Did you know that Campbelltown mayor Paul Hawker was multilingual?
Neither did we.
But last Thursday, after greeting guests at the launch of a Greek Australian photographic exhibition with a “Yiasou’’ – Greek for hello – Cr Hawker asked guests not to get too excited.
“That’s the only Greek word I know,’’ he said.
“I am married to (Sigrid) a German and that’s a language I struggle with as well,’’ he confessed.
♦ But Cr Hawker was able to perform a more pleasant duty at the function, presenting a volunteer of the year certificate to Vangelis Marangos, a young Campbelltown resident who has been helping out at Macarthur Greeks Inc functions since their inception last year.
Vangelis helped as flag bearer at the very first function of the group, its launch at the Campbelltown Arts Centre in September 2015 and other activities and events since then.
He’s always offering to help out, the mayor said of the young fellow.
♦ Among four organisations named today as having lost their charity status is local St Andrews Children Neighbourhood Centre Inc.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) said it had conducted investigations into their operations before revoking the charity status of the four organisations.
St Andrews Children Neighbourhood Centre Inc, which operates out of a site in Ballantrae Drive, St Andrews, had been endorsed by the Tax Office to access Commonwealth charity tax concessions – GST concessions, the FBT rebate, and income tax exemption.
It will now lose access to these charity tax concessions following the revocation of its registration as a charity, along with the other three named by the Commission.
♦ Taking photos at the 24 Hour Fight Against Cancer Macarthur was my former colleague Jeff McGill, who joined me in taking a redundancy from Fairfax Community Newspapers late last year. He’s looking a lot more relaxed than I’ve seen him for years, which is good to see. Told you there was life after Fairfax.
♦ Another person who has finally relaxed for a little while is Russel Matheson, the member for Macarthur. He was the guest speaker at the Ingleburn chamber a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time during this election campaign I’d seen him not sporting a serious demeanour. Of course he’s under pressure as his seat is a marginal one because of a redistribution, but worrying about it won’t help.
♦ Put this in your diary Macarthur Wests Tigers fans: club stars Elijah Taylor, Sauaso Sue and Tim Simona will be at a barbecue at Campbelltown Hospital noon on Thursday, June 30.
♦ Also on your diary, Wests Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies fans, should be the Return to Lidcombe event this Saturday, June 25.
The date marks 30 years since the mighty Magpies left Lidcombe Oval for the greener pastures of Campbelltown.
In 1986 the club played its last premiership season at Lidcombe Oval before moving to Orana Park in 1987.
On Saturday you can meet some of the old greats of the foundation club while watching the current players running around in the ground made famous by Tommy Raudonikis in the face slapping episode of 60 Minutes all those years ago.
Entry is just $5 and matches against Belrose in the Sydney Shield and Concord Burwood in the RMC are on at 1pm and 3pm respectively.
Noel Kelly, Terry Lamb, Allan Fallah, Roy Masters, John “Joe Cool’’ Dorahy, Bruce Clarke and Bob Cooper are just some of the legends attending and in what could be a very big reunion.
♦ We do love Campbelltown MP Greg Warren’s title for the Labor Party’s newest recruit, Darcy Lound, the councillor who hails from Minto. “Always happy to be with the Mayor of Minto’’, Greg Warren posted on Facebook last week, along with a picture of himself, Cr Lound and other people.
♦ And, finally, it’s just 13 days before this never ending election campaign is over.
