Call to include vets acknowledgement in council meetings

A Clarence Valley councillor has made a passionate call to have an acknowledgement of the sacrifces of current and former armed forces personnel included into council meeting protocols.

To decide if the moves goes ahead, the Clarence Valley has been asked for its views on adding such an acknowledgement to council’s Code of Meeting Practice.

Cr Alison Whaites’ determination to add the acknowledgement to the COMP, which was part of a suite of policy changes to be sent out for public exhibition, added some favour to what appeared to be a cut and dried matter.

The councillor told the meeting she had considered bringing it to the last council, but decided against it because it was “maybe the wrong set of councillors.”

She also tried unsuccessfully to include it in the last business paper as a notice of motion, but was left with the option of proposing an amendment to the policy document.

Cr Whaites sought to add the following to part of the code covering opening of meetings,

“I acknowledge the sacrifce made by Australian previous and current service men and women and their families, in particular, those who have given their lives in defence of the freedom we enjoy today”,

Cr Debrah Novak asked Cr Whaites to explain her reasons for seeking the change.

“I feel that we should be acknowledging our service, men and women and families and everything they’ve done for our community,” she said.

“We haven’t done it yet, and I’m quite surprised that not all councils have done it, and I would really hope that all three tiers of government do look at this as well.”

Other councillors could see be some problems.

Cr Peter Johnstone quizzed Cr Whaites whether she had asked RSLs about the idea.

She said she hadn’t but other groups and families of service veterans supported her efforts.

She pointed out that some other councils had already done this and more were considering it.

Cr Whaites also downplayed the need to ask for RSL permission.

“It’s not just the RSLs that are involved in this,” she said. “So my family are part of this as well.

“There’s community members that I’ve spoken to that don’t go to the RSL and on Remembrance Day and Anzac Day.”

But councillors did have concerns, even if they supported the thrust of Cr Whaites’ proposal.

Cr Cristie Yager, who was drafted into seconding the motion, “loved” the concept but worried where it might end.

“I do also worry that our acknowledgement is going to keep growing and growing and growing just because we have so many incredible, you know, people to who are worthy of, you know, acknowledgement,” she said.

Cr Whaites said she was aware of this possibility, but thought the importance of acknowledging their sacrifce was more important.

Councillors then tackled the procedural issues of Cr Whaites’ amendment, which risked throwing out all other parts of the motion, should her amendment be defeated.

Councillors eventually decided to quarantine her idea into a fourth point of the motion, which allowed other matters smooth passage.

But some councillors still took issue with the concept.

Cr Johnstone was concerned making remembrance an everyday issue could devalue its importance.

“My concern, possibly, is that once we put this into our routine, it becomes routine, and perhaps will become less respectful of the purpose behind this, because it’ll be, we’re just going to say something that we always say,” he said.

Cr Whaites right of reply was typically passionate.

She dismissed Cr Johnstone’s claim the acknowledgement could become passé.

“I don’t understand how a one minute little acknowledgement is such a bad thing to respect the people that give you such a great life,” she said.

Cr Novak said her she had a close family member in the defence forces and welcome the idea of acknowledging their sacrifces during meeting openings.

She said she looked forward to reading the community responses when the proposal went out to exhibition.

But deputy mayor, Cr Greg Clancy, was not so enthusiastic.

He said he wore his father’s medal at Anzac and Remembrance Day memorials and said these were the occasions which brought home veterans’ sacrifces for most people.

“I think on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, we should make a special acknowledgement, then I don’t see why we should add this to our code of meeting practice,” he said.

Other councillors said that while they could see merit in the idea, something about it troubled them.

But they voted in favour of including it in a swag of policy matters what went out onto public exhibition for 28 days.