Heritage vandlisim commenced

One of the many stalwart supporters to keep the historic Cairns Yacht Club building Ian Cole summed it up today, as he watched the team from Anton Demolitions start removing the roofing iron.

"It’s just so sad. After such an effort to save an old building, a place that has been part of a city’s growth and finding of identity, we witnessed the destruction of the Cairns Yacht Club Building today," he said.

"Ninety years of community involvement. Sport, celebration, music and dance. Gone. Why? Because there is a plan. No, a Masterplan. In fact the Cairns Port Master Plan."

Ian says it's inflexible, infallible, inconsiderate and destructive, and for what? To build some apartments for the well-heeled.

"What happened to the Labor Party? Where are the ethics, the morals, the principles? Sad, sad day," Ian Cole said.

Tuesday 11:35am, 29 degrees, Shields Street, Cairns Regional Council

CEC's new temp Chair

Missed it yesterday afternoon but Rob Borbidge resigned as CEC Chairman.

Tony Hartnell is their temp replacement, and it doesn't look like a planned succession. Maybe that's why CEC has been going up?!

Another DA to watch

Northern Beaches Warrior this morning pointed me to this notice that appeared in the Cairns Post last week.

It is an MCU to enable the "Greens" - the current building under construction which was supposed to be a “resort” - to become another multi-unit housing estate.
Here's the Development Approval, minus the maps.

As a local resident commented, “you will note that, by an amazing stroke of luck, the existing building layout already meets all the requirements for permanent residency, including extra car parking spaces not needed for the resort, but necessary for permanent residents. A cynic might conclude that this was the original intention, and all the publicity about a resort was just a front to ease through the approvals process."

A further cynic may also note that the planned "lifestyle centre" next to the resort-cum-housing complex is nowhere to be seen yet, and that the recent applications for extended liquor and gaming licenses might be precursors for a pub on that site. Who knows - anything is possible as we have seen.

My guess the 'Life style Centre' will become a couple of bars attached to the restaurant, smoking area out the front, a playground for the rugrats, a gaming room and TAB for mum and dad and the whole place let to the Housing Commission.

It is indeed an amazing stroke of luck that the half-completed building already meets the requirements.

Time will tell.

Submissions close 20 October 2008

They're killing our waterfront

On Tuesday at 2pm there is an organised non-violent trespass action planned at the Yacht Club site.

Boss Bligh and Demolition Desley have rejected clear advice form of Cairns' residents.

Instead of preserving and adapting our heritage, on our land as 11,000 citizens have asked by way of petition, the Queensland ALP government is going to cash in by a building an ugly commercial and residential hise-rise on our waterfront.

Boyle and Bligh have forgotten who they are supposed to serve. It's up to us to make democracy work properly.

Many want to sanction Boyle, Wettenhall, Pit, and O'Brien at the ballot box next year. To do this we need to make a public act of defiance that will be remembered by Cairns' residents in 12 months time.

In the Cairns Post letters today, Bryan says...

• I am not one of those who attacks Mayor Val Schier just because she’s not mayor Byrne, nor do I expect miracles from a new mayor learning how to use the levers of government.
  Mayor Schier has deserved her settling-in time and she deserves community support for her vision of a green, people friendly city in the tropics. So I'm happy the Cairns Regional Council and the people of Cairns have given Val such an opportunity to shine, by making her our advocate with the Queensland Premier and Cabinet about preserving and adapting our historic yacht club building in a revised and popular Cityport development proposal.
  Around 8500 Cairns residents signed the petition asking for that. Val Schier needs to earn their respect by delivering her end of the bargain. We need to see Anna Bligh talking to Val and other Cairns reps.
  I know if Val Schier is going to be any good at doing her job, she is going to bring Premier Bligh in front of the people of Cairns to discuss the future of our yacht club building and our city port.

If you'd like to get involved in this non-violent civil disobedience on Tuesday, you can ring Bryan Law on 0403 049 566 or 4052 1563. Bryan is holding a meeting this evening for those who would like to know more or would like to participate.

Our City, Our land, Our heritage.

