2024

I have not felt up to writing a blog for some time. After the Referendum, I didn’t feel like doing much at all. And now, we have Australia Day to contend with.

The Mt Pleasant Community Association Inc, which runs the Australia Day Community Awards ceremony decided that this year we would hold it on the 28th. This year the holiday makes it a long weekend, and we had an issue a few years back when many people stayed away. As the event is funded by the MPCAI, sustaining a loss is a big hit for us. Some people have complained to us in the past that we shouldn’t charge for the Breakfast, but as the main event funded by council is held at Tanunda, we have only approached council once for funding, where we received a small amount. A lot of effort for a small return.

We have always enjoyed the community awards event. Taking submissions from members of the community regarding who they think is worthy of an award is always rewarding for us, and we have often found out things about community members that we never knew. There are some great people in this district. Many of whom get no recognition, and that’s the way some of them like it. We are proud of all our past recipients, and are looking forward to this year’s event.

As previously mentioned, we are a small community organisation and would rather spend the money on community projects than sustain a loss, and many of the people who bring this event to our town have been doing so for decades. It’s no small feat to get up early and set everything up to serve a hot breakfast - not knowing how many people will attend.

In the last few years, a few community members have attended a couple of workshops with Chris Sands, who started the Totally Locally movement. Chris is all about passing on free information and advice that encourages communities to be proud of what they have achieved. To support each other and small businesses so their towns don’t die. One of the initiatives was a ‘Meet Your Neighbour’ event, which Eden Valley has used to its advantage over the last year, and Cath Davies from Robbers Dog also used to encourage people to assist with the re-vamp of the CWA garden.

One of the perks of COVID has been an increase in the populations of many small towns, with families choosing to move from the cities where the likelihood of the transmission of virus’ like COVID is more likely, to an area where the population is more likely to not travel to risky places at those times.

A ‘Meet Your Neighbour’ event seems like another good reason to get together at a time when we are more likely to have people willing to take a couple of hours mid-morning to come along and have a cuppa and a chat. We welcome those who are new to our town, and look forward to meeting them and letting them know what the district has to offer.

We hope you’ve had a restful and enjoyable Christmas and new Year, and that we see you at the Community Awards event on January 28th at the CWA Garden.

Gearing up for Christmas

Work continues apace with the return of the Mt Pleasant Street Party and Parade in December. A mostly new committee has taken over the reins and they are working hard to ensure we have a great celebration.

We are hoping to put out a Christmas Buy Local supplement to the newsletter, as we have often done in the past, and urge our community to support our local businesses. Thanks to Kath for chatting with shop owners and taking photos. Stay tuned for that one.

After my little piece on the Blue Wrens pecking at my car mirror, I was interested to hear that David Bevan’s guest on this morning’s radio was Dr Grianne Cleary, who I’ve heard before, and she has some interesting and funny observations about our feathered friends - including why wrens peck at mirrors and windows. Apparently it’s all about sex - or more specifically - the mating season, and should cease once there is no need to protect his claim to his female. Whew! That’s a relief. She also spoke about Plovers and why they have this need to have their nests in seemingly ridiculous and unsafe places. That too is the result of evolution, whereby if they had their nests in the open, it was much easier to spot predators. Sadly, that also means that evolution hasn’t caught up with things like trains and planes, and picking fights with them never ends well for the Plovers, that clearly defend unto death.

The link to Dr Cleary’s book ‘Why Do Birds Do That?’ is below.

The newsletter this month also has some recommendations for books that sounded really interesting, and as gift giving time is fast approaching, might be good options for bookworms.

https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/why-do-birds-do-that-grinne-cleary/p/9781761067235

Winter in the Hills

Work on Melrose Street continues, and unforeseen problems are being found. It is hoped that the drainage issues (for the most part) will be dealt with, and people who live around the butcher’s shop will not have to worry about wading through water to get to their front doors. The level of the main road has risen quite a way since it was made over a century ago, and whilst the camber allows for good drainage, the issue was that the footpaths and drains didn’t cope well with the run off during a big event.

Saleyard Road has been totally re-done, which makes it safe for traffic during sale time, but more importantly, for the school and kindy kids and families. The curbing is complete and now the water drains away. The drain at the bottom of the hill required more attention, but seems to be working well now.

