December 15, 2015
The second annual Mayor’s Charity Christmas Lunch had a bit of everything for the large crowd … good food, humour, Christmas carols, an appeal to the heart by a young boy, and a serious message from the Mayor.
The lunch, held at Kingaroy Town Hall on Friday, is a major fundraiser for the Mayor’s Community Benefit Fund.
All the food was donated by Kingaroy’s SupaIGA supermarket and served up by local CWA members.
Guest speaker was Queensland poet and raconteur Rupert McCall who recalled his previous visits to the South Burnett when he was involved with the TV show “The Great South-East”, including one of the scariest moments of his life when he was asked to ride a bull.
Rupert also recited a number of poems which were loudly applauded by the diners.
Kingaroy youngster Hugh Wyvill also addressed the lunch, explaining his fundraising quest to assist a friend diagnosed with cancer.
Musical entertainment was provided by a number of performers, including the South Burnett Chorale.
The day was capped off by the presentation of cheques from the Mayor’s Community Benefit Fund to local community organisations to put to use at Christmas:
- $1000 to Boots’n Bulldust for their “Christmas Lunch With Friends” in Nanango
- $500 to the South Burnett Community Orchestra for six family tickets to the SBCO’s end-of-year concert
- $1545 to the Tableland Public Hall Association for their “Feed The Farmers Body & Soul Ho Ho Ho” Christmas dinner for farming families; and
- $ 2500 to South Burnett CTC Youth Services towards emergency relief over Christmas for individuals or families facing financial hardship
However, it was the Mayor Wayne Kratzmann’s speech which struck a serious tone at one of the last occasions where he will have the opportunity to address a large group of people before he retires as Mayor at the March 2016 election.
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Abridged Text Of The Mayor’s Speech:
“When I was persuaded to run for the position of Mayor some four years ago, the reason behind my desire to do the job was driven by the thought that by being Mayor I could help my community by way of providing infrastructure and associated works to make our region an ever better one,” Mayor Kratzmann said.
“For 12 months, I battled with the shortfall of Federal and State Government fundraising and the incessant demands from a small percentage of the community to fix their issues.
“Two things changed my focus. One was that I soon realised that whatever I did, I couldn’t satisfy those people in question.
“Simply by holding the title of Mayor I had become a ‘dart board’ more than a ‘sounding board’ for their problems, the majority of which were not of the making of Council.
“Secondly, the floods and destruction to our region from the Australia Day floods of 2013.
“Both events had the reverse reaction of what I expected. The first, which started as a positive as I believed I could solve those persons’ problems, ended up as a negative because simply, I could not help those people.
“The second, which started as a negative due to the over $100 million damage to Council infrastructure, let alone our community’s farms and properties, ended up a positive for me.
“It changed my life forever, it changed my role as Mayor of the South Burnett Regional Council.
“No longer would I spend time on an issue that couldn’t be solved or on an issue where if it was solved, it was of no real significance to my community.
“As the leader of our community, my job was to spend the majority of my time on the big picture issues, such as ensuring our infrastructure was good enough to take us into the future, not on a day-to-day basis as it had been in the past.
“And that I would lead the charge for our Council to keep the services we deserved to have, like a transport service to and from Brisbane, or the retention of our hospital in our region, to keep our art galleries and our libraries.
“The other part to my role was to help those most in need in our community, and I soon realised it was not just the obvious people who needed help, it included our farmers whose resilience was at an end after years of droughts and floods, our mental health issues, our drug addiction issues, our lack of compassion for our fellow man.
“However, with the support of my amazing Council and staff, a committee was formed headed by Mrs Cheryl Dalton and the journey began to make the South Burnett and even better place.
“In the last two years after kicking off that flood appeal, we have raised almost a quarter of a million dollars all of which stays in the South Burnett to help people in need.
“It’s not me or my staff or my committee who should be applauded, it’s simply the magnificent people of the South Burnett who have given their support.
“When you take into account what our amazing South Burnett Relay For Life does under the stewardship of Carl Rackemann and Rowena Dionysius, and all the other fundraisers that are held throughout the year, we are truly blessed with some amazing people.
“But we need to do more.
“The negativity, the blame game, the racial slurs need to stop and not be tolerated. The majority of the people in the South Burnett need to take a stand and say simply that we won’t tolerate your intolerance any more.
“We live in an amazing region, in a great State and the best country in the world.
“It’s time to celebrate, it’s time to help even more, those who are in need …”
Mayor Kratzmann then quoted the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost Of Tom Joad”, echoing John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Grapes Of Wrath”
“Wherever there’s someone beating a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there’s a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me, Mum, I’ll be there
Wherever somebody’s fighting for a place to stand
Or a decent job or a helping hand
Wherever somebody’s struggling to be free
Look in their eyes, Ma, and you’ll see me”
“So my fight will continue and even much more so after March when I again can just speak as Wayne Kratzmann and not speak for my wonderful community.
“I hope you will join me and stand up and say no to the prejudices which still abound in our wonderful region.”
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At The Christmas Lunch
A great lunch – young Hughie was an inspiration. I don’t know how, but we certainly attract some great people to speak at these and other events (Relay For Life dinners stand out). Rupert was excellent and glad to see plenty of people to hear him. Well done Kratzie and council, and thank you sponsors and volunteers.