A town can only become a Cittaslow IF the local council makes the application and agrees to adhere to a set of rules developed in Italy that require it to consider Cittaslow ‘principles’ on EVERY ASPECT of council decision-making for that town. In other words, it’s a way of interfering (unduly) with council processes - and if our councillors are not aware of this, I just hope our CEO Ian Nicholls is.

Did you get your Cittaslow propaganda in the mail?

Page 1 - click to enlarge

… and could you make any sense of it?

The Bright Chamber of Commerce has ’stepped up’ its campaign for Bright to become a Cittaslow with this two-sided glossy brochure promoting the Chamber’s ‘networking’ night, which is currently being distributed via the Post Office. 

But if you’re looking for any explanations of what Cittaslow is really all about - and why we should join it - you are not going to find it among the ‘feel good’ motherhood type statements contained in this piece of junk mail.
(more…)

'Arrogant Adelaide' has given its players a 4-day break ahead of what it seems to think is an easy game against the 'Soft Saints' ... think again!

Adelaide skipper Simon Goodwin said his side held no fear of a first-week finals showdown with the Cats. (Adelaide FC website)

Arrogant Adelaide overlooks St Kilda

With 4th placed North Melbourne due to face a rampant Geelong this weekend, 5th placed ‘Arrogant Adelaide’ seems to think they’ve got 4th spot ‘in the bag’.

But Goodwin forgets that this week his ’Crappy Crows’ come up against ‘the sleeping giant’ of the AFL - St Kilda - on their home turf.

Look, this is Robert Harvey’s ‘tribute game’ and there’s no way the Saints will let him down. They’ll take revenge for the 1997 GF by handing Adelaide the mother of all hidings.

Goodwin’s right though, to not fear a showdown with Geelong in week 1 of the finals - because there won’t be one! I mean, any side that beats Freo in Perth so comprehensively like St Kilda did on Sunday is … err, well just as good as all the other sides who have done exactly the same this year, I guess.

Apart from that highlight there was only one other interesting result from Round 20. (more…)

If the Bright pool is 'going for a song', why don't the users just buy it?

But maybe it’s up to them to do something about it?

A large report in today’s Border Mail  says Bright residents are “outraged” at the recent closure of the privately owned (but council subsidised) indoor swimming pool after the centre’s owner & operator, ‘Fast’ Eddie Williams, “ran out of money” and filed for bankruptcy.

An impromptu protest meeting was held outside the facility on Friday and was reportedly attended by more than 200 patrons, who expressed their concerns about being left “out of pocket”. There are calls for the Alpine council to reimburse them. There’s also a suggestion the users want the council to purchase the pool when it goes up for sale in the next few weeks so that they can continue to use it.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: see foot of post

(more…)

Beechworth is trying a lot harder than Bright to attract tourists

While Bright’s Chamber of Commerce thinks slow … Citta SLOW !

Beechworth has added a 5th festival to its range of cleverly timed and internally driven events, while here in Bright we have just two annual events that are organised from within the town, the Autumn & Spring Festivals.  
(more…)

And not getting any smarter

Proving the point that I am the ‘World’s worst AFL footy tipster’, Melbourne won only their third game of the season today defeating West Coast Eagles by 34 points.

The loss leaves West Coast on track for an additional priority selection at the end of the first round of November’s national AFL draft.

They would have forfeited that entitlement had they won today, taking them to 5 wins for the year, which is over the priority pick limit. And with premiership favourites Hawthorn and Geelong to come in their last two games today’s encounter with the Dees was an absolute ‘must lose’ scenario.

Everyone else saw it coming. The tat stays on the forehead.

Chiltern's historic main street is often used by film & TV crews as an authentic retro streetscape

Beechworth stunned & shunned for lil’ ol’ Chiltern

The nearby Beechworth community is in shock following the Indigo councillors’ vote this week to establish the new shire headquarters at Chiltern, a much smaller town with only one main street and a population - including outlying areas - of only about 1,000 people.

Apparently the existing offices at Beechworth are regarded as ”too cramped” and “out of date” and a study into relocating came up with three options for a new complex at either Beechworth, Chiltern or Yackandandah. This excerpt from yesterday’s Ovens & Murray Advertiser explains what happened next :
(more…)

Michael Phelps is living proof that inbreeding produces Olympic champions

As US swimmer Michael Phelps smashes one world record after another on his relentless pursuit to win a record number of gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, spare a thought for his twin brother Jake, who  drew the short straw when ‘Daddy Phelps’ (who is also the twins’ uncle) decided which of his two young boys from the backwoods he’d send down to the big smoke for swimming lessons.
(more…)

Six Alpine councillors were present but had little to say, except when asked by one community member if they intended to seek re-election

Council admin in good hands

We just need some ‘Bright’ councillors!

That’s my honest opinion after attending last night’s inaugural Bright ‘community forum’ held at the Alpine council chambers and chaired by CEO Ian Nicholls.

I’m not referring to the councillors when I say that but to the CEO and senior staff, such as John Carter manager strategic services (including economic development) and Trevor Britten manager community services. Ian, John & Trevor gave impressive, open and honest accounts of council plans & projects for Bright as well as answering a range of questions from the disappointingly low crowd of about 25 community members (see footnote).

I don’t mean to diminish the other senior council managers in attendance. It’s just that the three I refer to have been at the council a lot longer and seem well and truly on top of their portfolios as well as having a clear understanding of the key issues facing the town.

