HOT GOSS

COUNCIL ABUSE OF SERVICES A number of services provided by Redland City Council are being abused by some people who are obviously nasty and vindictive. If you want to make life difficult for a neighbour, or to generally ‘cause trouble’, there are sections of council that can aid the abuse. Complaints about dogs need to be investigated by council officers, and complaints can be lodge in relation to noise and lighting. A few people on our islands have been ‘making a name’ for themselves at council because of their incessant complaining. So much so, that they have now qualified themselves for the ‘troublesome’ column as chronic complainers. Officers are soon aware that many of the complaints they receive are from serial complainants. Clearly there are two sides to every story, and a visit to a ‘complainee’ often reveals a totally different tale. The abuse of council services in this way is costly to the ratepayer; each requires a visit to our islands by officers and a vehicle. Happenings and reports mean that several visits are required a week in some circumstances. Hopefully, recognition of people who have another agenda when complaining to council, will see costly outcomes averted. The moral of the story, don’t cry wolf! TRACEY WALKER GOING One of the great people at Redland City Council who The Friendly Bay Islander has had a long-term relationship with, is head of communications, Tracey Walker. Unfortunately, we have been told that Tracey has been ‘snapped up’ to head a major communications section with the Queensland State Government. Tracey won’t be leaving the Redlands, but she has accepted a position with Metro South Health where she will be leading the media and communications team. Tracey is a great lady and talent. We wish her the best with her career change. Have fun Tracey! GARY AND THE LIGHTNING RIDGE PUBLICATION Karragarra Island resident and businessman, Gary Berry, has been active of late. After getting ‘marooned’ at Lightning Ridge during the Covid pandemic, he sort of fell in love with the place. So much so, that he purchased one the Ridge’s best know tourist attractions. It is famously called Chambers of the Black Hand, an underground mine that seems to be on everyone’s ‘bucket list’. He has made some significant changes to the mine, currently installing a massive underground lift to improve tourist visitation. He has also had an impact on the Lightning Ridge tourism industry, With a little help from The Friendly Bay Islander (he has used our printers at Greenridge Press at Toowoomba) Gary has produced a spectacular tourism brochure for the area, titled Welcome Lightning Ridge! It is a pretty impressive publication that is the Ridge’s 2023 Visitor Guide. It has been well supported and it aims to continue to make sure Lightning Ridge remains a ‘must visit’ for most Australians! PHONE CONVERSATIONS ON FERRIES We’ve all experienced it! People using their mobile phones on the ferries with long conversations and loud voices. We really don’t need to hear a person’s entire personal life in such a restricted space. And some loud voices are really loud. Perhaps there should be a message emblazoned on the ferries for people using mobile phones to restrict their calls to offering to ‘ring back’ when they get to their destination. It is a form of a courtesy and ‘education’ that deserves to be considered. LUNCHBOX WIN NOWHERE! We received a call recently from a marketing firm promoting Golden Circle and a competition they had going in relation to the design of a ‘lunch box for the future’. Ironically and amazingly, a six-year old Macleay Island boy, Connor Mitchell, won the Australia wide competition. His design was utilised via AI technology and what little Connor came up with was remarkable. It contained cooling and freezing elements to keep drinks warm in winter and cool in summer. Very clever indeed. We were told that the prize was a completed and working lunch box to his own design. What surprised us is that is where it ended. The prize-winning box was built via AI technology and only one has been made. We would have thought it would have been a great new lunch box with a clever ‘with it’ design that would appeal to heaps of young children and would have had a ready and willing market. Not so, it seems. One only for the winner! RUSSELL BOWLS OR CLUB CANAIPA The Russell Island Bowls Club is headed for some exciting times. There are plans afoot for a massive new club build that will see the club elevated from an embankment, up to road level in Jackson Road. The exciting plans hopefully coming soon (see feature June edition). But what is interesting is that the club is looking for a name change. It has everything to do with the changing role of the club where it is playing the role of a community club. With the survey currently being carried out in relation to a ‘name change’ for Russell Island to Canaipa Island we have come up with a few suggestions for the club name change. What about Club Canaipa or perhaps Club Canaipa Community or Canaipa Community Club? Anyway, we reckon one of those. or a variation, would be the way to go! We shall watch with interest.