CAIRNS, A CITY AT WAR WITH ITSELF...PART 1

The city of Cairns was in uproar. Never before in its history had a Council decision caused so much anger and division. The community quickly and easily erupted into two warring, hostile armies. On one side those who supported the sale of Mt Whitfield to the Chinese Shanghai Hangyang Corporation and on the other side, those who wanted Mt Whitfield retained in its pristine state. Fights broke out in bars and hotels across the city, neighbours screamed across backyard fences at each other, tension and division entered many workplaces, the local newspaper "The Cairns Post" was inundated with online comments and letters representing both arguments, local blogs were swamped with comments and people all over the city fought and argued and abused one another.


Colonel Cush, the Mayor of the Cairns Regional Council couldn't have been more delighted with the way the issue had blown up into a full scale community stoush. Only two days after the Council vote, he and Horsey, his Deputy, were listening to the local Cairns Radio shock jock and his talk-back program.

The shock jock was no novice at demagoguery and was relishing his role as commander of the pro-development troops in urging the supporters of the sale to stage a counter demonstration outside the Council Offices in Spence Street.


"Don't accept the "No" vote," the shock jock roared across the air-waves of Cairns, "it can be rescinded if you all protest loud enough. Get out there and tell your Councillors they got it all wrong. Don't sit back and think you can do nothing. Mobilise yourselves, let the Council know just how many of you want the sale to go ahead."

As was his protocol, the shock jock had callers to his talk-back show screened so that only the pro-development callers were allowed to comment.


Reg of Redlynch was, as usual, the very first caller. "Oh mate, maaaate," simpered Reg, "I couldn't believe it when I heard the Council had voted against the Chinese development. I just could not believe it. You wonder what got into the heads of those Councillors who voted against it?"



"Exactly Reg," broke in the shock jock. "I was wondering just what was going through their heads as well. It seemed to me as if something ......or SOMEONE....SOMEONE..." Here the shock jock altered his voice to a softer pitch and strung out his words. "...SOMEONE, may have unwittingly influenced them. Someone who has these powers to addle people's rational thinking and make them do things they normally wouldn't."



"Mate," agreed Reg. "I'm with you on that. I'm right with you mate. I've been wondering too like, about that Councillor Lovelady. She's the one with the influence alright. You know I wonder just how she does it?"


"Oh so do I, so do I," interrupted the shock jock, his voice thick with meaning.


Reg had no qualms about discretion. "Is she sharing her so called favours with the Councillors? I mean, let's face it, there she is, the only female, and a young one at that, with all these men, day after day in the Council Chambers. I mean, I wouldn't find someone like that attractive, but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that."


Sitting in the Mayor's Office, both Cush and Horsey smirked and chuckled at Reg's accusations.


"Sharing her favours," Horsey repeated. "I like that!"

"Reg, we have to go, I've got Ron of Trinity Beach on the line now," said the shock jock.


Ron of Trinity Beach was a tradie. "Mate, maaaate," he said, "I'm a tradie, a concrete finisher, and I've been unemployed on and off now for about a year. This development would have given me work for several months if those bloody Councillors had voted for it!"




"It's just unbelievable," the shock jock replied. "This city has only seen one development in the past two years, and that has been the WangZang Skyscraper Building! I mean, I just don't know how you fellas are all surviving out there."


"We're not mate," said Ron. "So when this proposal put forward by the Shanghai Hangyang Corporation comes up, and Colonel Cush supports it, what does his bloody Councillors do, but they go behind his back and oppose it. I mean, they've all got their jobs haven't they?"


"Of course they have their jobs, and well paid ones at that," agreed the shock jock. "They don't have to worry about where the money is coming from to pay the mortgage, send the kids to school and put food on the table."


"I was just disgusted with what that new Councillor, what's 'is name, Dunnysmore said," continued Ron. "He said something about not understanding the culture of Chinese corporations or smething like that. The man is a fool if he doesn't understand the Chinese are just like us now. The wife and I have been to China on a tour and mate, I tell you, they are exactly like us now. There isn't one iota of difference between the two countries. Not one iota!"

