Village Green Report

Central Feature  -  By now most of the community will be aware that the proposed central feature has been abandoned and that the area will now be levelled and sown with lawn seed.

I do not propose to go into detail, as I am aware that this will be well covered elsewhere.  However, as
Project Co-ordinator, I feel that it would be
irresponsible of me not to reveal some of the facts and to make a couple of appropriate comments.

Firstly, the way in which the so called self appointed "community protectors" pursued their aim to destroy the installation, which up to that time, had received substantial support from the community was, in my opinion completely underhanded and distasteful.   Not one of these people had the courtesy to approach
either me as Project Co-ordinator, Graeme Arnold, President of the Progress Association, or Carol
Charlton, Tasmanian Regional Arts to discuss the
matter, or to air any concerns. 

Instead, several people chose to conduct  subversive campaigns, not only within the community, but also by involving  council aldermen, with the  result that  some of the hardest working volunteers in the community were unnecessarily placed on the defensive and made to feel significantly embarrassed.  This has in turn
created a feeling of mistrust within the community, which will no doubt take some time to overturn. 
Having now learnt the identity of some of the people concerned, I know that I will be extremely careful of who I am prepared to trust in the future.

Secondly, I feel that it is important to point out that the physical destruction & vandalism which was carried out on part of the feature was not inflicted by the younger people of our community.   Had the incident, which occurred in broad daylight, not been witnessed by one of our working  volunteers, there is no doubt that, as is often the case,  the local younger people would have unfairly been labelled as the offenders. 

Finally, I would point out that, as a result of these
actions, all components & materials belonging to  the central feature (including the water segment ) have been totally lost.  The feature was a total package and its loss has cost the Village Green Account around $3,000.  No doubt, members of the community who made donations to the project will not be amused.

Community Notice Board   -   The community
notice board installed in  the village green is for the use of all 'not for profit' organisations in the district.  There is no need to ask anyone's permission to use the board  -  all we ask is that you try to limit your
advertising to about one week before the event and clean your advert. off afterwards.