At What Cost The FARC Is Goin' On? - Some Good Ideas For Mt Gambier

(Post Script Preface:...straight-up set-out to do a post purely about good ideas, that was gunna' be the original title, then got bogged-down in explaining why none of those ideas are gunna' happen, and, well, the rest is what comes next)

(PSP II:...'cos started this post several days ago and this article and cartoon were in The Sunday Mail yesterday and resultantly in TMGI Facebook. Apologies, can't get link to load but just go to TMGI Facebook page to post dated 25 October 2026) 

I know we've most of us all heard most of this before, and that title's a strenuously tenuous attempt at a bad pun, but it does say exactly what it means...it asks a question and answers it, at least in part...what has the Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre (Wulanda) cost, in all senses of that word...(and all the tenses-Ed)...indeed, in the Past, the Present, and well on into the Future...(perhaps we're being a bit too esoteric/vague, perhaps this is more of a summation paragraph than an intro-Ed)...well let's start quickly at the beginning and skim our ways to the good ideas stuff...(good idea-Ed)...and see, we're away all ready...

FARC In The Past:...was a deceitful manipulation of Ratepayers by Mt Gambier City Council...not my opinion, not a 'version of events', but what's been fact-backedly presented previously on this 'ere blog, our related TMGI Facebook page, and indeed, across various 'Local Social Media'...(and we, as always, say what we say with the confidence of someone who was there and/or has the documents, etc-Ed)...indeed, for example, it's a fact that MGCC repeatedly stated officially/publicly that the FARC would cost "$39.1million"...we all know this, we were all there, we all saw/heard this, not once, not twice, but over and over and over..."$39.1m"...(still got the glossy brochures-Ed)...it's a fact that MGCC then frog-boiled that up to their Declared Actual Cost of $63m...("$63m"? but going through the relevant MGCC Budgets, we put actual construction at just shy of $80m?-Ed)...indeed we did, and that is also a fact...

During the 'Vested Interests Drive-by Masquerading As MGCC Public Consultation' phase (2018), front and centre was the (then) MGCC CEO Mark McShane, constantly pushing the project..."we'll never get to apply for this funding again", "borrowing rates are really low so we must do it now", "the city is dying" (economically), "the obesity epidemic", and/or "the young have nowhere to go"...(and of course that time honoured classic, "Mt Gambier deserves it"-Ed)...yeah yeah, serve after generous serve of open deceit and emotional bullying...(washed-down with all the faux civic-pride gaslighting you could want-Ed)...yummmmy...(and who can forget that ol' favourite, "your Rates won't go up"?-Ed)...well not us, that's for sure!...and equally hilariously, it was Member for Barker Tony Pasin himself who publicly stated "if we miss out this year, no problem, the funding is available every year", and "MGCC can raise Rates to cover costs"...(maaate, you couldn't invent this shizzle-Ed)...and thanks to MGCC, we don't have to...(nah, we just need to point at that which already Is, and ask the One True question, WTAF?-Ed)...indeed, but we digress... (*These are "quotes" from local media, eg, ABC SE Radio) 

I went through those MGCC Budgets and landed somewhere just on $75m, but likely nearer $80m...I can't be more specific than that 'cos MGCC Budgets are deliberately constructed to be as confusing and impenetrable as possible, eg, changing Line Item nomenclature so it's near-impossible to follow...(a fact proven by The Blue Lake Briefing room when they did 7-8 long posts about it-Ed)...fair dues though, BLBR didn't allege any deliberate wrongdoing by MGCC...(yeah, but they did identify exactly this stuff about changing Line Items and using different formulas concurrently and mismatched figures, etc, and how that made it near-impossible to decipher/determine what 'The Budget' was-Ed)...okay, that is all factually accurate, BLBR had a red-hot crack at deciphering MGCCs' latest 'Budget'...(multiple cracks, BLBR multi-cracked it-Ed)...and eventually 'gave-up' in the context that 'giving-up' was not a failure, but a hard-earned decisive conclusion that without a word says everything about how MGCC conduct themselves...

It is fact that it has been repeatedly alleged to me that the actual Final Construction Cost was above $100m...(it may well be that there's many $$$m in MGCC Budgets that have been spent on the FARC but are not specifically identified as such-Ed)...as also repeatedly alleged to me, and that I part-identified within the Budgets I looked at...

To be crystal clear, I have had extensive conversations with several people who had direct involvement/knowledge, and I believe what has been said to me is accurate/informed, but it remains merely here-say as regards my knowledge of it...so that $100m+ figure is one I believe to be correct/true, but I can't say it as fact...I can say as fact that when I went through The Budgets, I calculated just shy of $80m...it is fact that MGCC says $63m...apologies for being so pedantic and now suddenly digressing, but, well, just gotta' give a quick nod to The Googles and their new Updates to the Blogger Content Policy...just read through it, understand most of it sort of or at least a bit...some of the wording is quite open to 'interpretation', eg, what actually constitutes behaviour/content justifying removal of content...I guess we'll see...having said that, might just say this...

Dear The Googles, 

I am as always, always and in all ways endeavouring to be conspicuously accurate, just 'cos what I'm saying (on this wonderful free service/platform you provide) is unpleasant/uncomfortable/inconvenient for some, does not make it untrue or less important. Obviously I'm very much aware of the many approaches made to you to remove content, eg, the several 'Post Unavailable' issues with early posts due to 'Complaints' and 'Defamation' threats, etc, made by various lawyers. 'Dear Google: In His Own Words, Here's How Bill DeGaris Deceives And Manipulates You' is a post I wrote/published on this platform/blog on 11th April 2018 about these exact issues re what constitutes 'appropriate' and 'defamatory', etc, and it's still relevant. Yours, Nick.

(It's the no1 most viewed post on this 'ere blog-Ed)...sorry what?...(that post about Bouncin' Billy DeGaris, him threatening "defamation" action, in writing, several times, why he was doin' that, etc-Ed)...yeah yeah, I was there...(sure, it's the most read post-Ed)...is that a fact?...(indeed 'tis-Ed)...well I don't mind a bit of flagrant self-promotion, and it is worth a quick read if ya' inclined and haven't already, so, here's the link...

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2018/04/dear-google-in-his-own-words-heres-how.html

It is fact that when MGCC were still in the pre-construction approval phase...(but still telling Ratepayers "$39.1"-Ed)...yeah...(with all the bells and whistles-Ed)...well with all the pools and courts, sure...at that stage MGCC lodged their 'Planning Approval Application', which is a 1-page form, and it has a Line Item that says Cost (Not including Fixtures and fittings) then a box for said figure...(and in that box the (then) MGCC CEO Andrew 'Peddle To The' Meddle wrote "$40m"-Ed)...indeed he did...at the time MGCC were telling Ratepayers it's gunna' be a Bonza Big Buildin' with Bulk Bathing Bizzo and Beaut Basketball Bits...(yeah, that's exactly how they said it, those exact words, I was there-Ed)...settle down...not those exact words, but certainly whilst sayin' it's gunna' be the whole kitten-caboodle for $39.1m, MGCC were simultaneously lodging an official form stating '$40m for The Box'...(mon dieu! sans cloches et sifflets?!-Ed)...yep, no bells and/or whistles, just The Box, $40m...(c'est impossible! 'ow can you make with the playing of the basketballs sans cloches et sifflets?!-Ed)...why are you doing that outrageous French accent? you're not fooling anybody, stop it at once...it is a fact that I wrote to the Development Commission about this cloches et sifflets discrepancy; also a fact that they dismissed this deceit of Ratepayers as being 'not of our concern'...

Onion Cutting Debt:...("Onion Cutting"?-Ed)...oh, I meant Eye-Watering...(sure-Ed)...and it's actually more like, ummm, remember that time I was cutting chilli, and touched my eye...(oh yeah, and you were in the bathroom jamming a bar a' soap into ya' eye socket-Ed)...yeah that...(good times, good times-Ed)...well what MGCC have done to MG Ratepayers with the FARC Debt, that is some jalapenoed eyeball, time-shifting, full-blown pan-dimensional Matrix-glitchin' shizzle goin' on right there...it is at once The Past, The Present, and The Future...it is a done deal; that money has gone; the OCD is...(it's alive! it's aliiiiiiive!-Ed)...that is The Past and it cannot be undone...(I'd imagine even a fully independent professional Audit wouldn't be likely to recover any of that cost/expenditure-Ed)...whatevs...the OCD manifests in The Present as multiple huge loans totalling $40m-$50m, incurred in The Past, but very much affecting The Present, and wholly dominating The Future...

