We’re no snobs or toffs — North Adelaide residents back Adelaide City councillor Anne Moran’s defence of their suburb’s honour

NORTH Adelaide residents have backed Adelaide City councillor Anne Moran’s impassioned defence of their suburb’s honour.

NORTH Adelaide residents have backed Adelaide City councillor Anne Moran’s impassioned defence of their suburb’s honour.

Locals say North Adelaide has for too long been unfairly portrayed as an enclave of upper-class complainers.

Ms Moran hit out at council staff on Thursday for not standing up against what she labelled “vicious abuse” of North Adelaide residents.

O’Connell St Precinct Association president David Johnson said North Adelaide was treated like the “poorer relative of the city”.

“It’s easy to bash residents as being big toffs or privileged,” Mr Johnson said.

North Adelaide Society chairman Ed Briedis said North Adelaide people had for too long been “easy to pick on”.

“You can go to any suburb and we are all the same, whether we live in North Adelaide, Whyalla or Coober Pedy,” he said.

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Former Labor attorney-general Chris Sumner said residents were unfairly blamed for the closure of Barton Rd and for the Le Cornu site laying dormant for 25 years.

“The discriminatory scapegoating of citizens based on their place of residents is unacceptable,” Mr Sumner said.

“It’s usually accompanied by misrepresentation of the facts, facts about the Le Cornu site (and) Barton Rd.’’

This week’s furore was sparked by North Adelaide residents complaining the Soundwave concert at Bonython Park last month was too loud.

Soundwave’s promoters forfeited a $10,000 council bond for breaching noise limits.

North Adelaide people drew more flak for the council’s new two-hour parking restrictions around Adelaide Oval.

“Why shouldn’t there be reasonable parking restrictions on event days to ameliorate the adverse impact on local residences, businesses, sporting clubs and medical facilities?” Mr Sumner said.

Former state government minister Diana Laidlaw said North Adelaide people were labelled as being “difficult” because of a few “consistent complainers”.

“I actually think we’re mostly quite down-to-earth though,” Ms Laidlaw said.

“I think North Adelaide is an area that is vital, full of energy and full of people that love our state and their energy should be harnessed not demeaned.’’

Developer Theo Maras said North Adelaide people were “misunderstood”.

“It suits the political ends of many to talk about North Adelaideans as the snobs or something-or-others of Adelaide,” Mr Maras said.

“They have the right to demand the respect other residential areas get.”

Adelaide City councillor Sandy Wilkinson blamed the media for its love of “bashing the hoity-toity on the hill”.

In an email to senior colleagues and journalists, Ms Moran had said the council’s public relations team was sitting on its hands while the suburb was savaged in the media.

She said the council’s inaction had led to the misconception that “North Adelaide and its gaggle of snobby councillors are holding the state back and forcing our children to leave”.