Moved On…

Well I have moved on, and now live near the ocean in a nice part of Melbourne, studying philosophy at Monash. A new career in a new town, as Bowie once said, although I could just as easily say, “Always crashing in the same car…”

After fifteen years of procrastination Margaret River has finally been delivered its long awaited Town Planning Scheme # 1. Let us hope that it provides some parameters in which the environment is protected from the worst excesses of unchecked development.

I won’t be posting here again. I’ve made enough enemies in this little blog. If anyone wants to keep up with my life they can check out www.noelconway.com and email me at noel@noelconway.com.

 

Hardwick Jailed!

The bane of Margaret River society, Gil Hardwick, was sentenced to 16 months in jail for his recent conviction on child sex charges.

SEE HERE
The psychiatric assessment considered that Mr Hardwick was schizophrenic.

Indeed Hardwick was both confused and delusional, but his crimes and his conduct in Margaret River also demonstrate a level of pathological behaviour that will continue to remain a threat to society if left untreated.

Again I ask why did local architect Chris Willcox bail Mr Hardwick, but we should also be asking why a local internet cafe employed Mr Hardwick during his remand process, an internet cafe that not only provided Mr Hardwick with access to multiple computers, but which is situated adjacent to the most prominent children’s playground in Margaret River.

 

Life and Renewal

Life is all about renewal,and twentyone years ago the town and region of Margaret River renewed and enthused me.

It no longer does that, and the animosity that has build up in the community towards me leaves me with little alternative but to leave.

I hope my journey continues to open doors of enthusiasm and renewal, but it will not be here.

Margaret River had a golden opportunity to be something special. It no longer is, alas.

Anyway, that is all by the by. I note with interest that architect Chris Willcox has recently involved himself in planning matters of the shire. One might think of him as Johnnie Come Lately for arriving so late to push his agenda for more Westpacs, more disingenuous design, more proliferation of development and exploitation of the environment.

Chris Willcox bailed the convicted paedophile Gil Hardwick when he was initially arrest and charged with crimes of paedophilia against children. He later colluded with Mr Hardwick in emails that were meant to hurt my name, and made false accusations against me to my person.

I asked you at the time, Mr Willcox, why you chose to support such an individual, and I will ask it again, in public, that you might provide a public response. It should be noted that Mr hardwick was very enthusiastic towards the Westpac Bank Design, as readers of Kim Murray’s site wil have been aware of.

I wonder at the people who are running the agenda of this town, and their motives. I wonder at their fitness to rule a society, in whatever role they perform.

Many people will question my own fitness, but everything that I am is on the public record. I do not shy away from it. I say thank you to my friends, and fuck off to my enemies, you can’t hurt me any more.

 

Council Defamation Case.

Council has decided to take legal action against myself for publishing a remark suggesting james trail was being paid for by developers.

I wish it to be known that I have no idea who pays James Trail, I am sure he has several sources of income, including the Shire and interest earnings. Any other source of income I am not aware of and have no evidence of.

My statement made on October 23 on this website and emailed to several people was meant to imply that James trail and the Council are in th pockets of the developers, in the sense that they do their bidding, whatever their personal motives might be. They do their bidding as surely as the Mail does their bidding, and the reason the mail does their bidding is because they receive significant advertising dollars from the real estate and developer lobby. At least that i smy belief.

I did not intend to impune that James trail receives financial reimbursement from developers, and that was never my intent. I have never had proof of this and if I did have proof I would intend take it to the Crime and Corruption Commission.

So to James I unreservedly apologise for any hardship done to him. I am sure his finances are in order, and I hope he pays his taxes like every good citizen should.

I would like to say to people, considering it is this remark, and only this remark, that has drawn the attention of the Council in everything that I have written here, we must assume that everything else is demonstrably true. So thanks Council for the thumbs up!

Noel Conway

 

Me-tooism Catching.

John Howard has made his forlorn pitch for reelection with a promise on tax rebates for education and money for housing, two issues where the Labour Party has already launched policy. It would seem as if me-tooism has caught the Government in its last gasp effort to hold desperately onto the power it has abused for the past eleven years.

 

Backflips and Bellyflops.

On Monday Peter Garrett did an amazing backflip on climate change, deciding not to allow Australia to lead the way for the rest of the world on setting achievable targets for greenhouse emissions.

Not to be outdone, on Tuesday Tony Abbott did the triple bellyflop, accusing a dying man of not being genuine, arriving 35 minutes late for a nationally televised live debate on health, and failing to deliver the promised resurrection of the Mersey Hospital in Tasmania.

That’s not a bad day, that’s a fiasco.

Is he trying to beat the Prime Minister for the number of broken promises in a single day?