Caption Contest

Spotted at Smithfield Centre, this week. Thought we could have some fun with this one.

1. "Mummy, how come daddy doesn't wear undies like that?"
2. "Mummy, why is he smiling with such a small dick like that?"
3. "Suzie, stop looking at that photo, you'll never get a boy like that, they're all gay."
4. "Mummy, why doesn't daddy look like that, did he let it go after you got married?"
5. "Suzie, please don't become a perv in your young age, please."
6. ........... your turn ...........

The last dance

The last night at the old Cairns Yacht Club last Saturday was momentous. Wendy Richardson, the organiser behind PADYC's campaign to protect and save the historic Cairns waterfront building reflects.


Around four hundred people gathered to see it out; many were very sad and frustrated at being told it cannot stay where it is, at least as a heritage tourism site. Basil had danced across the floorboards for over 66 years – he met his wife there too. Others were tourists, there for the first time.

The moon was up, slipping between clouds, its silver reflection on the water. Ocean Spirit cruised back and forth with its big mainsail aloft and its dinner cruise guests laughing; children played on the moonlit beach below where earlier fire dancers had performed.

The outline of the mountains and Trinity Inlet were faintly visible past the silhouette of a clump of palm trees swaying gently in the balmy air.

It was easy to imagine the American servicemen who reputedly claimed the verandah as their domain during the dances in WW2, kicking back with a cigarette or two out there, while the Aussies whirled their dance partners round the floor or downed a few drinks at the bar between sad stories of lost mates or yarns of their larrikin ways.

Back in the present, the dancers stomped and twisted their way through the musical memories of the decades oblivious to a single figure standing at midnight by the softly lapping water, staring past the abandoned piles of the old wharf. His desperation to keep this memory in his mind forever was palpable. His anguish was shared.

The loss of this site and building is a travesty; to quote the Queensland Heritage Council Chairman, Prof John Brannock in the Cairns Post in May 2003 ‘the demolition of the Cairns Yacht Club would be a terrible loss to the city and would reduce the social and cultural value of its waterfront irreparably.’

Mysteriously, John Brannock changed his mind by December 2003 and, using his casting vote, caused the building to be lost forever to this city. But he was not alone in a campaign to rid the waterfront of this building and all that it represents. In fact he was probably just a pawn.

Many questions remain unanswered. PADYC will not rest until we have them.

When trees attack

The tragic freak accident in Port Douglas on Thursday where a young boy was killed by a falling tree, has made it onto a bizarre US website called When Trees Attack.

I guess you can work out what that site is all about.

Doh!

A CairnsBlog reader north of BrisVegas told about the drama going on about a highway billboard that went up this week.

The RACQ wants the Ipswich sign removed, or at least put up "the right way" because they believe it's a hazard. "We're horrified that Personalised Plates Queensland are behind this campaign to sell car number plates on behalf of Queensland Transport," they told Brisbane Times.

"It will cause distraction. People will turn their necks to try to understand it," the humour-less RACQ says.

However PPQ doesn't think it's a distraction, and believe it's just a clever bit of marketing. "It's a bit of fun. No one complained when we displayed these elsewhere."

A Council approved what?

According to a Kewarra Beach resident who snapped this wee gem on the way home today, there's a Council approved cyclone shelter on the market to "give your family peace of mind in the safety of a cyclone shelter."

Maker Markus Rogers of Gordonvale says his business is about saving lives, and for around $9,000 you can have one of these delivered to your back yard.

"Surviving a cyclone is easy. You must prepare now so you are not at a disadvantage when a cyclone appears," says Markus. "My aim is to increase public awareness with information and education, about cyclone preparedness."

Hear, hear.

A real advert from today's Cairns Post

Gloria says...

• It's great to know that people like you are doing it [with CairnsBlog]!
  
  When Desley took business people to task, she did not mention the piles of rubbish, faeces, urine etc left on their doorsteps overnight. Who is responsible for that?
  
  And for attacks on civilians... Judy Spence has to listen to local reps??? Not the people? Once again, dollars make good blinkers.
  
