Tongue-in-cheek retiree says ‘exclusive’ Mosman needs a Target and better pavements

A RETIREE who moved to Mosman from Adelaide four years ago has written a tongue-in-cheek letter to the council bemoaning the waterfront suburb’s exclusive shops and unsafe pavements.

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A 69-year-old woman who moved to Mosman from Adelaide four years to take up residence at a retirement centre is fed up with the suburb’s exclusive clothing stores and uneven pavements.

But retiree Nadia Smith has taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to the problem penning a letter to Mosman Council and sending a copy to the Mosman Daily.

In the letter, Mrs Smith pleads for more affordable shopping and a wider range of stores in the suburb.

Mrs Smith’s handwritten letter addressed to Mosman Council.

Mrs Smith outlined four points that made her “delighted to be living in Mosman”.

“I am delighted that there isn’t a music store where I can buy a CD,” she wrote.

“I am delighted that there isn’t a Target where I can browse to my heart’s content and spend up big and buy an electric kettle without having to go to Chatswood.

“I am delighted that the pavements on Spit Rd are uneven and I can have a jolly time with my walker.

“I am delighted that the clothes are too expensive to buy. How wonderful to be exclusive.”

Mrs Smith declined an interview.

Letter writer Nadia Smith would like a Target store in Mosman. Picture: Supplied

Mosman Chamber of Commerce president Pat Purcell said she understood Mrs Smith’s frustration but said Mosman would lose its character if big chain stores moved in.

“The thing that most people like about Mosman is the lovely village atmosphere,” Mrs Purcell said. “It’s not another great big mall.”

Previous proposals for a Coles supermarket and liquor retailer Dan Murphy’s in Mosman have failed.

Mrs Purcell acknowledged that Mosman had “some very expensive stores that sell very expensive clothes”.

“But if you’re looking for the same brands and the same things you would find in other suburbs, they are no dearer.

“If you go to the IGA here or IGA somewhere else, it’s pretty much the same.”

The “village atmosphere” of shopping in Military Road in Mosman. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mrs Purcell said Mosman used to have a music store but it had closed, as music stores had in other areas.

The Mosman Daily gave a copy of Mrs Smith’s letter to the council and a spokeswoman said council staff could meet her to discuss her concerns.

“Mosman Council doesn’t appear to have received a letter from Mrs Smith,” the spokeswoman said.

“Council takes reports about pavements around aged-care facilities seriously and, while no specific location was given, nearby pavements appeared in good order during our most recent inspection a month ago.”

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