Saturday 31 October 2009

The depressing gang of four

When I saw this bunch of four must-have keteers in the paper the other day, looking all grim and serious, as if Warren just announced he'd be back again, I couldn't help but think... if this lot is all we've got to help save us from the unemployment doom and gloom (besides Paul Freebody of course), then we may as well slit our wrists and move to Townsville.
The 3 "R's" (relief, recovery and reform) which sounds like a Saturday special from Northern Belle, is a joint effort by Cairns Regional Council Mayor Val Schier, Bill Calderwood from Tourism Tropical North Queensland; Russell Beer of Advance Cairns; and Jeremy Blockey of the Cairns Chamber of Commerce.
Now I'm sure their ideas are laudable, holy even, however this gang of four in the photo look more like a circus troupe handing out a series of bad taste jokes at Noel Briggs' farewell party, than an economic recovery plan. I'm sure when Post photographer Marc McCormack set this up, he demanded they look all grim and depressed, as if someone had nicked off with nearly 14% of their lunch money. It worked.

But to be a bit serious for a minute, instead of this lot yelling at the State and Federal pollys for a free handout, why not do something that they have in their powers themselves. Right now.

Why not reintroduce that early bird rate payment discount Val? Give us back our greening water allowance. Allow free dumping at the tips until the end of January. These things will put real money back into our spending pockets straight away instead of waiting for Kevin and big spending Anna. While you're at it Val, send that executive assistant of yours out for a decent lunch. He needs fattening up.

Bill, you could drop your TTNQ membership fees by 50%. You'd still have plenty left over for your junkets. And why not stop paying yourself a whacking great "honorarium", the day after the Council deposited nearly half a mill of our money into your slush fund?

As for Advance Cairns, I dunno why Val didn't keep her pre-election promise and ditch the old boy's club and start over fresh. The $280K we give this mob, plus the mandatory holidays to Guam and China, have to stop. You'd think after 8 years of these "sales" trips by successive "trade groups," you'd think they'd worked out who to mail the glossy brochures to.

Which leaves us with the Chamber of Commerce. Now I've been to many a slap up lunch at the Michaelmas Cay room (who was there when I asked the Gold Coast copper after his speech on CBD safety about that naughty Big Brother's antics Hot Dog?). Name 10 things the Chamber have done to generate business over the last year. In fact, name five.

However, there still seems something decidedly odd about that photograph. What is it? And did I over-hear Val Schier saying."I'm a lady, I do lady's things," ?

7 comments:

nocturnal congress said...

See where TTNQ are still pitching for the US Military at Guam to holiday in Cairns. If they are successful, we can watch the downtown CBD turn into a lurid sex-show sleazespot.

Thaddeus said...

Yeah once Cairns is secured as an R & R spot for the Guam US military, I guess the old Cairns will really liven up. No-one will whinge about lack of night-life anymore. Brothels will increase; strip and sex shows will proliferate, the police force will have to be increased. Australian military brass will have to be relocated to Cairns to "troubleshoot" etc tensions between Australians and the US military.
OH..and following normal American military policy when R & R bases are established for the military, US corporations will of course buy or build the hotels and facilities and arrange all the package tours.
Cairns tourist operators might get a few crumbs.

Bryan Law said...

Is that Russell Beer standing out front with the wingspan staring straight down the barrel at me? Urk!

What I like about this photo is the way it makes our elected Mayor look like an adjunct, perhaps even a fashion accessory, to three orthodox white males who all tout for an economy rather than a society, and whose sole idea of “rescue” equals “tax hand-out”. I’m amazed.

It’s a terrific way for the Cairns Post to ignore the popular sentiment behind Val’s election – that Cairns residents want effective controls and planning for development. Because now Cairns is being run by good ‘ol boys once again. We can see the ghost of Kevin Byrne. The Cairns Regional Council “supports” the A Team.

(Did anyone else notice that when Desley Boyle used the “grass-roots community” voice of the soap-box column in the Cairns Post last week she thanked Kevin Byrne for helping build the Cairns we all know and love).

Desley, Russell, Bill, Rob, Andrew – with Val’s support.

We’re fucked!

hieronymus bosch said...

Desley is also mates with noel briggs. There's some shearers from the 1890s who'd be crying in their beer over their broken hearts if they were alive today.

I am bemused that if I decided to received the dole (a few thousand a year?), people like these four would view me as a drain on the system. Yet, we dole out millions in corporate welfare and for economic development funds for endless growth that only benefits a few percent, while the rest hope for some crumbs.

Peace and bread.

Rowan Hallett said...

How about giving some incentives to an airline to operate a weekly service to LAX. Qantas a few years ago ran a service from CNS-HNL-LAX.
Statistics show that the USA rate Cairns as theor #2 destination after Sydney.Where's the direct flights?

How about getting Tiger (who are Melbourne based) to fly to Cairns?

How about some marketing for FNQ in Brsibane? - I don't see any. Where's the package deals to visit the magic of the wet season, when it's peak rates everyhwere else?

Get real, TTNQ said...

I thought it was stupid some years back when the Tourism Gurus decided to change the wording from, I think, Far North Queensland, to Tropical North Queensland. The name of the region wasn't what was important.

What these name-changing drongoes don't realise is that visitors came here to see authentic people and places - what was here before southerners came to make a buck and try to manipulate the North into something it's not.

The rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, the buildings built for the tropics, the friendly and casual lifestyle, and unique parts of the region such as Cape York and its residents are what should be promoted, retained and encouraged to thrive.

Changing names, or putting proposals for ukelele festivals in a region which is not, and was never, known for ukeleles is just pure stupidity, and high paid people trying to justify their salaries.

Wake up, people. Get real. Just promote what we have, and do it well.

Oh, and yeah, stop chasing after the Yankee sailors. Word is they can get nicer or more affordable holidays closer to Guam, and your selling trip was just a wasteful junket. Besides, do we really need American aid(s)?

Put the word out about what really makes this area unique, put your support behind the ventures which highlight the real North Queensland and give the genuine tourists who want to come here and experience the real thing something which they can honestly promote by word of mouth and see what happens to your visitor numbers.

Dutchie said...

Get real, it's drongoes like you that keep Cairns in the dark ages.

Next time, spend a little bit more time researching before you write such elaborate posts so you know what you're talking about.