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Town Council riven by conflict, lack of leadership
@ Smithy. If Jacinta does not have the answers to divisive social questions confronting the community, then it is quite obvious from the mess Alice is in right now that no one else on council has any answers either.
Regardless of her perceived merits or shortcomings, the vile personal abuse aimed at her recently on social media is quite shocking and very disturbing.
Smithy, are you saying that it is Jacinta’s fault that she is copping this vile abuse, a lot of which is coming from males from different ethnic backgrounds?
No female, regardless of race, ethnic background or political opinion should be subjected to such vile, cowardly and frightening threats of physical and sexual attack.
It is worrying in the extreme to justify it with the rationalisation that such verbal attacks are common in Alice. If such postings on Facebook or Twitter were to occur against certain young women or councillors of politicians down here in the Big Smoke, it would be prime time news and police action would be taken.
It is very sad that Alice appears so conditioned to such attacks now that blaming the victim is acceptable.

Town Council riven by conflict, lack of leadership
Can’t wait for Prime Minister Shorten and his union frontbencher backbencher entourage to hit town after the next Federal election.
If this circus is any indication, the Council Labor lads and girls will probably declare a public holiday and bedeck Todd Street with a carpet of red roses.
However, for all of their silly shenanigans, Alice Councillors are Sunday School picnickers compared with the fruitcakes that infest my next door Darebin Council down here in Melbourne Town.
As an old Feddy, I ask fellow Feddy Mayor Damo – is the aggro of the Perpetually Outraged worth it these days?

Alice Springs boys first Indigenous players for Port Adelaide
The father of well known former Alician John Dermody was also a famous Port Adelaide player in those days.
Dermo’s dad held the record for the most games for Port and won best and fairest awards, playing with the Alician Aboriginal lads from St Francis. He was controversially left out of Port’s Team of the Century for a lesser credentialled player who happened to cross to Carlton in the VFL.
Dermo carried on his dad’s great sporting legacy in Alice playing with indigenous teammates for Wests and then as CEO of the Centralian Honda Masters Games.

Do what I do: a lesson for the government, police
@ Dave: You make a very good point. The initial cover-up by WHO and China and then the constantly changing incoming information on the Wuhan Virus has caught everyone on the hop and is still creating controversy around the world.
This uncertainty has had a major impact on correct protocol, country to to country.
Who can really say, even now, what is the right protocol for any individual country? Take Taiwan, for example.
With a population very close to ours, they have minimal cases of illness – fewer than 300 currently. Their protocols allow their people to go about their normal business in shopping malls markets etc. with marvellous results.
Then there is Italy. A disaster zone. No doubt a victim of geography and EU open border policy.
Then there is Central Australia. In remote communities such as Atitjere. Among the world’s oldest community with all of our cultural health issues.
The right “protocol” is still very much a lottery stab by well intentioned authorities.

COVID-19 infected is Harts Range police officer
Having read all the reports on this in the Alice Springs News and observing from down here in Melbourne, I am bemused by the criticism of this NT police officer and wife.
Down here every day I go for a walk and I see groups of cyclists on long training rides.
They meet at designated places and invariably end their ride at a takeaway coffee place, often in suburbs of inner Melbourne.
I also see groups of people every day on shopping trips to Northland shopping centre.
To criticise this police officer and his wife in these circumstances seems almost hypocritical to me.
All around the country, there are large confusing gaps with what communities are being told.
This police officer and his wife are copping unfair flak.
Especially when total lockdown has not been declared and community movement has no reliable monitoring.

COVID-19 news: Alice Springs woman diagnosed
@ Pseudo Guru. Hillsong and Scientology people are in the same virus boat as everyone else, regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnicity or religion.
It is not constructive or helpful to take potshots at these people in a a global crisis like this.
Could even be construed as unnecessarily narky.

COVID-19 news: Alice Springs woman diagnosed
Just been talking on the phone to Aboriginal friends in Alice about the spread of the virus.
They say (1) while there are fewer people in town, there is no real indication of a coordinated effort to transport people back to their communities.
(2) Central Lands Council and Centrecorp are showing no leadership, while Tangentyere is trying, offering a bus service with petrol vouchers to help people to get from camps like the one out at the Yuendumu turn-off.
(3) Tribal people have no idea about washing hands and their movements cannot be monitored, making “self-isolation” a farce. They fear that unless there are immediate public signs of a coordinated town approach that everyone understands, there is a crisis waiting to happen.