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It appears we may get our new year resolution after all now that Mike Baird has resigned as NSW Premier.
A lot of anti-amalgamation supporters are pretty confident the NSW Government will do another backflip on the proposed council amalgamations.
But will it actually happen bearing in mind some councils in NSW have already amalgamated? Will they revert to their original status?
Those councils that spent a few bob on legal fees appealing the proposed amalgamations, will they get a refund if the backflip occurs? What about the appointment of all the new general managers of the new councils? Will they be subject to redundancy payments?
What will happen to young Paul Toole if the backflip occurs? Will he follow Mike Baird and Troy Grant’s resignations?
Perhaps we may even get to have a look at that famous KPMG report that recommended all the council amalgamations.
The implications of this report may even lead to the council amalgamations in Canada and New Zealand being overturned as well. After all, they were the basis for the NSW council amalgamations.
The NSW Government may even be able to get its money back from KPMG. Or it could get KPMG to do another report on how to fix all these issues should the local council amalgamations be abolished.
Anyhow, we'll just have to wait and see whether we will be able to call Oberon home or south-east Bat-Hurst.
Still on the subject of Bat-Hurst, I actually travelled to Bat-Hurst last week as it had been a while since I'd been there. Boy, did I get a few surprises!
The railway gates are no longer in use at Kelso - they have changed the way you get to Bat-Hurst via Kelso.
Secondly, the cafeteria in the Western Stores has gone. As a matter of fact, even the Western Stores is no longer.
Thirdly, the police station opposite Bathurst City Bowling Club has vanished and, yes, even Waltons has gone missing from opposite the old Western Stores site.
Also, Max Dibley's Ampol Garage has vanished and the Bat-Hurst post office is no longer opposite the park. You can't get petrol at the Tindall's corner garage anymore. The old Coles lolly shop, opposite the old Western Stores, has also gone.
Why on earth would Oberon want to amalgamate with a place that has so many businesses vanishing? It looks like it may be quite a while before I make another trip to Bat-Hurst.
See ya later.