When their long time home in Memorial Avenue needed a makeover, Liverpool Council offered the Salvation Army the use of the vacant Liverpool Bowling club on a temporary basis.
The Salvos are now back at their old home as our series of photos here show, but not before becoming embroiled in the controversy surrounding Bigge Park and the demolition of the “bowlo’’.
An unofficial alliance of the council union, which is engaged in protests against plans to privatize management of the council workforce, some councillors, and the Salvos, has been trying to get council to look into using the premises for homeless services.
But after last Wednesday’s vote to proceed with demolition there isn’t a chance in hell Liverpool Council will even think about such ideas – even if it has agreed to establish a local homeless task force.
The space on which the premises stands will be used to build a water feature as part of an overall Bigge Park makeover aimed at returning it to its former glory as the town square, as intended by its creator, Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810.
Mind you one of its early uses was for public floggings and putting some naughty Liverpool residents in stocks and it’s doubtful that sort of activity will ever be reintroduced.
More’s the pity is what people around town in 2015 will be thinking.
♦ The Greater Narellan chamber of commerce has done it again – it has snared premier Mike Baird for a special breakfast event on Thursday, October 1 at the Camden Civic Centre.
♦ Liverpool Council CEO Carl Wulff has been under the pump as the focus of union protests in recent weeks, as well as media leaks about his salary and that he still lives in Queensland and he’s only a Monday to Friday man in Liverpool.
Well, here’s another tidbit about him: while at work Monday to Friday, he lives with his 89 year old mother in Penrith. Which is where he grew up and which means that while he lives in Queensland he ain’t no Queenslander.
♦ Councillor Tony Hadchiti recently asked for a report on shopping giant Westfield’s operating hours. The answer came back: we don’t know, the files were burned in the fire that claimed the council building in Hoxton Park Road. Makes you wonder what else of importance was destroyed in that fire.
♦ Just before losing the NSW premiership in 2008, Morris Iemma promised $2 million to be spent on landscaping works along the Georges River near the Casula Powerhouse. But for the past seven years nothing has been said by Liverpool Council about that money – until now. The money is in the bank, apparently, except for $175,000, which was spent on preliminary work, so the landscaping and other work will still happen.
♦ Unkind people may say that relatively new Campbelltown MP Greg Warren will go to the opening of an envelope, but we think he’s a decent fellow who doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. So there he was helping Bank of Queensland in Queen Street celebrate its 10th year the other day. Warren and BoQ franchise owner John Horosko were together in the executive of the Campbelltown chamber of commerce.
♦ Last year’s reading day was attended by more than 140 parents and their young children at MarketFair in Campbelltown but there will be many more this year at Macarthur Square when Paint Campbelltown REaD is held on Tuesday, September 8, 10am to 1pm. The aim is to tackle literacy issues for our younger residents. That’s because more than 20 per cent of Australian children arrive at school without the skills necessary to make the most of their early education. Not good for a country like ours.
♥ Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, I hope you have a great day with your families.
