REALLY there's nothing new under the sun.
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The weekend's dramatic, even scary, events on the September firefronts drew claims of a record early start to the real bushfire season.
Maybe so in the big picture but we believe the Lithgow district and Blue Mountains record was set way back in September 1957.
Toxic conditions of drought and wind existed back then as well and Lithgow area firefighters officially battled 50 outbreaks for the month, including 14 in one weekend alone.
In the neighboring Blue Mountains it was Black September with devastating property losses. It's all there in the Mercury files, folks.
Thick hide and a need to serve
AS John F.Kennedy's memorable quote went, more or less, '... ask not what your community can do for you but what you can do for your community'.
With that in mind we draw attention to the fact that we're now in the run down to the four yearly Local Government elections and come next September you'll be voting for the next Lithgow Council.
So, you have less than 12 months to consider your options for possible civic representation and to get campaigning under way. No doubt there's already some wheeling and dealing in some quarters behind the scenes.
So give it some thought, bearing in mind Councils, like all tiers of government, recognise the burden of being damned if you do and damned if you don't.
You'll need spare time, civic pride, a willingness to observe and listen and a thick hide, maybe a crash course in personality politics. (A little ego doesn't go astray either).
One talent you don't need - blinkered vision.
September 2020 will be here before you know it.
The waiting game
WE await with interest the outcome of an auction on Thursday when the tired and tatty old Mort Street TAFE college goes under the hammer. The-95-year old symbol of decay last changed hands in a mortgagee sale in 2014 but despite early ideas for commercial and residential conversion nothing obvious has taken place on the site since that time, apart from the vandalism.
Come in sucker!
THAT lifeless robotic come on from 'Nicole from Australian Broadband'' is getting busier and busier. With the NBN imminent she's really on the job with her 'ome in sucker' spiel. The column last week fielded 14 calls from Nicole in just two days in what is surely our busiest current scam.
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