There weren’t many of them, but hats off to those locals. And women for once dominated the scene as recipients of Queen’s Birthday honors over the weekend.
Former union stalwart Fay Campbell, hard working community stalwart Mary Johnston and the late Doreen Dunwoodie, who spent 37 years of her life working for Lifeline, each received an Order of Australia, while Berkeley’s Tarryn Bracken gained a Public Service Medal for her work with disabled young people.
I just happened to bump into Fay at the local club last night and she was all smiles, as all of them would have been I'm sure.
None of our business movers and shakers from the so-called top of the town made the grade, and there wasn’t even an academic among the local recipients.
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Former BHP GM pops in for get together
For most the biggest surprise at last week’s BHP Retirees mid–year lunch was the appearance of ex-steelworks boss John Clark.
General Manager at the works between 1982 – 85, John slipped quietly into the gathering at The Illawarra Yacht Club and in a matter of minutes was being rushed by many there who had worked with him when he was GM and even before when he was superintendent of No2 Open Hearth in 1967 – 68 and Manager Iron and Steelmaking between 1973 – 76.
John had the onerous and painstaking job of overseeing a workforce numbers downgrade of many thousands.
He was also largely responsible along with the PR boss at the time Peter Hilton for widening the company’s financial and other support to the community.
I know from personal experience that John’s work was widely admired here and that admiration was again evident last week.
John, who is now retired and living in his original home city of Melbourne, appeared to have a great time and was all smiles when he left.
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Isn’t anything sacred anymore?
Vegemite went to offshore ownership as did Tim Tams, Aeroplane Jelly, Life Savers, Freddo Frogs, XXXX and Toohey’s beer, and now the beloved Aussie icon Victa Motor Mowers has been gobbled up.
Gone are the days when we had such backyard gems as the barbie, the dunny and the Victa. All that remains is the Hills Hoist.
Well, that’s something, I suppose. Let’s hope we can hang on to it.
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Enough of Wendell Sailor
Just how many times do we have to see photos of Wendell Sailor in our local daily?
I’m sorry a belt to the side of the face made his much – heralded comeback something of a disaster, but personally I’m sick to death of the photos, and that’s enough said.
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Flashback in time
Read with interest recently a snippet that said petrol vouchers offering four cents a litre discount were available when the stuff cost only 65 cents a litre - surely, it must have been gallons then!!!
Now it’s about $1.60 a litre and there are no discount vouchers in sight.
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Is one man worth this much?
I notice that the latest estimates of having The Pope in Sydney have reached $139 million. Is there anybody out there worth that much?
Once again, that’s probably enough said.
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We miss out again
Now I read that NRL club Manly’s Brookvale Oval is to receive a $6 million boost from the NSW Government, while our own WIN Stadium languishes on the bottom of the ladder.
One only hope is that dismally performing mob of local Labor pollies are listening to the people around town because they are angry about the raw deal this area received in the recently announced State budget.
And yet we continue to have the Minister for the Illawarra – muttering sweet nothings about the share we didn’t get, and Noreen Hay goes merrily on her way generally dismissing the whole fiasco as some sort of blip in the system or some such other bleating.
Those who continue to vote for them must share the blame, but it seems a traditional habit down this way and one cannot see it changing.
Does this form some sort of statement about the majority out there when it comes to political thinking?
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I wish I’d been there
Did you catch a glimpse on TV of Zimbabwian president Robert Mugabe’s hoodlum bodyguards roughing up some of the media present at the recent international conference he attended?
I wish I’d been there. I certainly would have made more use of my microphone than that hassled female reporter did..
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Got your money must travel
By the time you read this our much–travelled Prime Minister will be in Japan having a “whale” of a time.
That’s right, yet another overseas jaunt at our expense.
When will he realise he’s supposed to be PM of Australia and not the rest of the world?
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Questions at The Point
I’m told on good authority that opponents of the proposed Sandon Point development in our northern suburbs are starting to query donations apparently given to the local Member David Campbell’s electorate campaign.
Seems two key offerings have come from Stockland, the company behind the proposal, and The Anglican Villages organisation.
All of which makes me wonder why down south the Illawarra Turf Club is on record of having donated to local member Noreen Hay’s election fighting fund?
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The religious might like to think this is la case of the prodigal son. The one who is loyal and stays home [Mother and Son was a classic] gets overlooked.
Fergie
I really think that you have hit the nail on the head. It is significant that since losing the Steelworks, Newcastle has become a much different area and is now in the position where it is no longer a Labor stronghold and there are now in fact several marginal seats in the area. It is, I think you will find, no co-incidence since then that the spending in that area by State Government has greatly increased particularly in comparison to Wollongong. On the other hand Wollongong has continued to be a Labor stronghold and consequently, I believe that our votes do not really count. It seems to be common practice for either party when they are in Government to spend where they think it will influence the voter.
The way our electorates are if Labor are in power there is no need to spend as they will get the votes anyway and if the Liberals are in they see themselves as no chance here so they will spend in some other marginal electorate. I love living in the Illawarra but it would be much more pleasant I am sure for everyone if we could become marginal electorates.
Regards
David Whyte. | 
