Adelong progress ?

Contribution (received 19.7.2013)

After the attack on the Australia First Candidate for the Riverina, (Lorraine Sharp) by James Hayes & "friends", I made contact with Lorraine (who I had never met or spoken to before) and Lorraine informed me that James Hayes had told her that she "must have got her information regarding the curfew from myself or Bunny Brown". This is not true, although not surprising James Hayes would accuse me as Hayes form over time has shown he is no stranger to bullying and undermining people who dare to disagree with him.

Now that I have communicated with Ms Sharp, I was informed by Ms Sharp that 'gang' leader James Hayes had engaged his 'mongrel pack of attack dogs' to contact and intimidate her about a contribution Ms Sharp made to the Tumut & Adelong times on the issue of the curfew. They were incandescent with rage (not as much as the truckies who travel at least an extra 2 hours over a dangerous road because of people like Hayes).

Now that Hayes and his attack dogs have implicated me Ms Sharp is finding out a hell of a lot more about the curfew issue.

There is the issue of the "sham curfew meetings" run by James Hayes where the sole purpose was to bully, but pretend to be neutral and allow people to vote who lived nowhere near the highway, people from Ellerabie, Batlow and others miles away voted, the meeting was held at a time and place where truckies could not get there, (Hayes usual style).

Hayes and his 'friends' say the town would be nothing without the Progress Association - I make the following points since Hayes and Stephanie Smyth took over the Progress Association.

1. The only service station in town closed down.
2. One of the only two cafes closed down.
3. The post office was set to close (the only reason it stayed open was because of money from my company (Bendigo Bank and volunteers).
4. One business has reduced staff.
5. Not one new job has been created - NONE for young people.
6. The town is growing older, anyone with an education or people who really want a job leave.
7. No trucker (external income source)will live there because of the curfew - they won't come to Adelong.
8. Because the Progress Association wouldn't support Tom Wiles to have the 100 year deflection wall at the unique historic gold reef area reinforced - a very important part of the river was washed away. James Hayes turned up at a meeting between council and Mr Wiles (but when Hayes saw me there and realised he couldn't bully, he left before the meeting).
9. The Progress Association refused to support the removal of the log jam in Adelong creek, when the flood came it washed down against the bridge; formed a 'dam' and directed the flood down the main street of Adelong - this is why the town flooded.
10. The Progress Society refused to get council to build a protective wall on the creek bank next to the caravan park, Paul Mullins had the protective trees on the bank removed and the second flood cut into the wall again and a permanent cabin had to be removed. As of two months ago the Progress Society refused to contact council about it.
11. The Antique fair (the major income earner for the town) has broken away and formed their own organisation. Stephanie Smyth and James Hayes never helped, but decided they would make all the decisions and control the money.
12. Adelong is known throughout Australia as the town hostile to truckies, thanks to Hayes and this organisation. They are quite happy to put lives at risk on the dangerous Gocup Rd.
13. Adelong has been on the 10 most deprived town list in NSW for years, and the Progress Society have done nothing.
14. The Progress Society are council "bum lickers" what ever the anti-Adelong Tumut Shire Council decides the Progress Society promote in Adelong.
15. The Progress Society do not represent the people of the town and ignore any problems individuals have. A long time ago people have given them up (I walked away from them shortly after Stephanie Smyth became involved).
16. The one and only member who has been part of the organisation since its inception (the 1990's), is ready to walk away, because they do nothing.
17. The Progress Society know that the Tumut Council want Gocup Rd fixed, so they can promote it as the major entrance into the Tumut Shire and exclude Adelong from traffic into the Shire, but have done nothing, it seems as if they want tot further destroy Adelong.
18. The Mayor of the Tumut Shire Council, Trina Thomson has stated she wants the curfew to stay - to force the state and federal government to pay to have Gocup Rd fixed.
19. When the Tumut Council 'misled' and told them they couldn't afford the initial $100,000 needed to get grants for the swimming pool - this was 'accepted' and the money was 'sourced' from the bank (over $10,000 was my money). In other words the progress Society donated $100,000 to the Shire.
20. Three out of 7 councillors voted for Adelong to have a heated pool (they needed one more after the election). they followed James Hayes in actively campaigning against these people. Hayes would get in - they caused Adelong to miss out on a heated pool.
21. The Progress Society never complained when Councillor James Hayes did a 'backflip' (so he could become Deputy Mayor) and supported the worst possible outcome for Adelong. A six lane rather than a 7 lane pool that the Adelong Swimming Club wanted - these people took over the swimming pool committee then sold the people of Adelong out.

I could go on ....

This organisation is not the Adelong 'progress' association, it's aim is to destroy the fragile town of Adelong. James Hayes and Stephanie Smyth are leading the gang that are destroying Adelong.


If these folks are so concerned about maintaining the curfew why have they not reported the Toll trucks that cart for Visy (breaking the curfew all the time)? They are hypocrites who attack only the owner/driver and small business.

Graeme Crain
Adelong