Page 4650 - Week 15 - Thursday, 21 November 1991
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election hands down because the term "rally", into which "reassemblement" translates, is onomatopoeic; it translates to action, and many of us wanted action. The name was coined that day and will go down in Canberra history, come what may.
The National Capital Development Commission made formal contact with us. Jill Lang was then one of the prime movers there, and Malcolm Latham, who was a correspondent with us. I am pleased to say that one of our correspondents at that time, the executive officer, John Meyer, is present in the chamber today in another guise. We then made contact with the Canberra Association for Regional Development and other groups, and gradually an increasing spectrum of parties joined with us to form a working party, which commenced meeting at the Canberra International Motor Inn in about March 1988. It was called the Metropolitan - - -
Mr Connolly: This is the extant history of the Rally, is it?
MR COLLAERY: I am sorry, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker; some people find an historic overview amusing and a matter for cynicism. I am attempting to put something on the record. I am not scoring points here, and I think it is in the community interest that this be done at last.
The seminars continued; they were called Metropolitan Policy Plan meetings. Finally, on 31 May 1988 we received a letter from Peter Leonard, then of the NCDC, making this comment:
Dear Mr Collaery,
Thank you for your positive contribution -
he is referring to the Rally -
to the discussion at the Urban Design Seminar last Friday.
Here are the fateful words:
The community appears to be willing to incorporate local ideas into the beginning of the urban design policy process. There also seems to be acceptance of principles of landscape and building linkages and open space.
Contributions from the seminar will be included in the background report on urban design policy issues.
We are indebted to those officers of the former National Capital Development Commission who saw what was occurring and started the process of workshopping with community groups. Those workshops continued through to 1 December
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