DALE DICKSON’S VERBAL HAND BALL TO COUNCILLOR

FILLING in at the last minute for Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, Donna Gates chaired one of the shortest and strangest full council meetings on record at the Evandale chambers.

During Tuesday’s 35-minute meeting, Cr Hermann Vorster spoke in Swahili when asking council CEO Dale Dickson (right) about the limited space for library books. He had discovered an “impeccably presented compendium of complete Swahili” on the shelves, noting there were no companion books. How many times had it been borrowed?

“Asanti,” replied Mr Dickson, which translates to “thank you”, showing verbal skills are as sound as his hand ball when playing AFL. “My answer is at least once,” he added.