It would be good for those complainers to look at their own town and see how good our little town is.

They love to complain how an event was run, our poor CEO fairly cops it and shire staff, councillors, those ordinary people who are trying their best to do their jobs – why not try to support them instead of whingeing.

Join an event committee, volunteer to help the town maybe at the Old Gaol, at a Tidy Town clean-up or join a club or the historical society to learn about our history.

The shire tries to please and do its best, as do all the event committees and other groups.

We need to move forward and not be left as a shire perceived as having no obvious goals or plan for the future – except for rate increases.

We desperately need change.

That can only come about by councillors taking control of the council.

Toodyay’s recently elected councillors, along with new Cr Ben Bell, now must carry out what ratepayers and residents voted for – change, with vision and a plan for the future.

After 10 years of rate increases and little to show for it except more shire staff, we desperately need to see something positive, with our rates being put to good use for the benefit of all ratepayers and residents within the Toodyay shire.

You showed us that prior to the recent election of two new councillors, nobody else on the council seemed to be representing the best interest of ratepayers.

Our council has been a shambles and wasted a lot of ratepayers’ money, but some councillors seem to think that is OK.

The fact is, as Cr Bell has said, that if councillors budget well to spend our money wisely, they can cut rates – not raise them.

What about all the promises they made when knocking on our doors at election time?

Shame on you councillors.

Now they are trying to silence Cr Bell by seeking to have restrictions applied to him.

We sing in our national anthem that we are free but that is only until someone in authority tries to restrict what people can say or what an elected councillor can tell us.

If a shire president or CEO can tell us what is happening in the council, why can’t our elected representatives do that too?

Why put restrictions on them?

Let us ratepayers sing together “Oh Lord let us have more like Ben Bell”

Any support or approval Western Australian Government Railways gained was based upon the provision of the bridge and this would have worked towards quelling any protesting.

The bridge needs to be properly maintained or be replaced.
I call upon the WA Government to honour the commitment originally given to the people of Toodyay.

It happened on a foggy morning, when the school bus carrying 34 children from the Dewars Pool, Coondle and Culham areas was hit by a train on the level crossing at the corner of Clinton Street (now Piesse Street) and Charcoal Lane.

Five young boys aged six to 14 were killed, many more were injured and those attending this tragedy were witness to the most horrific scenes.

The funerals for these boys were attended by 2000 people, including the school children, and I don’t think we could even begin to imagine the sadness that surrounded this small community at this time.

So it was a very special day for many families who came from far and wide on July 17 to attend the unveiling of the new memorial by Shire CEO Stan Scott.

This was followed by 90-year-old Wally Fawell, whose little brother, six-year-old Allan, died in the accident.

He told a very moving family story of that time and the ceremony finished with a heartfelt prayer and blessing.

In this very peaceful setting, family members laid a wreath in remembrance of eight-year-old Norman Waters and flowers were placed for our mum, and her sister Ruby, who were both among the injured.

Many family stories were then shared over a cuppa and lovely morning tea put on by the CWA ladies.

A very big thank you to Jenny, Margie and Debra for your persistence and hard work to bring this very special day to fruition – it was appreciated by so many.

Therefore, as we all sometimes shop in Midland or Perth or elsewhere, I ask you to keep the bags whether they be paper or plastic.

I suggest that you don’t throw them away but collect them and bring them to the Op Shop as they will be recycled there.

I am known as the ‘bag lady’ at the Op Shop and have brought bags many a times and you too can proudly be called a ‘bag lady’ or a ‘bag gentleman’.

N’est ce pas, as someone may say.

The last paragraph from those guidelines states: “If you have concerns about the way in which your Local Government is being run or the behaviour of another elected Member or an Employee, there are proper ways to report these. Posting on social media is not the (blank space).”

Whatever Cr Chitty intended to follow in that paragraph didn’t make it into print.

Was it censored by another party?

Anyway, her concluding statement (following), says it all:

“What about my right to freedom of speech?

“The common law recognises an individual right to freedom of expression. For Elected Members, this right is subject to limitations imposed by the Rules of Conduct.”

This correspondent feels strongly that freedom of speech “subject to limitations” is not freedom of speech at all.

It is a pity the Deputy President didn’t make that point herself.

I took some rocks I found in 1962 to the Mines Department in Perth to have them tested and found there was a trace of gold in all of them.

They told me that it was quite good quality gold and I should find the seam containing this.

I sent my son Rhys to try and find some and he also found a few specks in some rocks but still could not find a seam.

The best he did was finding Mrs George Cook’s flat iron, a very old penny and a brooch of hers.

She was from the Dewars Pool area and was the daughter of Susan Price Waters, who was married to David Rumble.

The flat iron had been given as a wedding present to their daughter Maud in the later part of the 1800s.

My cousin Bob Waters told me that Mr Cook had to have his clothes ironed, even when working in the fields.

My son Rhys walked all over the bush west of Toodyay and still could not find the seam.

The nicest thing I found in the Jumperdine area was a beautiful orange quartz crystal.

I have found some nice six-sided clear crystals in the Toodyay area.

I am too old to look for gold now but the seam has to be here some-place.

Maybe they will find it if bauxite mining goes ahead.