And usually they sneak in and out in darkness. This time there was something different - a daylight raid Saturday morning by a pleasant young woman taping up posters around our CBD for 'Sydney's biggest Socialist conference' with, the blurb admitted, sessions on Marxism and revolution.

When we pointed out that Lithgow frowned on poster pollution she replied in true Socialist style '..it's public space. I can do what I like'.

Well, no. It's someone's private property.

On a utilities box in front of the Lansdowne she said she was placing her art work over an existing poster from week's back.

To the town's credit many of the offending posters had been pulled down by Sunday, including Cook Plaza, but others remained, including on Council litter bins and a Telstra phone box.

Council used to be quick to act in removing such things but has dropped the ball lately with promotion from weeks ago for a Katoomba wresting show still causing offence and increasingly tatty. This is no different to graffiti vandalism where it's accepted that quick removal is the best deterrent to copycats.

Maybe this time.

YOU have to be totally mad or impervious to pain to go camping at this time of year. Or perhaps an Arctic explorer wannabe. But a'camping they did indeed go around here over the freezing royal birthday break with hypothermia-defying crowds at Lake Lyell, Lake Wallace and the Newnes Forest. The Newnes Forest visitation was tinged with the usual (every) weekend antics of ratbag off roaders. And it wasn't just hooning on the plateau. Anyone intent on a non-hooning visit had to dodge quad bikes and bush bashers hurtling speedway style along State Mine Gully Road, even on the sealed section. The frequently promised police crackdown is clearly too infrequent to be effective so the danger goes on - even in the dead of Winter.

HOPEFULLY next weekend's Lithgow weather will be a little kinder than that of recent days with lots of visitors pouring in for the NSW Under 15 girls hockey championships.

It's a prestige event in junior sport and the Glanmire area has been the subject of quite a deal of attention by Council and hockey people in recent days to ensure a good impression. Predictably accommodation in and around Lithgow will be at a premium from Friday.

THE footyheads love it. So too do the NRL accountants. But there's something inherently wrong with the State of Origin when it can, and does, make or break the prospects of teams in the regular competition. Penrith has already paid the price of Origin selection and has predictably had its unbeaten competition lead upended - and very likely it's back to back minor premierships.

It's all very unfair. Perhaps a structure in which the regular competition is suspended for a week after Origin or a cap on the number of players from each team. Nothing will happen; but it clearly needs to.