  I'm 80 odd, and never seem to find time...never mind, keep up the good work.
  
  - Gloria Anderlini

McCain's campaign for dummies

A funny take on McCain's absence this week from the wonderful Indexed Blog.

Hat Tip: Syd Walker

Some sad overnight robbers

In the early hours of Saturday morning, someone attempted to break into a Northern Beaches charity shop.

"What did they think they were going to get?" said assistant store manager of the Smithfield Salvation Army charity store, Fina who was shocked to see the results of an attempted break in when she arrived to open the Salvado Drive shop this morning.

"Why would anyone want to break into a charity store?" Fina asked.

MONEY FOR NOTHING Salvation Army workers George and Fina
survey the damage to the reinforced glass door.

"We will have to get this repaired now and that is not cheap," Fina said. It appeared a hammer and a screwdriver had been used, which will now cost the charity a couple of hundred dollars to repair.

The new location is sparsely populated, with little lighting. Large street graffiti adorns a number of the surrounding buildings.

The Army's Smithfield charity store relocated to the quiet industrial area, across the Captain Cook highway from Smithfield Centre three months ago. They vacated their well-known shop to make way for a new cinema complex.

2pm today

A corrupt out of touch State Government

It's worth having a read through this.

Meticulously compiled by a local researcher, these are the Record of Proceedings from the Queensland Legislative Assembly, over the past few years. It chronicles every mention in our Parliament about the fight to save the Cairns Yacht Club building, up till last month when nearly 10,000 locals signed a petition.

The highlighted coloured parts are the ones worth paying attention to. Some will make your blood boil especially where it says about the Cairns Yacht Club building's heritage listing application “after considering the independent assessor’s report, the Heritage Council decided against listing the Cairns Yacht Club [building].”

The way this reads several times, one could read an inference into it that the assessor actually didn’t think it deserved to be listed. In fact he did think it should be listed and disagreed with the Assessor for the Port Authority who said it didn't have State significance. But he was commissioned and paid to come up with that answer.

• The provision of ongoing funding for redevelopments of the Esplanade, Cityport Wharf area and the central business district could only be seen as a stimulus', Northern Industry Development Association chairman Russell Board said. 'We see these as keystone projects for Cairns—there's a lot at stake with them because they will have a big impact on the confidence of property developers,' Mr Board said. 'They will act as a very positive stimulus and will probably lead to further private investment.' That is something which this Government is aiming to achieve.

This starts to show the long trail of practices leading to the inference of corruption on this long sordid story.

The other mitigating point is the Certificate of Immunity that was granted to the Cairns Port Authority.

• "This is done in order to encourage and facilitate financial transactions so it will not be an impediment to a sale that there may be a possibility of heritage registration."

Member for Cook Bredhauer, the then Minister for Transport and Minister for
Main Roads...

• With respect to port-related amendments, it is proposed to clarify the powers of the Cairns Port Authority under the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994, to enable delivery of all aspects of the Cairns Cityport development presently being undertaken by that authority. The project will be managed through a series of development leases. Once each precinct project is successfully completed, the lease then allows for the freehold title to pass from the port authority to the developer.

So Desley Boyle was spot on. It was all about money. The whole thing is a commercial decision to raise revenue from the sale of the land and the development of private buildings on the site. Without question, she has failed her people. When she leaves office, either by vote or retirement, this will be her legacy to the community of Cairns. Oh, and the disgusting CBD she referred to last weekend.

The people had little chance to keep their beloved heritage.

Commodore Ferguson leaves with memories

This afternoon, Cairns Yacht Club Commodore Warner Ferguson left the old Wharf Street waterfront building with mixed feelings.

"It's a sad time, but the politicians put us here," he said.

Surrounded by a 100 meter steel perimeter fence, constructed by local family firm Anton Demolitions, the old club house is on death row.

"We've got most of the things out of the building, and some will go to Ellis Beach, which we plan to develop," Ferguson said.

We've been on this site, in this building since 1908," he recalled. "I must look through the Club Minutes, as they go back even beyond that. SO there is sadness about leaving this building."

