The
children are playing up again.
This morning, 4 March 2015, at around 8.45, Shire Ranger
John Gowerd parked his vehicle directly opposite the Saints’ driveway, crossed
the road and proceeded as before to take photos of the Saints’ windows.
The material posted in the windows had not changed since his
last visit yesterday morning.
Mr Saint grabbed his camera, hastened outside and took
photos of Mr Gowerd taking photos of his windows while bemused tourists looked
on.
 |
| Shire of York Ranger John Gowerd and bemused tourists in background |
As before, Mr Gowerd seemed embarrassed but refused to
explain why he was there, saying ‘No comment’ when Mr Saint challenged him.
This latest incident gives the lie to Mr Best’s story about
the Shire’s insurers. What it amounts to
is an infantile attempt at harassment and intimidation. The kindergarten is now running the Shire.
Our best guess is that the Shire is trying to provoke Mr
Saint into some kind of violent response.
If so, it won’t work.
The Saints aren’t too happy with what’s going on, but they
do have a vigorous sense of humour and can see the funny side of the Shire’s
behaviour. They believe, as I do, that
the best way of dealing with nonsense of this kind is to apply the cleansing
power of laughter.
On a personal note, I am angry and dismayed that a good and
decent man like John Gowerd is being compelled to make a fool of himself by
some retard in the Shire administration.
Harassment and provocation. Sending uniformed employees to do what - take photographs of private property can only be for the purpose of gathering evidence of something. What and why? This is taking place under your watch Commissioner Best, YOU are responsible. Open and accountable applies to YOU. Probity applies to YOU.
ReplyDeletePerhaps York residents may wish to travel to Perth and take photographs of YOUR residence - for "evidentiary" purposes.
YOU have now gone too far. YOU are adding to the problem, not resolving it. York is now officially a police State. York residents will not accept this conduct. This is sick.
Is the Ranger by any chance attempting to film through the cracks of the curtain into a Private Residence- if so, there is a name for this.
ReplyDeleteAs a previously targeted York resident, I am extremely disturbed and disgusted with the images of the York Ranger repeatedly taking photo's of the Saint's Private front window.
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing short of harassment and intimidation and a gross invasion of the Saint's privacy.
It is clear the Shire of York is attempting to provoke Simon and this is the lowest form of bullying. You won't succeed because Simon is a better human being than all of you control freaks and bullies combined.
Who is instructing Shire Staff to intimidate and harass the Saints?
Are those previously targeted by Ray Hooper and his employees next on the list for harassment by the Shire of York?
By condoning this behaviour of Shire Staff, you have just lost any respect you may have gained in your short time here Mr. Best.
Who ever instructed the Ranger to take photo's on three occasions of the same front window of a PRIVATE home, could be considered to be inciting community conflict within York.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Mr. Best - in the few weeks you have been here you have given the control of our Town back to the Clowns.
ReplyDeleteGraeme Simpson is as dull as ditch water, I'd put my foot in his arse if his head wasn't in the way!
ReplyDeleteJust read the minutes of the February Council meeting. The decision not to hold the meeting in the Council Chambers is disgraceful and objectionable. The Chambers is the communities prime local government meeting place - it is public place. It is NOT Mr Best's. Mr Best, as Commissioner, is representing the council - that is all, he is not a dictator (sorry Mr Best but that is not your role) and is duty bound to hold council meetings in the council chambers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a disgraceful slap in the face for the community. Its own chambers not suitable for holding ITS meetings. It is becoming increasingly apparent that, either Mr Best is a complete dill and way out of touch with reality, or, he is dutifully carrying out the instructions of his master Simpson to stick it up York and cause as much pain, humiliation and dissension as he can, while he can.
And the answer that a CEO can revoke council decisions - how stupid is that. The Act spells out how decisions are to be revoked - and by the council, not a CEO.
This blog will become priceless in years to come.
Mr Best,
ReplyDeleteI don't give a shit about this Blog, I don't give a shit about you, I don't give a shit about the Minister, I don't give a shit about his Department.
I do give a shit about York, I suggest you shape up or ship out!
What the hell is going on here?
ReplyDeleteWho in God's name authorised this invasions of peoples privacy?
What a bloody disgrace our Shire Administration has turned into under Commissioner Best and CEO Simpson.
We Ratepayers are paying this Rangers wages and if he hasn't got more to do than take photos peering into Private homes, then we DO NOT need a Ranger in York!
The Ranger should hang his head in shame for doing this. If he thinks this is ok or is worried he will lose his job if he refuses to carry out orders from the top, then it is time he reviewed his ethics and standards!
