I HAVE lived in Cockatoo for 28 years and I love the place.
The people, for the most part, are great, too, but I look around and I am sad, mostly because it seems that we count for nothing, council-wise.
One side of us is Pakenham and the other Emerald.
We were ill-served by two councillors, both from Emerald, who drove through on their way to council meetings.
It was as if we didn’t exist. We are better than that.
We fought to keep our kinder, and I don’t want to big note myself, but with the help of fellow citizens I stopped the Vodafone tower being built.
I still have the signatures – there are 350 of them, not bad for a small town of like-minded people. I only had eight days to do that.
We need so much in our town: a public toilet, a huge priority, and it to be on McBride Street.
I know there are toilets in Bailey Road near the bowls club, they are disgusting, and if people come into the town and have to go down there, well, they don’t come back and they will go on to Emerald.
What about a barbecue? A big one down near the kinder.
There is plenty of room and, speaking of which, what days is the kinder open? It is a huge part of our history.
A couple more benches for McBride Street, at least one possibly near the op-shop or in that vicinity. There are a dozen shops, two are vacant – one for over a year.
Just a thought, what about a place where there would be a locksmith, someone to cut keys.
I locked myself out a few weeks ago (the drama). No locksmith for miles and miles.
And, hey Cardinia shire, why don’t we get Christmas decorations anymore? We pay our rates, too.
There is much that can be done for us, and should be done for us.
I could go on and on. My kids say “on your hobby horse again, mum?” Well, why not?
Val Butler,
Cockatoo.
