Dear Santa, If it isn’t asking too much I would very much enjoy finding in my Christmas sock this year: 1. A box containing the Openness and Transparency from Council that was promised back in 2016 that you seem to have overlooked last year as well. I can appreciate that it is rare and that more than likely it will be difficult for an elf to find as they seem to move it from room to room and keep it locked behind closed doors however, if you can find it in its original form would much appreciate it however if you only find a plastic imitation don’t worry as they are a dime a dozen at the $2 shop in town. 2. An Intersection: I would love to have an intersection. A whopping big intersection that I could give to Council because they really need one. If you can arrange this could it be in the style of a highway-meets-main-bypass of a town. Don’t worry about the highway or the bypass— I’ve already got those but what is sorely missing is an intersection to what everyone is now calling The Road to No-where. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want the intersection for myself. It will be my gift to Council and to the RMS because the poor buggers are scratching their heads with no-idea how they are going to join their little roads together and still keep face in light of the entire thing looking like an ace cock-up. 3. A ticket to a Round Table talk: Santa, I heard that there is an election or three coming and everyone seems keen to now sit down and have a talk about the Princes Highway. I would love to be a fly on the wall of that meeting. Any chance of getting me a ticket. 4. A Bully Meter: Santa, there has been lots of name calling this year, a few raised voices and a bit of nasty. I keep hearing the word “Bully” with people calling other people Bullies at the drop of a hat—can you get the elves to knock up a Bully Meter for me, much along the same design lines as the BullSh*t meter you gave me when I first set up the Beagle newspaper. By the way that meter works a treat and I use it quite often reviewing recordings of meetings. If you can make the Bully Meter in units of ten or so I have a few suggestions of friends who might like one under their tree as well. 5. A book: There is some Christmas reading I would like to do if you can find the book for me. It is a rare book and I am sure that it is possibly still in manuscript—it’s called “Eurobodalla, the vision”. I have looked for it for some time and each time I have given the authors names as being our present councillors, our current politicians at State and Federal level and even the names of those who dream of a better community for us all, the ones who put in applications for grants to build, to assemble, to organise and to provide. But to no avail. However, Santa, I now realise I was looking under the wrong names. The visionaries are the Council Executive, the Sir Humphey Appleby’s, the “are you quite sure about that Minister’s”. They control the daydreams, they control the budgets, they control the vision and they control those we vote for who give us the "daydreams" in their promises. So have a look if you can, under those names, as they author our future and I for one would like to know where they are taking us. 6. A Round of Applause: Santa, could you please have your elves make me a Round of Applause so that I can pass it on to all the Beagle readers, supporters, contributors, advertisers and commenters who have collectively brought the Beagle to being the much enjoyed Eurobodalla newspaper it has become. The success of the Beagle belongs to each and all of you. And while it is a lot of work this side of the screen the feedback that I receive and the things we are able to achieve as a community, with a voice that celebrates the warp and weft of our wonderful, vibrant, diverse and rich community, makes it worth all the effort, and more. Until next Lei PS: feel free to add to the list by telling us what you would like Sata to bring you.
