No, it can’t be true. I must be dreaming, hallucinating. For a brief moment (on the TV news) I think I saw a picture of the Minister of Transport, Lynne Kosky, actually riding on a train. It must have been a very strange experience for her. It certainly looked like a very surreal one as there were almost no other passengers - apart from a grinning Mr Bumblebee, Premier of this State. Maybe Ms Kosky should do this more often - but next time travel and a train or tram in peak periods and see what the real world is like as opposed to her chauffeur-driven one.
Only a few weeks after installing a ramp for wheelchairs and pushers outside its new Child Welfare Centre in the old police station in Bridge Road, Richmond, workmen are today ripping it out and digging holes in the ground. I’ve as yet no idea why they are doing it but it does make one wonder how much planning goes into these things if work has to be undone so soon after being completed. And what is the COST to ratepayers? What’s the betting Yarra Council won’t be revealing this.
UPDATE: The centre has been closed after its short-lived existence at this location and moving back to whence it came. How’s that for a waste of time, effort and money?
The consoling fact about the revelation that some two million people switch on to watch Kath & Kim on a Sunday night is that this means 18 million people have the good sense NOT to watch this lamentable pretence at humour.
As if the cafes spreading their tables into the path of pedestrians wasn’t bad enough, we now have pubs and bars taking over our footpaths. Nowhere is this more evident than in Bridge Road, Richmond, where our way is blocked by carousing, beer-toting louts (and loutesses) who show no regard for the right of passsage of us non-revellers. And one of the worst offenders is almost opposite the Town Hall. But, of course, those who should be controlling such behaviour have long ago knocked off and gone home to bed. Come on, Yarra Council, give us back our footpaths, unimpeded by drunks and carousers.
Waste no time in getting along to see Hannie Rayson’s world premiere play The Glass Solider, which opened at the Playhouse in Melbourne’s Arts Centre last night. It’s a startling, innovative, enthralling piece of theatre, based very closely on the story of an amazing local survivor of the first World War. The cast of 12 - huge by normal Melbourne Theatre Company standards - doubles up in multiple roles, so much so that when they take their bows the audience is looking for the rest of the cast who seemed to fill the stage in some of the battle scenes. Steve Bisley, Kerry Armstrong, Robert Menzies and Ben Guerens are some of the of stand-out performances in a play which ranges from deep pathos to uproarious humour - and is back by a suite of music specially composed by Nigel Westlake and played by the Melbourne Symphony.
What a pity non-Transport Minister Lynne Kosky took matters into her own hand and dumped the idea of issuing our ticket inspectors with handcuffs to help them deal with difficult non-paying customers.
Ther use of handcuffs would make their job so much easier and eliminate those nasty fights and scuffles when dealing with fare evaders. After all, why should those of us who pay to use the trans and trains subsidise these deliberate and persistent fare evaders?
What a load of wimps. Only eight months into the job the foolhardy elected them to do, Bland Bracks and Waterboy Thwaites have thrown in the towel. Talk about rats leaving a sinking ship - and defrauding the voters by not completing their side of the contract with the electorate. It’s all (further) downhill from here.
It seems I’m not the only one who finds our Minister for the Arts somewhat lacking in common courtesy and disrespectful of the portfolio she represents - even worse that the unlamented Mary Delahunty, in the view of many of our city’s culture vultures.
The latest Kosky cock-up comes via the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which has been stuffed around for weeks in trying to organise a major event. Seems nothing could be set in concrete until the Minister had eventually confirmed her availability after several changes of mind - and dates.
By the time she’d given a positive answer the short response time for would-be attendees meant many MSO supporters will be no-shows. And what’s the betting La Kosky will once again turn up late - and without apology.
It just ain’t good enough.
According to a huge headline in The Australian today the world has suffered the “Death of a footy salesman“. Death? It’s bad enough that so many illiterate commentators refer to Sheedy’s “demise”. But to record this event as death is going much too far. Get over it; another coach has been sacked. So what’s new?
Those invited to the launch of this year’s Melbourne International festival of the Arts on Tuesday night were instructed that the function began at 6.30pm SHARP. And they dutifully obeyed - and were in their seats on time. They then waited, and waited, and waited - and were advised that “we are awaiting the arrival of the Minister”. Said Minister (Lynne Kosky) eventiually arrived at 6.50 and made no apology whatsoever to the assembled throng. Ah, such arrogance. Such disregard for us ordinary people - and true supporters of the arts. And, also, so typical of the increasing distancing of this do-nothing government from the misguided people who gave them the power they so frequently abuse.