FARC In The Present:...has first and foremost the OCD repayment issues, with the added bonus of running at a massive loss, yay...(which was predicted in that MGCC 'Business Plan' document, best case scenario with Maximum Predicted Attendance, etc, Operational Loss of $1m per annum-Ed)...but currently far exceeding that, power costs alone are reportedly around $1m pa...(strewth-Ed)...I've heard it described less politely...(I bet-Ed)...and another MGCC lie, another promise broken, 'your Rates won't rise to pay for this'...(well, however MGCC try to dismiss/deny it, and even ignoring the Operational Losses, ya' can't just crank-up the borrowing by $40m-$50m and try to argue that it's irrelevant re recent massive Rate increases-Ed)...oh they can try, my how they've tried...(and how's that working-out for them, with the Ratepayers I mean?-Ed)...yeahhh, nahhh, not so good... 

So if you add the Operational Costs, the Loan Repayments, and Depreciation, that reportedly runs to $5million, give or take...(and what is the actual Income? surely that drags that figure back a bit-Ed)...as I understand it, that final $5m 'loss' figure is a final figure, with Income included...(wow, and what about Belgravia, did we ever find-out exactly what it is they do, how they get reimbursed, etc?-Ed)...at this time, I do not claim to understand what in the livin' shreck is goin'-on there...(wasn't it first reportedly 'profit sharing'?-Ed)...well no, at first it was claimed that Belgravia were paying MGCC to be allowed to run the FARC, I believe it was about $13,000 per month...(well hang on, how were Belgravia goin' to operate it at a profit if they were paying MGCC, and MGCCs' own 'Business Plan Modelling' predicted a $1mpa loss?-Ed)...great question, it's why it just never made sense...(then it was 'profit sharing'?-Ed)...possibly, briefly...I believe that MGCC has since 'clarified' this confusion by confirming that MGCC pays Belgravia to manage the FARC...again, don't quote me on the current actual set-up/contract 'cos I don't know, you'd have to ask MGCC... 

And that 'Depreciation' is basically what the asset, the FARC itself, loses in it's value due to wear-&-tear/time, etc etc whatevs, but does not allow for the Construction Cost vs Actual Market Value reality of the FARC...(sooo, if we believe that MGCC spent $63m, and I don't, but just let's say, was the final asset ever worth that?-Ed)...indeed, 'cos any differential is an immediate loss, let-alone re figures of nearly $80m, and the alleged $100m+...(and of course with a massive facility like this that relies on strong patronage, running at a loss despite MGCC alleging 'wonderful patronage', that lowers the value of the 'asset' even further-Ed)...and in there somewhere is an Event Horizon where it becomes effectively worthless/unsaleable...

Again, I have to acknowledge that I do not know all of the details, I cannot state with any certainty just exactly what is happening re the operation of the FARC, and/or the exact figures/sums involved...(not least of all 'cos MGCC go to great lengths/depths to keep those figures opaque and better yet officially hidden-Ed)...indeed, so what I've presented here are accurate figures as reported at the time...(so the current issue, management aside, regardless of whom is running what, the figures are MGCCs' own and as reported in local legacy and/or social media, etc, yeah?-Ed)...spot on...(and Ratepayers are the ones' with their collective neck in the fiscal noose to the tune of about $5m a year-Ed)...and in a context where that debt payment component mostly if not entirely addresses Interest Payments, and there is minimal if any actual drawdown on the capital of the loan...(so where's the money coming from to cover that interest payment?-Ed)...not entirely sure, obviously relentless successive massive Rates increases covers some of it, some other revenue streams get diverted, eg, Dog Registration fees, and likely more borrowing, but again, I wouldn't claim to know the exact sources/numbers...

Point being, it's all Ratepayers' income and also all Ratepayers' debt, the FARC is Ratepayers' asset, so Ratepayers have a right to know exactly what all those sums/figures are...

FARC In The Future:...is effectively just a re-hashing of the Debt issue, the Loan Burden on Ratepayers due to MGCCs' egregious borrowing frenzy to pay for the FARC...(all that, and with the added bonus of the chilling/crippling effect this debt has on any future plans for Mt Gambier-Ed)...be those ideas good, bad, and/or indifferent...(they've all got the same snowballs' chance in the fiscal furnace that is the FARC?-Ed)...yep, next paragraph...(hang on, our "good idea for the future of Mt Gambier" is 'it doesn't have a future'?-Ed)...if you'll let me finish Roger...(what? who are you talking to?-Ed)...very last paragraph we'll give a very quick Good Ideas Synopsis, and conclude with the observation that possibly Private Enterprise could get involved, but, who knows... 

So, at what cost the FARC? In the past it has cost at least $80m, likely well North of that, and it currently costs approx $5mpa to run, and on into the future the cost/interest repayments/debt will completely compromise any plans/desire for major projects...(for several/many decades to come-Ed)...yay...it is the brutal reality right in everybody's face...(and in their Rates Notice-Ed)...well quite...   

The Good Ideas:...in dot point format, some of which we've already discussed on TMGI Facebook page...

1) 7-day Public Transport with suitable shelters/access/signage, running 0800hrs to 1900hrs on weekdays;

2) 4WD Golf-buggy Shuttle to/from Centenary Tower in Xmas School Holiday/Tourism period;

3) Daily bus to Pt MacDonnell and return in Xmas School Holidays (6-8 trips), with shuttle to/from Browns Beach (possibly run by District Council?);

4) 'See-through' semi-submerged observation pontoon in Blue Lake, accessed via Aquifer Tours, attached to current SA Water Extraction Pipes;

5) Low-rise cafe facing Blue Lake on area immediately behind current Aquifer Tours (former) Cafe Kiosk. 

6) Working Artists + Gallery & Centralised Bus terminus at fully-renovated Old Rail Station.

That'll do for now and in no particular order, but if I had to prioritise, I've put Public Transport first, then both shuttle services 'cos they're relatively cheap and easy to organise/run...I believe that MGCC should operate these 'cos they already have the requisite support staff/infrastructure/insurance/etc... 

Tomorrow:...The Sun Comes Out, Apparently.

Thanks for your patronage today, and one final word, just in case, about 'Ed'...(oh here we go-Ed)...'Ed' is as always a confected literary device used to create dialogue/discussion and set-up jokes, etc...TMGI is written as a sort-of play thingy with 2 main protagonists...(well at least I get equal billing-Ed)...couldn't do it with oucha'...  

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog, cheers and laters... 

Goin' Completely Route Loops - Mt Gambiers' Substandard Public Transport

Hi, for a while now I've been tryin' to stay edumicated/involved in local political/public minutiae as a cathartic self-distraction aways from far bigger issues I feel powerless to address, for example, our nation's complicit collusion in the Gaza Genocide...over on TMGI Facebook and on other local social media sites and local old school media, eg The Border Watch, there's been a buncha' discourse re Mt Gambiers' appalling Public Transport System...the title to this blog is a self-quote from my own recent Facebook effort on this issue...(yeah, but it's difficult to cover what is unfortunately a very complex issue in that short-form format-Ed)...true, but we've done multiple posts, and all sarcasm/facetiousness aside, we've clearly not explained it very well so that's why we're here, to put it all in one place...(umm, what's this "we've" stuff? I don't get a look-in at TMGI Facebook but when the shizzle hits the proverbial, suddenly it's "we've"-Ed)...fair enough...(TMGIF is like your side-project, your solo album-Ed)...never looked at it like that, but sure...(so don't blame me-Ed)...well I've tried blaming everyone else, I mean, like, literally actually everyone else, including the actual people actually responsible, etc etc etc..regular availees will know the rest of that rant...

