Cooper will be a baby brother to Montana and Ziggy. 

News of his arrival was welcomed by grandparents Kim and Steven Longford and Ena and Stuart Milne.

We should write to the Minister for Planning voicing our opposition and supporting Ardlethan. With a population of 376 (2006 census) there are not enough people there to make sufficient fuss to be noticed.

“Company surprised by opposition” states the headline in the Narrandera Argus June 30. It goes on to say: “the head of the company behind the proposal to turn Ardlethan’s abandoned tin mine into a landfill believes the staunch opposition it has encountered isn’t indicative of public opinion about the project.”

The public meeting called to voice opposition to the proposal was attended by more than 200 people. That means that most families in Ardlethan had at least one representative at the meeting. The “silent majority” in the whole of the Riverina, far from being in favour of the project are probably not aware that the problem is their concern too. I thought that the matter finished with the Ardlethan protest meeting. However, enquiry at the office of Katrina Hodgkinson, Member for Cootamundra, informed me that the matter was before the Minister for Planning, who would give his decision in January.

I asked what we could do about it and the person said, “You know what they say about the squeaky wheel…”, so it is up to as many of us as possible to write to the Minister for Planning & Environment to voice our opposition to Sydney’s “putrescent” waste coming to our backyard.

We all live here in the Riverina, the food bowl of NSW and we are never going to be in favour of something that has the potential, no matter how small the risk, to contaminate our groundwater and wreck a large part of the state and to harm our “clean, green image”.

If the risk of contamination is so small, why are there plans to bring Sydney’s garbage here? Why not dump it much closer to home in one of the many disused mines in the Hunter Valley, the Blue Mountains or the South Coast?

Could it be that it was hoped that there would not be much opposition from the small village of Ardlethan?

I would like to remind people of the campaign a number of years ago against the Toxic Waste Incinerator which we waged and won. 

Let us all add our voices to those of the people of Ardlethan by contacting our local state member:

The Honourable Adrian Piccoli, Government Offices, 104 – 110 Banna Ave, Griffith, 2680.

Thumbs down to a relatively newly-built local school near the showground whose gardener leaves the council footpath dirty and messy after mowing and does not clean up even inside the school fence. It is an eye sore when walking past. Have some pride and do your job properly.

*****

Thumbs up to Livefit gym coaches for programming great session and classes from one very happy customer.

*****

Thumbs down to the guy at a local Asian restaurant who was rude when we complained our food was cold and inedible.