As bucks parties go it was probably on the very quiet side. But that’s to be expected when the buck is more than 70 years old and his buddies not much younger.
Veteran Campbelltown councillor Fred Borg, who is tying the knot for the third time this weekend, spent last Friday with a group of friends and family members at the Bradbury Hotel, celebrating the impending nuptials.
Lawyer and long time associate Patrick Duffy was there, along with Cr Borg’s colleague on council, Labor’s Cr Anoulack Chanthivong, and Warren Morrison from The Sleeping Giant in Campbelltown.
The groom himself was very chirper, reminiscing about the good old days when he was a member of a local group that called itself the Rat Pack. Some of Campbelltown’s great larrikins were recalled, from Kenny Shafer to Bob O’Sullivan and Bryce Regan.
Anyway, we wish Fred all the best for the wedding and in the future.
♦ Campbelltown’s most excellent restaurant, the Hermitage, won another accolade this week when it was declared to be the best restaurant in the Macarthur region. It was all part of a marketing promotion by a metropolitan paper with readers voting for their favourite/best local eatery. And here it was no surprise to see the Hermitage romping home in number one spot for our great region and adding another feather in the cap of Hermitage owner Cliff Barry and the team at the Hermitage.
♦ The Labor Party’s shadow treasurer Chris Bowen will be coming to Campbelltown on June 2, exactly a month out from polling day in the 2016 election. Bowen will be a guest of a combined chambers meeting which is expected to be held in the Campbelltown Catholic Club.
Of course the local business community have caught the election bug already, with Labor’s Dr Mike Freelander, who is their candidate for the seat of Macarthur, speaking at the Ingleburn chamber tonight at Ingleburn RSL.
I hear on the grapevine that with the NBN nowhere in sight as far as Ingleburn is concerned, there may be a bit of discussion on this issue tonight with Dr Freelander and concerned chamber members.
Making sure they run a fair and balanced agenda, Ingleburn chamber has also secured sitting member, Russell Matheson, who has held the seat for the Liberal Party since 2010. Matheson will be guest speaker at the June 8 dinner meeting of the Ingleburn chamber.
And we will all get a little under four weeks’ rest from politicians before State Labor leader Luke Foley comes to town on July 29 when he will be guest speaker at another combined chambers function.
♦ Yesterday Campbelltown Mayor Paul Hawker had a meeting with Macarthur Greeks Inc chief john Tsekas and the Greek consul-general for Sydney, followed by lunch at Otis at Rydges Hotel next to the Catholic Club. By all accounts it was a very positive get together to discuss various activities by Macarthur Greeks Inc in Campbelltown and Macarthur.
♦ Campbelltown City Council, in partnership with the Macarthur Disability Network, will host a community forum next Wednesday, May 18 to help local residents learn more about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and how they can prepare for the new scheme. The forum will also include a pre-planning workshop to assist residents in preparing for their NDIS planning meeting. The NDIS will start to roll out in south west Sydney from July 2016.
Speakers will include representatives from My Choice Matters and the National Disability Insurance Agency, as well as a parent of a person with disability who will share their personal experiences using the NDIS. Light lunch will be provided. RSVP for catering purposes on 4645 4877.