First Stop:...for those whom rely upon it, Public Transport is not minutiae, it is a critical service that in many circumstances they organise their lives around, eg, you don't make a late afternoon doctor's appointment if ya' gunna' be sittin' in the docs' office when the last bus leaves...and this post is not about the coal-face, hands-to-the-proverbial-and-actual-wheel provision of Public Transport in Mt Gambier, ie, how the buses are driven/etc, it's about the decades-long litany of grossly-failed responsibilities of successive Mt Gambier City Councils and State governments, especially as it relates to funding...(and how, particularly as it relates to the conduct of MGCC, how these failures are a manifestation of the contempt that fuels them-Ed)...indeed, and even if it's just callous indifference rather than actual contempt and/or outright corruption, etc, the facts as they exist are not up for debate, they are the facts, the bus runs when it does and doesn't when it don't...State governments have certain responsibilities and provide certain funds, or they don't, and the same with MGCC...

This also isn't about the local provider/contractor either...one respectfully assumes that buses are maintained to a high-standard, etc, and the contractor is only providing the service that they have been presented with, they don't organise it... 

We say "unfortunately a very complex issue" because it really isn't that difficult to do properly/appropriately if that's the agenda, if that's the intent, yet in Mt Gambier it's a relentless stream of Mt Gambier City Council gaslighting, failures, self-interest, maladministration...(and malicious bastardry, don't forget the malicious bastardry-Ed)...no no, I was getting to the malicious bastardry, don't panic...(and I'd say 'torrent'-Ed)...sorry what?...(I'd say 'torrent' instead of 'stream'-Ed)...another fair call, the torrent of gross misconduct by MGCC on this issue subsumes the State governments' stream of failures, which itself coalesces basically as Lack of Funding Due to Disinterest...no Adelaide-based government has ever nor will ever give a fat dead rats' festered clacca about the South East...(unless there's something here-abouts they wanna' dig-up and/or sell-off for the greater glory of her imperial majesty and all the voters whom reside there-in-Ed)...agreed...

Public Transport Options: Trains...(nope-Ed)...trams...(nope-Ed)...which leaves buses...(sometimes-Ed)...sometimes?...(well here's the facts Jack, there is no service on Weekends or Public Holidays, which means NO SERVICE AT ALL for 115 days per annum-Ed)...that seems an awful lot, sure that's right?...(52 weekends =104 days, +11 Public Holidays-Ed)...yeah, thanks for that, it was a sarcastically rhetorical question, but you're right, the Math is irrefutable...(and that includes of course No Service for 7 of the 10-11 days across Xmas/New Year, usually with a 4-day block, and the same at Easter-Ed)...one year didn't ANZAC Day (25th April) fall right at Easter and there was no bus for 5 days straight?...(it's certainly possible-Ed)...and no weekend buses means also that across mid-year term breaks, 6-in-16 days there's No Service?...(yep, which means 8 weekends across Xmas Holidays-Ed)...so in the School Holiday/Xmas/New Years period there is no Public Transport for at least, what, 19 days out of approx 50 days?...(20 including 'Australia Day', but still very near if not exactly accurate, yep, certainly it's over 1-in-3 days that there's no Public Transport in Mt Gambier across the Xmas/New Year/School Holidays-Ed)...gourd, the more ya' look at the actual details of this, the worse it gets...(well that's what ya' get for lookin'-Ed)...  

In Review: No Service at all on Weekends or Public Holidays, for a total of 115 days per annum, including 19-20 days with No Service across the 7 week Xmas/School Holidays.

When the service is operating, it's only from 0900hrs, starting in central Mt Gambier at the 'terminus'*  then concludes at 1715hrs...of the 3(three) 'Loops' operating, the North East Loop that I used to catch doesn't have it's first run until 0930hrs and the last Loop left town at 1645hrs...(we've included below links to the timetables as currently available off the Interweb-Ed)...they look somewhat dated, but provide enough info to support/illustrate the points made here-in...please note that, because there's only a few buses/drivers available, all services are interrupted mid-afternoon by the School Service...

* Malicious Bastardry:...is moving the 'terminus'/stops from Ferrers St right adjacent to, and in the lee of, the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, moving them 100m further from the shops and into an appalling wide-open to the Winter weather/South-facing position 'round the corner on Sturt St...(well that's just an absurd suggestion, and you sir are indeed a malicious bastard for even giving breath to such vulgarity!-Ed)...yeah calm down, it's not my suggestion, that's what MGCC have spent $50k+ doing just a few months ago...(sorry?-Ed)...it is as reads...(but, but, that would mean people have to walk further in the pissing rain/high-Summer heat, to go wait in a shelter that doesn't-Ed)...yep...(no?!-Ed)...yeah...(no?!-Ed)...yeah, I'm tellin' ya', that's what they've just done...(but, it's like, it's kids/young mums with prams/elderly/infirm/disabled/those who can't afford a car and/or unable to drive for whatevs reason, and often burdened with groceries, etc, that's who uses Public Transport, especially in Mt Gambier-Ed)...oh yeah, MGCC knows that...(wait, hang on, Sturt St? are you talking about those metal lean-to things opposite the RSL?-Ed)...yesss, where did you think I meant...(I was politely waiting for you to explain-Ed)...and now I politely have, so let us move on...(yes let's-Ed)...

Whilst I don't think it's appropriate, I understand that 'adults' are still allowed to access the School Services that run pre-0900hrs and in the afternoon, but those travel almost completely different routes/Loops and access different stops, etc, only returning to the central terminus right-on 0900hrs to commence City Services...(and as is still the case with the North-East Loop, that first service doesn't start until 0930hrs and last bus leaves at 1645hrs, so even if you can negotiate/access the morning School Services to get into town pre-0900hrs, ya' can't do that to get home after that last bus-Ed)...indeed, and that's for a standard '9-to-5' job, there's many shift workers in Mt Gambier, eg, supermarket workers, several mills, etc...(and there's various complicated Loop connections/permutations re accessing things like TAFE, the hospital,  etc-Ed)...exactly, and part of that complication is that Services only run in one direction, so often to get 'just over there', one has to go into the terminus and catch a different Loop out again, and then repeat that upon return... 

The Elephant In The Ointment:...being the most immediately obvious problem with relying on the School Service to get anywhere regularly, eg, work, the problem is???...anyone?...(ummm, you don't work?-Ed)...okay thankyou...(nah nah, just kiddin', gourd bless, it's School Holidays again isn't it?-Ed)...well actually, well done, yes it is, there's no School Service for 7 weeks across Xmas School Holidays, nor for the 6 weeks of mid-year breaks...(so that means, for at least, what, 13 weeks, that's 3 months, for 3 months there's no Public Transport before 0900hrs-Ed)...yep, an extra service in the afternoons 'cos the buses are free, but nuthin' pre-0900hrs...

My each and every exchange/encounter with a bus driver was without any negative incident that I can recall...(even that really grumpy one?-Ed)...big gruff ol' softy who actually always treated their passengers with respect, drove safely, etc, and I can't say with exact recall, but he likely was driving on at least one of the numerous times I witnessed drivers taking the bus off-Loop to drop a disabled/burdened person at their door rather than 2-3 streets away...(or even up into the hospital car-park, which although right on the North-East Loop route is not officially part of it and therefore takes that few extra minutes that means the driver doesn't get any break at the terminus between Loops-Ed)...great point, and illustrative of the broader issues/concerns/failures re the actual Loops/routes/timetables...(you mean, why do drivers have to add that, why wouldn't it already be a dedicated stop given it's arguably the most important service/destination/stop on that NE Loop, if not in the whole town?-Ed)...very fair question, and one answered in the 'In Conclusion' bit below... 

I'm Not Crying, You're Crying:...(alright, we're all crying-Ed)...to recall the time that a driver pulled-in at the 'terminus', and gestured to a woman with her 3(?)year old grandson...the kid was looking excited about something, standing in the aisle near the front, holding grandmas' hand, the driver grinning broadly...then he opened the doors...there was the noise of the mechanism, a loud swooosh, and you could feel the change of air pressure pulse through the bus...the kid let-out the most joyous squeal...it was easily the most happy thing I've ever heard in my life...the driver knew the pair, and that the small boy was blind, and how much the kid loved the sounds/sensations of something so simple as the opening of a bus door, so he would stop his bus, wait until they got in position, and then, swooosh...a big shout-out to our bus drivers and local providers who do good work within the constricting confines of a grossly underfunded Public Transport Service...  

