Gwen Armitage, of Kings Meadows, at the site of the Kings Meadows Rivulet. Picture: WILL SWAN
NOT happy Mr Mayor!
That's the stance of octogenarian Gwen Armitage over the state of the Kings Meadows Rivulet.
Mrs Armitage said the waterway was consistently filthy and, despite promises from the Launceston City Council, nothing had changed.
Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said that he had it cleaned up after a meeting with Mrs Armitage but that it must have deteriorated since.
Alderman van Zetten said he would contact council staff about it immediately.
Yesterday, Mrs Armitage gave a guided tour of the rubbish-strewn rivulet next to Hobart Road, which she said was an important walking path for elderly residents.
``I started my battle with the Launceston City Council back in July,'' Mrs Armitage said.
``I met with the Mayor and Alderman Rosemary Armitage. They promised me the works, and pardon my French, but they did bugger all.''
Alderman Armitage said this was not true and genuine attempts to address the mess had been made.
``Council staff do the very best they can with their limited resources and manpower, but they just can't be there every day,'' Alderman Armitage said.
``I think sometimes the expectation of the community is a bit more than the resources you've actually got.''
Alderman Armitage said the council's parks and gardens staff had been reduced in the past few years, although this had previously been rejected by the council.
``It's definitely been reduced, the number of people we've got to do the jobs they've got to do, but this time of the year is also the worst as well,'' she said.
Despite the criticism Alderman Armitage said it was important that residents like Mrs Armitage kept the council on its toes.
``Don't think of me as a naggy old woman because I'm not, this is just wrong,'' Mrs Armitage, who had proposed bins near the rivulet, said.