Is James Morrison Leaving Mt Gambier? Sure Looks Like It

Howdy dear availees everywhere...no apologies for continuing the current run of posts about Rapist Supporter/Protector James 'Jimmy Trumpets' Morrison...there's so much deceit and disgrace to cover, and a recent development to dissect...all that aside, it was a full-page homage to Trumpets in the Lifestyle advertorial magazine thingy that really triggered me on this particular occasion...just over half the page is Jimmy again blaming COVID19 for the spectacular collapse of the James Morrison Academy of Music, and self-praising about his alleged commitment to the welfare of the kiddies...(I loved the text-book gaslighting paragraph about how the collapse of the JMA is in fact a good thing that will release the gifted dove from the gilded cage of tertiary education, and instead allow Trumpets to spread his wings and fly, fly, be free Jimmy, fly-Ed)...yes, indeed, and whilst it's not clear if it's Jimmy's own words or an observation by the writer, it's all part of the same false reality that Jimmy's trying to construct...

     So freeing JMA from the framework of an accredited tertiary education to a veritable road                        train of performances and workshops seems a better fit for jazz education, like freeing a student              from the monotony of learning scales to just scatting. 

(Ummm, just skipping past the fact that 'scat' is a specific zoological term for 'shit'-Ed)...bahahaha...(a civilian's observation - I ain't no muso-type, but doesn't one need to first learn and then near-perfect scales to get to the level of proficiency that allows decent 'scatting'?-Ed)...that sir, is a perfectly relevant and accurate observation, of course a muso needs to learn and practice basic structures of whatevs sort of music...(I mean, there's always ya' self-taught types, but even then 'learning scales' is a basic skill-Ed)...and Jimmy's also saying that he's gunna' spend more time educating the JMA educators themselves, something he's apparently neglected in the past...(but who's employing and/or paying for these now surplus teachers, I mean, no permanent students and currently no actual plans announced for these supposed 'drive-by/drop-in' lessons, so what are they all doing and who's paying?-Ed)...great questions Ed, it does sound a bit convoluted bordering on nonsensical, but I've no idea how that's meant to work...(I do note that Trumpets is very specific about retaining the Old Town Hall complex as a base, but why does he need that entire building if there's no students/classes?-Ed)...I believe it's called maintaining a front, ie, as an excuse and/or medium for channelling money into the now de-funked JMA, and given he's paying stuff-all rent, why not?...(is it possibly a deceitful distraction to falsely alleviate the concerns of some locals that Jimmy's going to bolt from Mt Gambier permanently?-Ed)...quite possibly Ed, quite possibly...

One thing is certain, never let it be misunderstood, Jimmy's self-congratulatory commitment to 'education' and students is purely a financial one, students are a commodity to be profited from, and if anyone threatens that lucrative cash-cow, Jimmy cuts them loose and protects his own best financial interests...(spot on, and then there's all his dodgy related business dealings with various mates/associates, eg, The Barn, and as covered by independent journo Matilda Duncan-Ed)...here's the links to a coupla' her several posts about Jimmy Trumpets...and I urge y'all to read those other very thoroughly researched posts, if y'all haven't already...Ms Duncan lays bare the incestuous web of personally profitable dealings...(not least of all involving the clear misuse of 'charity monies'-Ed)...which, as a layperson, I would consider to be fraud, but that's just a personal observation...(I still can't fathom how Generations In Jazz managed to wrangle 'Charity Status', it's a straight-out private business-Ed)...yes, it's a fascinating question that no-one, not even the most excellent researcher Ms Duncan has been able to answer/explain...so do please read Ms Duncan's other articles about Morrison's questionable financial dealings, eg, how he received $500,000 from the Weatherill (Labor) state government, as 'seed-funding' for JMA, without actually formally applying for it...('ow's that done then?-Ed)...errrr, dodgily?...(fabulous...and what's happened with that $500k now that Morrison's failed massively to meet the associated KPIs about enrolment numbers-Ed)...dunno', another great question...anyhoos, here's those links...   

https://matildaduncan.net/stories/20/jan/29/business-deals-behind-generations-in-jazz

https://matildaduncan.net/stories/2019/nov/morrison-regional-development-funding-application 

And whilst I'm not gunna' go through it all again, here's the links to the 2 articles from the New Matilda website...again, if y'all haven't yet read them, please do, 'cos they establish critical points of fact about Trumpets unwavering support for and protection of his mate 'alleged' Rapist Graeme Lyall, and Jimmy's coinciding betrayal/failure of Lyalls 'latest(?)' victim/supporter...(and we say 'latest(?)' 'cos given he admitted giving GIJ awards to young women he "found attractive", it is very, very reasonable to theorise that there may well have been other students that Lyall has Groomed and Raped-Ed)...and whom have been ignored and/or silenced or even just quit, etc, etc...given how GIJ Tennyson Woods College and SAPol(police) and Morrison conspired to cover-up this specific Grooming and Rape, literally anything is possible...(and add to that the sickly complicit role of SAPol in the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up (2002), then it quickly moves from 'possible' to 'probable'-Ed)...indeed, in a community and police force with a culture of covering-up Child Abuse, it's highly likely that there are multiple other incidents/victims, we just haven't heard about them, yet...here's those links... 

https://newmatilda.com/2017/12/19/jazz-icon-graeme-lyalls-lawyers-threat-nm-with-contempt-proceedings-over-leaked-catholic-report/

https://newmatilda.com/2018/05/03/jazz-icon-showed-lewd-images-students-denies-james-morrison-academy-claims-teaching-role-ever-restricted/

And note, Lyall himself 1) doesn't actually deny that he Groomed and Raped a teenage student, but instead, 2) confirms the Catholic Report that 3) saw the student receive "a payout", and 4) adamantly confirms that Morrison continued to employ him for several years, until 5) the Catholic Report forced UniSA's hand, and 6) denies his contact with students was ever restricted by Morrison/JMA...(and like any good narcissist perpetrator Graeme blames the young woman he preyed-on for the unpleasant repercussions of his own actions-Ed)...Language Warning:...what a fucking prick, couldn't happen to a nicer sack-a'-fuckery, I truly hope that his life/career is every bit as fucking rooted as he's whinging about...End Language Warning...from that article...  

     Mr Lyall continues to work in Mt Gambier, and provides private lessons for music students                      through Manser Music. He told New Matilda his life was now in tatters, and took aim at the                    woman he says is responsible.

     “I’m sick of her dragging this up every year,” Mr Lyall said. “She got a payout from the                           Catholic Church. That should have been enough, but no, she went to UniSA showed them                       the report which was confidential. Cost me my whole career.”

