February 11, 2012

The Border Watch 150 years

The Border Watch editors

The Border Watch celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. I’ve just read the excellent anniversary supplement, which chronicles the paper’s history. I retain a fondness for all the newspapers where I worked. I think my special favorite is the West Coast Sentinel at Ceduna because that was my first posting as editor and the town has a frontier feel. Similarly, the Kalgoorlie Miner will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s a proud daily newspaper in the heart of Western Australia’s Goldfields.

»» Read more

Construction urgency

I’m back in Mount Gambier again for the weekend. I noticed at lunchtime while shopping, the new Dan Murphy liquor store near the Federal Hotel has been constructed, fewer than five months after it was announced. Meanwhile, the units for people with disabilities in Wireless Road remain unfinished almost a year after construction started. Hmm.

»» Read more

Lack of civic imagination

Regular commenter Adam linked me to the Facebook version of his letter to the editor on Mount Gambier City Council’s unimaginative decision to officially name the main corner development “Main Corner”. Adam liked one councillor’s suggestion to call it the “Woo Cultural and Civic Complex” instead, apparently in recognition of Aboriginal heritage. He went on [...]

»» Read more

Mount Gambier volcano could erupt

Mount Schank volcano

Mount Gambier is in a volcanic region and the famous Blue Lake is in a volcanic crater. There aren’t giant peaks, like Mt St Helens and elsewhere, just unimposing spikes to the obvious craters of Gambier and Schank. We tend to think of the volcanoes as being extinct, while scientists tell us they are simply [...]

»» Read more

Roundabouts reflect society

roundabout

Roundabouts are like a microcosm of society. Some people go through them too aggressively and some are too defensive. Not enough are sensible like me. In Mount Gambier, authorities prefer roundabouts on major roads because truck drivers don’t like red lights. At the town’s worst unmitigated intersection, the transport boffins reckon it will cost a [...]

»» Read more