Alpine News
Cleaning up before a big move always reveals some nostalgic items. Today I came across CDs containing copies of the Alpine News.
This was a weekly newspaper that Juliet and I produced from our home in Porepunkah for six months from July 2002 to January 2003.
It circulated in the Bright area and reached a peak of 2400 copies when we also distributed free in Myrtleford. Read more
Bright Charitable Foundation
I’ve recently developed a web site for a local community organisation, the Bright and District Charitable Foundation. It’s all HTML, which was a change for me after working with PHP scripts for content management.
HTML offers more design flexibility, and this can be beneficial for sites that want to make an eye-catching impression and won’t change their content much.
I’m a trustee of the foundation, and also produced a new flyer for them. The web site is being hosted free by Alpinelink.
Porepunkah plantation walk
This afternoon I walked for 90 minutes in the Porepunkah pine plantation between Roberts Creek Road and Bright. It’s a walk I first undertook about this time last year, and it’s pleasing to note my stronger fitness today climbing the hills.
Hancocks harvested pine from part of the hill several months ago and I wanted to see the view from the top.
Starting on Tom Briggs Road near Karnu Village, I walked to the second of three tiers that ascend from bottom to top. I then took a shortcut along a bulldozer track to the ridge. It was one of those tracks that you can just walk up, but almost certainly couldn’t walk down.
Reviewing the topological map, I now know that I climbed from 300 metres to 500 metres in a matter of minutes.
The view was terrific, but narrow because of pines on either side. Basically, I saw the golf course and parts of the Back Porepunkah Road and rail trail.
I then followed the ridge towards Quins Gap, descending along the gentle gradient of Templars Road to near the entrance of Bright.
I was surprised to cross paths with two mountain bike riders along Quins Road in the middle of nowhere.
It’s a good walk and a nice reminder that we have some wonderful forests in this area, both pine and native.
The view from Tower Hill
The sun shone brightly today for the first time in two weeks. Knowing there would be a lot of snow on Mount Hotham and Mount Feathertop, we drove up Tower Hill this afternoon for a look. The picture shows Bright and the mountains in the background.
Alpine electoral review
The Victorian Electoral Commission is reviewing the electoral system in Alpine Shire to determine the number of councillors and whether ridings should be introduced. The commission’s web site is here.
I’ve made a submission that Alpine should have seven or eight councillors serving an unsubdivided municipality. Here is the detail of my submission:
Five councillors is not enough
The previous Bright and Myrtleford Shires before amalgamation had, I believe, nine or more councillors each. That means representation in Alpine Shire reduced from 18 or more councillors to five.
This increased the workload of councillors and reduced the representation of communities and minority interest groups.
Having reviewed the voter-to-councillor ratios for regional shires in the Guide for Submissions, I note that seven or eight councillors in Alpine would be consistent with other rural municipalities.
My personal preference is for eight councillors, as I believe this would ensure the widest possible representation. I don’t consider the even number a disadvantage, as the Mayor can exercise a casting vote.
Remain unsubdivided
Alpine Shire has four distinct communities of interest:
- Upper Kiewa Valley
- Myrtleford and district
- Upper Ovens Valley
- Dinner Plain.
There are, however, smaller communities of interest within these sub-regions and I believe this argues against creating wards or ridings.
For example, a logical ward boundary would cut between Myrtleford and Bright somewhere near Eurobin or Ovens. This would place Porepunkah in a ward with Bright. The Upper Ovens ward would presumably elect two councillors in a seven-member Council or perhaps three in an eight-member council.
The likelihood is that sheer numbers in Bright would return all councillors from that town at the expense of smaller communities like Porepunkah, Wandiligong and Harrietville.
It can also be argued that Porepunkah has a community of interest with Myrtleford as well as Bright, given it’s the larger shopping centre and place of employment for many people.
In principle I also believe it’s better that councillors represent the entire municipality, rather than geographic sections. This will ensure they take a broader view when making decisions.
In past practice there has been a fairly even spread of geographic representation across the shire. In the first two terms there were two councillors each from the Bright and Myrtleford districts and one from Mount Beauty. Only in the current council has the geographic spread been distorted, with just one councillor from the Bright district.
Increasing the number of councillors to seven or eight will help ensure a fair geographic spread and representation for a wider range of views.
Other issues:
I realise these following comments are outside the scope of the review, but I take this opportunity to enter them on the public record.
Direct election of Mayor
I believe the Local Government Act should be amended to provide for the direct election of Mayors. The current system favors shady deals and excludes the public from any say in deciding the most important position on Council.
Change of boundaries
Alpine Shire currently includes Dinner Plain, which was formerly in the Shire of Omeo. Most of the former Shire of Omeo is now in the Shire of East Gippsland.
At the time of amalgamation there was an expectation that the Mount Hotham and Falls Creek Resorts would become subject to local government administration through Alpine Shire. This has never eventuated and it appears the resorts will remain independent of local government.
It makes sense today for Dinner Plain to become part of East Gippsland Shire or the Mount Hotham Resort area.
Although Dinner Plain is supposedly a cost/revenue neutral geographic unit within Alpine Shire, I believe it’s inclusion within the municipality adds a burden to management, conflicts with the general shire population and adds no benefit to the shire unless the resorts later become part of the shire.
Thank you for the opportunity to make this submission.
New tourist attraction
Juliet and I have discovered that the twins are a tourist attraction. We took them to Bright today in the bike trailer for the first time. They loved it and so did the tourists.
We stopped at the post office and had coffee outside near the bakery. The town was crowded and dozens of people stopped to admire the babies.
A few of them suggested we should start charging for the privilege. It seemed a good idea and I’ve been thinking about it since.
We could charge $1 for a look, $2 to hold little hands, $5 for a cuddle, smile priceless.
Night rider
I had a 5.30pm meeting in Bright for the local charitable foundation, of which I’m a trustee. I rode the bike because I didn’t get much time for a cycle during lunch.
So of course it was dark by the time I set back for home at 7pm. I have lights on the bike, front and back, and this was their first real test.
The front light shines dimly about 15 feet in front of the bike over an area about 10 square feet. I say “dimly” because any other light, from cars or signs, blunts it completely.
That was a problem. The other was that it doesn’t shine far enough ahead if you’re travelling at 30kmh, as I tend to do when I build up some speed.
I was anxious about encountering pedestrians or animals.
The bigger concern was around the holiday units and golf course, where the track bends in a few places. There were car headlights glaring directly at me, and none of them lowered their high beam.
This sounds a grizzle, but I actually enjoyed the ride and will do it again. I wouldn’t recommend riding home after a few drinks though.
Bunya pine
There are some lovely Bunya Pine trees in central Bright. The only problem with them is their potential to drop football-size nuts onto pedestrians and vehicles.
Someone placed a sign near the Uniting Church, which says to the effect: “BEWARE FALLING PINE CONES”.
My immediate instinct when I read this sign was to look upwards.
That made me think it’s a stupid sign, probably put there to offset perceived insurance risk.
What’s worse: Having a bunya nut fall on your head or poke you in the eye?
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