Off, On Again?

The Gembrook market of Sunday 31 May was supposedly the last. The next morning a black sticker bearing the words in white "CLOSED DOWN" had been slapped on the sign advertising the market in the main street. Both the sign, which I described recently as a blot on the streetscape, and the sticker, remain today, nearly a month later. For a while there I thought soon I'd be spared this ugliness every day as I walked past.



It unfolded that the Cardinia Shire Council's insurer had advised that some of the Council's Section 86 special committees, including the Gembrook market committee, may not be eligible for this status and therefore were not eligible for insurance coverage provided through council. The council offered to help the market committee through this to enable them totake out their own insurance but the market committee spat the dummy and ceased operation.

I heard jungledrums rumbling in the weeks before the last market. I bumped into a local chap in the newsagency who held doubts at a number of the claims and demands of the market organizers. He told me he'd been in touch with the council, about public safety in the crowded market environment, in particular the ruling by the organizers, whom he termed "market nazi's in orange coats", that the coffee vendor couldn't provide his customers with lids for the hot coffee in disposable mugs because the lids were plastic. Plastic was banned by the market committee.

"A few years ago my son nearly had his cock burnt off when he took his order at the drive-in take away window at 'X'(a high profile takeaway food chain store). The girl tipped the tray too much and the hot coffee spilled in his lap. Now he didn't take legal action but soon afterwards someone else did, and 'X' had a liability payout of $millions. Furthermore they were reqired to spend many more $millions installing temperature control for coffee at all their outlets nationwide as well as providing sturdy snap on lids. Now if I was to buy a hot coffee at the market, without a lid, and someone were to knock me in the the crowded walkway, and the coffee was to spill into a baby's pusher, who's liable for the legal ramifications."

I've wondered about public liability and local markets. As a small business operator who has members of the public coming onto our property I've had to live with high insurance premiums. The domestic household insurers will not cover our farmhouse because a business is conducted on the property, necessitating us to have commercial cover, which costs three times as much. I had always felt somewhat irritated that the market stall holders compete with us reducing our custom, but don't have the same overheads. I was not surprised the issue had finally arisen.

Moves are now afoot to bring the market back. Local MP Tammy Lobato held a meeting to try to form a new committee that would take on the insurance challenge with the assistance of council. Apparently three local bodies are interested, and the matter is being sorted through.

If they must have a market, frankly I can't see why they do although I acknowledge that the local traders have a once a month spin off, let's hope the new committee gets a new sign that's pleasant to the eye, if they indeed need a permanent sign. Couldn't it just be publicized by local newspapers and flyers and temporary posters?

And while I'm on the subject of signs, check out this one, very close to the market sign.



It's hideously ugly, and nonsensical, as most of the businesses advertised on the sign are not in Gembrook. The map of the district shows nothing in terms of Gembrook itself. It's been there for years. Crazy!