But fair dinkum, there are people going around who’s job it is - I am sure - to make life difficult.

I would have thought that as we move more and more into the Technology Universe, things should be simpler.

No so, apparently.

Our academics, our bureaucrats, the people who sit in their fancy offices trying to justify their existence, seem to come up with more and more reasons to make people jump through hoops.

To be difficult.

My lastest gripe concerns a move by Parkes Shire Council to name the road around the new hospital the Tom Morrissey Way.

We have covered the story previously, pointing out that council wishes to acnowledge a great servant for Parkes, Tom Morrissey in this wonderful way.

The family was quite happy, the community very accepting. 

It should be a simple process.    

Not so. 

It appears the powers-that-be will not accept the move.

They are happy with Morrissey Way, but not Tom Morrissey Way.

What the!

I just don’t understand.   

We are recognising and honouring an individual, but this is not permissable.

The Geographical Names Board of NSW says it is against their policy to include both the first and last names with naming proposals.

No other reason, just that it contravenes the policy.

So it has to be Morrissey Way.

You might as well not do it if you can’t acknowledge fully the appropriate person.

There are other Morrisseys in the area so how do we distinguish who it is named after?

What would happen with something like, Henry Parkes Way?  

By their thinking, it would simply be Parkes Way, and not necessarily mean any reference to the Father of Federation.

Council only this year has named the road going into the new hospital the Marie Bashir Way (in honour of our wonderful former long serving NSW Governor who has since retired).

That apparently is acceptable.

As I said, it is obvious we have far too many people in positions of power who really are not sure what to do with their time - other than make life difficult.

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It’s the favourit time of the year for me.

I say it every year, so no reason not to do it again this year.

Christmas and Elvis - doesn’t get any better.

First of all to Christmas - and we are again urging people to contact us with details of homes and businesses with beautiful light displays.

There’s plenty around, so let us know where they are.

Then comes Elvis straight after - and it looks like being bigger and better than ever.

Council staff have been flat-out for quite some time - and it is only going to get busier in the weeks ahead.

I know they are still crying out for beds in local homes to handle the inquiries which are still coming in.

And certainly, if anyone can provide a bed, please contact Helen Westcott on 6862 3995 or mobile 0412 444 452.

Then we have all the Elvis activities during the five days of the festival.

They all look after themselves pretty well, with good numbers usually in attendance.

But one I would like to give special mention to is the Elvis Poet’s Breakfast.

It was one of the late entries into the program, and is slowly building momentum.

This year it has special significance - so a good turn out of entries and attendance would be fantastic.

The Poet’s Breakfast will be held on Thursday,  January 8, and will be the first event of the Festival to celebrate Elvis’ 80th Birthday.

If you take the world time line into consideration it may well be the first event for Elvis’ 80th  in the Southern Hemisphere, if not the world !

Last year’s event attracted a very good crowd but very few poetry entries.

All were wonderfully received none the less, and it would be great to improve the number of entries, even by three or four.

Elvis, his music and movies, provide plenty of inspiration for budding poets.

As someone suggested to me this week, let’s get the literary juices flowing and see what we can come up with.

The theme for the Elvis Festival this year is Roustabout - surely there’s some clever rhyming which goes with that!

It costs only $5 to enter, and you can also pick up a yummy bacon and egg roll on the morning to get you going.

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The Champion Post is having its longest break (ever, I think) over Christmas.

We are missing four editions from Christmas Eve to the New Year.

We usually miss no more than a couple at the most, but our final edition for 2014 will be on December 24, with the first after that on Monday, January 5.

It’s going to feel very strange, but for the first time, we will actually get to enjoy a reasonable break.

Mind you, there will still be news posted up on the website to keep people informed of major events.

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

‘Every day is a gift, that’s why they call it the Present.’