Bringing
THE TWEED SHIRE Volume 2 #03 Thursday, September 17, 2009 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 Fax: (02) 6672 4933 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au www.tweedecho.com.au
green to the
mainstream Pages 16 to 21
LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Disgraced former mayor back in the chair Ken Sapwell
AUTOQLDN02362
Former sacked mayor Warren Polglase is back on top with long-time sidekick Phil Youngblutt as his deputy after their names were plucked from a cardboard box in a bizarre twist to this week’s mayoral elections. Outgoing Mayor Joan van Lieshout left the door open for Cr Polglase’s triumphant return after boycotting the election process in response to what she saw as a vicious vendetta from members of the council’s two dominant factions. Her shock withdrawal from the process triggered a three-all deadlock between Cr Polglase and the community faction’s choice, former deputy mayor Barry Longland, which was resolved in a lucky dip from the box. Cr Longland then missed out on the deputy’s position when his only challenger, Cr Youngblutt, also won the draw from the same box to cement an alliance between the two National Party stalwarts who had sat together on a previous council. It was fourth time lucky for Cr Polglase who had missed out in three previous draws for the mayoralty against his old foe Max Boyd during his 18-year council career which has been marked by controversy. Proud wife Karlene rushed forward to kiss him after the improbable win which happened to coincide with his 68th birthday. The outcome was greeted with muted cheers from a packed public gallery mixed with a vitriolic and defamatory outburst from one outraged spectator who was threatened with eviction before walking out in disgust. Cr Polglase’s victory comes just 12 months after voters re-elected him despite being the leader of Tweed’s last council which was sacked in disgrace in 2005 following an inquiry which found that he and other pro-development councillors were puppets of developers. The 68-year-old former rice farmer from the Riverina acknowledged his win was due to the luck of the draw but pledged to work for the common good with his main focus on ‘creating jobs for our kids.’ ‘I hope the council can now come together as a team and work towards creating better outcomes for the Tweed,’ he said shortly after re-assuming the mantle.
He also pledged more transparency and openness but side-stepped questions about whether he would seek to change the council’s controversial media policy, saying it was ‘open to interpretation’. ‘We are not some sort of secret society, we are not the freemasons or the buffaloes, we are very
open,’ he said. ‘I have always had an open door policy and people are welcome to come in and chat with me any time.’ Cr Polglase dismissed questions about whether the community was ready to see him back at the helm following his sacking as a result of the Daly inquiry, saying none of the recommenda-
tions from the inquiry had ever been acted on. He said his re-election and that of fellow National Geoff Provest following the inquiry was a clear signal that the electorate resented the government’s actions in dismissing an elected council. continued on page 2
New school bands hitting the right note for students
Roxanne Millar
Banora Public School band members (l-r) Nikaila Hartley, Zac Fredericks, Ruben Brinsmead and Kimberley Biggs ready to blow up a storm. Photo Jeff ‘Windbag’ Dawson
A music teacher who spent 13 years in the Army is transforming platoons of students throughout the Tweed into award-winning musicians. Andrew Best has launched a chain of bands for students of all ages so that when they move between primary school, high school and university, they will always have a band. Andrew moved to the Tweed from Victoria in 2007 and quickly noticed a massive gap in school music programs. ‘I came at the right time because there was
nothing in place when I arrived. Music is overlooked Australia-wide in schools,’ he said. ‘Teamwork, comradeship, working for each other and social enjoyment are just some of the benefits of band as well as the smiles it puts on their faces.’ Andrew started his music program at Banora Point Primary School with 40 students. It has become so popular that 65 students are now learning a range of instruments.
In 2008 the band, in its first year, took out second place in a Murwillumbah performing arts event. It has also been awarded first place in a Gold Coast eisteddfod and a gold medal at the Brisbane Bands Festival. But realising many students at other schools were missing out on the fun being had at Banora Point, Andrew launched the North Coast Development and the North Coast Combined continued on page 2
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