Who ate from the fruit bowl?
Response to Caleb Cluff – Courier 3 October 2020
Re: Expenses: car, coffee, computers.
As previously advised, I would provide a response to articles to ensure transparency in reporting and facts
I am guilty - I did have a fruit bowl in the mayor’s office even shared across the civic support offices as well.
But, I categorially deny that only $69 was spent on this “fruit bowl” – it was much more, it has got to be a whole lot more. For three years as Mayor only $69 for fruit – no I will not have it, I want a Royal Commission into the “fruit bowl” fiasco!
I mean, one of my first jobs as Mayor was to dispose of the big glass bowl of chocolates that sat on the desk from the previous incumbent which was filled weekly. Recent photos, branded across every labour funded advertisement shows us how badly that has ended.
This Royal Commission into extravagant expenses needs to seek out – Who ate from the fruit bowl!
I mean, Australia has one of the most overweight societies with 24 % of children 5-14 years overweight or obese – definitely not a figure to be proud off – did these children eat from the fruit bowl?
Yes they did! and at every opportunity I would invite children from all walks of life to visit the Town Hall and learn about our city and how local government works. I even had one to one meetings with children who had done special things for Ballarat, were fighting their own health battles or for some that just needed for some one to care about them and tell them they are important – they ate from the fruit bowl at times some children even had “high tea” OMG more fruit costs.
But who else ate from the fruit bowl?
I recall while I was meeting with Mr Jack Yang and his Chinese delegation about a Waste to Energy site in Ballarat I witnessed him ‘reach out’ and take a handful of grapes from the fruit bowl – I’m sure its on security camera surveillance somewhere – perhaps we can review and send him an account for 15 purple grapes and one mandarin.
But there must be others?
l regularly had working lunch meetings with a former Director and his theft from the fruit bowl should be noted as one banana per fortnight. Shouldn’t a working lunch meeting be at least at a café or Mr Le Vietnamese restaurant for the rate payer to reimburse – no his crime was bananas.
And then there was the City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Margaret O’Rourke – god damn it! I should have seen it coming! Margaret was in the mayor’s office and her delegation of other mayors involved in the UNESCO Goldfields bid. Margaret had convinced me to meet and I thought they were here to discuss business, overseas tourism opportunities but no, in hindsight, it was about fruit – and what does the Ballarat Mayor have in her fruit bowl.
Now I think back, it’s all been a big set up from all those Victorian Mayors, community visitors, other councillors and international delegates that visited the Ballarat Town Hall and the Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp, there to negotiate the restructure of Melbourne tourism and how Ballarat can benefit. She bought fruit from the Queen Victorian market just as a lure to soften me up and make me feel comfortable… and then Ka-pow we were talking about the ‘ Belt and Road’ initiative a 24 hour transport route directly from the Queen Victorian market through the orchids of Bacchus Marsh and straight to Wilsons Fruit and Veg who would jettison a pre packed parcel of fruit to Civic Support who..with some urgency.. would lay out this assorted fruit directly into the “fruit bowl”.
These Mayors will forever be known as unassuming accomplices associated with the “Ballarat Courier Royal Commission” into the Fruit Bowl fiasco!
Ps - A lot of businesses provide tea, coffee, biscuits and yep.. fruit to their staff. They don’t provide coke and chocolates.
Ok that’s the comical response to $69 of fruit.
What about the Courier investigate who leaked the FOI expenses documents from the Town Hall – now there is a growing story! Who is accountable?