 A Claimer And Disclaimer: I did rely entirely on Mt Gambier Public Transport, ie, the Bus Service, for several years, approx 2003-2010, and, weather permitting, I did often walk 3-4kms into/across town to get places/do stuff...(like shopping and that?-Ed)...well sometimes, yeah, I'd walk into town, shop, catch the bus home...(and of course there wasn't the relatively nearby Market Place Shopping Centre yet?-Ed)...exactly...(but to get there from here is still a 3km round-trip-Ed)...indeed, it'd be okay walking there on a pleasant day, but in wet or hot weather, or carrying shopping home, forget it...(and even then, when the Market Place was built, didn't they fail to include any dedicated Bus Service infrastructure, eg, the access was via a series of very tight turns in the carpark, and the stop was actually a Loading Zone-Ed)...yeah, and I believe it's since been moved out into the main car park, but I couldn't see where, will have to go back and have a thorough nosey... I have rarely used the bus since 2010, but that in itself further highlights how sub-standard and not fit-for-purpose the current service is...(well there's been some minor tweaks to the Loops/routes, but apart from that, it's almost identical to that of 20+ years ago-Ed)...my point precisely, and it was well below par then...

So I lay claim to an intimate and extensive if somewhat dated experience of Mt Gambiers' Public Bus Service...and even then, that's a big part of what pisses me off the most, that it's barely changed in 20+ years...(and it's all well and groovy to tell people 'just get your shopping delivered' or 'just catch a taxi', but for many public transport patrons, if they could afford to use other options, they would do so-Ed)...as above and as stated in TMGI Facebook, I'm going into the minutiae of this issue because Public Transport is critically important to many if not all patrons, and those patrons inevitably have to organise their lives around those routes/Loops and timetables...(yeah, been there, done that-Ed)...indeed we have, because it's an unavoidable and irrefutable reality for patrons...(and suggestions that patrons can just catch a taxi/uber to get around these Loopy complications, don't factor in most patrons' limited incomes-Ed)...well quite...  

And this week The Border Watch has done some 'we were there' promo video (Facebook/Twitter?) with a very brief clip of the MGCC Mayor and local Member for Mt Gambier Travis Fatchen standing in front of that Sturt St Terminus 'shelter', grinning inanely at each other...(well, to be fair, it could have been gas-Ed)...what? both of them?...(the Salmon Mousse?-Ed)...nice save there, turning what was effectively a very convoluted attempt to construct a fart joke into a witty Monty Python reference...(I'm here for ya' man-Ed)...sure...so, an uncomfortable 'smile for the camera' media thing, whatevs, there's a very real possibility that MP Fatchen doesn't actually really know/understand how woefully negligent Mt Gambier City Council have been for decades, and continue to be, as it relates to their failures (plural) to meet their legal/legislated obligations to provide shelters/access/lights, etc...(well exactly, so it's upto someone to tell him-Ed)...who you lookin' at? don't look at me, last time I tried to help anyone I got 18 ICAC Convictions for me troubles...(mmm, fair point, but then whom?-Ed)...well I would think that either and/or both the most excellent Mt Gambier & Districts Residents & Ratepayers Association and the Blue Lake Briefing Room...  

But the Mayor knows, the Mayor knows exactly what MGCC is supposed/legislated to provide and how appallingly they've failed/refused to meet their responsibilities, it's just offensive to do a photo-op on a sunny day in front of those appalling shelters...(but there's nothing quite as offensive as the MGCC Mayor publicly spruiking MGCC/Ratepayer funded Electric Scooters For Mt Gambier, with the sentient observation that peeps can just flog about on e-scooters in lieu of decent Public Transport, 'cos that's what any pram-wielder or geriatric like me or whoevs, that's what we wanna' do, freakin' e-scooters!-Ed)...I just happen to have that exact quote...(thought ya' might-Ed)...from MGCCs' own Public E-Scooter Operator EOI, on their website, dated 24th March 2025, with the link below that...ladies and gentlemens, our Mayor... 

      "Should Council engage a successful operator for an e-scooter trial, I am confident our 

        community will embrace the opportunity to move around our city in a safe and respectful

        manner. Given our inadequate public transport service, I am hopeful that such a transport

        option will enable some of our residents to have more accessibility around our city. I also

        believe e-scooters will provide great opportunities for visitors to access the wonderful

        attractions Mount Gambier has to offer, which at the moment are only accessible by

        vehicle." - City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin OAM  

 

https://www.mountgambier.sa.gov.au/news/public-e-scooter-operator-eoi 

In Conclusion: The Horse Gets Carted:...Public Transport (Bus Service) in Mt Gambier, as long as I've known it, is not organised around what is most required/appropriate, it's not about the usability/function in the best interests of patrons, it's been a series of 'Contracts' based on who can do it cheapest re the pre-existing sub-standard service...(it's why nothing's changed in 20+ years-Ed)...my point exactly, it's not motivated by a desire to provide a decent/functional/respectful service, it's based solely on 'what costs us least to maintain the bare minimum?'...(and given recent decisions/actions at both MGCC and State government levels, it's an attitude of indifference that persists-Ed)...no-one has genuinely reviewed the service/Loops with genuine intent to actually provide the most functional and user-friendly service, nobody's even tried putting the horse in front of the cart...  

MGCC continuously bleating about the failure of the State government to provide adequate funding is at once factually true, but is also a gaslighting insult to Ratepayers/Residents given MGCCs' failures to fulfill their basic, legislated responsibilities. 

I don't think one can too often call-out MGCCs' Malicious Bastardry re moving the terminus...(for there is no other way to describe it, is there? that spiteful, selfish act of moronic callousness, that ain't no unfortunate accident, not some bureaucratic slip-of-pen, no short-sighted oversight, that's deliberate and with intent, and that is malicious and it is bastardry-Ed)...and even if it's not direct intent, even if it's at worst just callous indifference to the repercussions of these decisions/actions, that's still malicious and it's still bastardry...(the bit that did my head-in was when MGCC went and bought themselves 6 luxury vehicles in the same time-frame the terminus was being re-located-Ed)...it's just blatant, open contempt for Ratepayers, most especially to those Ratepayers reliant on the Bus Service...(and what I'd call 'Corrupt' because MGCC are spending Ratepayers' monies on cars for themselves, and that's Ratepayers' monies that should be being spent on MGCCs' legislated/legal responsibilities to provide Public Transport infrastructure, eg, shelters/access/light/etc for Ratepayers!-Ed)...I'd think that 'Corrupt' is a describor that many people would feel appropriate and more than comfortable using re MGCCs' conduct on this issue...

Oh and do not get me started about 'Free Buses To The Footy At Adelaide Oval'...(I didn't say anything about...-Ed)...Jesus H Tap-Dancin' Christ On a Unicycle, free buses to an oval bought with the grossly under-value sell-off of the States' South East Forest Reserve/Estate, a moronic act of Fiscal Self-Castration...that Estate earned South Australia $100million+ pa; was worth in total over $2.5billion but was sold-off for under $700million, all of which went to a $90million 'pay-off-your-debt' bribe to Cricket SA to get them to 'approve' the subsequent $600+million Adelaide Oval rebuild...no buses running in Mt Gambier on a Friday night, on any night, but free shreckin' buses for the teaming teeming in Adelaide...(and we'll just make the point, we ain't got no problems with free buses for Adelaide if the rest of the State has appropriate Public Transport-Ed)...but we do have a problem 'cos we don't...(whaaa?-Ed)...come on, you know what I mean...anyhoos, here's that link as promised...

https://www.linksa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/250730-TT-Route-1291-1293-Mount-Gambier-Township.pdf 

And this rather convoluted shambles (below) is whatcha' get from clicking on the 'MGCC - Have Your Say' link, as per the same search menu as above...as best I can tell the info there-in is fairly current/accurate...

https://ehq-production-australia.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/12bb2467dc3264cf50a5e0860021367673921cd9/original/1603773104/BuslinkSA_map.pdf_bc7a56846b1212ade54f48af879e91c5?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4KKNQAKIII4DU7AG%2F20260923%2Fap-southeast-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260923T091529Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=9bea2ab1816a42cc6af4b6e285bbad3fc94534b16bcf347c4b8b6541ff9f6c62

Tomorrow: More Attempts At Humour On Current Issues? Probably. 

