Council snubs volunteer gardener

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Town Council needs a rigorous, independent review to restore democratic representation, transparency and sanity.

The Council's wanton destruction of the iconic Undoolya Road and Lindsay Avenue roundabout planted with Sturt Desert Peas is final proof, if more was needed, that it lacks all three.

Horticulturist Geoff Miers has been tending the site for over 20 years as a volunteer.

This is not just a case of employees making a mistake, as the Council now claims.

Geoff has been in dispute with the Manager of Works and Mayor Patterson for two years about the water supply to the roundabout.

The Council will create a report on the incident, and it will, of course, be confidential.

The process of sidelining elected members and concentrating decision-making into the hands of incompetent managers was alive and well under the previous CEO Jennings.

He restricted elected members' influence to non-operational matters.

Just about everything became operational and much more confidential.

Elected members have constant reminders of the penalties for breaching confidentiality under the Local Government Act.

Mayor Patterson accelerated the trend, making decisions without consultation and hiding behind confidentiality provisions.

Late last year Patterson was caught out writing a secret letter to the Commonwealth Bank supporting the major owner of poker machines in Alice Springs, Iris Capital, in their bid to increase the number of poker machines.

The breach was very much in the public interest, but Patterson was outraged and reported it to the ICAC.

Advisory committees have been eliminated; the last meeting of the Parks Advisory Committee was in August 2022.

Another extraordinary misuse of executive power was the failure to support the Animal Shelter in its time of need.

Previously self-funding, the shelter subsequently went into administration even though it had $150,000 in the bank, with running costs picked up by ratepayers.

Alice Springs deserves much more from the Town Council.

Ralph Folds

Alice Springs

The Alice Springs News has asked the council to respond.

UPDATE May 29, 2025:

The council issued the following statement: Honouring a selfless Centralian Alice Springs Town Council will prioritise a new public art and landscaping project at the Lindsay Avenue / Undoolya Road roundabout, with up to $150,000 allocated to celebrate the iconic Sturt’s Desert Pea — an enduring symbol of Central Australia.

As part of the project, the roundabout will be formally named in honour of Geoff Miers, recognising his many years of voluntary care and dedication to the site.

Geoff’s contribution to horticulture in Alice Springs spans decades, with a legacy of education, advocacy, and hands-on work that has shaped green spaces across our town.

PHOTO at top: The roundabout in its blooming state, cared for by prominent gardener Geoff Miers.