Commodore Ferguson also was questioning the future plans for the site, which even he was unsure of.

"I'll be very disappointed if this is another high-rise, right here."

Anton Demolitions were very coy about revealing plans that they are now contracted to undertake for the Port Authority. They are effectively under a gag order and didn't want to discuss their work.

"Our job is to do this will minimal damage to the parts that will be retained," they said today. "We know that there is a large amount of public feeling and anger about what is going on."

A trespass gathering will be staged at the site to breach the perimeter fence on Tuesday afternoon at 2pm.

"It will be to display to the State Government that we are upset and very disappointed that they have not listened to the people of Cairns," says protest organiser Bryan Law.

A Rally will be held at ANZAC Park opposite the Yacht Club building tomorrow (Saturday) at 2pm. Speakers include the State Opposition Heritage spokesperson, and Professor Jan Wegner from James Cook University, who was involved in the original heritage listing application.

Desley in town?

Some faithful CairnsBlog reader sent this in today.

They thought this was the Member for Cairns Desley Boyle's vehicle, spotted parked not 100 meters from Councillor Blake's office.

I think they might be right!

Kamerunga becoming famous

An exciting new local 7-piece band, Kamerunga is very different to the well-known predecessor Snake Gully, and is beginning to gather serious momentum.

The Push, their debut album was produced by ARIA award winner and ex-Steeleye Span drummer Nigel Pegrum, and will be released at the Tanks Arts Centre on Friday October 10th.

They will feature alongside PNG band Tribe of Jubal (long- time Yothu Yindi drummer, Ben Hakalitz, is in both bands). They'll also be at the Yungaburra Folk Festival on the weekend of October 25th and 26th.

You can also catch Kamerunga nationally and internationally via Sydney's Planet label and iTunes. Not band for a Cairns export!

They have already been booked for the Woodford Folk Festival and Port Fairy Folk Festival, and the other biggie, the National Folk Festival in Canberra. "Then it's overseas," says band member and local writer Tony Hillier.

Hillier says that Kamerunga puts a fresh and funky twist on Australiana and Celtic music.

"It combines folk influences with jazz, rock, reggae, classical and world music elements and melding mandolin, fiddle and guitar wizardry with sizzling saxophone, keyboards and a dynamic rhythm section," Tony says. "We take listeners on an exhilarating journey, musically and geographically — from Cooktown to Cork, from Jabiru to Johannesburg, from Brisbane to Barbados."

Not bad for an unknown band.

Half a mill for Kowanyama

Local Property developer CEC has had a good few days rallying back up over 20c, but still on an awfully thin volume of only 60,000 odd shares today.

The only news seems to have been this announcement on their Rapidbuild system which was put on hold earlier in the year.

“A total of 8 Rapidbuild houses will be built in Kowanyama with a total project value of $4.4 million,” CEO Roy Lavis said. “These homes are perfect for any isolated region. It is commercially viable for us to ship prefabricated homes by truck or barge, send in a small work force and where possible, utilise local labour to assist on site."

So that's around $550,000 per house? In Kowanyama!?

Banning Blake

At yesterday's Council meeting, our CBD Councillor Alan Blake, who infamously stood in City Place days after being re-elected with a mop and bucket as a publicity stunt, failed to get the numbers in his bid to chair the CBD revitalisation committee.

A long sentence, but short story.

CairnsBlog cartoon by Circusmouse

Something stinks about this bit of dirt

You know, I've been following the battle to save the old Yacht Club building for only a quarter of the time Rob Williams, Ray Taylor, and former commodore Bob Rendall have.

Over the last 17 months, I've written numerous articles about how and why the decision not to heritage list the historic Cairns Yacht building occurred. It's been an education in 101 community politics.

Early on I was warned by some to stay away from the subject. However the more I dug down, I discovered how undemocratic the the State Government and the equally secretive Port Authority was.

