Tattered Jewel in the Crown welcome disappears down Harpic Harry's U-bend .
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The extensive Welcome to Magnetic Island display now seems more porous than the border between the USA and Mexico and still the Townsville media has not twigged . A large chunk of the banners covering up the unsightly hole at the terminal , blown about, torn , collapsed , has been removed , no doubt due to this blog reporting the situation.
A Melbourne journalist, Kim Lockwood, who earlier this year had visited the island , on reading in this blog about the banner fiasco, contacted the Townsville City Council and asked what they were doing to remedy the situation at the ferry terminal.
The TCC promptly informed him it could do nothing as the terminal and surrounds are not a TCC owned asset. He was directed to the Department of Main Roads and Transport site for "further actioning." A strange response seeing the council recently took part in a PR stunt in which Magnetic Island was renamed Cowboys Island and the councillor for the island , Ann-Maree Greaney, featured in a TV report for the welcome display in the first instance .( Then, on November 10 , long after this blog raised the issue, Councillor Greaney announced she was aware of the signage situation at the ferry terminal, and hoped it would be fixed that very day .Not so .)
Nevertheless, the tenacious reporter Lockwood went to the Department of Main Roads and Transport and found it a weird site which gave him the impression that it could not help because Magnetic Island is not on a road . He referred the matter back to us suggesting it might be a case of getting our famous salty S(h)ipping Reporter , the only one north of Woolloomooloo , to follow up .
Our nautical roundsman was located, as uusual , in Molly Malone's Irish Pub and reluctantly paddled out to the island and inspected the now huge gaping hole in the welcome mat . There he spotted broken plastic ties and eyelets scattered about the place. The poor mutated Koala, which had been flapping about wildly for weeks , was secured by some ties at a torn and frayed edge and would no doubt burst free in a puff .
Thankfully, a much blown about and creased panel of a rock wallaby, which gave the impression it had been decapitated , is one of those sections removed from public gaze. What next ? Any Townsville journalist reading this post is welcome to follow it up with the TCC as the remnants will undoubtedly be blown away in the cyclone season . The media should also pay close attention to further scoops about to break in Little Darwin involving the Townsville City Council , crime , industrial rounds , health , shipping and intriguing speculation about a major media shake up likely to hit North Queensland .
Flapdoodle Island update :
Out of a clear blue sky , of which not many are seen in Melbourne , reporter Kim Lockwood was surprised to receive an unexpected email from the Townsville City Council admitting that it is indeed involved in the Magnetic Island welcome fiasco . It informed him a report had been "raised" , reference CSPOS/17/01458 , for the council staff on the island to investigate and see what could be done to rectify the situation. It went on to say that " hopefully" the island staff were already aware of the situation and they had already done " something ." It would seem that communication between Townsville council chambers and Magnetic Island staff consists of writing a message in longhand, inserting it in an empty champagne bottle and then chucking it into the sea on the outgoing tide. Why not pick up the blower ?
Flapdoodle Island update :
Out of a clear blue sky , of which not many are seen in Melbourne , reporter Kim Lockwood was surprised to receive an unexpected email from the Townsville City Council admitting that it is indeed involved in the Magnetic Island welcome fiasco . It informed him a report had been "raised" , reference CSPOS/17/01458 , for the council staff on the island to investigate and see what could be done to rectify the situation. It went on to say that " hopefully" the island staff were already aware of the situation and they had already done " something ." It would seem that communication between Townsville council chambers and Magnetic Island staff consists of writing a message in longhand, inserting it in an empty champagne bottle and then chucking it into the sea on the outgoing tide. Why not pick up the blower ?
