Browsing through my bookcase at the weekend I found a copy of that fine publication Wollongong – Sprit of Achievement published in 1990 and providing a wonderful insight into the city’s growth and its hopes for the future.

Mayor of the day the late Frank Arkell said in a preface that Wollongong had become a vital, progressive and vigorously developing centre offering boundless opportunities and economic growth.

He concluded by suggesting Wollongong is a city of achievers which did indeed personify “spirit of achievement”.

And for those of us who remember these times, Arkell was right on the ball.

This was a mayor who coined the popular phrase “wonderful, wonderful Wollongong” and went out of his way to sell the city.

Also writing in this splendid publication was the then General Manager at BHP Steelworks, Grahame Parker, who suggested “Wollongong is a winning performer and we can all help keep it that way”.

And the then Premier of NSW, Nick Greiner, suggested our city was well placed to become a prime destination for business and investment in the next decade and into the next century.

Along the way we have got off the rails and allowed our once elected councillors to be overly political and to play their own games with the final outcome they were sacked - and we still wait patiently for a chance to go back to the polls and elect our own chosen councillors.

A city of doers has become one of talkers and, unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any shining lights out there who might turn us back in time to the days of “wonderful, wonderful Wollongong”.

If you’ve never read Wollongong – Spirit of Achievement it would do you good to wander down to the local library and ask to see it.

It is also pictorially brilliant thanks to the photographic artistry of the late Barry Smith.

Blame the Chinese   

It’s the Chinese Year of the Pig so even though it’s supposed to have its roots in Mexico maybe we should shift the blame for the swine fever epidemic.

Next year I believe is the Chinese Year of the Cock and I’ll leave it to your imagination to think what type of 12 months it might be!!

And on the subject of flu 

And on the subject of all this hoo hah going on about the swine fever epidemic I couldn’t help thinking at the weekend about past sicknesses that swept our land and yet we survived.

Remember German measles, mumps and whooping cough, for example? Most of us would have contracted one or more of them along the way and yet we’re still around to tell the story.

A cover up 

During his recent visit here the NSW Premier, Nathan Rees, promised railway station refurbishments at Dapto, Port Kembla, Cringila, Lysaghts, Port Kembla North and Bombo.

The work would entail repainting of these stations, but what commuters most worry about Nathan is the lack of guaranteed safety at our stations and the fact that too often your trains don’t run on time.

He also offered expanded commuter car parks at Helensburgh, Waterfall, Wollongong and Woonona, but what many are asking is where will the extra land come from to enable this to happen.

I made a quick visit to Woonona and later to Cringila at the weekend and for the life of me I can’t see how this plan will work. Even Wollongong, where an extra 250 car parking spaces have been promised, there is no land readily available.