Smirking arrogance
I’d always thought that the Olympic Games aspired to bring the people of the global village together in the spirit of camaraderie, good will and mutual respect.
How curious it is then to see Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, the man responsible for Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure, aggressively dismissive of any contrary view and displaying a smirking arrogance towards the people who pay his salary that does the Crisafulli government no credit.
Anyone opposing the bulldozing of Victoria Park is a NIMBY or a crackpot, the medal winning athletes who oppose his mad scheme to hold the rowing in Rockhampton are discredited as whinging elites and his announcement that within months the park will be fenced off and barred to the public was made with a dictatorial sweep of the hand.
The term hubris comes from the ancient Greeks who knew a thing or two about holding Olympic Games. It describes excessive pride, arrogance and reckless behaviour that leads to catastrophic and inevitable failure. Just saying…
Newstead builds big
If there are supply chain and skyrocketing price issues, they are not in evidence in the construction industry with three massive developments now in progress in the neighbourhood.
Oro in Longland Street, Teneriffe Banks in Skyring Terrace and Solais on Breakfast Creek Road are all moving forward, bringing more than a thousand extra apartments onto the market. They say build it and they will come but if you over-build it, will they still come? We will see.
Lessons from Noosa
I’m looking out over the Noosa River as I write this before heading off to walk through the Noosa National Park, one of the greatest oceanside paths in south-east Queensland.
Back in the 1960’s the council of the day planned to drive a road through the park along the sea front, facilitating a rush of development along that magnificent coastline with its sweeping ocean and coastal views that would have destroyed one of our most popular parks.
It took 20 years of fighting by locals to save and expand the park in the face of fierce opposition from political and commercial interests. If that fight was being fought today, you can’t help but wonder if the outcome would be the same.
Support local cuisine
My wife has told me that I have to be positive so here goes. Plaudits to the restaurateurs who continue to open new venues in the neighbourhood in what is the most competitive environment in the city.
Some prosper, others sink without trace, but there are always others keen to risk all and take their place. Cost of living pressures aside, we should do what we can to support local business.
By way recommendation, the wagyu burgers served only on Sunday afternoons at Monal are the best in the world based on my modest experience of world-wide burger eating over the past five decades. The best hot dogs – there’s the gourmet in me surfacing again – are to be found in Bergen, Norway, but Newstead is a bit closer so go with the burger.
Throwing shade
It would, I’m sure, be appreciated by the crowds that patronise the ever-popular Saturday markets in New Farm Park if the large tent was made available to provide some shade.
On a recent scorching Saturday morning it remained locked down. It is, after all, a publicly owned asset ultimately funded by the ratepayer.
Vale Ken Ross
Condolences to the family of Ken Ross who died suddenly recently. Ken was a well known and respected resident of the Newstead community who although retired from full time work, continued to be in demand for his engineering skills.
His lasting monument is the Breakfast Creek Green Bridge which he designed. Rest In Peace.
