 6, 2014)