The shock jock broke in again. "I had a lot of doubts when that Councillor took his seat. I mean, he shouldn't be there in the first place. There should have been another by-election called for Division Two, but instead, the Government, in its wisdom decided not to have another by-election...."

"He's a weirdo mate, that's all you can say about him," continued Ron. "A weirdo who shouldn't be a Councillor. And what about Councillor Buttonworth, I mean, he's one of Cush's own Councillors and he went and voted against it."




"I don't know what has gotten into Councillor Buttonworth," said the shock jock. "He's always done the right thing by Cush before. As I was saying earlier, he has obviously been influenced by someone, someone who is able to addle his thinking processes in ways we can't quite understand."


"Mate," continued Ron, who wasn't going to be side tracked. "I support your call for a demonstration by all of us tradies, labourers, sheet metal workers, glaziers, riggers, dogmen, concreters and so on, all of us who are going to miss out on jobs, to get down there in front of the Council offices and let Cush know we are right behind him, and we WANT JOBS!"


"Good on you mate!" said the shock jock, " and now I have Zane from Edmonton on the line."

"Gidday Zane," said the shock, "and what do you have to say about the issue hey?"

"Yeah mate," said Zane, and the shock jock had a vague recollection that his voice was familiar,
"Maybe Dunnysmore had a point hey? Just what do we know about the Shanghai Hangyang Corporation hey? You reckon it's only about executive training hey? You fuckwit!"



"Ooog, gah, " stumbled the shock jock, once again recognising who the caller was. "Oh oh, we seem to have lost Wayne, err Zane. Let's have some music."


Cush and Horsey laughed.


..............................................



The Editor of the local Murdoch newspaper, The Cairns Post, was listening to the shock jock's program while writing his editorial on the Shanghai Hangyang Corporation proposal. He too supported the idea of a counter demonstration outside the Regional Council Offices. He continued to write:-


RESCIND THE VOTE, COUNCILLORS!


The Council vote on the Shanghai Hangyang Corporation's proposal for Mt Whitfield was wrong.

Those Councillors who voted against the development, ie Lovelady, Mingin, Piper, Bomboniere, Buttonworth and Dunnysmore have voted against the best interests of Cairns and the best interests of their respective divisions.



Ths city has not seen a major development since the WangZang Skyscraper, built on the site originally proposed for the abandoned Cairns Entertainment Precinct and hundreds of tradies, labourers and so on are unemployed. Colonel Cush in his election campaign, promised to get the city moving again and construction and development buzzing in the city. This he has done, with the erection of the biggest city skyscraper in the Far North. The WangZang development employed literally hundreds of people in its construction.



His Worship the Mayor, Colonel Cush, has the welfare of the people of Cairns and the Far North at heart and is trying to maintain development. The Shanghai Hangyang proposal for a 3,000 room Executive Training and Retreat development is the biggest development ever to be built in this city and the economic benefits accruing from such a development are enormous.



I urge the people of Cairns who are in favour of this development to do all they can to get the Council to rescind on its vote. Call those Councillors - Lovelady, Mingin, Piper, Bomboniere, Buttonworth and Dunnysmore, and tell them you don't like what they have done. Tell them to go back and change their votes. If it takes another demonstration outside the Council Chambers, then do that as well. Don't take this negative decision lying down.



Finally, we have to ask ourselves if certain Councillors are fit and proper people to be on a Council. There isn't any doubt that Councillor Lovelady, she with the unfashionable yeti look, has enormous power and influence over the other Councillors. Has she influenced the Councillors against their conscious will somehow in voting against this proposal? I know what I believe. The vote needs to go back to Council and to be rescinded. However I believe this can only be achieved without the presence of Councillor Lovelady in the Chamber.





The Editor checked what he had written and nodded. He liked it!



To be continued..................