Morrison had Lyall still working at the Jimmy Trumpets Academy when it opened in 2015, and that's what's really triggered me to go at Morrison again today...(how so?-Ed)...well, that full-page about Morrison we mentioned, the lower third is about Starting The James Morrison Academy Of Music - Opened March 2015, and includes 3 photos...(don't tell me, Lyall's in those photos-Ed)...bingo, in 2 of the 3, and in one he's dead-set centre with Trumpets just standing to his right...(and didn't Morrison continue to allow Lyall access to JMA students as recently as 2019?-Ed)...yes Ed, yes he did...regular availees will remember that we covered this issue in previous posts...here's the ad for the 2019 soiree and the article from 2018 about the same event...and the point is that Lyall didn't just rock-up and play with the students on the night...(which is bad enough-Ed)...sure, but there must have been some rehearsals, so James Morrison has provided self-confessed Groomer/Rapist Lyall further multiple opportunities to prey on JMA students... 

 

So y'all can see why I have gone so hard at this stuff, 'cos 1) it's an ongoing situation that continues because of Morrison's direct failures and/or involvement, and 2) the Matthew Harkin case proves beyond doubt that Morrison will actively support/protect 'alleged' Rapists...and given all this, what's happened that we don't know about?...I'm gunna' do a quick review of several key points, and then on to the main topic today, Is James Morrison Leaving Mt Gambier?...

Trumpets Blames COVID19:...according to the official Main Stream Media reportage (The Border Watch, The Advertiser) when UniSA pulled the plug on their accreditation/association with the JMA, UniSA declined and/or refused to explain why, referring journos to Jimmy for comment...and we'll say it again, if it was genuinely unfortunately unavoidable 'cos of COVID19, why wouldn't UniSA just say that?...(exactly, and do so with the good ol' common pleasantries, 'it's with great sorrow', and 'we wish JMA every good fortune moving forward', etc, etc-Ed)...exactly ya'self...(the way it's been reported literally throws it on Trumpets, directly inferring that it's his decision and/or as a result of his actions, and with that comes a tangible air of suspicion-Ed)...correct...a simple, uncontroversial response from UniSA explains and concludes the issue, but the actual responses are the sort of thing an angry parent might say to the other parent when quizzed about an errant child's behaviour/punishment...(that's the exact vibe, I couldn't quite summarise it myself, but that's it, increasing the 'punishment' by making the perpetrator confess/explain what they've done to earn the wrath-Ed)...yep, 'you explain to your mother why you're not allowed any XBox for a week', that's the exact vibe...

Welfare Of My Students Is So Important:...(bollocks, absolute bollocks-Ed)...well so long as they're paying their fees...(orr yeah, in that case-Ed)...Generations In Jazz and JMA are purely wealth creation operations, hiding in plain sight behind Jimmy's provably vacuous statements about how he's motivated by a desire to help/educate the kiddies...(and provably false, as defined by the way he's abandoned at least 2 female victim/survivors of Sexual Assault/Rape, and openly supported/protected the perpetrators-Ed)...exactly...at GIJ Academy at Tennyson Woods (Catholic) College, Jimmy's close personal friend Graeme Lyall Groomed and Raped a young student, and Morrison continued to employ him...(and with Matthew Harkin, Morrison helped Harkin-Ed)...who was originally charged with 2 counts of Rape...(yep, Morrison directly involved himself in getting Harkin modified Bail conditions, then took him to Melbourne for a 'recorded concert', and also provided a 'character reference' that directly influenced those charges being reduced to a single count of Indecent Sexual Assault-Ed)...indeed, then No Conviction recorded, with a pathetically miniscule $500 Good Behaviour Bond, and Harkin bolted outta' the country...(and a big part of Morrison's reference and associated argument for leniency, was that a Conviction would damage/destroy Harkin's chances of becoming a music teacher-Ed)...exactly, absolutely bizarre and disgraceful trivialising of what was obviously a terrible and apparently protracted Sexual Assault, and allowing the perpetrator to plead Guilty to a single lesser charge, and then bugger-off overseas, with no recorded history of Sexual Assault, to become a teacher no less...(and right at the heart of it, James Morrison-Ed)...Language Warning...and what did Jimmy do to support Harkin's victim?...(ummm, well, according to her, sweet fuck all?-Ed)...just exactly that, sweet fuck all...End Language Warning...

Yeah sorry, I'm starting to get bogged down in the detail again...(well it's easy to do when it's so fundamentally obvious what's been happening at GIJ and the JMA, and the omnipresent sense of foreboding that these 2 cases are just the tip of the iceberg-Ed)...fair enough, but let's just refer dear availees to the multiple media reports and our many previous posts, etc, and move onto the final observation...(which is?-Ed)...that Morrison is leaving Mt Gambier and has been doing everything to keep that hidden from locals...(like with the Red Herring we identified previous regarding his supposed 'non-financial' involvement with the old WIN TV building-Ed)...a perfect example, Trumpets repeatedly stating that 'there's possibilities there', but not actually tying himself to it financially...(and then all this stuff about keeping the Old Town Hall-Ed)...yep...well I've had multiple randoms in my shell-like (ear) for at least 12 months about how the Morrisons appeared to be selling-off various local investment properties and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff...(as it was put to me, "everything that's not nailed down"-Ed)...indeed, that's similar to what I've heard...

Where Rumours Meet Reality:...'cos I don't know exactly the veracity of the various rumours and/or allegations I've had hurled my way, but that's what I have been told, ie, that the Morrisons have been flogging tons of stuff on Gumtree/Ebay/wherevs...(and that they've divested themselves of their various 'investment properties' in Mt Gambier-Ed)...yep, that too...(and that Trumpets sold his plane-Ed)...well I heard that some time ago, but yeah, sold his plane...(and have bought a property in Melbourne-Ed)...yeah, apparently selling-up here and moving to Melbourne, that's the jist of what I'm hearing...(and as you say, technically it's all rumours/theories, but what recent development has bought it all into a relatively sharp focus-Ed)...well Ed, I'm glad you asked...yesterday, as I was driving up Bay Rd, I saw Judy Morrison get out of a Jeepy-looking car, and walk into a house with a For Sale sign out the front...(oh my, do tell-Ed)...well that's it, I thought their place was actually further up the hill, but apparently no, that's their place, and it's For Sale...(and if that's for sale, that adds a degree of credibility to these other rumours/allegations-Ed)...indeed it does...and I remind dear availees that people like Jeff Kennett have been trying, for quite some time, to lure GIJ to Melbourne...is this what's happening?...

So there's the questions, 1) is Morrison leaving Mt Gambier permanently?...and if so, 2) what does that mean for the JMA/Old Town Hall?... and 3) what does that mean for the future of Generations In Jazz?...(but who do ya' go to to try to get those answers? Council? Morrison?-Ed)...exactly, Morrison's already being deliberately deceitful about literally everything to do with the JMA...(and Council, even if you could get a straight answer outta' them, and that's a humongous 'IF', they potentially don't even know what's really happening-Ed)...exactly, but the sale of that Bay Rd property is an established fact that lends credence to all the other rumours/allegations...all I can say is 'watch this space'...(I'm still bemused and a li'l confused as to the apparent lack of reportage and/or public concern about the JMA officially shutting-down, do people not realise what this means?-Ed)...well, as we've covered, Trumpets is going everything to distract from and diffuse any such concerns/discourse, so perhaps peeps just don't fully appreciate what's happening...   

