Monitor The
Your Community Newspaper ~ Roxby Downs
www.themonitor.com.au
Phone (08) 8671 2683
Fax (08) 8671 2843
Volume 4, Thursday 17th April, 2008
MONITOR MONITOR FOR SALE? SELLOUT EXPOSED Last week rumours started to circulate that the Monitor Newspaper was to be sold. Like most rumours it is a comment taken out of context and I am sure designed to create the most mischief possible. So what are the real facts? Residents will remember that in October 2007 management of the Monitor Newspaper passed to a Th e board of Management The Monitor Community Community Board (The newspaper is negotiating to as sella not the Monitor Incorporated) acting 5-year old Roxby Downs newspaper for profit Incorporated Body. established as a community asset. One of the first duties undertaken byAs theearly new as Management Board was its second meeting in February self-nominated board to organisethe a complete review of the members beganand talking in operations confidence papers current future about selling theReviews newspaper. and potential. are not new its Monitor. third meeting the to Atthe The last last month one was board agreed to negotiate with a private conducted by a highly regarded newspaper company. regional and John The dealpublisher would see an endeditor, to the “comPick of ownership” the River News Waikerie, munity status in under which at which time the was awarded the newspaper waspaper established in 2003 as part of responses to the a number of big ticks forcommunity its early consultation successes. and resulting Community Plan which the the community Now, in said 2008, time iswanted right its newspaper. forown a complete review, one which is The Monitor’s Managing Editor, Les even more has critical than previous Rochester made thethe decision to review.the Not only will paper face expose proposed salethe in the interests thethe challenges growing community rapidly to of newspaperofremaining meet the demands that will come with based. (see editorial). says it can remain viablebut anditprofi theHeimpending expansion willtable rununprecedented more efficiently. competition also ifface e Monitor’s Boardplayers consistsattempt of Town asTh the bigger media Administrator, Bill Boehm, Alan Male to grab a share of what will become from Roxby Leisure – a business unit of an enticing market council, Dan vanadvertising Holst Pellekan from and could and place the residents, paper under Glendambo Roxby Leigh considerable risk. Malcolm and Liz Rogers. Council’s long-term A sign of The Monitorsconsultant, success is Ray Strategic that Goldie over thefrom past Goldie three years four Development has managed The Monitor different publishing groups have since and in became at shown2003 interest buyingthe theCEO paper. Incorporation. The should an weincorporated sell - is not Thquestion e Monitor- became a newlast question body year. posed to the Monitor Newspaper’s the Until then, Thmanagement, e Monitor had and operated answer has always andthrough still is as a Business Unit ofbeen Council the private company of Goldie Strategic an emphatic No. Development. So what is happening now? When told its March meetingdid of Obviously theatrumour mongers the proposed sale, Mr Rochester warned not get the complete story.
Yes a major publisher has once again approached The Monitor and has lodged expression of interest. Is the Monitor’s Management Board talking to them? YES! Notice I underlined talking. Why are we talking? It is very challenging running a community newspaper, let alone, in competition to a billion dollar media the board there would be aiscommunity group (The Roxby Sun published backlash. by the Fairfax Group who own most “If you don’t tell them what you’re regional they’ll newspapers planning lynch youinin Australia) the street, and when more media players come” because The Monitor is their newspaper, intoRochester the Roxby Downs it will get even Mr said. He was responding a comment tougher. Not only tofor us but from also board member, Dan van Holst Pellekan RoxFM who already compete with 6 who theWe board were otherclaimed stations. needmembers to be looking elected to act on the community’s behalf at our possible future now, and that’s in operating the newspaper and “didn’t what have is happening. really to” tell the community what The current offer is not the only they were planning. consideration thereminded Board is addressing. Mr Rochester the Board It is alsothey looking at new from alliances members were selected selfnominations were not elected. to increase and sales, different ways to Mr Goldie and Mrnew Boehm selected the fund the paper, publications, members from the partners, self-nominations. and community increasing Thepublications Monitor hasoraccumulated our downsizinglosses and over the past five years and has been outsourcing. They are all possible propped up by the Council, which has in the future.channeled As is, sometime in the continuously funds into the future a Unit leasing arrangement. Business operated by private comTheGoldie flow of offers toDevelopment. buy the Monitor pany, Strategic Those losses on the books arerms an asset over last three years confi the to any prospective Monitor has beenowner. built up to become However in answers toasset. questions from a valuable community Valuable Mr Rochester, Mr Goldie confirmed the as a community communication tool, losses had not been transferred to the for the jobs and training opportunities new Monitor Incorporated. it Mr offers and as a fitold nancial Rochester the asset. board the However, losses no one knows accumulated should have what been transferred. the future will bring. What will be “Anycommunity’s accumulated losses become an the expectations of asset of the newspaper, if this is a its newspaper in the and future? What community newspaper become financial strain or then profithey t will we a community asset. generate in the future? At the meeting Mr Goldie said he Be assured as the Management would ask for advice from his firm of Board will continue carry out their accountants about theto issue. constitutional duties should In the interim, the Boardand also decided to contract a business to do a any significant changeanalyst be seriously complete analysis e Monitor considered theyof Th will informnewsthe paper in preparation its potential and sale community in an for appropriate or lease. manner. factual Continued on Page 3
Above: Amateur photographer, Paul Waring, took this shot of a Woma Python in the dunes with Moomba in the background. Paul has worked in Moomba for around twenty years . He says that this year he has seen more womas (sand pythons) than he has ever seen in the desert around Moomba in all the years he has worked there. This healthy specimen seems to be smiling into the camera !
Thieves take from volunteer group
W
e’ve all seen the “dumb thieves” videos such as those who break into a store, steal some goods and make their getaway, only to be caught because they left their drivers license back in the store. Well we’ve had such a theft just outside Roxby Downs that is very similar. In the past week thieves have taken 6 coils of special fencing mesh from a stockpile being used by the Arid Recovery Reserve for a special project involving dingoes. There are about 700 coils of this special fencing mesh on pallets arranged in a big square at the undisclosed site. However our thieves weren’t that dumb really. They staked out the area and put a lot of thought into how they were going to get their hands on the booty.
They decided to walk amid the rows and rows of this mesh and took the six coils from the middle of the stockpile, probably thinking no one would notice, especially when viewed from ground level from any of the four sides of the stockpile. But Alex Clarke who is overseeing the fencing project for Arid Recovery jumped up on top of the stockpile to do an audit and that’s when he noticed the missing coils from the middle. “I couldn’t believe it at first,” he said. “Who would want to take the material especially from a volunteer organisation like Arid Recovery. “It’s such a low act,” he exclaimed. The stockpile of fencing mesh, steel droppers and kilometres of fencing wire is worth more than $200,000. The six coils worth more than $1,000 are very heavy. The coils are almost 2 metres tall and contain about 50 metres of mesh
wrapped in plastic with the producers name, Waratah Fencing emblazoned across each coil. “There would have to have been at least two very big men to carry those coils out and probably used a trailer attached to a four wheel drive,” Alex said. “We’ve reported the theft to police and I think it will be reasonably easy to spot the fencing if it goes up any where,” he said. And here’s the punch line about the intellectual level of our thieves. Really not bright boys. “It’s going to stand out alright because we had the manufacturer produce the order specifically for us, so there’s nothing else like it around, because it is a distinctive metallic grey,” Alex said. “So if it gets used, or pops up anywhere, well we will all know where it’s from.”