Royal Stouch
by Chris Thomson | March 15, 2008
A portait of Queen Elizabeth II that will oversee all formal proceedings of Stirling council from now on has a pro-republic councillor in a right royal rage.
"The portraits will be honouring our head of state, who lives in another country thousands of miles away, who I would suggest has never been to, or heard of, the City of Stirling," Osborne warder David Michael said.
"Yet the council does not even visually acknowledge, through such means as an aboriginal flag, the traditional custodians of our land."
Over a dinner before the March 4 council meeting, a discussion led by mayor David Boothman, at the request of some councillors, decided the Queen portrat should be displayed.
Later, at mayor Boothman's request, and at a cost of 573.76, staffers swiftly framed three portraits of Her Maj' the council had lying around. By March 11, one was hanging in the Council chambers, one in the committee rooms, and one in the reception hall.
After hearing about the dinnertime discussion, the Voice phoned Cr Michael, a former state secretary of the Australian Republican Movement. He said he it refused to take part in the informal powwow.
It was bad enough having to swear allegiance to the queen when I became a councillor," he told the Voice. "I would have preferred to swear allegiance to the people of Stirling.
"I don't know why we needed to have three portraits considering we already had one...wht will be next, one in the council loos?"
Lawley ward councillor, and former army colonel, Rod Willox, had a different take. "I'm not a monarchist or an Anglophile," he explained. I'm a fourth generation Aussie and have served this country in the military and I've never had a problem with the queen."
Cr Willox said the former council chambers had always had a pic of the queen, which was nicked when the council moved to its new HQ in 2006.
Bucking the national trend, Coolbinia (58%), Inglewood (54%), Inglewood North (56%), Mt Lawley (59%), Mt Lawley West (62%) and Mt Lawley East (59%) voted yes to a republic in the 1999 referendum
(The Perth Voice)
After hearing about the dinnertime discussion, the Voice phoned Cr Michael, a former state secretary of the Australian Republican Movement. He said he it refused to take part in the informal powwow.
It was bad enough having to swear allegiance to the queen when I became a councillor," he told the Voice. "I would have preferred to swear allegiance to the people of Stirling.
"I don't know why we needed to have three portraits considering we already had one...wht will be next, one in the council loos?"
Lawley ward councillor, and former army colonel, Rod Willox, had a different take. "I'm not a monarchist or an Anglophile," he explained. I'm a fourth generation Aussie and have served this country in the military and I've never had a problem with the queen."
Cr Willox said the former council chambers had always had a pic of the queen, which was nicked when the council moved to its new HQ in 2006.
Bucking the national trend, Coolbinia (58%), Inglewood (54%), Inglewood North (56%), Mt Lawley (59%), Mt Lawley West (62%) and Mt Lawley East (59%) voted yes to a republic in the 1999 referendum
(The Perth Voice) - subed's blog
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