It's now being said publicly what many have been muttering privately as costs soar and supply is ever more shaky - that the sell of this essential service by past governments has had this predictable outcome, where the corporate bottom line is the defining guideline.

A classic case of short term gain for long term pain. Letter writers in the Sydney Morning Herald have been pointing the finger at the perils of privatisation with even the headline on the letters page declaring 'we are paying the price for privatised power'.

One correspondent wrote: 'What's that they say? Privatise electricity for a secure, reliable and cheap source of power? And they'd never hold the state to ransom to bolster profit would they?' Yeah, right!

Another wrote: 'Power to the people. Unless of course it interferes with the profits of public utilities which should never have been privatised in the first place'.

Privatisation of the system can be traced back to 2008 when then Labor Premier (now ex pollie) Kristina Keneally initiated the first phase of privatisation involving the retail business side, development sites and what was known as GenTrader contracts.

Brought in a cool $5.3 billion, and you can get a lot of footy stadiums for that.

Subsequent governments got in on the act, along came the green energy movement, and the rest is history.

Thanks Kristina.

ALSO MAKING NEWS:

EVERY now and then some infantile dope emerges to deface people's property with graffiti that resembles a kindergarten scrawl. Clever that. Once again the Coates Avenue railway viaduct has been targeted as have the nearby mine loco in Rotary Park and garden beds further to the west in Main Street.

It requires an urgent clean up but perhaps a deterrent could be the replacement of the lighting beneath the viaduct that has failed quite some time back. (Endeavour says it's a Council responsibility).

A more permanent remedy would be a mural that has been mooted in the past, perhaps inspired by that most attractive job just completed on the QE Park toilets.

LITHGOW has lost a true champion with the passing of Sue Graves. Sue, a one time Sodwalls strawberry farmer, was a dedicated campaigner for an ever better image for our city and was the energetic leader of Tidy Towns during the glory days of multiple awards coming our way, including the nation's Tidiest Town. She also served on Lithgow Council and as delegate to the old Prospect County Council.

Another identity lost this week was the ever genial beekeeper John Deacon who over the years became known to thousands of travellers with his honey stall beside the highway at Hartley.