Above I've referred to drivers going 'Off-Loop' to deliver persons to their homes, and just wanted to point out that, of the dozens of times I saw this quietly wonderful public service performed, not once did I see/hear a single other passenger complain...we knew, we understood...there was more decency and basic respect and humanity in every individual on that bus than in the combined entirety of MGCC...(well, in those decision makers at MGCC, the bloated bureaucracy and Elected members, most employees have no say in this stuff-Ed)...yeah well okay, you're right, but I figure most availees can figure-out for themselves who we're talking about, we've been very clear across many, many posts how we feel about these issues of who's responsible and who's just doin' their job...(agreed, just sometimes it doesn't hurt to repeat these things-Ed)...fair enough...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters... 

Masters of the Planiverse: The Rail Lands Years

Howdy, to the USof A, the Seychelles, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, and y'all elsewheres...lotta' chatta' locally re the state of decay of Mt Gambier City Council and their relentless 'Plans To Have Plans' announcements and associated pantomime 'Public Consultation'...and this weeks Master Plan is for the vibe of the town, man...(of how Mt Gambier might be like, groovy and happening, man-Ed)...right on, man, and again I refer and indeed defer, dear availees, to the most excellent Mt Gambier & Districts Residents & Ratepayers Association and the Blue Lake Briefing Room at their Facebook pages...BLBR has done a very thorough review of the lack of detail/specifics...(and what I'll call Blue-Sky Thinking-Ed)...yes well, I think that phrase has become sarcastic-jargon lore these days, to encapsulate this exact scenario, all flowery phrase and fluffy notions entirely sans actual detail/costings/etc...

As explained in the images below, Mt Gambier was gifted the Rail Lands back in 2004, and their first plan was for extensive Retail/Commercial Development (first image)...(as were their various subsequent plans in 2005/06 and 2011-Ed)...indeed...moving the Rail Easement Corridor was entirely about clearing the footprint for that massive development...(so massively costly and entirely unnecessary-Ed)...and I'd argue that the Retail/Commercial Agenda is alive and well, it's why the Old Rail Station has never been properly renovated and tenanted...(fair call-Ed)...but let us begin at the beginning...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These (below) are from the 30 page architect designs MGCC presented in February 2006...that design has 2-3 versions of the same extensive Retail/Commercial development on the site, including what is clearly a massive expansion of Centro Plaza...note that the Old Rail Station is right in the middle of that expansion...

 

 

 

Here's 2 related articles from The Border Watch, firstly, 'Where's the Bus Terminus everyone asked for?', and secondly, 'Developers sought'...note that Mr Cooke identifies 'MGCC didn't ask for a terminus' and potential "extension of the Lakes Village" (Centro Plaza)...

(***Apologies, I can't get "Rail lands developers sought" article from The Border Watch 20th April 2006 to load)

 

Then this in 2009, apologies I don't have a specific date.. 

 

 
 

And then came this (below) the November 2011 $10m Parklands Concept Plan (it's actual title)...(publicly launched with great fanfare in the Helpmann Theatre foyer, as per photo below-Ed)...indeed...great poster-sized printouts and glossy pamphlets and lotsa' Councillors, etc etc...

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This (below) is the front page of the 5 page pamphlet thingy that accompanied the launch...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then in September 2014, thusly cometh this...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And here's a link to a previous post re the Rail Lands, one of several in this 'ere blog...

 https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2014/09/hello-cyprus-belgium-indonesia-and.html

So a brief summary;
1) MGCC was gifted the Rail Lands site in 2004, and;
2) immediately set-about extensive Retail/Commercial development of the site, including;
3) a 30-page architects report/design (2005/06), then;
4) a $10m announcement/launch in November 2011, including a large covered plaza and Sound Shell, then;
5) revised that to a $4.2m project, still with Sound Shell that will be "funded" later, etc;
6) did massive earthworks on the site but virtually no infrastructure, eg, the iconic Old Rail Station remains derelict and unused;

7) in October 2015 MGCC was pushing "pop-up operations...to guide future use of former station building" (The Border Watch, 15th October 2025). 

 

And I went to every Public Consultation, did a coupla' written submissions, eg, use the Rail Station as a centralised Bus Terminus, etc etc etc, and MGCC did what they wanted, didn't do anything else, and 22 years after they were gifted that site for exactly zilch diddly-dollaroos, it remains a barren, wind-swept, and largely unusable wasteland...and just for good measure, here's a photo taken December 2023 of the banner MGCC hung on the Old Rail Station fence...  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there ya' go, a brief synopsis of the various 'Plans' MGCC has presented Ratepayers re the Rail Lands, as a template/prediction for each and every 'Master Plan' and related 'Public Consultation' MGCC has ever done and ever will allegedly do...

Tomorrow: Gourd Knows

Still operating at a functional level of existence, exhausted and generally just pissed-off...and apparently I ain't Robinson Crusoe, ie, many Ratepayers seem to feel much the same, especially when it comes to dealing with MGCC...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...  

"Phhhthdddddddd!!! Message For You Sir" - A Respectful Tilt At Reality

 It's the one thing that genuinely makes me laugh these days, watching people who don't know what they're watching, watching Monty Python...that, and Sean Lock...oh, and Joe Wilkinsons'  "I Just Named Your Penis" poem...never thought I'd get into 'Reaction' videos, but rediscovering Holy Grail, Life Of Brian, and The Meaning Of Life through the eyes of someone who doesn't know what they're in for, reminds me of the perfection of genius masked in farce that Monty Python achieved...(deadset, when we saw these movies as kids we thought it was okay, we knew what 'Python' was, and so suddenly cutting to/from cartoon segments, random 'cartoon-level' violence, etc, wasn't as impactful-Ed)...my point exactly...I can only urge all availees of this 'ere blog, if y'all ain't seen 'em yet, give it a burl, heck, ya' may even learn somethin'...I still do...(and watch each several times 'cos there's so much goin' on in literally every shot that ya' gunna' miss heaps of stuff the first coupla' times-Ed)...indeed, literally every shot is a visual gag/historical reference/witty repartee/etc, all done with amazing cinematography and soundtrack...Holy Grail is a master class in how to make an Artistic Mountain out of a Fiscal Molehill...

But, alas, we digress, this is not why we're here today, so to this...lotta' chatter locally about the appalling conduct of Mt Gambier City Council, and so-and-so is gunna' run for Council/Mayor, etc, etc...and all due respect and more power to ya's, all a' that, sincerely, but I'm gunna' wade right on in with my two-bobs worth...(sooo, not lecturing anyone?-Ed)...no...(or doin' the whole 'I know better' stuff?-Ed)...nah...(again-Ed)...hey! fair go...(nah nah, gourd bless, just jokin'...so, a genuinely respectful attempt to point-out some of the more perilous potholes on/in the road to Local Government glory-Ed)...precisely...(and we'd thank y'all to please not take pot shots at the messenger-Ed)...absolutely, I ain't The Message, not even the messenger, just pointin' at stuff and sayin' "WTAF?"...(and ironically, in The Holy Grail, Concorde only becomes the messenger after the message-bearing arrow sticks the message in him-Ed)...good point, I can relate...and first pothole off the rank please...

Non-Compulsory Voting: 

The Solution: Make it compulsory, and then hold Local Government Elections on the same day as State Elections, ie March every 4 years...there's an alleged necessity to move the November 2026 LGE to April 2027...I don't know why...(ummm, yeah, I think it was something about the screaming incompetence of the South Australian Electoral Commission thingy-Ed)...oh yeah, that's right...(has anyone done an 'Electoral Dysfunction' joke yet?-Ed)...anyhoos, that now aligns perfectly with running the 2030 LGE with the SE due in March 2030...heaps of time to get everything organised...concurrent compulsory elections = excellent participation...                          

This would also address another problem...(oo! oo! me! me!-Ed)...go on then...(candidates double-dipping?-Ed)...damn you're good, yes, candidates taking a 'bet-each-way sabbatical' from their Local Government position to run as State candidates, then if they don't win, just shufflin' back to their still-warm Council pedestal...(hey, that's happened here in the South East-Ed)...yep, holding both elections on the same day forces these clowns to make a choice...   

The Problem: Non-Compulsory voting for LGEs guarantees poor engagement/returns/turn-out, so only the motivated and organised really participate...(and motivated/organised does not imply positive intent-Ed)...most certainly not, and as it relates to Mt Gambier City, and my extensive personal interaction with them, it's the opposite...(soooo, the fewer votes returned, the lower the numbers required to get elected?-Ed)...exactly...(and those most motivated/organised enough to get those albeit small numbers, aren't doing it for the good of Mt Gambier?-Ed)...exactly again, they're there for self-aggrandisement and to re-pay their supporters who got them there...(I want to use the phrase "vested interests" for some reason-Ed)...an excellent point well made...

