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 Western Australian outback.

The Border Watch has an important status as the newspaper serving South Australia’s largest regional centre.

In my view, the paper should make the jump from publishing four days a week to five. The publishers should add a Saturday edition.

As for milestones, I was editor of the West Coast Sentinel when it celebrated its 80th anniversary in 1992. The historical supplement featured the paper’s first full-color front page (below), which I had produced in Melbourne.

I seriously hope someone is planning a special celebration for the Sentinel’s centenary next year.

The gentleman pictured above with The Border Watch editors’ honor roll is John Watson, who was editor for an amazing 62 years.

West Coast Sentinel

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.

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 to say:

At the very least I think we can all agree that something has gone awry in the naming process of the main corner redevelopment.

Given the creative dearth of our councillors, an alternate process must be devised for naming future community projects.

Pulling names out of a hat, or outsourcing the task to local primary schools, would seem to be promising alternatives.

I agree with Adam that an alternative naming process should be employed for major civic constructions.

I mentioned previously that Mount Gambier Council was also unimaginative in its approach to street names.

In the case of the main corner, a shortlist of a dozen possible names should have been compiled and advertised for public comment.

Personally, I’d like to see underrated historical figures given recognition via street names and civic buildings.

Mount Gambier isn’t renowned for acknowledging its famous sons and daughters.

Sir Robert Helpmann only belatedly received the acclaim he deserved. Max Harris’ connection to Mount Gambier is largely forgotten (he was raised there).

Those who moved to Victoria have slipped even further off the historical radar.

Former Victorian Chief Justice Sir Frederick Mann spent the first 18 years of his life in Mount Gambier before moving to Melbourne. He also served as Lieutenant Governor of Victoria.

Early Labor activist Jean Daley was also born in Mount Gambier.

In 1916 she was a delegate to the Trades Hall Council for the Hotel and Caterers’ Union and was one of the earliest members of the Militant Propaganda League. She was also an executive member of the Victorian Socialist Party in 1916-17 and of its women’s section, the Women’s Socialist League.

I’m not suggesting the main corner should necessarily be named after Sir Frederick or Ms Daley, but they should be recognised in some way.

I would call the main corner “Kanawinka”.

Kanawinka is the name of the geological fault that stretches from outside Portland to near Keith.

It is also the determining factor in the depth and flow patterns of the underground waters, which are the lifeblood of the whole area, and it was once the cliff that the inland sea beat against in ancient geological times when the region was underwater and its limestone bed was laid down.

In the Aboriginal language it means “tomorrow”.

Mount Gambier could erupt at any time.

The last eruption was about 4500 years ago.

Geologist Bernie Joyce attracted headlines last year when he said authorities should consider the prospect of an eruption when planning for emergencies.

Joyce warned the consequences of even a small eruption coming into contact with groundwater could include hot, wet ash falls, dangerous gases and ash blown into the air, damage to animals and the environment, and pollution in water systems.

Reassuringly, his colleague Wally Johnson suggested there would be plenty of warning, most likely through rising water temperatures.

“We know that volcanoes do provide a fair bit of warning. In most cases this would be months or even years. You might get a volcano way out in Western Victoria where you might not notice the warning signs, but in most cases you’ll get advance warning from geological phenomena,” he said.

Today I came across a new report by John O’Sullivan that quotes geology researcher Timothy Casey.

Casey disputes claims that man-made emissions of carbon dioxide have been causing ocean acidification.

After shaking off my instant aversion to any argument about the science of climate change, I read further that Casey’s study looked at examples such as the Blue Lake, which he says is acidifying due to volcanogenic CO2 input.

Casey claims this shows that Mount Gambier is not quite as dormant as we may have been led to believe.

“In fact, the lack of aquarium acidification is well known in the industry that supplies the pumps which aerate the water,” he writes.

“Unexpectedly, there is no demand for for any filtering equipment to remove the carbon dioxide from air pumped into aquarium water. If it is really true that the oceans are acidifying at the present time, then given that isolated water reservoirs and aquariums are not acidifying, the source cannot be common to both.

“This would exclude atmospheric carbon dioxide as a potential source of oceanic acidification.”

O’Sullivan comments: “If this fact was repeated worldwide, then it would dispel concerns that human-emitted greenhouse gases were the cause of rising levels of sea acidity. The real culprit seems to have been nature all along.”

I’m not sure about the scientific significance of these claims, but as a resident of Mount Gambier I’m concerned in the short term about the acidification of the water and in the longer term about the risk of a volcanic eruption.

It’s true that authorities never seriously address these issues.

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 million dollars to install traffic lights.

I find that hard to believe, but there are still many people who think a roundabout is a better solution, because God forbid, trucks might have to stop if there are traffic lights.

A two-lane roundabout at that site will require the compulsory acquisition of land and major engineering works, costing at least twice as much as traffic lights.

In Mount Gambier, if you see a truck approaching a roundabout on your left, don’t assume the driver will stop and give way, because he won’t.

If you are behind an elderly driver, don’t assume he will proceed through the roundabout when it is clear of traffic, because he probably won’t.

If you see a male probationary driver on the horizon to your right, it’s probably safest to give way, because chances are he’ll be in the roundabout before you get half way through.

When you hold a senior position in an organisation you learn to ride the bumps and take the rough with the smooth.

If you’re unhappy in a job you either put up with it, change the things that make you unhappy or leave.

I couldn’t change the things that were making me unhappy, so I chose to leave. I reflected on this while on holiday in January, and handed in my notice the day I returned to work.

The Border Watch is a very good newspaper with a proud history. It will be 150 years old next year.

The Border Watch is unique.

It’s the only paper I’m aware of that’s published four days a week.

It’s also the only paper I’m aware of that’s owned by a transport and fuel company.

There have been some things said and written in the past about issues that confronted my predecessors as editor.

Issues don’t arise every day and I don’t wish to exaggerate them; you’ll have to read the book for details.

At this stage I will simply point out the obvious — that when a company has diverse commercial interests there is a potential for conflict between those interests and the role of a newspaper.

When the core business of a newspaper’s parent company is not publishing, the people who run the parent company may be unaware of newspaper conventions or may choose to disregard them.

I have no axe to grind and no resentment. I simply concluded the culture is one I can’t change and it’s not one I want to be involved with as an editor.

As to the future, I have several options to consider over the next fortnight. One of these is to stay in Mount Gambier and work as a freelance journalist and consultant in public relations and website development.

Like: “How are you?” and the lengthy response is a recital of human misery.

Waiting for a haircut yesterday I heard this conversation –

Barber: “So how is Sid? I haven’t seen him for a long time.”

Customer: “Sid isn’t too good at the moment.”

Barber: “Sorry to hear that.”

Customer: “His wife found him unconscious in his den. She had to call the ambulance.”

Barber: “Oh!”

Customer: “It’s one day at a time for Sid now. We were lucky to have him home for Christmas.”

Pause.

Barber: “He was always in good shape for his age.”

Customer: “Mmm.”

Silence.

The park protects an important area of remnant vegetation, including more than 20 species of native orchids. It is said to be one of the last places in the South East of South Australia that hasn’t been cleared for farming or converted to plantation forestry.

The forest canopy boardwalk provides a unique viewing perspective.

There are two walks to choose from, varying in time from one hour to two and a half hours.

Both trails have interpretive signage that highlight some of the park’s features along the way. There is one clearing that has a picnic table, but there are no other amenities.

The park has a population of short-nosed bandicoots.

We visited a few weeks ago before the heat wave and the park was already dry, despite the wet spring.

It would be a nice place for a picnic in autumn.