PLACENAME SHAMING
It would be remiss not to advise that Shire President, David Wallace, responded
with alacrity, like Paul Martin, to the letter to them regarding ‘United
Nations Organization Placenames/ York Bitching-Facebook Page.
Councillor Wallace first response was:
Hi David
It was followed by From: David Wallace Sent: Monday, July 17, 2017 4:51 PM To: davidgrant@westnet.com.au Subject: Re: United Nations Organization 'Placenames'
Councillor Wallace first response was:
Hi David
I have spoken to Cr Smyth and Cr Randell regarding this issue. Also at the next Councillor Forum this subject will be discussed so all Councillors are fully aware.
Regards
David Wallace
It was followed by From: David Wallace Sent: Monday, July 17, 2017 4:51 PM To: davidgrant@westnet.com.au Subject: Re: United Nations Organization 'Placenames'
Hi David
Just checking I sent you an email this morning. It
is not in my sent box and has disappeared.
Regards
David Wallace
All three responses, the one from Mr. Martin and
two from Councillor Wallace were both appreciated and eventually responded to.
Mr. Martin’s reply still begs the question why two senior, long serving executives within the WA Local Government Sector would contemplate joining a closed Facebook page club titled ‘York Bitching’ without expecting to be approached by the Department of Local Government & Communities asking ‘what in hell do you think you are doing’? Also- ‘are you aware that your actions could bring the Shire of York Council into disrepute’?
Even more unsettling is that, at such senior management level, it should be expected that they are aware of all potential ramifications to their actions relating to community expectations, including that it could be considered that local, state and federal government and governance has an international ‘big brother’- the United Nations Organization- no matter how tenuous and ethereal some think this link is.
(UN Resolutions certainly have enough power when one country wants to dump some serious-shit on another.)
The UN’s adjudication is that a ‘Placename’ should be considered sacrosanct in that it represents a community, its history, its culture and its values and this significance should be respected.
So York deserves better than having its Placename linked to the gender epithet ‘Bitching’
If these two officials had thought that this Facebook offering would give them an in-depth insight into York’s psyche and how the shire should respond in a communications sense, why did they not get a proxy to join the club page and inform them of its content after telling the administrator to remove York from the name?
It is highly unlikely that Shire President Wallace was aware that the two most senior shire executives and, his Deputy President and another councillor were members of ‘York Bitching’ until told several days ago.
It is hoped that Councillor Wallace did not even know the page existed.
His rapid responses are probably testimony to him not knowing and suggests that he considers what has occurred as both stupid and disgraceful.
It is certainly hard to understand why two elected Councillors of long standing in the community would link themselves to ‘York Bitching’?.
This is the biggest question of all.
Mr. Martin’s reply still begs the question why two senior, long serving executives within the WA Local Government Sector would contemplate joining a closed Facebook page club titled ‘York Bitching’ without expecting to be approached by the Department of Local Government & Communities asking ‘what in hell do you think you are doing’? Also- ‘are you aware that your actions could bring the Shire of York Council into disrepute’?
Even more unsettling is that, at such senior management level, it should be expected that they are aware of all potential ramifications to their actions relating to community expectations, including that it could be considered that local, state and federal government and governance has an international ‘big brother’- the United Nations Organization- no matter how tenuous and ethereal some think this link is.
(UN Resolutions certainly have enough power when one country wants to dump some serious-shit on another.)
The UN’s adjudication is that a ‘Placename’ should be considered sacrosanct in that it represents a community, its history, its culture and its values and this significance should be respected.
So York deserves better than having its Placename linked to the gender epithet ‘Bitching’
If these two officials had thought that this Facebook offering would give them an in-depth insight into York’s psyche and how the shire should respond in a communications sense, why did they not get a proxy to join the club page and inform them of its content after telling the administrator to remove York from the name?
It is highly unlikely that Shire President Wallace was aware that the two most senior shire executives and, his Deputy President and another councillor were members of ‘York Bitching’ until told several days ago.
It is hoped that Councillor Wallace did not even know the page existed.
His rapid responses are probably testimony to him not knowing and suggests that he considers what has occurred as both stupid and disgraceful.
It is certainly hard to understand why two elected Councillors of long standing in the community would link themselves to ‘York Bitching’?.
This is the biggest question of all.
Date July 17, 2017.
Mr. Paul Martin
CEO
Shire of York
1 Joaquina Street
YORK WA 6302
Dear Sir
Your Reference ‘YORK BITCHING’ FACEBOOK PAGE
Please correct me if I am wrong but the name, York, has a long and proud history. It is the name of WA’s first inland town, established 186 years ago, and is listed as a place of extreme national, historic importance.
It was, and still is, of inestimable value to the development of this state with its agricultural produce keeping the Swan River Colony alive and thriving throughout its formative years and beyond.
Its pioneering families date back close to ten generations, six years before Davy Crockett and the Battle of the Alamo, seven years before Queen Victoria commenced her reign and just ten years after Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821.
Therefore the ‘placename’, York, should be considered to be a priceless, irreplaceable, iconic brand name that sets it apart from other WA towns and is its symbolic trademark and badge of honour. It is a name of a town that you are paid to protect, advance and promote as if it were your own.