And sure, it could be argued that all a' that's just 'Politics', doesn't mean I gotta' like it...it is no exaggeration to state that if the next LGE was compulsory, then the current chronically compromised contingent wouldn't have a hope...(so here's to hoping for a frothing frenzy of frustrated voters seekin' to be wreakin' some electoral vengeance come April 2027-Ed)...and that's the issue right there...if too many people just vent on social media but don't actually vote, then the same clowns are just gunna' keep gettin' re-elected time-after-time...

I don't know how independent candidates can motivate/stimulate enough people to actually vote such-as to usurp the status-quo...(well, if I had to offer advice, I'd be suggestin' to be leanin' super-hard into that community anger, and pointing-out as often as possible the desperate need for them to vote-Ed)...so, lead-in with the button-punching realities, then offer the perfect salve; vengeance via the ballot box...clever...(well, like most things we produce/predict, it's just the glaring reality pointed-at, rather than some sublimely brilliant insight-Ed)...fair dues...

A History Of MGCC: The ICAC Years

Another massive hurdle is the vast array of near-daily pre-existing improprieties committed by MGCC that any newbies will inherit...(and not least of all, as compounded by the extraordinarily farcical 2013 ICAC (Independent Commissioner Against Corruption) alleged investigation of MGCC-Ed)...well, you've jumped ahead a bit, but sure, the definable protection MGCC enjoys from both the State Government and the supposedly 'independent' ICAC...I mean, I know how bad it is what it is that I know, yeah? but I'm quietly confident that it's way worse than that even...

I cannot go through all this ICAC stuff again, again, so if y'all ain't read this 'ere blog's various 'ICAC Posts' and ya' got no idea what I'm on about, then please go read that stuff...in brief review, in late 2013 I made document-supported reports (to the Ombudsman and local Member Don Pegler) of multiple Corruption issues I'd personally witnessed whilst attending dozens of MGCC meetings...ICAC swept-up those reports, pretended to 'investigate' them, eg, a cafe-chat with me and no actual hearings, etc, and then in January 2014, completely exonerated MGCC...then ICAC/SAPol/Courts/Parliament used the ICAC Act 2012 sec56 to come after me and this 'ere blog...30+ 'hearings' and 11 full days of actual 'trial', across 4 years (2014-18) and spent $$$???, etc etc, including 1) having my house raided (May 2014) as part of 2) my very own SAPol 'Operation Baritone'...etc etc etc ad infinitum...     

And I'm gunna' call it what I've always called it, namely, that which it is, Institutionalised Corruption, and it's 'protecting MGCC', and that's what any prospective genuine Councillor/Mayor is gunna' have to negotiate...not tryin' to put anyone off, not sayin' it can't be done, quite the opposite, but it needs more than just a coupla' motivated peeps tryin' to drag everyone else along...(the electorate needs to get out in front of the status quo, or, like we said before, ya' just gunna' get the same clowns once more again ad infinitum-Ed)...absolutely, it needs a strong suite of viable Candidates to usurp the well-supported incumbents, and all Candidates gotta' go into this with ya' eyes wide-open, ya' chins kept close to ya' chest, ya' guard well-up, and best fighting trousers on...and speaking of Institutionalised Corruption, this...

I've Seen Dead Whales Less Bloated: The Blessedly Un-Elected

The bloated bureaucracy that is the un-elected portion of the MGCC pie, eg, the CEO...not met the latest CEO, but by gourd I've met plenty of his predecessors, I've met what it takes to be MGCC CEO, and again, it ain't perrrty!...(you mean the sort of people who routinely give their mates lucrative jobs/contracts up to and including creating faux positions with ludicrous word-verbage titles, etc etc, and buy themselves luxury cars whilst forcing Ratepayers to wait for part-time buses in the pissing rain, etc etc, those sort of people?-Ed)...yep, those sort of people...these are the sort of people that any genuine newbie Councillor/Mayor is gunna' have to contend with...(and of course, Ratepayers/voters get no say in that Non-Elected Bureaucracy, it's an entirely internal mechanism that in effect employs to protect/perpetuate itself-Ed)...well yay, doesn't that sound just terrific...(well it terrifies me-Ed)...again, yay...

How Much Is The FARC In Debt?

See what I did there...(oh yeah, genius, you did a FARC joke-Ed)...well if you liked that, ya' gunna' love this, What Is The FARC In Reality?...(well I'd guess, a Liberal Party promotional vehicle-Ed)...well okay, sure, good answer, I believe the FARC was gunna' be a 'beacon-on-the-hill' accomplishment project to glorify Tony Pasin...(yeah, and the Federal and State Liberals, whom provided funding, $15m/$10m respectively-Ed)...correct, but even that was for a "$39.1m project"...given that the FARC has run-to twice that and then some, who is responsible for that massive debt load?...(wellll, Ratepayers are, Ratepayers are on the hook for every red cent-Ed)...okay, again true, but I'll rephrase that; who is responsible for 1) that ginormous cost blow-out, and 2) incurring the resultant massive debt?...(oh well that's 1) MGCC, and 2) MGCC-Ed)...yep, and that li'l ship my friend, in every respect, in every potentiality, in every eventuality, in each and every reality, in every parallel universe, that little ship has sailed...   

I went through the 4 MGCC Budgets from prior to it's opening, and the total for construction was at nearly $75m...(and that doesn't include whatevs amounts are listed as Line Items in other parts of the Budgets, eg, landscaping/road works/etc-Ed)...precisely...with what I've read, I'm absolutely confident claiming that the FARC cost just over $80m, I just don't know how far "just over" is...I've only spoken with 1 person who claimed to have worked on the FARC, and they were scathing, describing multiple cock-ups/re-does/wastage, and a cost blow-out to around $100m...(didn't that senior Liberal supporters' son get multiple paycheques 'cos MGCC kept changing plans?-Ed)...as one fine example...I have however spoken to numerous people who had family/friends on site/involved, and they have without exception backed-in everything that first person said, and on occasion, worse...it has been directly alleged to me, repeatedly, that the "$100m" claim is both correct, and optimistic...

And there is only ever one way to specifically define what that cost is, and that's for MGCC to release all the relevant documents...and MGCC is so compromised/confronted/exposed by that data, there's a snowballs' chance they'll do that, so, anyone could make literally any claim about the FARC and MGCC won't/can't challenge it...(ooo, ooo, challenge accepted, it was ummm, $120m-Ed)...jest ye may, but that figure came-up a coupla' times...(deadset?!-Ed)...not so bloody funny now is it?...with the totality of what I've read/seen/heard, and given the deceitful and secretive conduct of MGCC across the entirety of this gold-plated debasco*, I genuinely believe the Genuine Construction Cost to be at, if not above, the $100m mark...                       (*debacle tail-ending a fiasco, at speed)  

But even if we go back to the $75m, the Libs shunted $25m at it, so where did the other $50m materialise from?...(and even if ya' believe MGCCs' figure, $63m, it's still $38m needed-Ed)...yep, but get MGCC to fully explain that "$38m", let-alone the higher figures, and how exactly it is MGCC/Ratepayers are gunna' go about repaying it all, etc etc, it ain't gunna' happen...(so there's what the FARC cost to construct, and then there's obviously the resultant massive interest repayments-Ed)...and chuck onto that Running Costs and Depreciation...it is widely reported that the FARC is costing/losing $5m per annum, but I don't believe that any of those monies addresses the capital of the loans, it's just interest repayments...

In conclusion; whilst I'm being as accurate as possible, across all these issues, I am as always, happy and indeed hoping to be proven wrong on any and all points...I absolutely believe these FARC numbers to be right about the mark if not absolutely correct...I'm not an accountant, and I know there's stuff/costs in other areas of the Budget but not exactly what/where, etc...(and as identified, this is in good part what others have said to you, albeit proffered and received in good faith-Ed)...poetically put sir...(more than happy for anyone, MGCC especially, to wade right-in here and edumicate us all real good 'bout all them confusing numbers-Ed)...amen...

