Capital Works

Tonight I attended a dinner at the Cultural centre in Pakenham, held to announce the recipients of CWgrants for 2012/13. The NHPEM cracked it for some stonework steps down to our car park. It was not an event that I happily attended but our treasurer Dennis sort of dobbed me in and picked me up and drove me which meant I could avail myself fully of the liquid refreshments without the worry of driving home, so it was not all bad.

As it turned out I had a thoroughly good time. The lamb shanks were tough but tasty and a bone shot off my plate onto the leg of the lady sitting next to me, who discreetly lent over and said close to my ear, "Nobody saw that." What an amazing lady she was who made the evening worthwhile. While she was attacking her shanks a little later her fork slipped off and took up residence on the lap of the bloke on her other side. "F***," she said. "Nobody saw that," I said. The bloke passed her fork back with no fuss.

My highlight was when a Councillor from another ward approached me without my solicitation and thanked me for my passion. He was aware of the controversy our committee was embroiled in earlier this year and seemed to enjoy my reference to the two bastards we have in our ward. Maybe this bloke was on the panel that adjudicated on the selection of recipients for CWgrants, which I had learned from a council officer did not include councillors from our ward. In any event he impressed me greatly and is someone I would not hesitate to contact in future, not that I intend to have any involvement in council politics. Not now, not ever.

I had to laugh really as the councillors and council managers all tucked into dinner along with the recipients. The tone of it, in the speeches also, is one of how wonderful it is that we have volunteers, and how wonderful is the council to recognize this. The laugh is that we the ratepayers pay for every morsel and drop and every brick or nail or wire. It's all all our money that these bastards gloat and preen over spending something for us, and making us feel so privileged to receive it.

I spent the day at home today cleaning up after the tradesmen, and booking airfares and transfers to the Fijian island next month. This is sounding better and better and better by the minute.