The meeting, held at the Tenterfield School of Arts, ran for nearly three hours, with atttendees representing a broad range of local businesses, employees, and retirees.

RDA is a national network of 55 committees comprising local leaders.

The regional plans are a partnership between federal, state and local governments.

Council general manager Don Ramsland said the challenge was to make Tenterfield into a destination, rather than just a stopover.

Some of the main challenges facing Tenterfield that arose from the meeting were the lack of high quality services, including medical, internet and phone coverage, and a ‘substandard’ airport.

Another priority arising from the meeting was to establish a clear branding of Tenterfield, allowing the town to be marketed around Australia. The idea to establish Bald Rock as Tenterfield’s drawcard was agreed on by a number of people present.

The consensus from the meeting was to convene a key group of local stakeholders, revolving around a single `driver’, who together can push Tenterfield’s development. The three main areas to develop were health, the economy, and establishing a brand for Tenterfield.