Bushranger

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What is in a name?

AT least one dad got in trouble on Father’s Day last weekend at the Run with Dad fun run. When the NT News asked him how to spell his daughter Caitlin’s name, the sixyear-old said it was with an ‘I’ to which Dad corrected her and said it was with a ‘Y’. To this, Mum said, ‘No it’s not, it’s with an ‘I’. Dad said he had been spelling her name incorrectly for the past six years

Joke fail

NT scribe Hayley Sorensen interviewed her hero singer-songwriter Tex Perkins this week. Or, at least, she tried to. She called up Perkins’s for a chat and was greeted with silence. After a few awkward seconds, Sorensen cracked a joke and Perkins hung up on her. Stick to politics, Sorensen.

Rave on

PALMERSTON local Jordan Elisy Jesse

Stubbs is attempting to crowdfund for an “Off Chops” bush party in Darwin. He’s trying to raise $2000 to fly DJs up for from Sydney for the occasion. With just $35 in donations raised in two long months, seems Jordan’s ambitious dreams are a long way off.

Politics for dummies

A MOTION at the Country Liberals Central Council meeting in Darwin recommends devising a candidate manual that includes “What does being a MLA entail?” The manual could include categories such as: Honesty; fidelity; loyalty; the meaning of team; Facebook dangers; Karaoke bar dangers; Asian Engagement and relations – a Ministry not an activity to combine pleasure and business; Midnight coups; How to count.

Public unrest

There has been plenty about Chief Minister

Michael Gunner’s polling and leadership woes. It’s not restricted to the “big house”. The Chief needs to take steps to ensure that senior bureaucrat positions are filled based on merit rather than what currently appears to be family or friendship connections. There is unrest in the public service.

Dough-not ask us

Seems Krispy-Kreme doughnuts are all the rage this week in Darwin. Pity we don’t have a local shop, but that seems likely to continue. The Leonardi Government’s figurehead Michael Gunner told reporters this week he had no knowledge of any discussions having taken place with the KrispyKreme people. Rumour is the Boss (Alf) called it “a Bunnings for diabetics”. Fortunately, nobody took any notes of the meeting so we’re not sure it even happened.

Defence shields

The chief executive of Tourism, Alistair

Shields, known for having a missing piece of valuable indigenous art hanging in his office, is one having his leadership questioned by industry. Some struggling Darwin businesses accuse him of not only taking his eye off the ball, but say he has stopped looking for it.

Camera shy

NRL NT was left red-faced by the Northern Sharks on Friday afternoon after the club failed to produce one player for an NT News grand final preview photo. After initially confirming three players were keen to take part, not one Shark showed up. It’s been a tough year for NRL NT, but Bushy thinks this episode takes the cake after the club gave the excuse that the players were “camera shy”.

Spotted

While everyone knows it is important to look good when you are in politics, Bushranger did not realise this mantra expanded to staffers. One male Labor Party staff member was spotted enjoying a pedicure recently.

Winding down

A little birdie told Bushie that Channel Nine’s Darwin newsroom revamp includes taking the big cameras away: leaving staff scared of further reductions.