 

Comforting and Reassuring.

It is comforting and reassuring that recently elected Shire councillor Brian Middleton considers himself “lazy and stupid,” rather than the rest of Margaret River, which the publication of his remark originally suggested.

It is a pity Mr Middleton could not have informed everybody of this fact prior to the recent council election.

 

Broken Promises.

John Howard has broken his promise to keep interest rates low. Housing affordability is at an all time low and rates have risen eight times in a row.

It is time for John Howard to break some more promises.

Break your promise not to apologise to Indigenous Australia.

Break your promise not to sign Kyoto.

Break your promise to stay “until the job is done.”

Break your promise to keep struggling families “better off than they have ever been.”

The Prime Minister only has four short weeks of his term to go. How many broken promises can he complete to restore integrity to the Australian government and democracy? Break one more promise, John, and stop telling lies. We have already heard them all before.

 

Out of Touch Reality

The Shire of Augusta margaret River has a dangerous and out of touch Council, that is ruinous to proper planning, good planning, and environmental considerations, and gung-ho in favour of providing for the developer whatever he desires.

The plan to put the perimeter road far east of Margaret River is developer driven. The plan for 17,000 people by 2026 is so far from the reality that is borders on criminal. The ABS figures are very strong, and point ot a figure of 10,000 not 17,000. So there is no resaon to open up land east of darch Brook for development.

It is also a furphy to suggest that future development cannot extend beyond the perimeter road.

Council’s proposal will add ten kilometres to a round trip to Margaret River, and will create a perimeter road that most people simply won’t use. Trucks coming to Margaret River will continue to use Bussell Highway. A perimeter road that adds to their costs in terms of mileage and petrol is doomed to failure.

This Council is cock-a- hoop and in self-congratulatory mode. They sound like the Howard Government, “The other side will always be worse, the other side will always be worse,” when it is their government that has lost touch with the hearts and minds of most Australians.

I put this to Council. Let us look to the outcome of the federal Election. How many Councillors will vote liberal at this election? I tell those Councillors, when the election result is in, and your team is soundly beaten, then tell us, the community, the people of this region, that you understand our aspirations, our hearts and minds.

This is a council of eight, for surely the CEO James trail has made himself the eight councillor, as unelected as he is.

I find it strange that the council has taken comfort from the recent shire election, where its policies were rejected by fifty percent of voters. Council, if you had any balls you would call a full spill and open up every seat for election, then indeed the aspirations of this community will be told in a free and open election, of the entire council, including the shire president, instead of less than half the council, and not the shire president.

 

‘Oh Contraire” Says James Trail.

In response to my most recent article, CEO of the AMRSC has written the following:

“Minister Ravlich, the information you received on monday 22nd October is perhaps misleading. With regards to the election, please find the results of the 2007 Elections in the Shire:

Lyn Serventy was elected for the Chapman Ward
Brian Middleton was re-elected in the Town Ward
Michael Smart was previously elected for the Leeuwin Ward unopposed.

The votes were:

Chapman Ward

Lyn Serventy 535

Ivan Flower-Jones 78

Rod Davidson 456

Town Ward

David Ashe 442

Brian Middleton 678

The new Councillors terms will run until the elections on the 15 October 2011.

As you can see the contest in the Chapman Ward was very close and the Town Ward was won by a margin of 20%.

Regards”

It is seeming strange that james trail feels the need to correct my statement, which was quite clear. The election was a good outcome for the environment. Lyn Serventy won the Chapman ward comfortably, and between them the three candidates standing for the environment made up almost fifty percent of the total votes cast in the election.

If James considers this a ringing endorsement of the present Council I feel he is sadly mistaken, and like our Prime Minister, sadly out of touch with the reality.

My main point was this: there are far more than one or two people who are not happy with the present Council. Perhaps James, if you were brave enough, you might actually answer my main charge: BRING ON A FULL SPILL OF COUNCIL. LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE. Seven councillors are not sufficient for this shire. Two councillors for the Margaret River ward do not fairly represent the Margaret River township in this shire, when it comprises almost fifty percent of the shire’s population.

BRING IT ON JAMES. Don’t be afraid. Don’t pussyfoot around. If you are so confident that there are only one or two people who are not in favour of the present council why did over 1,000 people, almost half, vote for the alternative candidate?

James Trail is confused, he seems to have no clear understanding of his job, probably because he is promoting the interests of the developers he and this shameful corrupt council have favoured to the detriment of the people of this shire ever since Steve Harrison became President of the Shire. I say to Steve Harrison, bring on a spill of positions, open your own seat up to election, and then we will see who this shire supports!

Noel Conway
Long term resident of Margaret River.