They Should… or We Should?
“They should do something about this.” It’s an easy line to say, and I’ve said it myself more than once. But lately I’ve started wondering whether “they” might really mean “us”
By Neil Reilly, the founder of a local chapter of the Tough Guy Book Club and a former mayor of Kiama
Some communities have their favourite refrain. Ours might be: “They should do something about this.”
“They” could mean Council, the State, the Feds, or some faceless authority up the highway in Sydney. It’s an easy line to say, and I’ve said it myself more than once. But lately I’ve started wondering whether “they” might really mean “us”.
The Illawarra isn’t a single story. It’s a coastline of reasons, steel and salt, surf and schools, families and foothills. We live in small towns and tight streets that run like stitches along a beautiful seam of coast. When we take the four State boundaries of Keira, Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama together, we’re a community of about half a million people. Close enough to share concerns, distinct enough to keep things interesting. Politically, we sit in solid Labor territory, but our daily lives cut across every stripe of opinion and experience.
We all feel the same pressures: rising costs, tight housing, and the uncertainty that seems to drift in with the global tide. Our region is in transition – from steel and smoke to renewable energy and new skills. We want the best of both worlds: stability and growth, preservation and progress. That tension can be healthy if we face it honestly.
So before we reach for easy answers or quick blame, maybe it’s time to pause and ask a different question: Why are we here?
What drew us, or kept us in the Illawarra? Was it the coastline, the community, or the sense that life here can be balanced and human-sized? If so, our task isn’t to rage at change, but to guide it, together, in ways that protect what matters most.
During my years in local government, I saw how people working side by side could rebuild after storms, rally for neighbours in need, or make a stubborn idea take flight. No edict from Sydney made that happen; it came from ordinary people who refused to wait for permission. That, to me, is the real definition of “community.”
Some might call this view Pollyanna-ish. I don’t mind the label. Optimism, when it’s earned through experience, is not naïve… it’s courageous. It says we still trust one another enough to try again.
I sometimes wish we could be as bold as the Social Democrats of northern Europe, who aren’t afraid to dream big while keeping both feet on the ground. They talk seriously about ideas like a universal basic income – not as a handout but as a hand-up, recognising that when people have security, they invest in others, start small ventures, care for family, volunteer, create. What if we took that spirit and applied it here, in a local way? What if we saw our region not as a problem to fix but as a collective enterprise to nurture – a kind of community dividend where everyone shares in the benefits of our natural beauty, renewable potential and social fabric?
Over the next little while, I’ll explore six areas where we might begin: The Cost of Living and the Cost of Belonging, A Place to Live, A Place to Stay, Powering the Next Chapter, Edges and Erosion, Caring for the Carers, and The Dividend of Trust.
Each will look at a challenge the Illawarra faces – and how we might respond not with complaint, but with collaboration.
“They should do something about this,” people say.
Maybe it’s time to answer: “We can.”
About the author
Neil Reilly built his career in advertising and marketing, managing major retail and automotive campaigns before running his own Illawarra-based TV production business. A former Army Forward Observer; he retired in 2017. Elected to Kiama council in 2008 and mayor in 2022, Neil values public service, family life with his wife Wendy, their three children and two grandchildren.