In the last few weeks, as D-Day has approached, the State Government have been backed into a embarrassing political corner. As every week has past, it's made them look more and more out of touch with the people, and their political spin doctors and media managers in Brisbane have just started to realise the enormous damage this issue is doing the party in Far North Queensland. Pitt, O'Brien, Wettenhall, and especially Boyle, have been in a real pickle over the Yacht Club dilemma. This issue will galvanise a kinetic revolt at the polling booth next year. There is no doubt about that. Even Turnour has failed to stand up for his wider constituency. They are a sorry and spineless bunch when they have not once acknowledged the strong will of the people.

I've said before that this old somewhat rusty old building, is a symbol of what community means to us. It's a symbol of what little we have left from our early colonial past. We hunger for such things as a community. It connects us spiritually to former days when our town was growing and developing.

The alternative plan is for corporate and residentail private tower block, a back-to-back Berlin Wall that the Port Authority have planned along Trinity Inlet. It will disenfranchise and disconnect the public from our sacred coastline.

Last week Labor realised the need to show some sympathy, but also wanted to show that they knew what was best for us. The public needn't be party to it, we can make that decision for them. After months of saying the same old bullshit story that the Yacht Club is getting a new $6M home, we realised this was an outright lie. The new multi-use facility at the northern corner of the Marina, is a flash upmarket commercial public restaurant, called the Salt House. At it's rear is a flash upmarket commercial public bar, called WankerVille. Then there a flash upmarket commercial pubic toilet. Right next door is a 68sq meter concrete bunker, that the Yacht Club will share with others. It doesn't even have a window looking at the water. The club members have been fooled and cheated on this move.

So the story about was an outright lie. But we've worked that spin out weeks, or months ago.

However this campaign has nothing to do with the Yacht Club. It has to do with saving a unique piece of early Queensland history. It is probably one of the longest standing absolute waterfront structures from the turn of the century in Australia.

Desley has been hiding under her self-imposed exile, with not a minute spent of responded to the reported 550 letters she's received. She's also deliberately and defiantly ignored 11,000 of her residents that petitioned for a fair go on this issue. She ignored everyone of them. She sent Wettenhall, her neighbouring MP up the Barron River without a paddle, to do the dirty stinking work of a PR sham yesterday. It was the worst impression of a white knight in a shinny suit I've ever seen. I expected better of him.

Whilst holding the hand Port Authority's Skarott the Parrot, he said that the proposed move to JCU for the building is a pleasing result. He faithfully announced that the political games are now over. Stephen, you are very naive if you believe that, and I think deep down in your heart, you know that. Wettenhall hasn't had much time in politics yet, in fact, I've worked in Parliament and the game of politics for a lot longer, and know full well that you won't placate the masses with such patsy stage manged shows like that. You'll need to do a whole lot better.

The shameful thing in all of this, is that Labor could have, and could still, claw back some modicum of respect by listening ad supporting the community.

With all the information that has come my way over the last year and a half, I've come to the realisation that the core reason why those at the top of the money food chain what rid of this Yacht Club building noose, is a deal was done some time back.

They are committed to that land being free.

So it got me thinking. And it got me asking in all the wrong corners.

Why are they so sold that the Cairns Yacht Club building has to stay put? The question on everyone’s lips is why not? Why can’t the Cityport Masterplan be amended to include a revamped Yacht Club building as a heritage tourism site?

Plenty of other features in Cityport have been changed since its inception in 1996, so what impediment is there on this one? When I heard Steve Wettenhall yesterday on ABC Far North (we love you Fiona) saying that it had been planned years ago, he sounded more like a out of touch politician than anyone interested in representing after the people. Like all MPs, he signed a solemn oath to advocate and represent his people. It's taken Steve less than one term to turn his back on the people that want to be heard on this issue. He won't be the only one to loose his seat over this. It's nice he will have his law business to head back to next year. And yet, he seemed such a promising representative of the community, he's performed poorly on this issue. However Steve isn't alone in this lack of understanding. Turnour has been invisible as a Federal advocate on this issue. But really, this has been a mess created solely by the Member for Cairns, Desley Boyle. This could have been headed off at the pass years ago.

