UNCOVERING THE HIDDEN GEMS OF GRAFTON THE ‘BLISS’ OF A NIFTY FELINE BOOK!

Mum, Mum..you know the book called ‘Mrs Chippy’s Last Expedition’ your buddie Suzie gave you long ago, WELL, I’ve been truly properly reading it! It has an introduction by Lord Mouser-Hunt. Oooh, I love it heaps. What enviable adventures Mrs Chippy had. (It’s ‘Leemo cat here). ‘Mum Jane’ looked at me and told me that she just KNEW I would enjoy ‘Mrs Chippy’s Last Expedition’ and looked exceedingly smug with herself for her most ‘rare’ excellent choice for me. (Normally she gives me crappy books like…‘Teaching cats to herd Chooks, Sheep, Cows or Fish’, or ‘CATS CAN KNIT.’ (OMG…THEY go right into my ‘Back to the Library’ Bag, which is, right now, FULL!) Not to worry…back to ‘Mrs Chippy’. ‘Oooh, what an astonishing feline. It is unquestionable, Mum, that we are related. AS has been revealed in my reading of this thrilling book, Mrs Chippy turned out (because of a mix up by her Master, Henry ‘Chippy’ McNeish, Carpenter and Master Shipwright from Glasgow) to be MR Chippy, but that’s not at ALL important. Humans or cats, are simply humans or cats irrespective of their gender. It doesn’t matter if they change gender somewhere along their journey in life does it? Back to my story. ‘Chippy continued however, to be called Mrs. Chippy and was allowed to accompany Henry on an expedition to the Polar regions aboard Sir Ernest Shackleton’s boat ‘Endurance’ in 1914, and was bestowed the title of Carpenter’s Mate, or sometimes, even FIRST Mate to Capt. Shackleton. Ooooh Mum, WHAT a journey. Chippy was preeminent to the well being of the crew. As a ruggedly handsome and natural ‘born’ feline sailor, he loved the breeze in his resplendent whiskers and dreamed of adventures ahead on the horizon. He patrolled the decks in true Vigilante style, had mousing duties below in the night, and devoted whole days to vital rest and sleeping. Whilst there were also 69 Husky Dogs and 2 Pigs on board, Chippy was the most highly regarded by his human crewmates and the camaraderie they shared was to be envied. (Chippy ‘privately’ thought the silly barky dogs did absolutely no useful tasks whatsoever on the boat, and were a costly waste of meat. As for the pigs, Chippy had no opinion AT ALL!) Mum interrupted my reverie. ‘Leems my Lil Buddie, I feel so much happiness in my heart that you are enjoying the adventures of Chippy. It is indeed unusual for you to like books I recommend to you. I vividly recall how you hated another boat kinda related book I gave you called ‘Tres Hombres en una Barca’ written by Jerome K. Jerome, 1889.’ Ooooh. I was indignant. How was I ‘sposed to enjoy a book with such a dumb title. It was only when I sneaked on to our PC one night and slowly typed it in I found it meant ‘Three Men in a Boat’. Well, I JUST KNEW there was no way I would enjoy such a stupid book and I’m not at ALL nonplussed it is high on the list of The Silliest Books Ever Written. No way can it compare to ‘Mrs Chippy’s Last Expedition, EVER!! I’ve gotta go, I have many adventures yet to read about (and treats along the way.) Contented Purrsies, Leemo.

By J. WILLOW

This week, Clarence Valley Council representatives, Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis, and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway gathered at Prince Street, Grafton to launch Rediscover Grafton, a project funded by a $495000 grant from the NSW Government’s Streets as Shared Spaces Program.

The initiative, which is a collaboration between CVC and a number of organisations including Transport for NSW, the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), and the Grafton Chamber of Commerce, is designed to make Grafton more accessible and connected, and to support local businesses by increasing pedestrian traffc and enabling evening activities in the CBD.

To this end, footpaths along Prince Street have been widened, front- to-kerb parking has been implemented, and new plant boxes, shade, lighting, and seating have been installed. At the launch, Clarence Valley Council General Manager Laura Black commented on how wonderful it was to see the space, movement, and life in Prince Street, and how the project will help to bring more people to Grafton to enjoy what the town has to offer.

However, a small group of Clarence Valley residents

Director MAIBS MAIEH AMAIB

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2/47 Greenway Drive Tweed Heads South NSW 2486 PO Box 243 Banora Point NSW 2486 expressed their concerns about the project, noting that the nose-in parking creates dangerous situations for parents and carers getting prams and wheelchairs out of their cars, as well as for children getting out of cars. Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis acknowledged these concerns, but encouraged people to give the project a chance as it will bring more people to Grafton.