Thursday 21 August 2008

What's in a name?

The Cairns Port Authority has changed its name. Why?

The new name is Cairns Ports.

However, just like the Cairns Regional Council, they still retain their former name on their building.

Long-time advocate and campaigner for the preservation of the historic Cairns Yacht Club, Rob Williams says that there was a long of laudable and missions displayed on their website, however much was removed.

Along with former Commodore Bob Rendell, who wrote At the Aquatic, a 100 year memory of the entrainment that was the centre of the social scene of the old Yacht Club building, Williams has campaigned to save the Aquatic Club building for its strong heritage and social value to the far north community, and for the use of the community in years to come.

Rob Williams is president of Cairns Tropic Jazz Club, that played at the Yacht Club for many years.

So here's their 'charter' which no longer appears on the Port Authority website. See if you agree that the Government, via the Cairns Ports, has carried out its charter in the best interests of the people of Cairns.

We've now learn't that Cairns Ports has asked the Council to ratify certain changes to regulations that may not be in our best interests.

"I think the Cairns Ports has passed its use by date and it should all be handed back to the ratepayers and taxpayers of North Queensland through our Regional Council, Rob Williams says. "After all, its our asset."

With well over 9,000 signatures on the petition, this is an issue that is not over for the community, who are strongly supporting the building be preserved for the future.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am convinced Cairns Ports, complicit with the State Government have already SOLD the land the Yacht Club is on. It is a fait accomplait, otherwise why is the State Government offering money to transport the building to another site? I suspect there will be some "Catch 22" skulduggery and chicanery involved with the State Government's offer. There will be some "provisos" that PADYC and the community simply cannot fulfil, in order to shift the building, which would then give the State Government and Cairns Ports the upper hand in proceeding with complete demolition and erecting another "Harbour Lights" on the site.

I can picture the local pollies saying, "Well, of course we offered the people of Cairns ALL THIS MONEY to shift the Yacht Club, because we LOVE Cairns, and we LOVE OUR history, but THEY wouldn't comply....." (Note, how the pollies will use the word "THEY" as continuing proof that they themselves are no longer part of the community they are SUPPOSED to serve.)

Thus, the coming demolition of the last remaining icon of "old Cairns" which links us to such historical greats as the Heroes of the Krait, and Errol Flynn, will be blamed by the local politicians on PADYC and the PEOPLE OF CAIRNS. Watch them craftily and slyly turn this whole thing around. "THE PEOPLE OF CAIRNS WILL BE TO BLAME"!!! FAIT ACCOMPLAIT.

Oh....and don't forget, the pollies are leaving us with the "Herries Hospital", something which those of us who are real locals, know has old scandals attached to it, and we are NOT INTERESTED in having the bloody, crumbling, white ant ridden, scandal- soaked ugly, old relic foisted on us as a "heritage" building. The very thought that local politicians are using this terrible building as some sort of "sop" to counter the destruction of The Cairns Yacht Club is downright morally reprehensible and a callous mockery of the pioneers of Cairns.