The Ultimate Irony?:...given the way Morrison has abandoned and betrayed these young female victims/survivors of Sexual Assault, and UniSA's refusal to comment on that exact issue when asked, it appears that it's potentially these betrayals/failures that have come back to haunt Morrison and cost him literally everything...(and if so, it's a karmic blow-back he's so thoroughly earned-Ed)...indeed it is...

Tomorrow: Back To The FARCin' Future

'Cos that Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre debasco (debacle meets fiasco) is gunna' dominate Mt Gambier's financial dealings/burden for many decades to come...(ya' know, with the extraordinary sums that Mt Gambier City Council has borrowed, up around $45million apparently, there's the very real prospect that Mt Gambier will never fully 'recover' from this debt burden, but will instead be rendered 'bankrupt' in the not-to-distant future-Ed)...well yay, that's terrific, just terrific...

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

More James Morrison Lies About Academy Closure

Howdy dear availees...apologies for the week-long hiatus but I've been very unwell...won't bore y'all with the details, but still struggling along...anyhoos, fortunately I can 'come-back' with a relatively short post to cover what's been in the last 2 posts...so if y'all haven't read those posts...(and the posts from earlier this year-Ed)...yep, I've included those links...(and the posts about James Morrison supporting and protecting the 'alleged' Rapist Matthew Harkin-Ed)...yeah those as well, actually, just quickly, for those whom haven't already read them, here's those links again...

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2021/02/unisa-dumps-james-morrison-academy-but.html

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2021/02/unisa-dumps-morrison-jazz-academy.html

https://matildaduncan.net/stories/20/jan/29/business-deals-behind-generations-in-jazz

And here's also the links to TMGI's posts specifically about Harkin and Morrison...there are several others if y'all want to check them out, but these are the main ones...

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2019/11/latest-morrison-jazz-academy-sexual.html

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2020/07/breaking-news-morrison-jazz-academy.html

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2020/08/with-morrisons-support-jazz-academy.html

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2020/08/latest-expose-on-morrison-jazz-academy.html

In our most recent post we did a fully verbatim transcript from Morrison's speech at the JMA Farewell Concert (Thursday 11th November 2021) and as played on the ABC South East on the following Saturday morning...(and we included a brief synopsis of the lies Jimmy was spewing-out-Ed)...indeed, and on Monday 15th November Jimmy Trumpets was interviewed at length on ABC SE, and again trotted-out the same deceitful non-justifications for the closure of the Academy...he has again blamed COVID19 as being the main factor, stating that, as a result 1) international students couldn't get here, and that 2) UniSA had 'closed' all of their external programs...as we've previously highlighted, if COVID19 was in anyway the genuine reason, then why did UniSA refuse to make that comment?...(indeed, refused to comment at all-Ed)...exactly, and it's so glaringly obvious what UniSA could/would have said, ie, 'due to the global pandemic, unfortunately UniSA has no choice but to end our  association with the wonderful Morrison Academy. It is a great loss, and we wish James and JMA every success in the future.'...(exactly! it's exactly that simple, no statement at all is the silence that screams volumes-Ed)...and leaves us to fill in the blanks...

And Trumpet boy was apparently on ABC Adelaide Radio on Saturday 20th November 2021, but I missed it...however, it has been described to me as being very similar to Jimmy's previous statements/interviews, in that he said the closure was due to COVID19, and that he's 'all about helping the underprivileged kiddies', etc...(and apparently there was a brief article in The Advertiser on Saturday 13th November 2021, which was just more of the same vacuous excuses, ie, COVID19-Ed)...yep, and as explained above, if that were the genuine excuse/reason, then UniSA would have just said exactly that...  

Not sure why I haven't come across this before, but here's the link to a petition to have Morrison removed from the ABC's Jazz playlist Top 100 thingy...it's a year old now, but is an excellently written   summation of the many issues around Morrison's intimate support for the perpetrator, and abject failure to support the victim/survivor...(it's quite long and there are a series of links to various news articles and a coupla' 'Comments', but it's well worth the time to go through it all-Ed)...absolutely, it particularly identifies that sense/reality that the Morrison Academy is/was an unsafe place for female students...

https://www.change.org/p/abc-jazz-remove-james-morrison-from-abc-jazz-s-jazz-100-d4d88941-308d-437d-9bdc-debe5530ca04

Gunna' finish here 'cos there's tons of reading to be done with all those links, and please, at the very least, read the petition summary...it is one of those situations where I couldn't have better explained the many issues involved...

Tomorrow: Back To The FARC Debt Pit of Doom

Had to do a fair bit of digging to get to what I hope is the reality of Mt Gambier City Council's dodgy accounting methods re the Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre...and thanks to that dear availee who's advice helped steer me to a better understanding of where to find the realities about MGCC's methodology/actions...also, been corresponding with MGCC about an 'illegal event' held in Mt Gambier back in October 2021...(in what terms 'illegal'?-Ed)...in that the proprietors did not have the requisite Council approvals/permits to hold that 'event', in a public space, and subsequently have acted 'illegally', and therefore have also 'breached' the associated 'Liquor License' requirements...(and what does Council say?-Ed)...well they've initially acknowledged that there was a "problem", but then refused to provide that info due to "privacy" issues, and simply haven't answered my last letter at all...(ah, the silence that screams volumes-Ed)...spot on...(in a context where a simple 'Yes, they did have the appropriate approvals/permits from Council' was all that need be said -Ed)...absolutely, and where the Liquor Licensing peeps themselves have told me to go to Council with my questions...(these 'proprietors', they wouldn't happen to have friends and/or family on Council?-Ed)...ah Ed, the question that answers itself...

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

Morrison Jazz Academy To Close, But Not Really, Apparently

Howdy dear availees, and welcome to a super short post about the worst kept secret in Mt Gambier...on Thursday evening 11th November 2021, at the Morrison Jazz Academy's 'Farewell Concert', James Morrison officially announced that the Jazz Academy would be closing...(but not really closing?-Ed)...well indeed, there's not going to be classes, students, etc, at the Academy's Town Hall site, but the Academy is going to remain there...(waaah? how's that gunna' work then?-Ed)...well, I'll let Jimmy Trumpets explain in his own words, as recorded last Thursday and played yesterday morning (Saturday) on the ABC South East Radio...in brief, Morrison's gunna' keep the Town Hall as a 'base', and do "outreach" to remote and/or disadvantaged communities...(and does he again blame COVID19 for the collapse of his Academy?-Ed)...indeed he does...I missed the first 5-10 seconds, but here's the rest...***

James Morrison

(???) quite a small cohort. COVID has wrought havoc across the world with all sorts of things, not the least of the tertiary education sector in Australia and our partners UniSA haven't managed to dodge that one. And so all of their third party programs (???) of which we are one, we are under their umbrella but we're an autonomous organisation, have been cut, they just can't do that under these (???) and cannot for some time probably, so this graduating class basically are the last students walking out of the Academy and we've been looking at ways  to continue, different things to do and we came to a crossroads at the end of this year, and Judy and I have looked at all sorts of possibilities we've talked with the faculty, and we came to a decision the Academy is not going to continue in it's present form. 