The United Nations Organization considers ‘placenames’ to be of major social importance. They represent irreplaceable cultural identity and values and are of vital significance to their community’s wellbeing and the feeling of belonging, of being ‘at home’. This recognition is on both cognitive and emotive levels.
Given this, there should be both ethical and legal impediments to the desecration of an iconic placename through a facebook page directly linking the placename to ‘Bitching’- an adjective that is universally considered to be a deliberately offensive, insulting, gender intolerant and a sexist slur.
It is a pity that you and Paul Crewe did not take this into consideration before joining ‘York Bitching’. I know you have since removed yourself from its membership and am hoping that you have requested that Mr. Crewe does the same.
Councillors’ Denese Smythe and Trevor Randell have been spoken to by Shire President, David Wallace, regarding their membership and it will be a subject on the agenda of a Councillor Forum to be held in the foreseeable future.
Prior to this, as Chief Executive Officer of the Shire of York, I call on you to approach the Administrator of the Closed Group Facebook Club, ‘York Bitching’, in writing, demanding that they remove the placename York and replace it with something less specific.
Such as Local, Social, Neighbourhood, even ’A place of Community and Lifestyle’ Bitching. Then its membership can proceed to do as much bitching as it pleases.
This has nothing to do with interfering with, or preventing, freedom of speech but is to show due and proper respect to the placename York.
The Social-Media site, SHIRE OF YORK- The Official Unofficial Site has never denigrated the placename York, either in its title or in any other way. It has raised the issue of a range of administrative inadequacies within Rural Local Government Areas over the last decade and its potential negative impact on a town’s socio-economic progress, in particular its effect on York. It makes no apology for that.
Should the request to remove the offending word be rejected- then the Shire of York advises the Administrator of its intention to seek legal advice to have York’s name removed from this Facebook page as being defamatory- quoting the United Nations Organizations dictum on the social relevance of placenames.
Yours sincerely
David Taylor
Mr. Paul Martin
CEO
Shire of York
1 Joaquina Street
YORK WA 6302
Dear Sir
Your Reference ‘YORK BITCHING’ FACEBOOK PAGE
Please correct me if I am wrong but the name, York, has a long and proud history. It is the name of WA’s first inland town, established 186 years ago, and is listed as a place of extreme national, historic importance.
It was, and still is, of inestimable value to the development of this state with its agricultural produce keeping the Swan River Colony alive and thriving throughout its formative years and beyond.
Its pioneering families date back close to ten generations, six years before Davy Crockett and the Battle of the Alamo, seven years before Queen Victoria commenced her reign and just ten years after Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821.
Therefore the ‘placename’, York, should be considered to be a priceless, irreplaceable, iconic brand name that sets it apart from other WA towns and is its symbolic trademark and badge of honour. It is a name of a town that you are paid to protect, advance and promote as if it were your own.
The United Nations Organization considers ‘placenames’ to be of major social importance. They represent irreplaceable cultural identity and values and are of vital significance to their community’s wellbeing and the feeling of belonging, of being ‘at home’. This recognition is on both cognitive and emotive levels.
Given this, there should be both ethical and legal impediments to the desecration of an iconic placename through a facebook page directly linking the placename to ‘Bitching’- an adjective that is universally considered to be a deliberately offensive, insulting, gender intolerant and a sexist slur.
It is a pity that you and Paul Crewe did not take this into consideration before joining ‘York Bitching’. I know you have since removed yourself from its membership and am hoping that you have requested that Mr. Crewe does the same.
Councillors’ Denese Smythe and Trevor Randell have been spoken to by Shire President, David Wallace, regarding their membership and it will be a subject on the agenda of a Councillor Forum to be held in the foreseeable future.
Prior to this, as Chief Executive Officer of the Shire of York, I call on you to approach the Administrator of the Closed Group Facebook Club, ‘York Bitching’, in writing, demanding that they remove the placename York and replace it with something less specific.
Such as Local, Social, Neighbourhood, even ’A place of Community and Lifestyle’ Bitching. Then its membership can proceed to do as much bitching as it pleases.
This has nothing to do with interfering with, or preventing, freedom of speech but is to show due and proper respect to the placename York.
The Social-Media site, SHIRE OF YORK- The Official Unofficial Site has never denigrated the placename York, either in its title or in any other way. It has raised the issue of a range of administrative inadequacies within Rural Local Government Areas over the last decade and its potential negative impact on a town’s socio-economic progress, in particular its effect on York. It makes no apology for that.
Should the request to remove the offending word be rejected- then the Shire of York advises the Administrator of its intention to seek legal advice to have York’s name removed from this Facebook page as being defamatory- quoting the United Nations Organizations dictum on the social relevance of placenames.
Yours sincerely
David Taylor
From: Paul Martin
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2017 10:47 AM
To: david
Cc: David Wallace
Subject: RE: United Nations Organization 'Placenames'
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2017 10:47 AM
To: david
Cc: David Wallace
Subject: RE: United Nations Organization 'Placenames'
Good morning,
Thanks for the email David. I have spoken to
the Shire President about your correspondence this morning and we will discuss
it at the concept forum with Councillors you have referred to below.
Regards,
Paul
Paul Martin
Chief Executive Officer
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