The ethical tone for the Shire of York was set on the 12 August 2008 when the then CEO, Ray Hooper, took the unconscionable action of publishing a public notice defaming members of the public. Graeme Simpson is using a slightly different but just as vile a tactic of harassment /intimidation. Here's one for you James:
ReplyDeleteFor whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For those interested in studying various resources devised to govern the departments and citizens employed by the public to serve the public and "common good", here, in no particular order, is a reading list.
Delete* Public Sector Management Act of 1994
* Local Government Act 1995
* Public Interest Disclosure Act of 2003
* Financial Management Act of 2006
* Electronic Transactions Act of 2011
* Criminal Code Act Compilation Act 1913
A visit to the Government of Western Australia State Records website could also be reading time well spent, starting with the page that relates to local government employee record keeping responsibilities.
http://www.sro.wa.gov.au/state-recordkeeping/recordkeeping-policies-and-standards
From the same website, the following is the basic gist of a FAQ relating to local government elected members record keeping responsibilities.
http://www.sro.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/em-informationsheet-final-march2010.pdf
"Elected members must create and keep records of communications or transactions, which convey information relating to local government business or functions. These records should be forwarded to the local government administration for capture into the official recordkeeping system.
Elected members MUST retain:
* communication from ratepayers, such as:
* complaints and compliments
* correspondence about corporate matters
* submissions, petitions and lobbying material
* information relating to your organisation's business activities or functions
* notes about telephone and other verbal conversations that relate to your organisation's projects or business activities
* entries in work diaries that relate to activities conducted on behalf of your organisation
* presentations and speeches delivered as part of your official duties.
Elected members do NOT have to retain:
* duplicate copies of Council meeting agendas, minutes or papers
* draft documents that are already captured in your organisation's recordkeeping system
* newsletters, circulars and journals
* invitations to community events where you are NOT representing the Council or your organisation
* notes about telephone and other verbal conversations that only convey routine information, or do not relate to your organisation's business or functions
* party political information
* personal records that are not related to your official duties."
With all that in mind, plus the inclusion of the famous lines "It's not the crime, it's the cover-up" and "the devil is in the details", what did the official records say at the time in relation to, say, the sale of the York Convent?
What is the current state of those particular records and information?
Would the official record both then and now reveal and prove a cover-up that, in turn, reveals a crime?
Same goes with much that is alleged in the Fitz Gerald report all the way through to the "show-cause" process.
Ethics were thrown out with the Standing Orders, honesty, justice and fairness when Ray Hooper came to Town! He did not know how to work with these human standards.
DeleteA stinking rotting puss began to fester and the old guard councillors fed off it on a daily basis.
Now we have BEST and it's WORSE!
Destroying public records is a crime.
ReplyDeleteJust watched the ranger on YouTube. The kick in the guts is that YOU are paying the insurance which is paying the lawyers, as well as paying for Best, the CEO and the ranger. York is being shafted at every level.
But my suggestion is that the saints lodge a harassment claim against the Shire and its officers, see how LGIS deal with that conflict of interest.
Can the youtube vids be posted on the blog?
This is something I might be wrong about, but so far as I know, the only kind of harassment that can be the subject of a claim at law is sexual (and possibly racial) harassment in the workplace. What the Shire is doing doesn't quite make the grade, unfortunately. Harassment in itself, so far as I'm aware, is neither a tort nor a crime.
DeleteIn WA, what we lay people would call harassment usually falls under the capacious umbrella of the Restraining Orders Act, specifically those sections that deal with misconduct not amounting to violence. I don't think applying for a misconduct restraining order against poor John Gowerd would get the Saints very far.
I believe the instigator of this nonsense may be, if not the Deputy CEO herself, someone close to her. Whoever it is seems to be intellectually and morally deficient in some way. That person has chosen to become an object of odium and ridicule but probably doesn't care.
This is a hard world for good people. As the old rhyme has it:
'The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella,
But chiefly on the just, because
The unjust steals the just's umbrella.'
Never mind, we can always look on the bright side and laugh.
Surely it's time that all the info, details, documents, videos and photos were turned over to an investigative journalist that can bring this to a wider audience. The flood gates are open, now to bring it all together for a truly public expose.
ReplyDeleteNote:
ReplyDeleteComments containing personal addresses, phone numbers, email addresses etc will not be published on this Blog
Very disappointing, I'm only sorry there is nothing I can do.
ReplyDeleteJohn Gower- I know your job is probably valuable to you but without just cause you have the right to refuse. Make a stand.
ReplyDelete