The following article was written by Jim Gainsford and originally published Wednesday July 17 2019 by The St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. The following text has been captured using computer software and may not be 100% accurate. You can download a high resolution scan of the original publication HERE.

ST GEORGE Chamber of Commerce will partner Bayside and Georges Riv­er Councils in a Buy Local Campaign to boost business­es within the local government area. Mayor Bill Saravinovksi praised the initiative in a Mayoral Minute at last week's Bayside Council meeting. Cr Saravinovski said under the Buy Local campaign, the council will seek to increase the number of local purchas­ing transactions it makes in its day-to-day business. Georges River Council will also partner with the chamber on the Buy Local initiative. Councillor Saravinovski presented the St George Business Chamber board with a copy of the Mayoral Minute praising the Buy Lo­cal campaign initiative. St George Chamber of Commerce president Allan Zreik said the official launch of the Buy Local Campaign has been set for Septem­ber 10. "We anticipate this will be one of the biggest and much-needed initiatives for local businesses that the St George Area has seen in dec­ades," Mr Zreik said. "We are set to kick off our marketing campaign within weeks. "We are particularly ex­cited as this campaign will cover quite a large area from Cooks River to Georges River representing almost 14,000 businesses - in the Bayside Council Local GovernmentArea as well as 16,000 busi­nesses in the Georges River Local Government, repre­senting over five percent of the NSW Gross Domes􀀔 tic Product." Cr Saravinovski said that under the Buy Local cam­paign, the council will part­ner with St George Chamber of Commerce to shine a light on local traders and uncover some of Bayside's hidden re­tail gems: "Buying Local is a funda­mentally important part of creating strong economies and even stronger commu­nities," Cr Saravinovksi said. "Every dollar that leaves Bayside is largely lost to our community, while every dol­lar spent within our bounda­ries gets spent over and over again. "A Buy Local campaign will aim to stimulate local job creation, boost local econo­my and inject money directly into our communities. "Our local shopping pre­cincts are community hubs, employment hubs and meeting places, each play­ing a critical role in building thriving communities where people live, work and enjoy their local area. "In recognising the contri­bution that local businesses make to building stronger communities, I support the establishment of a Buy Local campaign in partnership with the St George Chamber of Commerce. Post evalu­ation of a successful cam­paign, roll out the program should be discussed with our other Chambers' retail are­as," he said.