Just before Christmas, a Facebook group was set up to attack the Cairns Mayor, Val Schier.
Kim Freebody, wife of Paul, waterpark developer and former city councillor, along with her children, were some of the first to join up to the abusive online group.
She says she's "not involved in local politics."
Local Greens and Cafnec supporter, Steve Brech, challenged Kim Freebody on her behaviour.
"Kim, you and your family are disgusting for promoting on-line bullying," Brech told Freebody. "As a a teacher I find your behaviour sickening. If this is the level of your political debate in this city, expect the same back, and more."
He says that the Freebodys have taken local politics to the next level. "Let the games begin," he said.
As soon as Kim Freebody received Brech's email, she blocked him on Facebook from contacted her.
"For someone to send out such an abusive and threatening email at Christmas to someone you don't even know, you must have been having a really bad day," Kim Freebody replied.
"I wasn't even going to bother replying but seeing that you don't know me I would hate you to think that I am as bad as you think I am," Kim Freebody told Brech. "I'm not sure what you are having a go at me at but I can only imagine that it is because I recently joined the Facebook page of Val Shier is doing a crap job."
Kim Freebody asked Steve Brech if he abused or threatened everyone else on that site in the same tone. "Or was I just the lucky one?"
However Kim isn't one on the 12-year-olds on the Facebook group. She a director of a company with her husband, seeking Council support on a large controversial development, at the same time abusing the mayor and everything she stands for.
Kim then tells Steve Brech that she's not involved in local politics, then goes on to critique everything under the sun that the Council has been involved with, under Schier's rein.
"I am not involved in local politics or a politician so I am not sure what you mean about 'taking it to the next level, let the games begin,' " Kim Freebody told Brech.
"I don't know you or have any relationship with you. You don't teach my kids thank goodness because no doubt they will probably be getting D's seeing you feel this way about me. I don't give two hoots who runs this city. But surely they must be able to do the job," Kim Freebody told Steve Brech.
"If you want to be a dentist, accountant, solicitor and even a teacher you need qualifications. She [Val Schier] is running the biggest business in this city with no business experience, as her past and current performance has shown, and is quite frankly doing a crap job," Freebody says.
Well, Kim, unlike your husband Paul, Val Schier, along with seven new Councillors, were all elected by popular vote, and a majority by the Cairns community. That's how our democracy works. Maybe if Paul Freebody "had the qualifications" he would still be an elected Councillor. Maybe, as Kim puts it, Paul was quite frankly doing a crap job.
"I bet if you performed this way as a teacher you wouldn't be going back next year to a job or anyone else for that matter would struggle to keep their job. You probably think that people are picking on her well unfortunately she is the boss. Just like at school when someone has a problem they go to the principal and in any other business they go to the boss," Freebody says.
Kim Freebody says that Schier put her hand up for the job, so people are unfortunately entitled to their opinion.
"So the fact that I joined a Facebook page probably doesn't give you the right to abuse or threaten me the way you have," she told Steve Brech.
"Let me give some examples to prove my point for joining this [Facebook group]. When Val Shier was elected firstly I thought that we need to give her some time, but within the first couple of months, she had to repaint her office - give me a break - to get rid of Kevin Byrne.
"[She] gave herself a hefty pay rise, not to mention the next one about to happen. She hasn't earned any of it. Usually you get pay rises when you perform from my experience. She put the rates up which she promised that she wouldn't - remember? - I do," Kim Freebody says. "I don't know about yours, but mine are sky-high. There are people in this city really struggling so this shouldn't have happened to this degree."
"Not to mention the $1 million approx that has been paid out of yours and mine [sic] rates for sacking/making redundant employees in our worst financial position for decades. We can't afford it," Freebody says.
"When you are in business you have to make the best decision for that business. You have to put your personal agenda away," she says.
Kim Freebody also asks what Val Schier has done to enhance Cairns to encourage tourists to come and the locals to stay?
"It is her turn in the spotlight so do something, anything," Kim says. "Her suggestion of a ukulele festival. Ok when is it coming? Who cares? What we have here as long as people come to see this great place. Make it happen. Volcano arts precinct? Where is it? What's the time line and when can we expect something?," Freebody asks.
Hasn't Kim been following the local news to get answers to these basic questions?
"I don't know about you Steve, but I want my children to be able to stay here when they finish school and not have to go down south or overseas to find work. Like it or not we are a tourist city and should have new projects every couple of years and a festival or international event if not yearly, than [sic] bi-annually to give us as much exposure internationally as possible."
"Considering this is what pays our wages. When you are in these positions you can't sit on your hands," she says.
