To all my friends, I thought Id give you a brief update on my trip to the USA. Im now in the peaceful French countryside recovering from a heavy cold brought on by a very hectic schedule on the US tour. I cant say we werent warned, Prof Ed Blakely warned us many months ago it would be gruelling. However he didnt tell us we would be travelling in a bus built on a truck chassis with suspension to match. It had three settings on the air conditioning, off, Sahara & Antarctic, most of the time it was on the latter. The roads we travelled on the East Coast were mostly appalling but the suspension may have enhanced the experience. The Americans are wonderful people, so friendly and polite, something us Aussies we do well but not as well as the Yanks. Even the poor beggars on the street were so polite it shamed you. We saw a lot that will benefit Hornsby and some things to be wary of but most of all I am more convinced than ever of the need for Local Government reform. I saw at first hand politicians grabbing on to power with both hands whilst their community disintegrates around them, talk about the frog in the pot of water! We are fortunate in Australia to be able to change to suit the times, I would rather see my community benefit by embracing change than to cling on and see infrastructure disintegrate around me while I stroke my ego like so many small minded politicians do. When I get back Ill be saying a lot more about this subject. Look forward to seeing you all again soon, we dont know how lucky we are. Regards, Steve.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:27:39 +0000