The On the Pulse ‘Shooting the Elephant in the Room’ trophy would have to go to Cr Mal Peters for his comments on council amalgamation at Wednesday’s council meeting. 

It all started with the Glen Innes proposal to swipe some our land and our ratepayers to shore up their own financial position. Naturally our Councillors were outraged (if those ratepayers are going to be used to shore up anything then it should be in this council, not the next door neighbour).

Some suggested caution and understanding, some said we’d do it if we could get our mitts on Tingha and Bundarra (to shore us up), and yet others suggested it was all too early to worry about such things.

Not Mal. None of that rubbish for him. Like the great white hunter out of the scrub with his elephant gun, Mal fired off a charge. A foreshadowed amendment that Inverell Shire Council commence negotiations for amalgamations with Glen Innes and Tenterfield shire councils dropped the elephant in one and left the silence of disbelief.

As the other councillors quickly formed a queue to vote him down Mal said, “I’m quite confident this motion won’t be carried, but I thought it was good fun doing it.” 

Good money in being cautious

With Australia ranked last on the list of developed countries in their climate change action, On the Pulse was cheerily chuffed that Mr Abbott has earmarked a cool $4 million to fund the ‘consensus centre’ at the University of Western Australia.

Not really.

This cutting edge climate whizz-bang centre will be the focal point for Bjørn Lomborg, the Dane who has stirred up strong feelings internationally with his lukewarm approach to the potential of our world warming to the point of unsustainability.

Not really a thing we’d like to put a fiver on. 

Never mind Mr Lomborg has been roundly condemned by those in the scientific world as spouting non-scientific conclusions that regard globally accepted climate change predictions as overstated.

Never mind there is an entire web site dedicated to outlining the errors in Mr Lomborg’s book The Skeptical Environmentalist (www.lomborg-errors.dk).

Never mind the current government shut down the Climate Commission in September 2013, and disregarded the wealth of environmental scientists and experts in Australia over Mr Lomborg’s fairly conservative views while the world looks on us with increasing criticism. 

Instead they have chosen to back a horse that for many in the international community has come up lame on far too many occasions. In this case, On the Pulse will keep their fiver in their pocket and wait out to see who runs in the next race.

Wellness afternoon

Tickets are still available for what is shaping up to be a very fascinating and entertaining afternoon for women (and men) across Inverell. Vicki Berger of Millers on Byron has confirmed there are still those $10 spots for the wellness day, afternoon tea and fashion parade next Saturday May 2 at the Royal Hotel. Besides the fact all proceeds will be donated to the Inverell Breast Cancer Support Group, the show promises a riveting afternoon. 

Vicki said the new presentation on menopause by McGrath breast cancer specialist nurse Helen Goodall has been a big success with audiences. Rachel Cubis, co-ordinator of the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service will share the real story of violence victims and some sobering statistics and factors on domestic violence. 

Also in store is the compelling presentation by our own Maggie Thomas who bravely came back from a illness that stumped the teams of doctors down in Sydney. Besides all that, there will be more talk about being a well as you can be, entertainment by Inverell’s Ashleigh Campbell and Lily Arnold as well as the fashion parade to peak the interest of women in all shapes, sizes and ages and that tasty spread of goodies for the afternoon tea. Tickets are available at Millers and if there are any left, you might be lucky to get one at the door.