Kim Freebody asks why Val Schier as Mayor didn't put up the monies to support the NQEA bid, so "we can keep business happening here."
"She put monies up for the Taipans. Also the Lotus Glen project went down south. She should have been all over these projects telling state government and anyone else that would listen that she was going to support it and the work was going to stay here," Kim Freebody says.
Schier, along with the three industry groups, have been lobbying State and Federal government for months.
"Times are bloody tough as if you didn't know and she needs to roll her sleeves up and get into it and be working day and night productively like the rest of us business people. I have probably said enough but this is my view and anyone that knows me would hopefully agree that if anyone wants to have a go at something I would be one of the first to support them," she says.
"Even you Steve, if teaching isn't what you want to do anymore, find something that you really want to do and go and do it. Put your heart and soul into it and give it 110% and you won't fail," Kim Freebody said.
"Who knows you may want to run at the next election. They tell me the pay is good."
28 comments:
Perusal of the countenances of the 1337 "supporters" listed at the "Val Schier is a crap mayor" Facebook page leads to the inevitable conclusion that 90% of the names belong to children or teens — some as young as three or four. Given the widespread apathy towards current affairs exhibited by yoof, this is a most remarkable ratio, but wholly consistent with the child-like mentality of the mayor's most vociferous, inarticulate and ill-informed critics.
The Council is a bureaucracy, not a business, and I am glad it is headed by an experienced public servant/administrator, moreover a Mayor who is intelligent, trustworthy, altruistic and approachable. More strength to your arm, Val.
As for the Freebody's, I had the misfortune one Christmas to visit a toy store which they then owned. They had uniformed security staff searching the bags of all customers leaving the store. I refused to stop and have my bags searched, as is my right. I then felt very intimidated as I walked across the carpark to my vehicle, with a uniformed thug almost treading on my heels and screaming at the back of my neck "You must stop and have your bags searched". No, I don't! Needless to say I have never patronized any business of theirs since. Christian my arse, they wouldn't know the meaning of the word.
Just gunna start a Facebook group called "Paul and Kim Freebody would make Crap Mayors"
Wanna join?
The silly Freebody wet dream of his so-called waterpark will never ever go ahead. I'm a resident on the Barron river area and i can assure anyone that it's a dream and will never happen.
I've seen the Freebodys around town and they are geniune nice and loverly people who contribute to teh community. They give people jobs and are honest law-abiding folk.
I would let Paul baby-sit my younger sister any night.
Stop picking on them u are just all jeleaou that they have mopre money than you and will speck out and say something.
The Freebodies are a pair of grubs. Kimmie, your husband was voted OUT, because people did not like him and because he was an incompetent councillor who can't even spell properly. Most of us do not share your Christan "vision" of a trashy American style theme park.
Why don't you put your money where your big mouth is and run for Mayor at next election.See how you go !
And why don't you have anything to say about our previous "crap" Mayor. His legacy : a barren City place and a city full of ugly high rises of dubious quality, built by developers who have since gone broke, ripping millions out of the community.
Are they the sort of business leaders whose shiny example our current Mayor should follow ? The level of "debate" these people are generating says a lot about their standards. Straight down in the gutter.
"Paul and Kim Freebody would make Crap Mayors" BRING IT ON !
Julie-Ann, have you been at Cairns High long or have learned spelling from Paul while he was baby-sitting your little sister...?
You can feel nothing but disgust for this stupid family. I used to occasionally use their car wash in Reservoir Road (to be honest, I didn't know it was theirs until learning so from this blog). Never again! I'm try not to be vindictive but these people deserve our contempt - and I won't support their business.
Be careful of what you wish for comes to mind here: I think the belligerence demonstrated by the Freebody family has, ironically, been created by the approval (with conditions) of the water park by CRC.
If approval had been denied, Freebody could have feigned indignation 'till his heart's content, and carried on with his hate campaign blaming Val and the other Bitches and Witches for being anti-business and anti-Cairns by disallowing the project.
The Toyshop was a Win, the car-wash was a Win, but every new roll of the dice risks it all - and the stakes get higher all the time. Now they are very high; the house has been sold, and it's all or nothing. There is a huge and fragile ego at stake here as he now rolls that dice once again, with no one but himself to blame if it fails. Suddenly it's become very scary. Freebody's noisy lobbying for approval has inadvertently highlighted the extreme vulnerability of the project, sitting as it does in the middle of a river bed. Savvy investors will not be risking capital in such a scheme, insurance for the infrastructure will be all but unobtainable and, despite what Freebody claims, it is dependent on local patronage - not tourists. Anyone with a modicum of economic nous can tell you the numbers simply don't add up.
