Agnes and Ecstasy

February 2008

The Great Deluge

Since New Year, we have been La Niña'd to the point of near extinction! No more girl children, purleese! Dams overflowing, tanks overflowing, new roads lifting, residential land disappearing on the flat regions of Agnes Water 1770 perhaps even washing away some of the itinerant shed dwellers - no one will ever know.... No mail, no food supplies, no tourists (well, there is always a silver lining but of course I am joking folks!)

Actually the photo above of the locals' shopping center is a figment of my wicked photo-maker program but that's how it felt around here for the past few weeks. Now even our dogs have grown webbing between their toes.

Everyone has a story at present, but the one most filled with pathos is of the chap who spent time and much money having valuable top soil trucked in and spread and then seeded for grass just the week before the deluge began. His down hill neighbours, loving and deserving folk that they are, are now the beneficiaries of all his labour and expenditure. They will have a superb lawn in a few weeks.

I do feel a bit like the Oracle of Delphi though. Around September last year, a young Italian stallion emailed me asking about stingers in January as he was booked to come here for a surfing holiday. With incredible foresight, I assured him that I would use the magic of my Titan to ensure there would be no stingers to worry him during January. As it transpired, I was right. The thundering surf and gale force winds and endless rain ensured no one much was in the surf - stingers included. Most of the beach has washed away too. The 1770 caravan park, best run place and with the most glorious view in Australia, is almost empty barring the long term residents.

Still, on the upside, the tourism association is having yet another meeting in town this week to get business houses to be friendly to tourists. I say, get the burghers into the habit of being friendly to locals and it will spread. Some places are superb examples of business savvy but so many others are cannibals who wish only to bite the hand that feeds them. You will find a few 'outed' amongst the Chronicles.

New Council elections soon for the amalgamated Councils of Queensland push. Rather frightening trying to decide how to caste one's vote. The mail box is filled with tiny leaflets revealing the name and often a head and shoulders dart board portrait of this and that aspirant but god forbid they should reveal their policy, backers, experience, CV, place of principal residence or any other useful information.

We have compulsary voting for one side, how about compulsary disclosure for those standing ?