This
is an unsolicited testimonial for Greens
candidate Andrew Payne in
the South Australian seat of
Hindmarsh, shown above
with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young .
One
episode alone illustrates that this
sterling fellow would
be an outstanding politician ...
While doing maintenance on a house, he heard a woman
screaming nearby , he instantly got into his ute
and went to help
. On learning the distressed woman had been attacked in a
subway, he chased after
the miscreant in his car, caught up
and brought him down
with a tackle- TIED HIM UP WITH
ROPE FROM THE BACK OF THE UTE! When
police arrived on the scene , needless to say, they were
extremely surprised to
find the culprit neatly hogtied. If he had
stood for election as
the Sheriff of Hindmarsh ,
after that event , he would surely have
romped in , as popular as
any Hollwood lasso
twirling cowboy.
As
a schoolboy , Andrew lived in Alice Springs
when his father
was stationed there
as a teacher.
Andrew became a schoolteacher
himself and at times was often
called in to handle
classes with difficult
pupils . I hasten to
point out he did not
use John Wayne–like tactics on them.
Instead , he used humour
and other innovative
methods to
win them
over.
At
one stage he
had an antique shop –ECHOES OF THE PAST- in Jetty Road
, Largs , Adelaide, where I first
met him , later his wife , Chris, and
daughter and son . I also conversed
with the family’s talking
budgerigar , Billy, their marsupial mice , guinea pigs and dogs. One dog
, Lucie , jumped into bed
with me and my wife during an electrical
storm when we were minding the
Payne house and menagerie. ---By Peter Simon
