Fred Berjot

ARTIST and agitator is calling out Gold Coast City Council’s

(inset) for firing a shot at him on email — but the latter is unruffled.

Mr Berjot recently relocated his Surfers Paradise art collective Urban Paradise Gallery to Brisbane, claiming lack of support from Gold Coast City Council. In a Facebook post, Mr Berjot writes: “Here is the clear answer from the GCCC chief of staff, Wayne Moron, when asked why Urban Paradise gallery did not get support from its art and culture department.”

Mr Moran, right-hand man, emailed back: “Hi, Are you the same Fred who was shouting abuse at the Mayor in late 2015 at a community space opening at Southport Broadwater Parklands? Cheers, Wayne Moran.”

Wayne Moran Mayor Tom Tate’s

Mr Berjot: “I never shouted abuse I simply asked Tate why there was not a public tender for a public art work.” Mr Moran isn’t losing sleep about his public email: “Sometimes these guys hassle the crap out of you and you can’t help but respond.” Mr Moran says of the community space opening in 2015: “Everyone there was quite happy and all of a sudden he starts heckling.

“He came on like a real pork chop and was having a go at the Mayor who had no idea what the hell he was talking about,” Mr Moran says. Mr Moran adds under Mayor Tate local procurement by the city council has surged from 48 per cent to above 80 per cent.

It is not Mr Berjot’s first clash with authority.

Back in late 2015, he earned a rebuke from the Mayor for sinking sculptures in the Broadwater in a bid to, create his own dive site because of frustration with council taking too long to get a shipwreck happening. A RELIEVED patron of Surfers Paradise bar Cocoon is praising owner Joey Lamattina. Linda Tedd lost a bracelet at the venue – it had huge sentimental value as a gift when her mother died. “I was very upset.” Mr Lamattina got busy the next morning: “I went in early before we opened and pulled the place apart.” Ms Tedd couldn’t have been happier when he found it.