You lot are a strange lot. You complain about the Freebody's passing judgment against the Mayor, and then continue to pass judgment in return. Retribution is it?
It is remarkable how much in common you all have. You are all as unreasonable as each other. You all hate as much as each other.
The Freebodys are typical of God's evil twin. Typical of most pretend happy clappers who say one thing in the name of religion and act the opposite in real life.
All Happy Clappers are tared with the same brush with the convenient maxim of, 'do as I say and not as I do.'
The Freebodys unfortunately act no differently and indeed act as if they have a special licence to do deeds opposite to true Christian values.
If you question their motives they simply reply that Christ approves of what they do as they can do no wrong as practising happy clappers.
Hear, Hear JKR. Couldnt agree more.
To JKR and "agreed"...if you throw shit then you can expect to have some of it thrown back. People in glass houses....
Kim Freebody asks what has Val Schier done to enhance Cairns and bring tourists.!!!! I guess that would be a typical question from rednecked philistines whose idea of entertainment would be to lick windows or play with themselves.
Kim, any idea what a world class entertainment centre would do for Cairns? Yeah, it would provide you with windows to lick, that's right. Fool.
I wonder where the Freebodys will raise the money for this venture. Regardless of the quality of the business case and location etc., all the venture capitalists and investors I work with demand qualities such as integrity and trust in the people they would be partnering with. Also - a lot of them are now women. When made aware of some of the finer points of the well documented personal character of the proponents of this scheme (specifically a radio "outburst"), their responses were pretty unanimous negative. Frankly Paul and Kim, if you had ANY business acumen you would have known to SHUT YOUR GOB. On that basis, the response from the Mayor and other female councillors slandered has been exemplary.
Kim Freebody's facebook page has been taken down? can't find it anywhere! looks like your 25/12 CairnsBlog post had some consequences.
We can only hope so Steve.
Kim Freebody has merely blocked you on Facebook Steve from viewing her profile and sending her emails. However you can email her by kim@freebodygroup.com.au
Kim Freebody is encouraging ignorant people to blame the Mayor for everything that is wrong in their little world. The message she is sending young people is ; look don't worry about the democratic process, don't get of your bums and become politically active if you want to change things, just start a dumb hate group and try and get your way by bullying people. Hardly the actions of a so-called respected business "identity" (toy guns and car-wash !) and self proclaimed Christian. (one hand on the bible and the other one on the wallet).
To once again demonstrate the level of "debate' that goes on on this Facebook group, here is a snippet of wisdom from a Elvis Ashwell, who is obviously a very confused person.
"yeh now shes poisoning us with fluoride shes just the labor party tart, they say it was to control the populus,they used fluoride in narzi germany in the second wwar to control mass behavior as this dictator labor goverment is trying to do to us"
Regardless of the merits of having fluoride in the water or not, even if you rely on the Cairns Post or Channel 7 for your news, you would know that it was the State Government which forced the councils to add fluoride to the water supply. Nothing to do with our Mayor, whatsoever, but who cares, let's blame her anyway.
What Elvis and his fellow posters maybe do not realise, is that they are displaying their ignorance for the whole world to see, including a link to their own Facebook pages, exposing all their "friends" as well.
I think Dumb and Dumber should relocate to the Gold Coast, where they could mingle with the remnants of the White Shoe Brigade and other parvenus. No one would notice them there, as they would fit right in.
Oh Kimmy, just in case : a parvenus is a person of obscure origin who has suddenly gained wealth, influence, or celebrity.
Kimbo
I know it's tricky but bi-annual means twice a year. Biennial is every two years.
Dendo
My gripe with Kim Freebody is based on her involvment in and the promotion of on-line bullying. The fact that she professes to be a Christian, and non-political are merely signs to her state of mind.
She is an adult with many years experience of conducting relationships with teenagers. To set this sort of example as an acceptable way to behave sends the wrong message to the thousands of teenagers viewing life through the prism of an on-line world.
If her husband does manage to get his theme park going would she be happy for children to start on-line groups to complain about bad service or those that are asked to leave (as will happen) set up web-sites abusing her company?
Her false pretence that she is not a politician and is not intereted in local politics was followed by a 10 paragraph anti-Val rant.
She is a woman of my own age with teenage children. I have 3 teenage step-children and 2 children of my own. Through their on-line networks I know that the Yr 12 leadrship groups at Trinity Anglican School (TAS) and St Mary's Catholic College were the first to jump on board followed by Cairns High, Smithfield High and Trinity Bay.(perhap Worree is a bastion for Val)
Those who have had a look at the anti Val site can clearly see that older teenagers are seeing this as an acceptable way to signify some anti establishment credentials without actually having to leave their bedrooms.
