海角大神

At first sight, Wangaratta doesn鈥檛 seem like a place in the grip of a drug epidemic. Located on the main freeway connecting Melbourne and Sydney but far from the hubbub of either city, it鈥檚 typical of the modest country towns that dot Australia鈥檚 sparsely populated hinterland.

But in recent years, Wangaratta, an old gold rush town that exhibits a fading colonial charm, has gained an unenviable reputation. It has become known as an 鈥渋ce town,鈥� one of countless regional communities ravaged by crystal methamphetamine, or ice, of which Australians are among the world鈥檚 biggest consumers.

Since 2012, the highly addictive stimulant has fueled rising gang violence 鈥� including firebombings and the shooting of a local butcher 鈥� that had previously been unheard of in this town of 17,000 people. In 2014, drug-related charges more than tripled from the year before.

Now, Wangaratta is fighting back and, like many other regional communities with limited government support to draw on, townspeople are largely relying on themselves.

鈥淕overnment funding is not the whole answer,鈥� says Felicity Williams, a member of the Wangaratta Ice Action Steering Committee, which formed last year to coordinate the efforts of health, education, justice, and community agencies. 鈥淢any regional communities recognize that, and Wangaratta certainly recognizes that.鈥�

'Whole-of-community' approach

Each month, the committee meets to share information and coordinate the work of the different bodies working to tackle the town鈥檚 drug problem.

鈥淭he data is really critical because we are trying to build a case 鈥� to put to government about what鈥檚 needed in this region and you can鈥檛 do it without evidence,鈥� Ms. Williams says.

Educating people about meth and its dangers is a top priority. With the help of a state government grant, the committee recruited students from the town鈥檚 Centre for Continuing Education to produce 鈥淪lope,鈥� a 45-minute dramatization of ice addiction, which will be screened at local schools.

鈥淎 story is more relatable,鈥� says 18-year-old Alysha Tazzyman, who helped develop the screenplay along with two local filmmakers.

鈥淚f you have your parents going, 鈥榙on鈥檛 do this, because I said so, because it鈥檚 bad for you,鈥� you are not going to understand,鈥� says Ms. Tazzyman.

In the film, Josh, a young pub worker taking his first steps in adult life, finds himself led down the path of addiction by an older co-worker who fills the void left by the absence of his father.

Andrew Bowden, another committee member, speaks at sports clubs in the region about the risks of the drug, which has been linked to paranoia, hallucinations, and violent outbursts. He also explains what kind of help the authorities provide to those in thrall to the drug.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 something, especially in a footy club, that players can relate to,鈥� Mr. Bowden says, using the common name for the national sporting obsession, Australian Rules Football. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l often know of someone who鈥檚 affected by it.鈥�

Bowden believes that sport offers him a way to reach young people who might shut out the same information if they heard it from a teacher at school.

鈥淚t certainly raised awareness in the clubs, made people aware of what鈥檚 going on,鈥� he says.

For families with a member in trouble with the law because of drug use, the anti-ice committee has put together a legal information pack, drawing on the experiences of the local family support group.

Williams, who is chief executive of the Centre for Continuing Education, says this 鈥渨hole-of-community approach鈥� is key. 鈥淭here are multiple issues with lots of complexities,鈥� she says.

While residents still complain of inadequate services, such as a lack of detox facilities, the state has offered at least some recognition of their initiative. Last year, Victoria unveiled a $370,000 grant plan to fund grassroots efforts in towns like Wangaratta.

Nationally, the government has made the empowerment of local citizens a key plank of its four-year, $300 million ice-reduction strategy, allocating almost $25 million in funding to community groups.

鈥淕overnment alone can鈥檛 tackle this issue, and we鈥檒l be working with local communities on the ground,鈥� said Fiona Nash, then minister for Rural Health, when the federal government announced its plans.

Rural areas hit hard

Wangaratta鈥檚 ordeal is not uncommon; small towns right across Australia have found themselves facing similar problems. One study last year found that more than twice as many ice users lived in rural areas as cities. Far from the teeming coastal metropolises, jobs are often hard to find, leading to the boredom and despair that can feed initial interest in the drug.

In Wangaratta鈥檚 surrounding environs, more than 21 percent of young people are jobless. Life is draining out of towns like Wellington, dubbed 鈥淟ittle Antarctica鈥� because of its ice problem, as people move away to bigger cities.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing to do, unless you have your [driving] license and disposable income,鈥� says Tazzyman of the boredom that drives many young people to the drug.

With a gram of ice selling for $500, an intense high costs about $50. Dealers offer poor people credit to lure them into drug use.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 do that going out for dinner,鈥� says Tazzyman.

Just a year into the community鈥檚 push to rehabilitate their town, it鈥檚 too early to say that Wangaratta has turned the corner. But there have been promising signs. Drug offenses fell by more than 30 percent last year, although overall crime ticked up slightly.

Above all, the committee is adamant that people鈥檚 awareness is growing, opening up discussion and lessening the stigma that lingers around drug use in a small community where word travels fast.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a stigma that prevents people from accessing services,鈥� Williams says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of coming forward and getting that support.鈥