We're not going to be doing Bachelor degrees and not even going to be doing tertiary education anymore, but, my great friend and mentor Don Burrows spent a lot of his life, a lot of his career, (taking?) music to people who otherwise couldn't access it to the disadvantaged, and they might be kids in outback regions or just geographically disadvantaged (have?) access it could be people who are socio-economically disadvantaged it might be right in the middle of a big city, they just don't have the resources to have music at their school could be an Indigenous community, could be anything, just people who didn't enjoy the wonderful access that so many of our fortunate students do in school to have music, and he really felt that and wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance. Well, Don left a foundation before he passed away, and some wonderful people have contributed to that and we want to continue Don's work and that ethos, and so the Academy is now I say morphing, but I think the current word is pivoting, but we're changing, and what we're going to do is continue that work (of?) Don's and we're going to become an outreach organisation.

So the Academy will 'pop-up', it's a pop-up Academy, so the James Morrison Academy will be in Far-North Queensland or somewhere in the Pilbarra or right here in Mt Gambier wherever it's needed and wherever there are young people who don't have access to music we're going to take it to them. And I'm very excited and thrilled that so many of our alumni have upon hearing of this and want to be involved and want to come and do that with us, which is fantastic. We're still going to be based in Mt Gambier, that logo that says 'James Morrison Academy - Mt Gambier', stays (applause ???) with the Town Hall, and we're going to take that logo with Mt Gambier on it all round the world. We've already people approach us from Spain, to come there (???) some disadvantaged kids, and take the Academy there and take all round the world. So the Academy in one sense is very sad, it looks like we're stopping but it's actually getting much much bigger in it's outlook and what we think we can do and what we can contribute, so never you mind what way it is. So while it's quite sad not doing Bachelor degrees, it's just one way of teaching music, and we've done it for seven years and it's been amazing, as you can see, so we're going to do it another way now, and so some things change and some remain the same so that's what's happening...(applause)...***

Now that's a near-perfect transcript, with guesstimated punctuation, and with some inaudible (???) bits...(well the context is clear through-out, if not genuine in it's content, I mean, why is Morrison blaming COVID19?-Ed)...indeed, and as proven in the previous posts on this issue, UniSA refused to offer an explanation, saying 'talk to James Morrison about it'...(and when the issue of the Rape/Indecent Assault of a student was raised as being a possible reason, UniSA reportedly again declined to comment-Ed)...it seems fairly straight forward that if UniSA had a genuine excuse relating to COVID19 then they would have simply said that...(but they didn't-Ed)...no, no they didn't, UniSA offered no explanation...(well I know what we here at TMGI think, and that others have expressed the same opinion-Ed)...and that is?...(that Morrison and his Academy have a well-deserved reputation as being 'un-safe' for young female students, and that UniSA therefore chose to distance themselves from him-Ed)...indeed, and that it was Morrison's bizarre conduct in his unwavering public and legal support for 'alleged' Rapist Matthew Harkin that really was the final straw...

And if any of the parties involved want to challenge and/or discuss this issue and clarify/establish the actual facts, then we at TMGI are open to discussion and then blogging about those alternative explanations/reasons...  

I am also aware that there were some 'issues' about how Morrison came to be in control of the 'Don Burrows Foundation'....(are you talking about the issues with Burrow's friends and/or family being effectively side-lined late in his life?-Ed)...yeah, and it's all a bit convoluted, so again, if any of the parties involved want to discuss this issue, we're right here...

Tomorrow: Possibly More Morrison

Apparently Jimmy Trumpets is gunna' be on the ABC SE Radio tomorrow morning...(apart from the ABC I'm not seeing anything in the Mt Gambier media yet, and this speech was Thursday evening, and played yesterday morning, so the news is already well around town-Ed)...yeah, and there was a brief article in Saturday's The Advertiser too...anyway, perhaps things will be clearer after tomorrow...

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

Announcement About Future Of Rapist Protector James Morrison's Jazz Academy

Howdy dear availees, and welcome to a post that's somewhat different to the one I'd been planning to do on this topic...(how so dear heart?-Ed)...well, had intended to pose the question, 'What's happening to the Morrison Jazz Academy?', but events have caught me up and there's apparently gunna' be an 'announcement/statement' released either tomorrow, Saturday 13th November 2021, or on Monday 15th...(and what is that announcement/statement?-Ed)...well I don't know yet, it hasn't been released yet...(oh right, fair enough, care to hazard a guess?-Ed)...well sure, I had been planning to post my prediction about this, based on as thorough research as is possible, which is not much...also, many people have their own opinions about what's happening and/or not going to happen, and have stated/alleged many things to me...so I've cobbled together as accurate a post as I can manage, and I guess we'll know more tomorrow or Monday...

For those blissfully unawares, the James Morrison Jazz Academy was opened in 2015, effectively taking over/replacing the 'Generations in Jazz' course that had been operating at Tennyson Woods (Catholic) College for several years previous...Morrison was given at least $500,000 of seed funding by the Weatherill Labor state government, and Mt Gambier City Council kicked-out the tenants already in the Old Town Hall, and gave it all to Morrison...(it is rumoured that Morrison was paying a 'peppercorn lease', if anything at all, but I don't know how you'd establish that definitively-Ed)...indeed, MGCC have been deliberately opaque, obtuse, and even outright deceitful on this and various other leases they operate in the Main Corner/Old Town Hall/Library/Blue Lake Cafe, etc...anyhoos, it's a minor issue relative to what's happening with the future of the Academy itself...

The Academy opened with approx 50 students, and, as part of it's funding agreement, was expected to expand each year, to be offering approx 200 places by 2020...when student numbers stalled at about 70, Morrison tried to explain that away as being a deliberate choice to give the students a better education experience with more access to lecturers, etc...(why not just get more lecturers?-Ed)...well exactly, it's a classic example of trying to deceitfully reverse justify an unpleasant and unavoidable reality...(was that failure to reach it's KPIs re students, was that anything to do with the Academy's reputation as being an unsafe place for female students?-Ed)...a reputation thoroughly deserved, and I've heard it heaps from other peeps, and I personally believe that it has been the key issue, but how you might prove that conclusively, I don't know... 