Meantime, at the other end of the street, work is continuing with the new owners of The Totness Inn Hotel undertaking extensive restoration and renovations. They have been researching the history of the place and uncovering many interesting facts about the old building and the publicans in the process. It will be great to see the old building used again, and we wish them luck. If you want to see how things are going, check out the Facebook page, where there are blow by blow descriptions. https://www.facebook.com/TotnessInnHotel

Rex Amber was an imaginative and productive community member who was responsible for the wooden animals adorning Talunga Park. A few years ago, The Beat pondered what was to become of these wonderful creations, and thankfully the Progress Association tasked John Bowd, together with offsider Peter Wilde to repair, restore and re-install these fantastical creatures for future generations of children to enjoy. They now take pride of place in the picnic area, near the playground and the Men’s Shed ‘Train’.

And finally - we wish the new committee of the Top of the Torrens Theatre Group all the best with their winter production of Noel Coward’s, ‘Blithe Spirit’. The TOTT productions have been a staple in the community for decades, and considering we are a small community, it is great to see so many people still putting their hands up. So many great performances and productions - a particular favourite of mine was the performance for the 90th celebrations of the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall. What a great night! Even though there might be a few new members on the committee, it is to the great credit of all those who kept in going for so long - because once we lose these fantastic groups, it’s very hard to get them back. https://www.facebook.com/Top-Of-The-Torrens-Theatre-Group-Inc-200700436615816

It might be really cold outside, but there are still lots of events in the hills - especially if you like food and wine - and lots of things also for kids during the School holidays. Get out there and get into it!

Single, red vine…. on the road to Gawler.

Totness Inn Hotel

Above - Saleyard Road during, and right, after.

One rule....

I try not to get too political in the newsletter, as proper journalists do it so much better, and many of the stuff that upsets me is nothing to do with the district - but…

In the last year or so, a local politician was flagged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for submitting documents regarding entitlements for overnight stays, travel, etc. As he resigned from his portfolio, and said he would not be contesting the next state election (and his replacement is almost a permanent fixture on local newspapers), and paid back well over $30,000, we are not untouched. So when I listened to the the head of the ICAC Commissioner The Honourable Ann Vanstone QC speak against the bill that was presented to Parliament last week, I was interested in her point of view.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/26/three-south-australian-ministers-resign-from-cabinet

The bill that was put forward by SA Best MP Frank Pangallo, who in a former life would have hunted these miscreants down, passed in an embarrassingly short time. But the thing that really upset me, was that NO MP voted against it. Limiting the powers of an investigator to do what they were hired to do is unconscionable. The former ICAC Commissioner predicted this as he left office last year. (Justice Bruce Lander QC released the Oakden Report, prompting a Royal Commission.)

For more information on The Hon. Ann Vanstone and her predecessor: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-27/ann-vanstone-announced-as-new-commissioner-against-corruption/12495202

For those of us who have worked under rules that prohibit us from passing on any information, sharing documents, even talking about our employer on social media, asking people not to rort the system would seem to be a no-brainer. Asking someone with some sort of degree in business or finance to at least make sure their documentation is on point - especially when it comes to public money (because yes, WE pay THEM) - shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s what a good employee would do. It’s what an honourable person would do.

If the Tax Office wants our money, they are onto us fast enough, but apparently it only works one way - although, in the face of a class action, the Federal Government admitted liability for the unlawful Robodebt scheme.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/29/robodebt-government-to-repay-470000-unlawful-centrelink-debts-worth-721m

Just as I was composing this, this happened:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-01/icac-investigating-gladys-berejiklian-daryl-maguire/100506956

Not unexpected, but listening to the news conference, Premier Berejiklian made it all about her and how she was fighting for NSW against COVD-19. Yes, it has been arduous, and she has fronted the media and tried to hold it all together, but hubris is often the only thing we remember, and it’s not like this is a new thing. I think the reprieve she got when COVID-19 ramped up gave her breathing space.

And on a lighter note - the wind has finally blown the last of the blossom from the ornamental pears in the CWA Garden, leaving a carpet of ‘snow’ on the ground.