So back to this unique and valuable bit of land where the building still rests tonight. The obvious first possibility is that Cairns Ports are under instructions to obtain vacant possession of the site from their masters, the Bligh State Government, who are cash-strapped and will sell anything that isn’t nailed down to ease their burgeoning debt. Their debt is recorded to be in the billions. It's a frightening situation. Boyle confirmed this situation to Mark Buttrose last week. Their financial situation is appalling. The Cairns Airport sale will net them around $250 million, after they spend a similar amount renovating it. Now that has to be one of Bligh's and Boyle most stupid decisions ever.

So, with the airport sale, Cairns Port Authority is running out of revenue-raising infrastructure.

This doesn’t explain why the obsession to clear the site has been going on for a decade, or why there are the crazed looks, or the frantic protests of “No, it can’t, it just can't !” by Port Authority officials and Government Members whenever the issue of keeping the building on it's present site is raised.

It would seem that there are other reasons.

The obvious question has to be asked, has it been promised to someone; has a ‘sweetheart deal’ been done?? This is followed up by “Who’s it been done with?” and “Have they already delivered their end of the bargain, thereby obligating Cairns Ports now to deliver theirs.

One major contender for ‘the someone’ would have to be the neighbouring Hilton Hotel. A number of different people have raised this with me and are certain this is what has been going on behind the boardroom doors for years.

The Hilton sits on part of a block of land which is now under one title, along with the Yacht Club and the former Great Adventures site. They, and more recently their wedding chapel, have a lease on this freehold land which is owned by the Port Authority. So, no it hasn’t been sold.

The original concept plan for Cityport apparently showed a building that was a mirror image of the current Hilton Hotel on the Yacht Club building site. The Hilton was also the only commercial entity to object to the heritage listing of the Yacht Club's retention in 2003.

Word has it too that the obliteration of the Hilton's views by Harbor Lights (Blights) was to be compensated by conversion of the Hilton leasehold to freehold. On top of this, two people previously associated with Cairns Ports, believe it is the Hilton who would be most interested in the land.

This may be well speculative, but until we get straight and open answers than ‘we need to create open public space’ or ‘we have to ensure connectivity between Cityport North and South’, the questions will be open.

Politics used to be democracy in action. However this elitist unilateral decision will only benefit the elite who can afford the view and the flash pad at number 4 Wharf Street. Even the pension of a former MP would hardly stretch to that.

Whilst I'm pleased to have Val Schier as an alternative to Pol Pot, she has hardly been vocal on this. Val resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't influence the decision after her March election victory. She really underestimated her weight and the power of regional representation. This community grass roots campaign is the type that got her over the line. If she loudly and proudly banged the Council table, she would have been listened to by Premier Bligh. Val could have come into her own if she picked up this campaign. She would have been remembered for ever as the one that saved some important Cairns heritage for future generations. However the Labor cronies got to her.

The Mayor and Councillor Forsyth have still not reported back to the community following the September 11th motion that was passed. It read:-

• (a) That Council communicates with the Premier of Queensland, the Transport Minister, the Treasurer and Chairman Cairns Ports as a matter of urgency requesting the proposed imminent demolition or removal of the Cairns Yacht Club building be put on hold.
  
  (b) That a meeting be convened between Council, State Government, Cairns Ports, Indigenous and community representatives to identify planning issues, ongoing management and funding in relation to the retention of the Cairns Yacht Club Building on it’s current site and adapt the Cairns Yacht Club building for cultural and heritage tourism ventures as part of the waterfront development.
  
  (c) That Council recognise the petition of more that 10,000 Queensland citizens, including around 8,000 residents from the Cairns Region requesting the retention of the Cairns Yacht Club Building on it’s current waterfront site.

Why has the Premier not availed herself to this meeting with our Mayor? It is the will of the Cairns Regional Council to negotiate on this matter. We have now lost faith in the Premier, the Labor State Government and more recently, the Cairns Regional Council.

• "Unfortunately, I have not been in a position to be able to influence the state government's decision.
  
  A meeting with Premier Bligh was requested as a result of the Council resolution of the week before last; unfortunately, the Premier’s office has indicated that the government’s previous decision stands.
  
