A state government road safety campaign on TV has been highlighting railway crossings and the pearly gates with the punch line ‘Don’t cross to the other side.’
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The Woodward Street rail crossing was one of the sites where the pearly gates theme was set up and all the traffic big wigs were here for a media picnic.
The gates were taken down after it was over but they probably could have left them there because the city’s rev-heads love the built-up rail crossing and use it as a launch pad, something like motocross.
They race along Woodward Street and over the crossing flat out, and their cars leave the ground and fly for a few metres, but it’s a dangerous thing to do.
One day one of them will end up ‘crossing to the other side’ where it’s said an angel stands guard and where your name must be written in the book of life while everyone else stays outside.
A hoon leaping the crossing in a car could earn a shortcut to meet the angel, if the car lands at an angle, gets out of control and crashes.
And just over the crossing hoons do doughnuts with lots of rubber left on the roadway.
OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTIES A CULTURAL MINEFIELD
THE so-called politically correct are now meddling in the annual institution called the office Christmas party, warning revellers they could land themselves in trouble and suggesting employers appoint ‘designated sober staff’ to keep an eye on workmates.
And solicitors say workers can sue colleagues for things like posting party antics on Facebook or Twitter without their knowledge. They also want mobile phones banned.
There’s dozens of Christmas parties now being held in Orange where ambitious young employees wonder whether they dare call the boss by their first name as he or she dispenses beer and chardonnay.
It’s the gathering where the delight of having some scotch sloshed into what you thought was your half-empty glass turns sour when you discover it was really someone else’s parked vodka cruiser.
If the party is held in the workshop there’s the bliss of drinking beer from a chipped coffee mug and wine from a paper cup.
But it all goes on until everyone is merry, bombed or just plain drunk.
Next morning there’s always that nagging little worry in the back of your mind: Just what did I say to the boss? Maybe the PC nutters have got it right this time.
DUNNY DEBATE IS SPREADING BEYOND ROBERTSON PARK
IT seems Orange City Council’s great Robertson Park dunny debate that’s been raging for more than 10 years over costs and options is not the only controversy going on involving public toilets.
Victorian Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is in the bad books with ratepayers over plans to build a $700,000 gold-plated prefabricated Exceloo-design toilet block with four unisex cubicles and a lift for the disabled.
Ratepayer organisations say the cost is ridiculous and excessive.
Orange council has looked at a $500,000 option including a rebuilt kitchen and meeting room for the CWA Hall, $270,250 renovations to the existing building and extra toilets and an option for a separate toilet block.
Maybe they should get ideas from the film Kenny, about a plumber who delivers porta-loos to everyone who needs one.