CLEANING RUBBISH
“…being hounded by authorities for cleaning up rubbish…”
From C.Cloude, Bordeaux, France: I am Canadian, but married to a French woman … I saw somewhere on the internet a newspaper article about a man in Alice Springs who was being hounded by authorities for cleaning up rubbish. If this is a true story, it doesn’t make any sense …
REPLY: It’s true.
The man’s name is David Chewings and he is being prosecuted by the Alice Springs council for taking it upon himself for voluntarily cleaning up illegally dumped rubbish.
Some sections of the media have dubbed him “the garbage warrior.”
Personally, I would like to nominate David Chewings for the Citizen Of The Year award.
I find it very odd how some sections of a community can prosecute and harrass one who voluntarily initiates a project that is designed to assist and develop.
But such is the bureaucratic mentality.
The local council administration have fined Mr Chewings $600 (which he is refusing to pay), a Liberal politician who blatantly rorted her travel expenses has publicly criticised him, and many of the so-called “leaders of society” have conspired to relegate this fine bloke to the level of resident ratbag.
What strangeness in our communal psyche compels some of us to persecute our most innovative members?
Over in the north-west of West Australia, rural councils often engage caring locals of Mr Chewings ilk as “honorary litter wardens.” The work is voluntary. The rubbish bags are supplied free by the Keep Australia Beautiful organisation. The litter wardens are issued with books to document offenders who can positively be identified as dumpers and are taken to court and heavily fined.
It is a great pity that the administrative powers of Alice Springs cannot think as constructively instead of treating such people as a threat to their empire building.
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