The Academy was offering courses/degrees in collaboration with UniSA, but in February 2021 it was reported that UniSA chose to "discontinue it's undergraduate and postgraduate program offerings at the Mt Gambier campus"...it appears that UniSA did not provide a specific excuse/explanation, but Morrison himself has tried to blame it on COVID19...(well that's just bollocks, the Academy was already struggling with low student numbers-Ed)...indeed...(and if it was just COVID19-related, why wouldn't UniSA just say that?-Ed)...exactly, it's an obvious nonsense...(it's another reverse justification, something bad's happened, how do we politely explain it away?-Ed)...and the reality, I believe, lies in this bit of reportage, "Last year a man was spared conviction for indecently assaulting a woman while studying at the academy...UniSA did not comment on whether the case had played a role in its decision."

James Morrison has a definable history of covering-up the Rape of students, and/or supporting the Rapists...there are 2 very specific cases that I am aware of, and it beggars belief that these are the only 2...when Morrison's mate and fellow Generations In Jazz member, Graham Lyall groomed and Raped a teenage student, Morrison supported Lyall and continued to allow him unrestricted access to other children/students...and in the case referred to above, Morrison wrote a character reference for the Rapist, got him 'special bail' then took him on tour to Melbourne, and apparently did sweet shreck all to support the young woman who has abandoned her music studies/career...   

For a more detailed coverage of these issues, please avail y'allselves of the previous posts on this topic from this 'ere blog...

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2021/02/unisa-dumps-james-morrison-academy-but.html

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2021/02/unisa-dumps-morrison-jazz-academy.html

For further excellent reading about Morrison's shonky business dealings with his various jazz mates, please read this extensive and brilliantly researched article by freelance journo Matilda Duncan...

https://matildaduncan.net/stories/20/jan/29/business-deals-behind-generations-in-jazz

At the heart of her reportage is the bizarre reality that GIJ has somehow been granted 'Charity' status...("Charity"? but it's a business, a private business that operates at a tidy profit-Ed)...exactly, so how the shreck did they get Charity status?...it's quite a long article, and I had to read it through thrice to get a proper handle on all the info there-in, but it's well-worth the effort...(I see that Ms Duncan has several other articles on Morrison et al on her webpage matildaduncan.net-Ed)...yep, all well worth a read, and having just re-read them myself, I urge y'all to do so...

So, with my 2 posts (above) and Ms Duncan's articles, there's plenty a' homework for y'all to trawl through...I've heard multiple allegations/statements about Morrison selling-up his various assets and/or interests in Sydney and/or Mt Gambier, eg, selling-off heaps of stuff on Ebay/Gumtree/etc, and that he's moving/moved to Melbourne...(I note that there's been no statement about these various other 'institutions' that he's supposedly been in contact with-Ed)..yeah, perhaps that's what's about to be announced...however, almost everyone I've spoken to believes that Morrison is pulling out of Mt Gambier, and that there's every likelihood Generations In Jazz will go with him...(or that he'll take it with him, 6 of one, half dozen of the other-Ed)...

I also note that the Academy's end of year concert last evening wasn't held at it's usual venue, The Barn, the site for GIJ, but at the much smaller Wehl St Theatre...is this an indication that there's been a falling-out between these previously tight business partners?...(and if so, what is the conflict about? does 'The Barn' know something we don't yet know?-Ed)...indeed, hopefully this is all made clear tomorrow/Monday...  

Tomorrow: No Prizes For Guessing

'Cos, depending on when that 'announcement' is made, we're almost certainly gunna' be covering that...

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

GoFundMe Appeal As Pathetic Cowardly Misogynists Van Onselen, Porter, Laming Gang-Up On Abuse Survivor

Howdy dear availees...still working on the Council FARC Update Part II post, nearly done, but then ran into this on Twitter...and a perpetual Language Warning for this entire post...(and having said that, we acknowledge the very measured language used by people like Ms Grace Tame in the thread included below-Ed)...indeed, but I ain't her, I'm just a very, very angry man whom is deeply embarrassed and wildly infuriated to be even the same gender as these fucks...I was aware (via Twitter) that Professor Gemma Carey had been issuing apologies for her alleged 'Defamation' of these low, sick fuckers, and had removed the related tweets, and that at least part of it related to her comment about that now infamous group photo that includes Nick Coatesworth, loathsome Peter Van Onselen, his soon-to-be wife, and Self-Defined Rapist Christian Porter, and several others...(Ms Carey said something about how she was concerned for the safety of the women in that photo-Ed)...yeah, not sure exactly what she said about Andrew Laming, but he is vile, misogynist serial stalker and harasser, so it may well have been related to his appalling behaviours in that context...

I'm not going to re-hash all of the 'conduct' of these li'l shrecks, but simply 'search term' through the media...(and even in this 'ere blog-Ed)...yep, just search and ye shall find...this post is specifically about promoting the GoFundMe page that has been established by Nina Funnell to support Prof Carey...so here's the link and associated explanation...***      

https://www.gofundme.com/f/enough-defamation-defense-legal-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet

• Created 1 day ago

On Wednesday October 27, former federal Attorney General, Christian Porter, Liberal National MP Andrew Laming, and Political Editor for The Australian, Peter van Onselen sent 3 defamation threat letters to Gemma Carey, an author and adult survivor of child sexual abuse.

 

The three defamation concerns notices were sent from the same law firm, at the same time, in the same email. They list several demands including covering the men’s legal costs in creating the concerns notices.

 

This coordinated strike from three of Australia’s most powerful men has left Gemma feeling intimidated, anxious and overwhelmed.

 

Gemma is an expectant mother currently preparing for the arrival of her first baby. She is also a disabled woman and academic whose research focuses on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Gemma is best known for her brave memoir, No Matter Our Wreckage, which details her experience of being groomed and sexually abused as a child, before successfully taking her offender to court at the age of 17

 

The #LetHerSpeak campaign lawyers - Marque Lawyers - are currently providing legal assistance to Gemma.

 

This GoFundMe is to raise money to provide ongoing legal support to Gemma Carey, and any other individuals who have been impacted by defamation threats sent from the individuals listed above.

 

(*This GoFundMe has been created on behalf of Gemma Carey with her full consent. If any funds are not used, they will be donated to the #LetHerSpeak movement and held in trust to be used towards other legal work required by sexual assault survivors and their advocates. )

***All 3 'Defamation' threats on the one email...(so they're all using the same law firm obviously-Ed)...yep, and it's the same firm the represented Porter when he tries to sue the ABC for 'Defamation'...just Interweb search Rebekah Giles and see what a class act she is...(well as they say, 'birds that are fuckers flock together'-Ed)...well actually it's 'birds of a feather', but I rather prefer your version...it is not some sort of unfortunate co-incidence that these 3 fuckers are all with the same firm, this is a coordinated attack on Prof Carey, designed to cause as much fear and trauma as possible...(so what are these fucks so scared about that they can't just accept an apology? what are they so desperately, viciously protesting?-Ed)...well as many have observed, it's about the collective guilt, they are every bit the vile fuckers that Prof Carey has merely alluded to...(I see many people also noting that others in that photo aren't rushing to threaten and harass Prof Carey-Ed)...yep, it's 100% text-book 'Guilty Conscience' playing-out in plain view of the Australian public...  

