Page 30 - Mobile Magic

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‘I’m not really sure, dear. The council wants this town to be a city - they think that unless it’s called a city it must be a second rate place - but the people who live here like it being just a big country town. It’s friendly - you know your neighbours - the air’s clean and the water’s fresh. People can get out of town easily; to go bike-riding or bush-walking - even just a picnic ... Why! ... You can have your own horse when your parents don’t even own a car.’
‘But ...’ moaned Saffron, ‘there must be something we can do to keep them from destroying this place!’
‘Well, people
form lobby groups,
call and pester politicians,
get the media on their side,’
she turned away and said, ‘trot
a circle around me now, darling,’ to the round child on the round yellow pony.
‘It’s a long, tedious process and I
certainly couldn’t afford the phone bills,’
Mrs Stevens continued, ‘not like that developer
fellow - simply rolling in money, he is. Crooked too,
from what I hear ... remember when they started that
suburb over near the air base? He bought the land for peanuts and started selling it in small lots, before there was any approval - no roads - water - sewerage - just empty paddocks.