I believe we are fortunate indeed to (finally) have such a strong and communicative group running the shire’s administration. All we need now is to elect some councillors from Bright (the right ones!) to give Ian and his staff the direction & decisions they need in order to do the things they want to do for Bright.

Getting onto the meeting, several key issues were raised & discussed including the breaking (but not surprising) news that the Bright Indoor Swimming Centre has gone into receivership and is now closed. See previous post. Other key issues included:

(more…)

The privately owned Bright indoor pool is leased by the Alpine council ... well, sort-of

Council ’subsidy’ of $450,000 not enough for ‘Fast Eddie’ to stay open

.

This is one hell of a cock-up. BUT we can’t blame the present council or administration. We’ve got former CEO Doug Sharp (who is now Wangaratta’s ‘problem) and the council headed by Mudgegonga beef farmer, and former mayor, Julie Carroll to thank for this right little mess.

At last night’s community forum, the Alpine council delivered the (not surprising) news that the owner of the Bright Indoor Swimming Centre, which is leased to the council under a rather strange agreement, has gone bankrupt, and that the centre is closed as of today. And there seems no prospect whatsoever of it re-opening as a public facility.

(more…)

I wonder if Demetriou has any plans for an AFL team in Beijing? Let's send Collingwood!

It’s just as well we’ve got the Olympics to entertain us

World's worst AFL footy tipster

I’ve got no idea what happened in the AFL last weekend, as I was too pre-occupied with that riveting and over-the-top Olympic opening ceremony. I’ve watched nothing but the games ever since and I’ve got no idea which AFL footy teams won and which teams lost and, no thank you … I don’t want to be reminded. Stephanie Rice & Libby Trinket (?) won gold and that’s all I care about!

Here are my tips for round 20. Unfortunately a hacker got into my computer and changed my tips for round 19 to make it appear that I only picked two winners.

How absurd.

(more…)

“We know from experience that once CittaSlow has gained a foothold in the town, you are in big trouble”

So why should we even think about making Bright a Cittaslow too?

The above quote is an excerpt from a comment posted here last Thursday under the Cittaslow-related post Time to move on … or out! The comment, which I’ve reproduced in full below, was made by ‘CittaScam Ludlow’, a website based in the historic medieval market town of Ludlow, the first U.K. town to join Cittaslow and the headquarters of Cittaslow UK.

Cittaslow has an insidious foothold on the local council's affairs, according to 'CittaScam Ludlow'

The website makes its mission clear with the following statement:

For too long now, Ludlow Town Council has been controlled by a conniving cabal of self-serving businessmen. These men are grouped around CittaSlow, a ‘vapourware’ scam, from where they abuse public office for their own private gain. We aim to drive these parasites from the corridors of power, and to reclaim our Council for the good people of Ludlow.

Here is the full, unsolicited comment as posted by the author of the anti-Cittaslow website in England. My comments appear at the foot:
(more…)

Will this be an opportunity to discuss Cittaslow ... for once?

This could be lively !

I don’t want to pre-empt anything but there are no prizes for guessing what some community members will see as the main issues and what questions they will be asking at Bright’s first ever ‘general’ community forum this Tuesday evening.

With the recent VCAT decision on the Coles supermarket still fresh in mind and subsequent letters in the paper from embittered & discredited Save Bright members and that other minority group going by the misleading name of the Bright Citizens Association (both saying much the same thing), I think it’s safe to assume that those groups will be there in their dozens calling for the introduction of planning controls aimed at:

Preventing further developments in the CBD

Clamping controls on residential developments as well

The same groups might also want to bring up the Cittaslow for Bright idea, the over-arching principles of which are also anti-growth & development. 

(more…)

“Bright needs to get its act together electorally and the only way to do that is for ALL Bright candidates to work together, regardless of their differing views”

Another group of wannabe Albury councillors comes out in the open - photo Border Mail

So who will announce their intentions in Bright?

Across the border in NSW the race for the upcoming Albury council elections in September is on for young & old (or should I say it’s on for middle-aged & old?) So-called ‘teams’ of candidates are being announced on a daily basis and, by the time nominations close, there will probably be in excess of 50 people running for the nine positions at city hall.

But here in Bright we have the opposite situation.

(more…)

My trusty 'Lorus' brand watch is easy to read, hard-wearing & practical. A bit like its owner.

“I only wanted the band fixed, not a new watch!”

I’ve had this watch for about 6 or 7 years and I really like it. It’s hard wearing, water-resistant, luminous (which can be handy at night!) and best of all it’s got a very clear face with actual numbers on it! OK, there’s no date but it’s a watch not a calendar, and if you don’t know what day it is then you don’t need to know the time either.

I think it only cost about $100. I’ve had expensive watches before like Omega but they were always needing costly repairs and were not suitable for outdoor work. This one has been terrific and I particularly like the stretchy band, which unfortunately breaks now & then but usually costs next to nothing to get fixed and not a lot more to replace. But not any more, not around here at least.

(more…)

Sam Newman was unrepentant on last night's Footy Show. What will it take for him to ever get the message?

Sam only ’sorry’ for himself

Despite a huge public outcry over Sam Newman’s crass and sexist remark about Tasmanian MP Paula Wriedt last week, it was ‘business as usual’ on The Footy Show last night.

I watched with interest wondering how Newman (and host Garry Lyon) would handle it, especially after Ms Wriedt’s subsequent and much publicised suicide attempt. Would they address it up front? Would there be a further apology and an expression of genuine concern for Ms Wriedt’s welfare? Would Sam be even just a little contrite?

But what was I thinking? Of course not.

(more…)