These 3 are absolute fuckers, dirty, low, gutless fuckers...the self-defined Rapist Porter, his vile mate Van Onselen, and serial abuser/pest, upskirter, stalker, and multiple Social Media abuser Andrew Laming...and we note, from what I can gather, that Laming has been 'successful' in his various supposed 'Defamation' actions because his pathetic but apparently legally enforceable whinge about being called an 'Upskirter'...('cos that's a specific 'charge' relating to that specific action?-Ed)...yep, and what he actually did was photograph a woman's underwear showing above her shorts (dress?) when she unwittingly bent over in front of him...(well that's a very tenuous differential upon which to claim 'Defamation'-Ed)...indeed, as is his pathetic explanation that he was just photoing a bemusing scenario about someone trying to get too much stock into a fridge, nuthin' at all to do with photoing her undies...(but it hasn't stopped him claiming both things-Ed)...Laming is base-line typical LNP narcissist - do whatevs ya' want, whatevs you reckon suits you, abuse people, harass them, etc, etc, then lie about it when caught-out, and only if your political career absolutely relies on it, then spew disingenuous apologies...   

I note that Australian of the Year, fellow survivor and advocate Ms Grace Tame, has generously donated $2,500, and the fund has already raised $130,000 in it's first day...that's in just one day...(it's now at $159,000, on day two, and now early on day three it's at $173,000-Ed)...here's the link to Ms Tame's thread on this issue, and below that I've included her specific comments as one piece...on her Twitter page also Ms Tame further discusses the issue of how 'Defamation' threats are increasingly being used by politicians, particularly the really dodgy ones, and by abuse perpetrators, etc, and has several other excellent threads on these issues..I urge dear availees to follow Ms Tame or at the very least peruse those threads, they are excellent, she is excellent...***  

https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1455747172838694912

Conversation

@TamePunk

Last Wednesday, Christian Porter, Andrew Laming and Peter van Onselen sent simultaneous defamation threats to author Gemma Carey. Gemma is disabled, an expectant mother and also a survivor of child sexual abuse.

gofundme.com

#Enough: Defamation Defence Legal Fund, organized by Nina Funnell

On Wednesday October 27, former federal Attorney General, Christian Porter, Liber… Nina Funnell needs your support for #Enough: Defamation Defence Legal Fund

The power imbalance between 3 of Australia’s most powerful men and a disabled expectant mother—who’s also a survivor of grooming and child sexual abuse—is extreme.  Gemma has previously spoken out about alleged sexual harassment by Laming on a flight to Sydney.

She had tweeted about all 3 men, and published apologies to them following the legal threats. This coordinated attack clearly had a design, and I think that that was not just to silence one individual but to have a wider deterrent effect on others contemplating speaking out.

I see it as a form of systems abuse whereby legislation is weaponised to strategically silence those with less access to power and resources.

If this type of behaviour is allowed to continue, it will have the chilling effect of reversing the roles of victim and offender, erasing the truth, and ultimately perpetuating the cycle of abuse.

Australian defamation law is widely considered the worst in the western world and is badly in need of reform. It lends itself to exploitation by privileging the rights of plaintiffs and significantly hampered Australia’s #MeToo movement.

It's painfully ironic that the very person who was in a position to lead meaningful reform in this area at that time #MeToo unfolded and said himself that our defamation law is “no longer fit for purpose", is now capitalising on the very same law.

The abuse of defamation law doesn’t just shut down debate, it actively empowers and emboldens offenders and their supporters to feel entitled to instil fear in the already vulnerable.

 

On several occasions, the serial paedophile who abused me tried to use defamation laws and other legal avenues to silence critics, not only in relation to the crimes against me, but also in defence of racist remarks.

 

It’s becoming a commonplace pattern of behaviour within our culture of double-standards that reflects deep-seated entitlement, inability to take responsibility for wrongdoing, and fragile egos.

 

I applaud and fully support the brave men and women who are standing up in the face of these threats and calling for change.   If possible, please donate to help Gemma. I’ve donated $2,500 to make a start. Let’s keep fighting for reform together.

***...(wow, Grace by name, Grace by nature-Ed)...indeed, 'cos I'm just about fit to burst, fit to rip these fuckers the proverbial new one...(verbally speaking of course, not actually physically?-Ed)...no no, verbally not physically, I ain't goin' to gaol for one of these fuckers...(what happened to your oft-pronounced life-long 'Pascifism'?-Ed)...sure, and I'm not one to usually wish ill of others, but I hope these low fucks rot in the hell of their own creation, forever publicly vilified and shamed right to their miserable fucking faces...in the unlikely event I ever happen upon any of these fucks in the street, I will roundly, loudly abuse them, utilising all of the vitriol their collective fuckedness summons in me...(and all you have to do is factually confront them with the reality of their own actions-Ed)...exactly, it takes exactly zero imagination to construct a lengthy diatribe of fact-laden abuse...

Regular availees will be well aware that I have been threatened many, many times with supposed 'Defamation', often multiple times by the same person/entity...from alleged lawyer 'Bouncin' Billy DeGaris, the Lutherans and/or their lawyers Piper Alderman, the Crown Solicitors Office, (then) Premier Jay Weatherill, the Education Dept, etc, etc...(Magistrate White in your ICAC "bizarre trial"-Ed)...yeah, him too, and he used the definition of 'Defamation' to 'Convict' me of an unrelated 'offense'...(and your supposed alleged 'Defamation' has been repeatedly used by desperados like DeGaris to whinge to Google/Blogspot to try and have posts removed from this 'ere blog-Ed)...indeed, and as y'all know, not one of those 'Defamation' threats has ever been followed-through with...(particularly with DeGaris who very specifically threatened action, several times, in writing, but then when you challenged him on that threat, he flatly refused to do so-Ed)...yeah, Billy is a very special case, aren't you Billy...        

But back to our main point today, the GoFundMe support for Prof Carey...please donate if you can, even if it's just a few bucks, 'cos it's not just the money, it's also about expressing support for others like Prof Carey...(and concurrently expressing absolute disgust for these fuckers who are deliberately trying to intimidate and traumatise her and people like her, people who speak out about these loathsome fuckers and their vile conduct-Ed)...exactly, it is showing support in both contexts...I don't do 'Internet banking' so I can't donate, rather I've done this post to share the issue, and have also shared on Twitter...I ask that y'all do these things too, to do whatevs you can...the response thus far clearly shows what people really think of Porter, Van Onselen, and Laming...

Tomorrow: MGCC Lies And Deceits About The FARC

Where FARC stands for Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre, the $64m? $71m? $80m? money pit that nobody really wanted and that Mt Gambier City Council definably and repeatedly lied about to force on the Ratepayers of Mt Gambier...(well the only thing most peeps wanted was an all-weather 50m pool, and we still ain't gettin' that-Ed)...indeed, one part of a much larger, deceit-laden debasco (debacle/fiasco)...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog..cheers and laters...oh, and End Language Warning...

