WELL, it’s been 12 months since council, at a cost of $7500 per month ($90,000 per annum), placed a fence around the Appleton Orchard located between College Road and Conrod Straight in order to capture the 500 odd kangaroos that had taken up residence under the previous owner.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While we will never know the exact total cost of this relocation exercise, my sources tell me it conservatively exceeds $350,000 (including volunteers).
However, former food critic Matthew Evans, who relocated to Tasmania to open his farm "hoof to table" restaurant and appears in SBS’s Gourmet Farmer, may have the solution.
Evans has resorted to humanely culling roos to protect his pastures and ultimately he plans to include kangaroo and wallaby cuts in his restaurant.
I suggest we host a cull each September within the Mount Panorama precinct. Community groups could get on the tongs and sell roo burgers to the hungry Bathurst 1000 crowd - a win-win for everyone.
Remember, too, each current councilor seeking re-election this Saturday voted in favour of this farcical project just so Bathurst did not attract negative publicity.
Count the possibilities
THINKING voters continue to say they will vote below the line, which may create a few surprises at this Saturday’s election.
I suspect councillors Warren Aubin, Ian North and Bobby Bourke will be re-elected easily, Cr Monica Morse may struggle and (depending on how many take exemption to his curious opposition to creating a roundabout at the Mitre and Suttor streets intersection despite very strong support in the West Bathurst and Windradyne community), Cr Graeme Hanger may also fall over the line.
So four new councilors will potentially be elected to serve the next three years.
I expect positions seven, eight and nine will be elected on small primary votes as preferences will exhaust at position five for all those voters who cast a vote above the line, while those who vote below the line will struggle to cast a vote past position five, resulting in preferences going everywhere.
They say voting is not democracy, only the counting.
Where’s the TAFE talk?
WHY have none of the candidates mentioned the next potential black hole and millstone for Bathurst ratepayers, the old TAFE building?
It was previously suggested at least $4 million was needed to be spent just to bring the building up to Building Code of Australia specifications for fire and access before one cent could be spent on reuse.
This project, I suspect, will exceed $15 million. And to what end, I'm unsure.
Nor do any groups or candidates have any defined policy regarding roads, traffic flow and congestion within the CBD or parking.
These are all grassroots issues that have resonated with voters.
Thumbs up
THE “pin the tail on the unknown candidate" election this weekend. Word is counting may be delayed, so a result won't be known for weeks.
Thumbs down
SCANT policy information from most candidates. Maybe minister Gabrielle Upton needs to force candidates to fully complete their nomination form.
