Text hazard
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LITHGOW Council plans to begin an upgrade of the pavers on the footpaths in Lithgow’s CBD in the current financial year and it will be a costly exercise. Some claim the pavers are slippery in wet weather; others complain about the minefield of uneven and broken pavers at various locations along Main Street. And they’re no doubt right and the footpaths are indeed in need of maintenance. We often wonder why we have been having this problem for quite some time when the pavers on the steep incline of Katoomba’s main street don’t appear to have moved. And they’ve been there a lot longer than ours. Which brings us to the point that the biggest risk to life and limb is not the pavers but the dreaded smart phone. Any time of the day you can see mainly young people walking with heads down texting or doing whatever it is they do on the gadget that has taken over so many lives. They’re taking no notice of where they’re walking and sorta makes one wonder why there are not more falls every day.
Any takers?
ON a mission to the Scenic Hill this week we couldn’t help but notice that there is no date recording the unveiling of the Ex POW memorial. The plaque is dedicated to the doctors and nurses who did their best in impossible conditions to care for the POWs in World War Two but we didn’t spot a date when it was opened by the Lithgow Ex POW Association. There are probably not too many members of the association still hanging around but someone might have a date, if for no other reason than trivia’s sake. Our recollection puts it around the early ‘60s or maybe even the late ‘50s.
Almost midway
JUST four more sleeps and we’ve reached Mid Winter’s Day and if there’s any justice in the world that means the weather should be on the improve. Don’t count on it, though, after last year’s heavy snowfall in October.
The big chill
ON that subject our readers may have noticed the nights were just a little cold earlier this week, even by our mid winter standards. We’ve had minus threes, minus fours and even minus fives and the frosts have been memorable. We’ll probably beat that before the season is done.
Quote
TODAY’S quotable quote: ‘We need more respect in this council.’ Joe McGinnes speaking at this week’s meeting.
Street or plaza?
THERE was some debate in Lithgow Council this week about whether Cook Plaza (about to be rebadged as Marjorie Jackson Plaza) was legally a street. Operations manager Iain Stewart said it is in fact a street as it was never gazetted otherwise when the Cook Street intersection with Main Street was cut off years ago. But, he said, that didn’t prevent council from naming it anything that took their fancy. For the record, the only business with a frontage to Cook Plaza (Sticky Date Cafe) has a Main Street postal address.
Taxing times
WE’RE indebted to the Mudgee Guardian for this little snippet. If you are organised and have already entered a local newsagency to collect your 2012-13 tax pack then don’t bother reading further. This year newsagencies across the country are not stocking the Australian Tax Office’s do it yourself paper tax pack. Instead you will be handed a leaflet detailing how to lodge your return on line in five easy steps. Oh yeah? You can also download this year’s important tax information through an app for your mobile phone. There’s some good news though; anyone wanting to stick with tradition can phone the Tax Office on 1300 720 092 and get an old style tax pack.