Ray Hadley: Stench around illegal dumping can’t be ignored
A MONTH ago it emerged a truck stuck in Galston Gorge was one of men involved in what appeared to be illegal dumping, this is a serious situation plaguing the area, writes Ray Hadley.
Opinion
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1 About a month ago, after a truck was stuck in the Galston Gorge, I was advised it was one of many trucks headed for Geelans Rd at Arcadia.
I mentioned that and was overwhelmed by residents pleading for help for what appeared to be an illegal dump in their rural setting.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) got involved after I revealed a convicted, illegal dumper was the site manager.
It took 10 core samples and every one of them contained asbestos.
Now the mayor of Hornsby, Philip Ruddock, has started an independent investigation into how his council officers approved the DA and has asked the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to make its own inquiries.
2 Remarkably I also discovered through my investigations the EPA’s former director of Waste and Recovery, Steve Beaman, who took four weeks’ leave after a Four Corners program into the waste industry, has returned to work despite the EPA asking ICAC to investigate the claims made in the program. In fact he’s still on the executive team.
3 The admissions made by the former NSW RSL president Don Rowe, should see him return all the money he stole from his employers and likely face criminal charges.
4 A truckie sent me dashcam footage of a lunatic in a car performing a U-turn in the northbound carriageway of the Hume Motorway on Wednesday then charging head on into the traffic travelling at up to 110km/h.
Hopefully police will locate the driver through the footage.
5 Speaking of truckies, 99 per cent of them do a tough job very well but just about every week I report at least one or two stuck in tunnels across Sydney.
It happened twice earlier this week. The drivers were fined more than $2300 and lost six points.
Why don’t they know the height of their loads?
6 I know rugby league is big business in 2017 but surely when a club signs a heads of agreement with their coach in April only to sack him in September something is drastically wrong.
Canterbury should honour their deal with Des Hasler and reach agreement with him in relation to the money they owe him.
Big business or not there used to be a time in the game when your word was your bond. In this case there’s a signed document which needs to be honoured.
7 Slim Dusty passed away 14 years ago this week but his music lives on. His best of album has been in the top 20 of the country music charts for almost 1000 weeks.
8 I attended a memorial service on Monday for radio legend Gary O’Callaghan.
It was well attended by people within the industry but I guess the greater population need to be reminded this man consistently had more than a third of Sydney listening to his program. A great broadcaster but a better bloke.
9 Stand by for a hot weekend, with a top of 36 in Sydney’s west.
10 Well done to the Matildas. Their brand of soccer has record crowds watching them. Great work girls.
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