  Cr Val Schier
  Mayor
  Cairns Regional Council
  Phone: 07 4044 3083

So there you go. The State Government totally snubbed the entire Cairns Community and it's elected Council. They weren't even prepared to meet with it's Mayor as directed under Council motion. What absolute arrogance.

If they can't stand up for us on this, then what are they capable of? Knee-jerk politics is very poor form. There has been no strategic approach to this. They were desperate to solve this, yet they've made a mess of the whole fiasco.

"If evidence is required as to why the community are rapidly losing confidence in our leader's ability to safeguard the scenic treasures we have here in our midst, against unsatisfactory development and where noble rhetoric doesn't match reality, look no further than the Cairns Yacht Club building," says Ray Taylor.

Maybe Boyle has been promised a Penthouse suite when the replacement building is competed. It will no doubt come with insulated inch-thick glass, so no noisy Dixie Jazz band can interfere in her retirement at the end of next year.

The decision to Heritage register the Yachtie

Boy killed by tree

This just in... a palm tree fell on and killed a 4-year-old boy in Port Douglas this afternoon.

An older male with the boy, presumed to be his father, received injuries to his head.

Hillslope and habitat protection sought

Cairns' regional environmental watchdog Cafnec, is asking residents to lobby their local councillor to support the hillslope and habitat protection proposal that is currently before the Cairns Regional Council.

You can download this letter and send it to your local councillor. If you still think your Councillor is Kathy Plath or Paul Freebody, or even Terry James, then I suggest you check to find out who your local cop is.

Save Our Slopes and the Whitfield Hill Community Action Group will present a report outlining 25 proposals dealing with around 60 areas of hillslope and vegetation rezoning. This includes the slopes of False Cape. Cafnec says they deal with zonings within the Cairns Plan that are in conflict with it’s own Desired Environmental Outcomes and asks that these areas be designated ‘Conservation’.

"This would entitle private landowners to build a house and caretakers residence but prohibit allotments from being subdivided," says Cafnec's Steve Ryan.

"This years’ Local Government Elections saw several sitting councillors elected on a platform of hillslopes and habitat protection, Ryan says.

"Now is the time for this Council to deliver on these promises. Action today will not only help preserve the nature and character of our region, but will also allow future decisions to be made without having to be defended through expensive legal action," Steve Ryan says.

Public Rally - Saturday 2pm

There are still options

The State Member for Cairns Desley Boyle, still privately acknowledges the fight to retain the Yacht club building on the existing site is not over.

"I know many people will be devastated if the building goes," she said in a private meeting just two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, a boasting Cairns Port Authority chairman Clive Skarott said the situation was "win, win, win" for everyone. Well, it's simply not. The community have been disenfranchised. They have not been involved in this move at all. Maybe he was referring to a win to the Port Authority, a win for Labor, and a win for some developer that will lease out the new high rise.

Skorott is simply keen to get the old shack off the land. However, the community have spoken loud and clear for nearly five years, and they're not letting the Port Authority and the State Government get away with this un-noticed. Skorott also laughably said that the proposed new JCU location is a waterfront location, as it will sit alongside a creek at Smithfield. What an insult.

Furthermore, the State Labor Government and the Cairns Port Authority have not declared why this land where the old building site, is so important for them to retain. Why won't they allow an historical buildiong, of great significance to the local and Queensland community, to remain in situ. They have not explained this openly. They owe this to us all.

CairnsBlog can reveal today that State Member for Cairns Desley Boyle is still open to re-Master Planning the entire area, to integrate community interface with Trinity Inlet.

City architect Mark Buttrose is looking into the plan where Advance Cairns, the Mayor, Eve Stafford and the Premier would agree to better public integration of the City Port redevelopment that would provide more interface.

"Look at significant cities around the world that have done this," Mark Buttrose said. "Like Rome, London, even Wellington's waterfront, they are a magnificent combination of the restored old and new."

