Thursday, 2 September, 2021
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Kristy takes over where it all started
Everything mowing for Father’s Day
Grand Final teams and players
PAGE 3
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PAGES 34-38
Puppy worry
Join fun of the festival
Southern Downs Regional Council passed a motion on August 25 to increase capacity from five dogs to 20 dogs at a controversial Eukey breeding facility. The site already has an existing approval however a submission to increase its capacity received worldwide attention and over 4000 signatures from people against it. Councillor Cynthia McDonald started the discussion by pointing out that “obviously a lot of the submitters weren’t even from this region”. Full story – Page 11
Those eager to support the 2022 Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival now have another opportunity to do so, with organisers this week inviting the local community to “join the club”. For the very first time, fans of the festival can become members of an Apple and Grape Club. Member for Southern Downs James Lister was the first to become a member of the brand new club. Read more on page 13
Poet’s book A renowned bush poet and author from Stanthorpe has released his fifth book, which aims to reveal the true and violent nature of the state’s colonisation. Jack Drake said his most recent book, ‘Queensland’s Frontier Wars’, exposed shocking but important truths of how the state was wrested from its original inhabitants. Jack has spent the past three years scouring records and archives, digging up old newspapers and magazines, and speaking with “several hundred” people in research for the book. Now, it is complete and available for purchase. Full story – page 12
Secret concern Southern Downs councillors have erupted in fierce debate over a newly formed council mentoring group, with some claiming aspects of it are “not transparent” nor reflective of a democratic government. In May this year, Southern Downs Regional Council voted to adopt the terms of reference for the Southern Downs Innovation and Development Committee. Councillor Cynthia McDonald voiced a
number of concerns with the group at the time, including that its members would be selected by Mayor Vic Pennisi and that they would remain nameless. Discussion of the group at the council’s ordinary meeting of 25 August was a very different affair, with each and every councillor contributing to debate over changing the group’s title from ‘committee’ to ‘mentoring program charter’.
Councillors Jo McNally, Sheryl Windle, and Cynthia McDonald said they believed the mayor could have a conflict of interest participating in discussion of the group, considering he had chosen its members and he himself was a member. They also raised concerns with the fact the group had met the week prior to the council meeting, yet no minutes had been provided to the council, and the identities of members remained unknown.
“The difference between this committee and others has been that it is not transparent,” Cr McNally said to Cr Pennisi. Southern Downs CEO Dave Burges agreed to seek legal advice about the group, including on whether minutes from its first meeting were required to be tabled at an ordinary meeting of the council. Full story – page 4
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