I believe that those in our community whom have chosen to publicly challenge MGCC do so knowing full-well what it is goin' on, but it needs everyone to understand and for genuine numbers to challenge/usurp the status quo...it's also likely there's some thing/s I haven't thought of, but whatevs, this li'l lot's enough until...

Tomorrow: Or Probably Later In The Week

So I have gone pretty hard in this post, but in review, there's nothing I would recant...I don't know what else one could say about MGCC who preside over such malicious bastardry as the dysfunctional disgrace that is part-time Public Transport, lack of shelters, etc, and how that affects Ratepayers who also happen to be people, etc etc, yet have literally $$$millions to buy themselves luxury cars...(and before anyone starts hollerin' about "6 Top of the Line Ford Rangers don't cost $$$m, no, it'd be maybe half a mill, tops" we're talking about across decades that Mt Gambier Public Transport has been grossly underfunded, and MGCC have failed to meet their most basic legal responsibilities to provide infrastructure access/shelters/signage/lighting/etc-Ed)...yeah, what he said...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...(and for new availees, I'm Ed and I'm a confected literary device, not an actual person, so don't blame me-Ed)...and from us both, cheers and laters... 

 

Why Is Australian Jazz So 'Rapey'? Asking For A Friend

Hi dear availees...as promised, a short, sharp reprise of the who/what/where/why/when of Graeme Lyall and why I find it so problematic just hearing that name...(and given his appalling conduct and quite earned/deserved reputation, I'm sure it's a name that traumatises plenty of people-Ed)...yeah, fair call...so today we're gunna' try to be as focussed and succinct and yet done with good humour, all as the subject matter allows...again...

This topic is covered elsewhere on this 'ere blog, and also in that Facebook post, and how it impacts/triggers my Agoraphobia stuff, etc etc...try not to dwell on it, good days/bad days, all that stuff, but it all bluntly bludgeoned its' way back into my everyday just a few months ago, and then again last week via the ABC SE Radio...(yeah, it's been a tough row to hoe thus far this Year of the Fire Horse thingy-Ed)...indeed, and technically we're only half way through it, February 2026 - February 2027...(strewth-Ed)...but we digress...   

If y'all ain't yet read the relevant New Matilda articles, here's the links, and please peruse these before continuing 'cos I'm gunna' make reference to them that you otherwise may not understand...

https://newmatilda.com/tag/graeme-lyall/  

And having said all that and with this all yet to come, it is not lost on me that there are many people in/around jazz/GIJ/etc, who are just decent people lookin' to participate/contribute, and whom likely have no idea what's going on around them...

Here's the short version; 

1) Alleged jazz doyen Graeme Lyall used access to children via the highly-regarded Generations In Jazz event to groom a teenage girl, stating that he had given prizes to girls he found attractive.

2) Lyall continued to groom, and then Sexually Assaulted the teenage girl at the Jazz Academy, in its' first iteration at Tennyson Woods College (Catholic school).

3) Most if not all of those Sexual Assaults occurred on the Tennyson Woods campus.

4) The Catholic Church/Tennyson Woods investigated and paid the student compensation.

5) In that New Matilda interview Lyall accidentally acknowledges the Sexual Assault whilst complaining that the student had revived/pursued this issue after receiving a pay-out.

6) Knowing all this because he was intimately involved, James Morrison continued to support and even employ Lyall.

7) When this was briefly covered in the Mt Gambier media, the Tennyson Woods principal and a senior local cop were on the ABC SE Radio hosing it all down as 'nothing to see here'. 

8) As covered in this blog, Lyall has since been repeatedly 'employed' by Morrison and/or various jazz events, that have knowingly exposed teenagers/children to him.  

So that, all of that, is stone-cold fact...not a version, not an opinion, nothing to do with me other than I'm the chump stupid enough to point at it and say "What The Actual?"...and I'll add this as further fact...

9) Within 2 days of that radio denial, a rumour-tsunami swept Mt Gambier about what a slut the girl was and/or how she started it and/or she'd done it before and/or she was just after the money and/or a combination of all the above...

And that was the clincher, that's why I knew it was true before I even met the young woman, because that's exactly what the Lutherans did to us at St Martins, ie, protected the "text-book grooming paedophile" teacher and openly attacked us few parents as the only genuine problem, particularly the stuff about "just doing it for the money"...  

And it would be tres remiss of one to discuss Graeme and exclude his mate/enabler James Morrison...in fact, it's outright impossible...but today I simply cannot deal with/do all the stuff about Morrison, eg, his extraordinary public and legal support of his Morrison Jazz Academy student Matthew Harkin...Harkin was charged with 2(two) counts of Raping a fellow student, plead guilty to 1(one) count of Indecent Assault, $500(?) fine, no conviction, bolted outta' the country back to USofA, etc...Morrison gave him a glowing reference (possibly more than one), including petitioning the Court to give Harkin special bail provisions to travel to Melbourne and be recorded for an album...  

People like Lyall do not operate in a vacuum, they require people around them who are either outright supportive of their conduct, weakly ambivalent, or just so extremely self-interested to the point of indifference...enablers and sycophants and sociopaths...and all those who know but are just too piss-weak...and I get that last one, really I do, 'cos the punishment for speaking-out is abuse and ostracisation...(mate, I can almost hear the 'Comments' already; 'boo, Nick Fletcher, boooo, he's havin' a go at GIJ and Saint James of the Golden Trumpet now, boooo'-Ed)...well quite, and again, it's exactly what was done to us parents by the Lutherans at St Martins...(ignore/deny and attack the person/people saying it-Ed)...

Absolutely, but in my shell-like is the booming chorus of "Where Are The Good Men Speaking-Out?"...and I ain't even a good man, fair-to-middling at best...so if I'm so driven by the realities to call this out and knowingly suffer the resultant slings and arrows...(and burning torches and pitchforks-Ed)...yeah, them too, all of that, if I can do this, where's everyone else?...so to tomorrows' post...

Tomorrow: If It Takes A Village To Raise A Child, What Sort Of Village Does It Take To Cover-up The Abuse Of Dozens Of 7 Year Old Kids?

To steal/paraphrase a joke from Derek & Clive, it's a rather long question but it's a very short answer; Mt Gambier...(oh I see what you've done there-Ed)...indeed, and in case y'all hadn't noticed, I ain't exactly feelin' the love for Mt Gambier at the moment, but consider this...if you're reading this and take wild offense, that's likely 'cos you identify, and that's on you, not me...and don't abuse me for dragging this shizzle out into the light, 'cos if this shizzle didn't exist there'd be nought to drag... 

Regular availees will have no doubt noticed that June 2026 is the 24th anniversary of the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up...or, if you prefer, count-back to when Glyn Dorling was first moved to Mt Gambier by the Lutherans after "an incident in Adelaide" back in the late 1990s, and it's 27th? 28? 29?...  

And I have the great good fortune that every day I leave the house, always a traumatic burden in and of itself, that same Herculean effort rewards me with the presence of just ordinary decent people just trying to live their lives...as am I...(and of course you don't loathe Mt Gambier per se, it's the woefully complicit/corrupt politicians/police/senior Lutherans/etc etc et al that you've encountered/endured since moving here-Ed)...well precisely, and as others frequently remind me, that Clown Posse ain't restricted to just Mt Gambier, they are literally everywhere...(my point exactly, this exact same stuff could've happened in Adelaide-Ed)...indeed, would have likely happened exactly the same, so it's redundant to 'blame Mt Gambier'... 

And to bring it full-circle with this joyous observation; it's obviously not just Australian Jazz that's so 'Rapey', it's just Australia full-stop...and again, if you take offense, to someone stating that undeniable fact, then you are exactly the problem...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters... 

 

  

The Good News Is Also The Bad News

Hi to y'all whom have been hittin'-up this 'ere blog recently...obviously, I haven't posted anything since about March 2025, but as you've likely read about some of The Issues involved already, given what doing it has cost me, physically/mentally/legally, it's pretty much a case of self-preservation...I, that is 'we'...(cheers-Ed)...just had to walk away from it for a wee while...and even then, just doing that was problematic in and of itself 'cos I felt driven to address/resolve all this and hugely guilty for 'dropping it'... 

