4 December 2006

20 ovals scrapped

| johnboy
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Brendan Smyth might not have figured out paragraph breaks, but he has put out a media release on the information he’s extracted from the hapless Andrew Barr in annual report hearings.

“Mr Barr told the hearings that the Government will now not be restoring 20 sporting ovals, due to the drought.” Mr Barr, in confirming the breaking of another budget commitment, to restore 20 sporting ovals, said that “Unfortunately, water restrictions are now in place that would preclude, I think, any prudent common sense approach to rejuvenating ovals where there is no water available to maintain them.”

Apartment blocks anyone?

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and yet we need to ‘upgrade’ the yarralumla parkland with more plants…

Growling Ferret9:23 am 06 Dec 06

I watched a game of rugby at Condo last year – each team looked for the grassed bits to get tackled on. There was no point enforcing the blood rul for scrapes, as there wasn’t a bloke on the field who didn’t have bloody knees or elbows!

When I grew up in Condo the ovals were always dusty and dry. Didn’t stop us playing footy and soccer. Bloody kids these days 🙂

Growling Ferret9:21 am 05 Dec 06

Will the hordes of fat kiddies be able to sue in ten years time for failure of the government to provide suitable areas for recreation, leading to the poor blighters to be stuck with else to do other than eat Krispy Kremes and play on their X-boxs and Playstations, directly leading to their incredible obeseness?

There is more than enough water in Canberra to fuel sporting paddocks, do not be misled by the current campaign.

Enough water has dropped out of the sky and onto Canberra to maintain the 20 grounds for a full summer, the problem being that the water was allowed to run off, and not captured for use.

This is not due to Canberra’s incapacity to water the grounds, it was due to this Governments incapacity to capture the water.

Stanhope, Barr and the rest of the circus might want to ask themselves if choosing to water a nice garden over several sporting fields was ultimately a wise decision.

School ovals, watered once a week – eg at night – would keep them safe for sport and play (and not cause sports injuries) and would save restorative time and money later. No one expects a golf green, just a usable ground. It’s rather unfair to have certain sports grounds lush (eg Gowrie – used by the local Catholic Py School, I wonder if they chip in to its maintenance?) and everything else, notably public school ovals, a dust bowl.

As for Barr, I think we now Expect inconsistency, hypocrisy and stupidity. I’m certainly not surprised at all that oval maintenance is off the agenda but the Gardens of Babylon are still on it.

awww, a fake quote AND misunderstandng a joke which *I* republish!!

Anyone would think you were a complete moron EQ!

equalitarian9:31 pm 04 Dec 06

“14% of the readership do not think JB is a wingeing bitch – 100% realise he is not a bitch at all!”

Brown turf is better than bricks any day. It will change, rain can/may/will come.
20 paddocks better than 50 flats. Plant cactus for Floriade 08.

lots of ovals down at kippax that are used for next to nothing from what I can establish.
don’t you assholes take them away though. I run along them.

Our govt have no leadership ability or anything resembling thought processes.
We have sod all water. We have sports grounds which we wish to use.
Dump sand on 6 of the 20 and set up venues for ‘beach’ cricket, soccer, AFL, rugby, volleyball etc. Of course there are problems associated with cleaning, cats crapping in it and such but they can be overcome or minimized with a bit of thought.
Tout Canberra as an ‘inland beach arena’ and turn our lack of water into a positive.

Townhouses, more like it.

more land to give to developers in exchange for donations?

Vb, I thought Qbn went to stage 3 well before ACT and are threatening stage 4 also? Don’t know how much longer those ovals over the border will stay green.

The oval near my house in Jerrabomberra is bright green and open for business.

Can’t they be maintained to some degree?

Do they have to be either never watered and dead as a doornail or else lush and green and perfect?

I think I might have made similar comments on re grassing school ovals several months ago when lack of water seemed inevitable. They were supposed to be completed for February 2007.

I am more surprised that the Lib’s are mad enough to highlight that the govt has kicked itself in the goolies, and for the first time they had their heads and hearts in the right place.

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