When I sent my email to Mrs Freebody. I did so with my street address and home phone number attached in the hope that she would ring me up, alas she did not
Kim Freebody did, what in my long experience of confronting bullys, do she ran away to hide and complained that I was attacking her.
I have taught Pre-school & Prep, university, TAFE, Primary school and at High School. Every time I have encountered bullys they have the same mentality, I'll leave it to you the reader, to work out what that state of mind is from your own experiences.
I'm going off-line now, however the 4 children in my house right now are not.
Steve, I agree with you. It is particularly reprehensible because cyber-bullying is now a serious issue in many schools with cases of suicide occurring as a consequence.
Recently some Tully High School students set up a hate site requesting students to pillory their Principal. I wonder if this was a direct "copy-cat" of the Freebody site? Whatever, the Freebodys are setting a very poor example for impressionable school students.
Pretty disgusting stuff folks, & as a number of contributors above have pointed out, venture capital - which the Freebodys will need in spades to get their waterpark happening - tends to depend on honesty & integrity to encourage them to invest, & with all the muckraking the Freebodys seem to engage in, their Facebbook page can hardly be seen as an example of that.
And yes, there are a lot of dumb bunnies out there who don't know exactly which bodies are responsible for example: water, roads, infrastructure, fluoride, animal control, national or state parks & so on. Unfortunately, the ComPost does nothing to educate these people, & indeed encourages them to contribute further (usually txts) incorrect nonsense constantly.
The Freebody pages would be a complete laugh if they were not so nasty, incorrect & ignorant. Yep folks, these are people who call themselves Christians, & yet display not one iota of Christian understanding, humility or charity.
Incidentally - for all the ukelele naysayers, I've been travelling around Polynesia the last couple of weeks (Tahiti, the Marquesas) & believe me, there's a LOT of people playing uke out this way, & also visitors from Hawaii, America, South America, Europe, Japan have turned up with their ukes to jam with the locals.
And if you think that ukes are all about Tiny Tim & tiptoeing through the tulips, forget that concept. Try thinking Ry Cooder's early work (something you can get hold of) "Chicken Skin Music" album - have a listen to the ukes & steel strings on that. Yes, & of course our lovely Seaman Dan. We also have a sizeable population of Cook Islanders & Samoans in our Cairns community, & indeed, I could easily see Cairns, with its easy availability to the Pacific, powering in this endeavour.
OK, it might start small, but so did Cairns Blues Festival last year, but just wait, & in a few years it will have grown to a good size. Apart from ukes, there's lots of smaller ideas that can pick up festival crowds - everything from orchids to birdwatchers. Smaller festivals attract niche crowds - but they attract them - & their much-needed tourist dollars. Even the new to-be-built tennis centre could attract a small Cairns Open sort of thing.
PS. Do I detect some resemblance between Kim Freebody & the notorious Kerie Hull. Separated at birth, perhaps? What is it with straight-haired obviously-blonded unscrupulous women? Something to ponder. . . .
thanks to Steve Brecht for correctly pointing out what this is really about - Bullying
I guess Kim Freebody would know better than most how much Councillors get paid. She did forget to mention that whilst her husband was being paid as a Councillor he was running his business as well. Isn't that called double-dipping? Maybe that's why he didn't get voted back in - he didn't do his job. And as for the ridiculous comments about the painting of Val's office - for heavens sake - get it right - the CEO organised for the office to be painted before Val took up office because the walls were marked and dirty and there were holes in the walls from all of KB's pictures of himself with "famous" people on the walls. A courtesy you would afford anyone taking over such a position I would have thought. Kim and Paul are just trailer trash who won the lottery and doesn't it show. Frankly if you've ever had the misfortune to spend anytime in their company who will find it quite disturbing. Paul is unable to have a conversation without mentioning his "beautiful" wife. They are like a couple of teenagers - maybe that is why they have attracted such a following from high school kids. Wasn't it also a high school kid who set up the facebook page to promote Paul's push to get his water park approved?
I actually think there has been some corrution in this case how can Cairns council give permission to go ahead for this water park?When the country is short of water?When you draw water from a deep bore hole it should be used to help the area of Cairns,and not a stupid water park,
Water is much more important than all the rest of this,Here is a greedy man making on he is a genuine person when realality he is only out for himself,Question's need asked why and how did you get permmision to start with?
When our country is short of "water" There are plenty of places already set-up in Australia where tourist's would visit,so why go to Cairns anyway?
The bore water should be used to help Cairns and area not for one man to make big buck's out of us the tax payer the council should be investigated i think you will find this is where the problem lies.
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