Could be a record: six councillors absent from last night’s meeting

There were no fewer than six councillors missing from last night’s Campbelltown City Council meeting.

Cr Ted Rowell is on indefinite leave, and Cr Bob Thompson joined him from last night after his application for leave was granted.

Also away for various reasons just for last night were Cr Darcy Lound, Cr Paul Lake, Cr Warren Morrison and Cr George Greiss.

At one stage there were just eight councillors left to vote on an important issue when the mayor, George Brticevic, left the chamber having declared an interest.

Eight councillors are required for the meeting to have a quorum to go ahead.

It’s unprecedented but if a couple more councillors had happened to be unwell and did not attend last night’s meeting, there would not have been a quorum and the meeting would have been cancelled.

Well, that would certainly be the case if the normal quorum rules apply to council meetings.

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♦ It’s bad enough that printed newspapers, especially local ones, are on the decline.

But it doesn’t help when a local legend like Mandy  Perrin, the editor of the Chronicle for nearly 25 years, is forced to look elsewhere when her bosses move the local office out of Campbelltown.

There was talk that she wasn’t happy with the company decision, but her imminent departure does come as a bit of a surprise.

Mandy will finish up at Christmas and start a new job in the New Year.

To say she will be a massive loss for Campbelltown and Macarthur would be the understatement of the year.

A magnificent advocate and defender of our neck of the woods, it is difficult to see anyone filling Mandy’s giant shoes as editor of the Chronicle.

She is the last of the great editors of local papers standing, but soon she will be gone too.

We will all be poorer for it.

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♦ At the end of our interview with MP Greg Warren about his Aboriginality, we couldn’t help but ask him if it meant that now he was a dual citizen and ineligible to run for office in Canberra.

Quick as a flash, Greg fires back: “Nah, mate, it means I’m a thoroughbred now.’’

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♦ We all know Tonga and Samoa will face off in next year’s Pacific Test series at Campbelltown, but who will that other “Pacific nation’’, Lebanon play?

Mayor George Brticevic cleared that up at last night’s meeting.

“The Lebanon match is an invitational and they will play PNG,’’ the mayor said.

Either way, the series is expected to be sold out once again, especially after the excitement generated by the 2017 rugby league world cup.

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♦ Tomorrow’s funeral service for former council general manager Paul Tosi is expected to attract one of the biggest attendances since the late John Marsden was farewelled there 10 years ago.

Mourners are advised to turn up early for the 11am service at St John’s Catholic Church, which is located on the corner of Cordeaux Street and Lindesay Street.

Parking will be at a premium – one wit in the public gallery at last night’s council meeting suggested to the Voice “we will probably have to park 10 kilometres away’’.