Readers of The Islander, the sole newspaper of Kangaroo Island, could read in the 2012.03.22 edition a front-page article titled “Chirgwin censured for code breaches“, with an Editorial by Shauna Black titled “Unfit to continue“.
There is more to this damaging story than meet the eye. Having closely followed the developments on this matter, I can state unequivocally that one can not have an objective idea of what has been going on and what is at stake through the biased reporting and prejudiced opinion of Editor Shauna Black.
I do not necessarily share Councillor Rosalie Chirgwin‘s ideological and religious positions, and do not pretend that she’s without her faults; I understand that some people could, sometimes – or often -, get exasperated with her exactness and her determination / stubborness. But she does take most seriously her duties as councillor, and she does NOT deserve the persecution and the character assassination campaign which have been ongoing against her, for way too long, at the detriment of her health and family life.
This systematic campaign of vilification, which could take petty and nasty forms, has taken on its most acute expression in the two complaints lodged by Councillor Bec Davis and Council employee John Fernandez. The Davis one being basically vexatious in my opinion, the Fernandez one being instrumentalised apparently to stop a councillor appropriately questioning administration dealings and processes.
In addition to the human cost, to those involved but also to the social fabric of a small community, these two complaints have been a huge waste of time, energy and finance – ratepayer ressources squandered. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, CEOs, Councillors, Local Government Administration and Islander Editor, who have mismanaged their duties and the human and legal aspects involved, bear a huge responsibility in making the political situation on Kangaroo Island most deleterious.
The two cases brought against Councillor Chirgwin being now in the public domain, by determination of the Council, the webmaster of KIpolis will progressively make accessible, possibly in two separate posts, the various documents in relation to them, if and when they are transmitted to him.
This way, people would be able to make up their own mind, rather than just be told how they should think and feel.
Dr Gabriel Bittar