As others have put it to me, just reading the content can be fairly heavy going at the best of times, so it must be extraordinarily traumatising to actually be living this shizzle...and indeed it is, and indeed that's why I started the blog in the first instance...it had/has the dual benefits of 1) allowing me to address those issues in a context where I was otherwise powerless/voiceless 'cos our local mainstream media was/is a big part of the problem...and 2) giving me a massively cathartic conduit to release the anger/trauma and achieve a sense of achievement/resolution where neither actually really existed...

But even after I'd given it away, that compulsion to fight-back, to resolve everything/anything, it relentlessly pushed me to step sortta' sideways into TMGI Facebook...that is to say, I've continued to try and engage with important and even relatively minor issues in a short-form, far-more-polite way by doing a The Mount Gambier Independent Facebook page...by way of example, please be availin' y'allselves of the paste-'n'-copy piece just there below, my most recent post on TMGI Facebook...

Again thank y'all, your support/patronage has inspired me to re-engage with this 'ere blog, and I will embrace what is clearly my strengths if not actual destiny, and continue to butt my rather generous noggin' against the colossal coalface that is fundamental human nature...to the Facebook... 

Hi,

Yet another rather brutal week in my li'l corner of the universe.

As I've oft said; "If you're a halfway decent person, who gives half a plucked pheasant about other persons/humanity and the environment/planet, etc etc et al; and you're halfway informed as to the status/condition of all the aforementioned, then you're in for a very tough go of it.

By way of example.

I've talked briefly about my PTSD/trauma/Agoraphobia stuff, ie, what triggers it and how it manifests, etc.

Because this is such serious/unpleasant/traumatic fare, I'm gunna' try to keep it as jovial as the subject matter allows.

Agoraphobia: has many different triggers/guises/responses, and it can be a bituvva' catchphrase, but we're in the ballpark, yeah?

Mine is essentially/literally every time I leave the house, I encounter some trauma-triggering event.

By way of example and to put it in context for you, let's say it's some sort of issue at your childs' former school.

And lets say that everyone involved who should've acted to resolve that issue, chose instead, to do the exact opposite.

And let's call doing thattttt, I dunno', let's call it 'complicit'.

Then imagine that every time you leave your house, in that very small town, literally every time ya' gunna' have to drive past some related building/place and/or see that person/s complicit, etc etc.

And then imagine, stick with me, imagine that 'cos a' all a' that ya' get unwittingly edumicated about all sortsa' other great stuff about, let's say, Council Corruption, and also, I dunno', 'Grooming Predators' maybe.

Andrew Tate's on the tv/radio/news a lot at the moment, so it's often difficult to even get outta' the house before getting bludgeoned with that dainty trigger-stick.

Which leads us to this; last Saturday morning on ABC SE Radio and an interview about a jazz show in the Main Corner.

The Main Corner Corruption is a story unto itself, and I was just laughing at that when taken by a sense of impending dread.

And I didn't have to wait long; mutual gushing praise for Graeme Lyall.

And if you don't understand why the mere mention of that name is such offense unto mine delicate shell-like, then I envy you, I'd rather not know too.

If ya wanna' know then Interweb-search him; search-term him and 'New Matilda' and/or read TMGI The Blog.

Reckon the young interviewee had no idea, fair enough, but the interviewer knows who Graeme is.

Thanks for reading this through, hope it wasn't too confronting/traumatising, but I can't carry all this stuff all the time, sometimes I just gotta' say it out loud.

Also, it puts into context why I talk about enjoying the pleasant distraction of the minutiae of dog park shelters or dodgy bores, etc, 'cos compared to this stuff, that's a doddle.

Cheers, Nick

Like I said, relatively calm, relatively polite...in fact, given the vast array of cascading traumas that this sent stampeding to thunderous rampage across the battered steppe that is my lived reality, I reckon I've done quite well there...(and not a bad sentence if we do say so ourself-Ed)...ah, yes, for those new to this 'ere blog, that's Eds' way of reminding you that he's a confected literary device used to construct discussion rather than lecturing, set-up jokes, etc etc, ie, it's me, just me...(it's like SAPol Anti-Corruption Branch 'Operation Baritone', that's just you too isn't it?-Ed)...wow, you just will not let that go will you?..(let it go? me, let it go? I might remind you that you write me, soooo-Ed)...ah yeah...(and besides, it's also a remarkable story, an entire SAPol 'Operation' targeting one single person and their blog-Ed)...yes, well, when you put it like that...(we do put it like that 'cos that is exactly what it is like!-Ed)...fa' shizzle...

(And also besides, it doesn't hurt to remember that SAPol and the Court repeatedly refused to address any of the litany of well-documented crimes/issues rampant in this 'ere blog, insisting instead that your 'ICAC trial' was only about us, ie, this 'ere blog-Ed)...fair point...(and do you remember that one hilarious time that Magistrate Ian White did specifically address one issue, ie, the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, albeit to dismiss it as a fiction, stating "I see no evidence of a cover-up...etc etc"? remember that?-Ed)...I wouldn't call it hilarious, but yes, I recall...(yeah, and as he said it you just stood-up and berated him, "Who do you think you are? You don't get to say whether or not there's been any abuse at that school!"...etc etc-Ed)...sure, and your point?...(the looks on the faces of the various Court staff present, no disrespect intended, but the slack-jawed bewilderment that someone would do/say that-Ed)...yeah okay, that was kinda' funny...

And equally funny, that for all the times/shizzle I've been in that Courthouse, it was/is one of the very few places I could/can go in this town and know I'll be treated respectfully...(it's almost like they've seen so many dickheads through there that they can see 'hey, this one isn't quite as much dickhead as most we've had to deal with', and that dealing with you is going to be a calm and mutually respectful experience-Ed)...     

If you've read enough of the blog to be pre-acquainted with Graeme, you'll fully appreciate 1) really actually how well I've done there (above) to keep it that focussed/respectable for Facebook ...and 2) why I might feel obligated to spell it all out, again, for those whom may not yet have had the pleasure...which ironically but with a definite air of serendipity is how we'll re-launch this 'ere blog, with a thorough post about ol' mate Graeme and all his groovy jazz buddies/supporters/sycophants...

Tomorrow: Grooming, Sexual Assault, And All That Jazz

And I know well in advance that ain't almost nobody gunna' thank me for slingin' mud, albeit factually correct mud, at their precious shreckin' jazz...(well I wouldn't call it mud, I'd call it excrement, and it's excrement of their own creation, so no-one should complain when we return it whence it came-Ed)...another great point Ed, you're runnin' hot today...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters... 

 

An Important Update Regarding MLC Frank Pangallo And ICAC

Howdy and welcome to a super-short and entirely self-explanatory post..getting very 'meta' here by re-posting my own Facebook post about my letter replying to Frank's threat text...have at it...***

Hi,
An important update re a recent post.
Mid-afternoon, Sunday 16th March 2025 I received this text (below) from MLC (Member Legislative Council -South Australian Parliament) Frank Pangallo.
I have contacted Mr Pangallo today via email for clarification;

Dear Frank,
I refer to your text message received at 1535hrs on Sunday afternoon 16th March 2025, as copied here for reference;

Hi Nick.
How did you go with digging out those documents for me?
I have just read your blog Nick.
It is seriously defamatory.
I advise you withdraw those comments and apologise.
Frank Pangallo.

What other “documents” are you referring to?
Or are you referring to the dossier of documents re my prosecution by ICAC/SAPol (and attached 7-page index) I provided you a year ago by registered post, at your request, after you first phoned me on 8th March 2024?
I have not heard from you since April 2024, and you returned those documents to me several weeks ago via standard post, without any note/text/explanation why, or as to why you’ve failed to act, etc.
Again, what other “documents” are you referring to?
Your general statement about my blog, The Mount Gambier Independent, is very vague and does not identify what content you consider to be “seriously defamatory”.
What are the specific comments you advise me to withdraw and apologise for?
Yours, Nick Fletcher.

It is an extraordinarily serious matter that a MLC would threaten a private citizen like this, let alone do it on a Sunday arvo.
If and when I get a response from Mr Pangallo I'll post.
Cheers, Nick.

***And that's all...if you need any/more info then just have a wee tool-about on this 'ere blog, most if not all the info you might need is lurking furtively here-in...  

Tomorrow: But More Likely Next Month

Obviously haven't stopped TMGI altogether, but very much enjoying being able to spend extended time away from it without feeling 'guilty' that I should somehow be doing more..

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...