Mount Gambier City Council - The FARC Update

Howdy, howdy, and how bizarre, how bizarre, just as we were getting set to do a post about the Mt Gambier City Council's deceitful, duplicitous conduct regarding the Farcical Aquatic Recreation Centre (FARC), boing!, up pops this gem in The Border Watch...it was published Friday 22nd 2021, and this copy is from their Facebook page...(and for those unawares, the FARC is sometimes referred to as 'The Hub' and/or 'Wulanda'-Ed)...yeah, but it is literally and actually the FARC, a vastly bloated debasco (debacle/fiasco) that desperately tries to be everything to everyone and will ultimately achieve next-to-none of it...Mt Gambier really only needed 2 separate projects, an enclosed 5,000 seat pavillion/stadium on the Show Grounds, and an enclosed 50m pool...(and with the FARC we're gunna' get neither of these and with a whole lotta' superfluous nonsense, eg, another cafe and another gym, like Mt Gambier needs another bloody cafe or another bloody gym!-Ed)...exactly, and for many months now rumours/concerns have been swirling about Mt Gambier that the 'real cost' has already nudged $80m, not the $57.5m being reported here, which in itself is actually already proven not true...

MGCC has been wholly deceitful and manipulative in forcing this debasco onto the Ratepayers of Mt Gambier...because these deceits are so numerous and voluminous, we're gunna' do a two-parter post, starting from this article today, and then working back through just how maliciously manipulative MGCC has been...***

Hub commitment questioned

25/10/2021

COST CONCERN: First-term Mount Gambier City councillor Kate Amoroso says a number of aspects of the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre build should have been brought out of confidence “a long time ago”.

By Raquel Mustillo

RATEPAYERS would not have supported the construction of the multi-million dollar Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre if the true cost was publicly released ahead of elected members voting to progress the project, according to a Mount Gambier City Councillor.

Following the release of confidential council minutes which show what members voted to support the project at almost $20m higher than the cost touted at the public consultation stage, councillor Paul Jenner has strongly criticised the decision to push ahead with the facility.

The now-publicly available minutes reveal Mount Gambier mayor Lynette Martin moved to enter a $57.5m contract with Badge Constructions, with former Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre committee chair Ben Hood seconding the motion.

According to the minutes, Cr’s Hood, Sonya Mezinec, Max Bruins, Christian Greco, Frank Morello and Steven Perryman voted to endorse the project – which at the time was widely believed to be costed at $39.1m, with two councillors – Cr Jenner and Kate Amoroso – voting against the motion.

Cr Jenner told The Border Watch he did not support the motion due to “serious” concerns with the increase in cost, the financial impact on council and widespread community belief the project would be $39.1m.

“I originally went onto council, not with a position of yes or no, I went on looking at the whole project and over a couple of years, I got to the point where money and pricing was the issue,” he said.

“I have no doubt if the hub was re-presented to the community at $57.5m, they would have said no.”

Cr Jenner said the cost of the facility build, as well as additional expenditure including $1.1m for depreciation and up to $600,000 for principal and interest on councils loan for the project would restrict councils ability to undertake any other major projects.

“We are not going to be able to loan any money at all for the next seven to eight years – that’s two periods of council,” he said.

“I feel that council is now in a position of what is called treading water.”

“It is now going to restrict, in my view, other goods and services – there’s no doubt that when something comes up and it’s a couple of million dollars, we won’t be able to do it.”

Cr Amoroso – who sought support to release the manner in which voting occurred for the procurement – echoed Cr Jenner’s sentiments, saying she believed the increase in cost “would compromise the councils ability to provide immediate services to the community in the years ahead”.

“The $39m cost, I was more prepared to support as I honestly believe this was a well-needed facility for our region and the community had been asking for many years for a roof over the pool,” she said.

“However, when the additional cost was added, I didn’t believe it was any longer justified.

“With such a significant spend, and with the project being so substantially over budget compared to the original price of $39m, the City of Mount Gambier ratepayers absolutely deserve full transparency not just with this, but at all times.

“All councillors need to be accountable on how they voted on this project.

“In my opinion, this and many other aspects of this build should have been brought out of confidence a long time ago.”

However, both councillors concerns were rejected by Ms Martin, who referred to the project as “life changing”.

“As mayor, I have regular interaction with the community and in conversation, now that people can see the size and scale of the facility, residents are not talking about the cost of the project and they cannot wait for the facility to be built,” she said.

“It is going to be life changing for our residents and a game changer for Mount Gambier as the second largest city in South Australia.

“Our residents deserve a facility that will provide year round indoor aquatic and recreational facilities catering for all ages and abilities.”

Council general manager city infrastructure Barbara Cernovskis said council made an informed decision to progress to a signed contact based on several reasons, including “the community consensus to progress the intermediate design to secure Federal and State funding contribution of $25m”.

She said council had a strong financial position and ability to afford the build and operation of the facility, and had maintained its commitment to not raising rates beyond 4.5 per cent.

“At the time of the community survey in late 2018, the $39.1 million figure for the facility was based on an intermediate design and estimated costs provided by independent quantity surveyors,” she said.

“In August 2020, the market response to the tender process determined the true build cost of $57.3 million based on the final design which has been refined to increase flexibility and functionality following community/user group feedback.

“Council is looking to the future to ensure our community has access to a multi-purpose modern facility for basketball, tennis, netball, aquatics, other sports and community activities for future generations.”

***...and it's all there isn't it, deceit upon lie upon manipulation, and not least of all when Council knew about the $20m blow-out...(even if they were not responsible for that blow-out, which they were/are, they have acted to deny Ratepayers that critical information-Ed)...and as identified, that will financially cripple at least the next 2 'Councils'...(and what about costs that are allegedly being hidden in other budget areas, like Council apparently did with the Main Corner and Library projects?-Ed)...yeah, all of that, along with the most current 'allegation' that Council has very quietly declared to the State government that MGCC has borrowed $45m relative to this FARC money pit...still trawling for where that admission is made, but it's there somewhere, and I will find it...and if this is true, then that adds-up to a minimum $70m...and so it bears repeating, albeit as a question...

Has MGCC officially but secretively declared a debt/borrowing of $45m for the FARC?...and so, where are we now? $70m? $80m?...

"Based On An Intermediate Design And Estimated Costs"...(bollocks! Council relentlessly promoted a very specific completed project with very specific features and a very, very specific cost, $39.1m is a very specific amount-Ed)...indeed it is, and this is the fundamental festering deceit and manipulation that lies at the heart of this entire lie...(MGCC, en masse, spent a great deal of time, effort, and Ratepayers' money pushing their glossy pamphlets and mail-outs and Main St shopfront promo booth, etc, etc, into Ratepayers' faces and down our throats, and they were very specific about what we were getting and for how much-Ed)...yep, which is why this statement, "based...and estimated" is the most fundamental deceit in a long series of deceits...(the next would be about Ratepayers actually voting to accept the $25m in Federal and State grants-Ed)...sort of, that in itself involves a series of deceits, from why we 'must' accept the grants 'right now', through 'no rate rises to pay for it', and then into the planning applications, etc, etc...and there's just so many deceits within those deceits, and that's why it requires a second full post...

