YO PROS: FOCUS OR FAD

The journey for a lot of us begins the same, a steamy exit from the QANTAS plane (work is paying); you could swim through the air it feels that thick to your southern skin, but after leaving winter behind it’s a welcome relief. Your skinny black jeans and R.M. Williams boots suddenly seem unnecessary...or are they?

A few months in you’ve found a ‘troppo’ house. Whether that’s a climatically appropriate house designed by troppo architects or just a house with louvres, corrugated iron and a view of palm trees, is to most, irrelevant.

You meet a ridiculous amount of other young professionals who usually know all the same people you knew in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne etc. but you just never met! You go to the Tiwi grand final, and the art centre, and get a piece of clothing made out of one of their fabulous fabrics. You discover Barunga, B2M, the Noonamah Rodeo (because why not?), Litchfield, Kakadu, Edith Falls. Every Monday morning suddenly becomes a competition of who found, and posted, the unbeatable camping spot over the weekend. #socialmedialyf

Six months in you have a dog, you’re eating laksa every Saturday morning at the Parap Markets to cure your hangover, you start drinking mid-strength beer to ease said hangover. You’ve bought a Franck Gohier print and had it framed at Don Whyte’s. You find yourself talking about the weather to anyone who’ll listen, even though you were sure that topic was reserved for awkward cash register interactions. You’re exclusively wearing cotton, linen and/or indigenous printed fabric.

By the end of your first year you’ve seen more waterfalls than you knew existed, you’ve bought more indigenous art than you can afford, you own an Akubra (maybe two or three) and the RM’s are still there, but you’ve added some Arizona Birkenstocks for good measure.

This is the usual trajectory of a first year Territory young professional, a YoPro. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, I can only write about it because I have lived it.

But what happens beyond the first years of discovery? Just like a new relationship, everything is fresh and exciting so how do you maintain the passion? The average YoPro only stays two to three years, it’s the other FIFO. What are the effects of this transient population? How do we encourage people to stay in the Territory?

These are the questions the NT Government have been asking themselves and has resulted in their answer: a ‘Population Growth Strategy.’ A program targeting early career females, (20- 39 years) and late career workers (55-65 years). But what about those of us who are already here? What about those of us who have committed a few years and are starting to wonder what is going to sustain the romance?

Many will tell you it’s the heat that ultimately drives them away, the lack of small local bars, live music, and cost of housing. But ultimately, I believe, it’s lack of family, lack of community. It’s a burn out of continually meeting new people and lacking connections with people who know the real you; the good, the bad and the ugly.

So many friendships from school and university are forced through periods of awkwardness and vulnerability. You see it all, almost without realising, and a long-term bond is formed. But here, you have a choice, either to continue to pursue a friendship, or accept that you, or they, are a YoPro, and move on.

I started feeling this around the three year mark, and when I communicated this to a 5 year-er they proclaimed, “Well you lasted a year longer than me!” But it really hit me that after a mass exodus of friendships, I was lacking genuine connection and community. There were lovely people all around me, but I wasn’t in a place to share my struggles, my insecurities, and my mental health battles.

Transitioning into my fourth year now, I have begun to sink my teeth into the 5-10 year community and it’s definitely given me a new Territory life. I still see and meet a lot of YoPros, but find myself with the same arms-length reception that was given to me in my first two years. I’ve tried my hardest to resist it, but just friendship can only bridge your Territory age gap so far. It’s hard to form friendships with people who just want to give it a go because “why the f--- not” when you’ve already been there and you know exactly why not.

The NT Government is currently fixated on bringing people here, and it shows a lack of thought for the existing community. While I think their focus on late career workers is progressive, the focus on bringing, as opposed to keeping, people shows a lack of investment in the real issue of building and supporting community in the Territory.

YoPro’s are an essential part of our economy but what long-term community resources are we offering?

Katy Moir considers herself a Darwin local. She began her territory life as a YoPro for Troppo Architects before entering the community as a freelance designer. She is passionate about the intersection of architecture and community, with particular interest in the design of public spaces.