Lieder Theatre Company is Goulburn’s valuable gem
Once again the Lieder Theatre Company shows why it is held in such high regard both within the Goulburn community and wider theatre circles.
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Its recent production, Baskerville: A Sherlock Homes Mystery, delivers high-quality theatre due to outstanding acting, directing and scenery management. All front-of-house and back-stage personnel combine to provide an immensely enjoyable theatre experience. This ingeniously crafted comedy/drama is brought to life by these highly talented people.
The Goulburn Liedertafel – to give it its original name – is, I believe, the longest operating regional theatre company in Australia, giving its first public performance on July 21, 1891. The Lieder's rich history is constantly being added to by its current generation of actors, directors, scriptwriters and stage-craft enthusiasts. It is indeed one of Goulburn's most valuable gems.
Stephen Chapman, Middle Arm
Just do the job, Bob
The business of councils is fixing potholes, collecting the garbage, running the local library and these days, not upsetting the Canberra Conservatives by declaring that the date of Australia day, the 26th of January, is just not appropriate.
It seems that after winning the popular vote councillors can be infused with their own self importance, but when they realise their lack of power and deserved recognition, they set about grabbing more wherever they can, and one area where they can freelance is by meddling in Australia Day activities.
The first official celebration of Australia Day, although it wasn`t called that, was on January 26, 1818 when Governor Lachlan Macquarie chose to acknowledge the day (the arrival of the first fleet and its wretched criminal cargo) with a holiday for all government workers, granting each an extra allowance of one pound of fresh meat, and ordering a 30-gun salute.
Now Mayor Bob Kirk, of course, isn’t in the same league as Lachlan Macquarie and can’t order up a 30-gun salute or give everyone a kilo of barbecue snags, but he can make pronouncements, and in answer to a question that nobody asked, Bob has deigned to tell us that everything about Australia Day is just tickety-boo, hunkey-dory and okey-dokey.
Well, a percentage of locals would beg to differ. For them it’s Invasion Day. It would also be interesting to hear what Bob's loyal deputy mayor Clr Alfie Walker's opinion is, seeing he is the chairman of the Pejar Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Just do the job, Bob. We don’t need the sermons.
Don Fischer, Goulburn
A consequence of a multicultural community
The recent case of Barnaby Joyce, who may be found to be a New Zealand citizen by virtue of his father’s nationality, is a result of Australia being built up on the back of immigration.
It is not a fault of section 44, which seeks to protect the interests of the nation, but is a consequence of a multicultural community.
Of course, when section 44 was drafted, a quarter of the globe were subjects of the then Queen and not ‘foreign’ nationals.
Since then each country of the former British Empire has created its own citizenship with its own rules and regulations and it is that which has led to the current dilemma facing our politicians.
It was our own High Court which declared in the 1999 case of Sue v Hill that the United Kingdom was a foreign power.
Mind you, for many years people have been raising the issue of ‘foreign’ dual nationality of our politicians who in turn have treated this with a laissez-faire attitude and the matter has now come back to bite them.
Of course, section 44 was never meant to encompass persons who never knew they were subject to another citizenship.
Its purpose was to prevent foreign nationals from sitting in the federal parliament and participating in legislation affecting defence and foreign affairs.
It seems that the only remedy is for the parliament to establish a commission to investigate the birth and potential citizenship of each member of Parliament – without exception – including whether a citizenship has been unknowingly transferred by a parent.
Rather than amending section 44 as has been proposed by some, it doesn’t take much for each future candidate standing for election to investigate and take steps to renounce a citizenship whether actual or implied prior to formalising his or her candidature.
If they don't want to do that and owe allegiance only to Australia, then they shouldn't stand for the Australian parliament.
Philip Benwell, National Chair, Australian Monarchist League
Question to the council
This is a letter to Goulburn Mulwaree Council. I am wondering what the council is thinking, allowing a doctors surgery in the [shopping mall] complex.
Sick people where everyone’s shopping and eating, and where young children and the elderly are. So much for health and safety. It’s not good to see sick people where you shop.
Name supplied
In need of a jumpstart
For nostalgic reasons … I am desperate to get a copy of a black and white photo that was on the front page of the Goulburn Post (end 1989? early 1990?) of the [Goulburn] band JUMPSTART (Jon Greaves, Dale Chalker etc).
I was a part of the band at that time, but have been unable to get a copy of this photo.