(What I don't understand is why this journo, who in August 2020 was in The Advertiser/In Daily (Adelaide's daily Murdoch rag), exposing the real cost as having already jumped to $64million-Ed)...yep, and on 23rd October 2020 same journo was front page of The Border Watch, Council concedes hub cost variance, citing a "$4.2m construction phase contingency" and "$800,000 for consultants and design fees", etc...it also states that Council was aware that the project had already blown-out to $50m in October 2019, but voted to keep that secret from Ratepayers, etc, etc, what's your point...(yeah yeah, all that, well here the same journo is now writing "$57m" again, what's goin' on there?-Ed)...well spotted, but I've no idea...(is this possibly a case of the usually pro-Council complicit Mt Gambier media chucking buckets a' red herrings at Ratepayers, you know, avoiding the inexcusable realities by distracting with slightly less appalling realities?-Ed)...highly possible if not actually likely...I believe the term is "thick as thieves"...here's the link to that article...

 https://borderwatch.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020-10-23_tbwt_764.pdf

...and imagine my surprise that first cab-off-the-rank to 'Comment' on last weeks article, literally as the article was posted, is our mate and former MGC Councillor li'l Joshy Lynagh...(have we heard anything from Joshy since our very detailed response to his latest round of abuse, what he done leave on this 'ere blog back in January 2021?-Ed)...no, no we haven't, and just for the record, here's the link to that post with li'l Joshy's gas-lighting whinge attached there-in...(even if we do say so ourselves, that post is an excellent study in how Joshy has'does run interference for MGCC, deliberately spreading misinformation, trying to undermine Council's critics, etc-Ed)...indeed, and so here's the link and then some of Joshy's commentary from The Border Watch's Facebook page...

https://themountgambierindependent.blogspot.com/2021/01/he-doth-protest-too-much-and-yet-not-at.html

Josh Lynagh

It's going to be a great investment for our region, absolutely no question about that. I've always supported the need for the facility, but where I struggle is with the way this has blown out and the lack of consultation involved.

Think back to the community survey (that cost council thousands to run) that funding for this project was reliant on. We were asked if given the information provided (a $39.1m project) do you support it. The community voted yes. But that information has drastically changed (almost $20m) with no further consultation.

And with those massive extra costs, we're meant to believe that it won't affect council's ability to provide future projects? I worry about what services or funding may also need to be cut to cover the ongoing costs here.

This was sold to council as being a $39m facility for just a $14m investment from council, and that's why I supported it. You don't turn down an offer like that. Now it's a $32m investment (at least) with council forking out the majority, and I can't see the next two terms of council being able to do much at all.

Plus this was meant to be open at the start of the year, and things were already really behind schedule well before COVID affected things. Now we're looking at what, 2023?

I can't wait for it. For myself and my children. I'm just disapointed by the process, and the way people have been shut down and insulted for asking questions.

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• Bronwyn Bald

  Aaarrggghh. Sensationalism. Sells. Let’s face it we all want it but everyone wants to blame someone else for it. Make up your mind Mt gambier

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  • Bronwyn Bald

    Josh Lynagh not you the whole story. 2 years from proposed cost of 37 to end possible of 57 But who knew prices would go up In 2 years. Certainly not the average person thinking prices would stay the same for sure. Lol

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  • Josh Lynagh

    Bronwyn Bald that proposed cost was the basis of the community vote though. A large amount of the funding was reliant on the outcome of the community vote, which was based on far outdated information.

    Don't get me wrong, this is going to be an amazing facility. I'm just concerned for future councils and what financial state we'll be in as a community going forward. Everyone should look at the whole picture, not just whatever side suits.

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    Bronwyn Bald what's sensationalism got to do with my comment?

    I think my made my stance fairly clear. I want it. But I also want transparency and consultation when it comes to public spending.

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  • Bronwyn Bald

    And True cost cannot happen till it’s actually designed built and finished. Proposed cost is not actual.

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• Adam Creek

  Nathan Stratford isn’t it 2022?

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    Adam Creek “we don’t actually

    know what the completion date is going to be”. Initially it was Autumn 2022 but there's already delays there.

    

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Brad Coates

Other questions to be asked, was the tender process compliant? Were all builders who were part of the original tender process when the cost ceiling was $39.1 million, given an opportunity to re-tender taking into account the increase of about $20 million to $57.3 million. And if the cost blows out beyond this as is predicted, are councilors and architects going to held to account. The fact that imported timber and imported glass and other building products being widely used should also be condemned.

...***so there we go, whooohooo...(so who exactly is Joshy claiming 'deceived' Council? who "sold to Council...a $39m facility?" is he referring to Liberal Member for Barker Tony Pasin who instigated this whole shizzle-show back in early 2018?-Ed)...good question, 'cos it was 'Council' who organised the whole shizzle-show, as you so delicately put it, so exactly who is to blame? perhaps he means Mayor Lynette Martin and/or then CEO Mark 'Mighty Marky Mark McShenanigans' McShane...(well certainly not Joshy's fault, even though he was a Councillor from early 2018 right through until November 2018, for the entire period that Council was ramming this project down Ratepayers' throats-Ed)...indeed, no, Joshy is "disappointed by the process, and the way that people have been shut down and insulted for asking questions."...(wow, that is text-book gas-lighting, complaining about and/or accusing others of what you yourself are doing and/or have done!-Ed)...well indeed, as covered in the post referred to above, Joshy has spent plenty of his on-line time insulting myself and others and  trying to discredit and shut us down... 

This is starting to blow-out, so I'm gunna' pull-up here, and continue this tomorrow, meaning that the advertised post about serial Rapist Protector James Morrison will just have to wait...

Tomorrow: What's Happening With The James Morrison Jazz Academy

And just 'cos it's a hilariously depressing insight into just how stupid and/or easily manipulated and/or just straight-out delusional and/or unquestioningly biased people can be, here's how one prize stooge described French President Macron's interaction with some journos...Macron said "I don't think, I know" that Scott 'Scummo' Morrison lied to him about the Submarines Deal, a statement made in a context where the journos were standing there as Macron was just walking through, and they asked him those questions...(and where Australia's Main Stream Media is so definably, pathetically Right Wing  pro-Liberal/National Party biased, from everything Murdoch owns like The Australian and SKY News, etc, to Channels 7, 9 and 10, and most problematically the supposed 'Lefties' at the national broadcaster, the ABC-Ed)...yep, it takes a very special brand of blinkered, bigotted pro-LNP stooge to conjure this wholly incorrect shizzle-take on the reality of what everyone else watched happen..."left woke controlled", what an idiot...

John Gademski

@JGademski

Macron made a beeline to Australian journos to sledge Scomo. He knows that Australian media are left woke controlled

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