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I'd like to comment on the front page story Narromine News November 12 2014.
With regard to the Cenotaph's eviction from its current position where it has stood grandly and proudly since 1924, and some comments in the story attributed to Cr McAnally.
The first one I'd like to address is his comment and I quote "It (the Cenotaph) needs to be moved for the right reasons". There have been many "reasons" bandied about as to why this most sacred (to a lot of people) of memorials should be uprooted and moved and I'm the first to admit I'm not the brightest star in the sky, but I do have "common sense" (and common sense beats brains any day) and I have not yet heard a reason for moving the Cenotaph that could not be overcome and this wonderful structure repaired and left RIGHT WHERE IT IS!
The uprooting and moving of this important structure to me constitutes desecration. I'm waiting with "baited breath" for Cr McAnally to disclose fully to the citizens of the shire what "the right reasons" are.
It also gives me a very uneasy feeling his statement "We've got two or three designs to choose from" well Cr McAnally, you and your cronies at council don't own the bloody shire, which up to date some councillors seem to think is the case, with their total disregard for the wishes of the residents, as in the moving of the Cenotaph issue, where the citizens' protests were totally disregarded; so why haven't the citizens of Narromine Shire been privy to what these designs are?
It's not the councillors and councils God given right to decide which design should be put into place, the people of this shire are the ones that should make an important decision like this, we're the ones that have to live with it , long after councillors have failed to be re-elected, and the current council staff are no longer employed, and executive staff are somewhere else issuing orders, or as could possibly be the case, we become amalgamated with Dubbo.
While I'm on the subject of staff and councillors let me, in my own simple way, clarify my definition of A) councillors. A councillor is an elected representative of the people to carry out the wishes of the residents of the shire and see to their best interests but NOT ride roughshod over the said residents and ignore their wishes.
Executive staff are only public servants no matter how they try to dress it up and the definition of a public servant is someone who serves the public.
My favourite line from Gone With The Wind is when Mammy told Miss Scarlet she was behaving "Like a Mule in Horse Harness" so if the cap fits wear it. So enough of this "Secret Squirrel'' business and how about including the residents in the Cenotaph decision re the design of this sacred memorial.
As to Cr McAnally's statement saying "People can have tea under the Cenotaph" firstly what sort of a structure are they having built and what sort of idiot believes a war memorial is an appropriate place"to have tea under".
Cr McAnally are you entirely lacking in respect for people's feelings and an iconic monument, or were your manners on holiday to even make such a statement as this.
As to the writer's comment as to if we like the new location of the Cenotaph, no I won't like it, due to my respect for this monument and where it has stood for so many years and I never thought I would see, in a so-called democratic society, an issue where nine people can ride roughshod over a majority of citizens and think nothing of it and ignore their wishes.
Just a final question to Cr McAnally, it is approximately five months until the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing, and you say the design is not decided on as yet, and you're sure the Cenotaph will be relocated in time for the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing in 2015, but WHAT if Murphy's Law (which loosely states that anything which can go wrong will go wrong) comes into play. What is going to be your excuse, when on the 25th April 2015 Narromine does not have a Cenotaph and respectable surrounds for the dawn service on this most important day.
Will you "man up" and take responsibility or will you be somewhere else to avoid answering questions?
Also I don't know if it is the writer's statement or a direct quote of Cr McAnally's but to the best of my knowledge the significant event on the 25th April 2015 is the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing, NOT the 100th Anniversary of Anzac Day.
Dawn Brydon