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Immortalising those ancient thrones

NOW, we all know how politicians like to stir the proverbial poo, but two local councillors have become dunny dilettantes for different reasons. While Holroyd young gun Liberal councillor Ross Grove is browned off over his council’s intention to divert money for restoration of historic Linnwood House in Guildford to build a toilet block, Parramatta Labor councillor Glenn Elmore is flushed with the beauty of the humble outdoor dunny, examples of which still dot his constituency. The Guildford councillor’s Facebook friends have been bowled over by his regular posts featuring crumbling local outdoor thunderboxes, including one he claims was the seat of power for a past Granville MP, Pat Flaherty. As a heritage lover, I say Grove’s cause is more than a wee bit of wind, while Elmore could get more votes in the can if he campaigned for more public loos in Granville, rather than immortalising ancient thrones.

Congrats on your second attempt Ross

But, while young Ross Grove is kicking up a stink over preserving history, he appears to have riled one local senior citizen, albeit in a jesting way. After community stalwart, 80-year-old Geoff Hinds declared that council officers were “ünChristian”  in advocating more high rise in Holroyd, Clr Grove told him in an email that perhaps the old gent should do his “Christian duty” by allowing a developer to build a duplex on his Merrylands property to help ease the housing shortage. While Clr Grove assures me that he and Mr Hinds regularly engage in “friendly warfare”, he should realise that emails have a way of falling into enemy hands and being passed on to discredit reputations. In this regard, young Ross, time to progress to your green P plates of politics, as you just have with your driving licence. Congrats on that, by the way, even if it was your second attempt.

Library the place for good old fashioned flirt

GOOD to see that western Sydney citizens are as thirsty for knowledge as they are for a cool ale at the local club - or is it thirst of a different kind? Judging by the line-up of eager beavers I have noted outside council libraries, waiting for them to open in the morning, books still rock. But, as one western council librarian pointed out, people flock to libraries for all kinds of reasons. “People say libraries are dead, but people come not just for books, but to use our computers and printers,” the librarian said. However, there is more than research going on for some secondary students, who are often studying the object of their teenage affections.  “They tell their parents they need to study in the library but I suspect some come here for a good old-fashioned flirt,” my informant noted. Watch out kids, that mild-mannered librarian does not always have his/her nose in a book.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

ANOTHER man’s trash is another’s treasure. And, thank goodness for that, given the burden on suburban tips these days. But where to source unwanted “treasure” can be a problem. Sure, council clean-up days see collectors and hoarders alike scouring through piles of discarded former treasures but they often come up zilch if you are looking for  something specific. Now you can come up Ziilch rather than zilch. Ziilch is a unique, collaborative online community, where good stuff goes free to anyone who wants it. Ziilch is a concept that was devised by Michelle Power who saw a need in the community for disposal and re-use of usual “‘stuff”’. Ziilch is bringing in thousands of viewers each week and providing those who need it a cheap and viable option to get things they require. Check it out at au.ziilch.com  No, they do not accept discarded spouses or mothers-in-law. And the scrap-heap remains the best option for politicians.

Wenty station gets lift as election affections loom

DID someone say there is a State election six months away? Maybe that is why the good citizens of Wentworthville will finally be getting lifts at the station, more than two years after they were promised. Apparently, tenders are being called now, and Parramatta MP Geoff Lee is hoping work will start before the March election, to give him a lift in the community’s affections. Not that he needs much of a boost, given the Labor Party does not expect to snatch the bellwether seat at the election. Polling for them is so grim that I understand the party is having trouble finding someone prepared to stand against popular Lee.

Parramatta tries advertisements on roads

AS if motorists in Parramatta are not addled enough searching for elusive parking spaces, now they will be extra ADled as council goes ahead with a plan to allow advertisements to be painted on roads. A group called Road Ads managed to convince enough councillors that the risk of distracted motorists was outweighed by the cash the ads would give council. Lord Mayor John Chedid said a two month trial on every second road in the LGA would net $50,000. Deputy Lord Mayor Paul Garrard said the scheme would be “an opportunity for extra income to put back into the community". But, while endorsed by police and RMS, Labor councillors remain sceptical about the safety of motorists having, well, too much of an eye on the road as they drive. It will be interesting to see how it works out.

Is this Morris Iemma’s second coming?

THE decision of Lakemba state Labor MP Robert Furolo not to contest the March election could have seen the second rising of former premier Morris Iemma - if some supporters in the party had had their way. But it seems that Iemma was not interested in making the comeback his supporters had wanted. A popular premier when elected in 2005, Iemma resigned in 2008 when told he had lost the support of the party. He was succeeded by short-lived premier Nathan Rees.
My Labor sources said Iemma, who held the seat of Lakemba for 10 years, was seen as a better chance of Labor gaining government in March than present leader John Robertson. Iemma and Robertson have been in a tussle over who should be the Labor candidate, with Robertson’s preferred candidate Jihad Dib, principal of Punchbowl Boys High. Iemma has slammed Robertson for interfering in the pre-selection, which he said should be up to the rank and file. Iemma is backing Blacktown mayor Khal Asfour. It is precisely the dealings and tussles in politics that has turned Furolo off the game.

Parking fine revenue and the battle of the west

IN the battle of best of the west, parking fine revenue is one area in which councils should not want to claim victory. But is seems that Fairfield Council has outdone her sisters, raking in more than $4.8 million in parking fine revenue for 2013-14, topped only by City of Sydney Council, which raised $33 million, Waverley on $10.5 million, North Sydney on $7.1 million, Woollahra’s $5.9 million and Marrickville on $5.3 million. The average fine was calculated by dividing the amount of money the council made by the number of parking tickets handed out. When it comes to fine amount, The Hills Shire topped the state at $180.10. In Fairfield, the average amount was $178.10 compared to a state-wide average of $135.72. Perhaps parking meters are not the bane of motorists’ lives - Fairfield does not have meters, but obviously fleet-footed parking inspectors.

Sinking feeling of Wenty pool closure

AGAIN the subject of Holroyd Council’s plan to consider closing the popular Wentworthville and Guildford pools to make way for a super swim centre at Merrylands comes up with residents noting the irony of council campaigning against council amalgamations. The Facebook group Holroyd Council-Keep Our Pools Open has posted: NO for council amalgamations but YES for pool amalgamations? Residents, it seems, do not one large pool to serve the whole city any more than they want their council to be amalgamated with Parramatta, Auburn and Ryde councils, as per State Government consideration. And Wenty business people have told me the local pool is a boon for their town. “We have taken enough knocks over the years, particularly after the mall fire a few years ago, so taking away the pool would be another blow to us small business people trying to compete with the bigger shopping centres,” one forlorn shop owner told me.

Toss the goss my way at dibartok@yahoo.com.au or call 0404 147 743.