Buttrose, who has been involved in many significant public infrastructure re-developments around Cairns, says that public interface and community access to the Trinity Inlet area is vital. "What is proposed is not acceptable, it can be done a lot better, with better long-term outcomes for the entire community."

However Mayor Val Schier says that the option that never ever got off the ground was to let the Yacht Club members move to their new premises, then put the land up for sale with a covenant that the old Aquatic Club building must be upgraded and incorporated into any re-development that took place on the site.

"That way, some economic potential is realised to assist in future City Port development and an adaptive use is made of the old building," Val Schier told CairnsBlog. "In Singapore there are old wharf buildings being retained with new, multi-story buildings rising behind them. Not the ideal, but certainly a compromise which allows the old and the new to co-exist and for visitors and residents to get that important glimpse into the past which helps us to understand who we are and where we've come from."

"I am sure there would have been development interest in this option," Mayor Val Schier said today.

It is important to understand that the old building was provisionally hertitage listed because it did satisfy the cultural heritage significance criteria. It was knocked out on the basis of boundary uncertainties - a complete nonsense but nevertheless what happened as the result of objections. [SEE Council’s archived minutes ]. It is appalling that our own Council was party to this.

This Saturday at 2pm, the Opposition Heritage Minister, David Gibson, will lead the charge at a Rally at ANZAC Park, opposit the Yacht Club building.

Does age determine maturity

JCU's Student Psychology Association host their 17th debate this Friday with the motion up for discussion to see if age determines maturity.

It's on this Friday from 6pm at the Crowther Theatre, James Cook University.

Speakers are Ernest Ross, from Tjapukai cultural park; and Dr Ina Flockhart, a clinical psychologist; Amelia Torre a year 12 captain from Saint Monica's College; Councillor Kirsten Lesina, also a year 12 school captain from Saint Monica's College... opps, I mean JCU law graduate, and also the world's youngest ever Councillor.

There'll be drinks a desert at Stinger's Bar following the debate and it's free to come along.

A JCU student said to me today, "I imagine Kirsten is a riveting public speaker, perhaps she should do it naked?" I'm still trying to work out what he meant.

Anti-Bush merchandise damage US markets

A funni from The Onion, thanks to KiwiBlog.


Economists Warn Anti-Bush Merchandise Market Close To Collapse

Richardson on ABC

Wendy Richardson, representing PADYC - the group that have campaigned to protect and retain the Yacht Club building on it's present site, will be on ABC Far North this morning at 8:30am.

She'll be talking with the new Pat Morrish, Fiona Sewell.

Tune in on 106.7 FM. It's also on something called AM.

PADYC is organizing a public rally this weekend to protest about the removal of the Cairns Yacht Club from its site. Further advice will be available as soon as venue and key speakers are confirmed.

Government: Yacht building off to JCU

A nervous, confused and non-consultative State Government are going to move the old Cairns Yacht Club building to the James Cook University campus, widely suspected to be land they own in Greenslopes Street, rather than the University's Smithfield campus.

As I exclusively wrote yesteday, the move has had no involvement from community interest groups.

There is strong objection to the building being moved out to Smithfield which is Commonwealth owned. The city land is believed to be owned by JCU, and comes under State, not local Council control.

Why move a sea faring building to a land locked destination? God only knows. They certainly didn't consult with the community about this.

Those campaigning for it's preservation on the existing site are not giving up.

"We are currently investigating the relevance of the Burra Charter," Wendy Richardson told CairnsBlog late this evening. "There will also be other direct action planned later this week."

Today, I received one of the many form letters from the Premier's Office, who are now rather skilled at fobbing off the thousands of residents across the State that want to keep the building. A large number of residents have reported to me receiving the same letter, word for word.

No one in the Premier's office is taking the concerns on board from local Cairns residents seriously.

Meanwhile, Yacht Club officials were busy all day today, removing fixtures and memorabilia from the 103 year old Wharf Street building.

This morning the balcony awning was removed, which will be relocated to the Club's Ellis Beach site. Two car load's of old trophies and awards will also need to find a new home, as club veterans packed them up this morning.

"It's a sad, sad situation," they said.