The Lighter Note

Flying by

The West Coast Eagles may boast considerable influence in WA’s corporate community (see page 18), but that won’t cover up what is clearly a bad start to the season.

An example of just how lonely it can be at the bottom of the ladder was exhibited on Monday at the Australian Hotels Association gala dinner and industry supplier awards night. As part of the event, there was a silent auction boasting a wide range of memorabilia.

According to The Note’s operative, the bidding was as frenetic as a silent auction can allow – with one exception – a Weagles jumper signed by all the club’s former captains, including John Worsfold (above).

Tragically, even the names associated with days of former glory were not enough to get even the happiest publican to sign over the $2,200 reserve price.

We are even told by a source close to the hotel hierarchy that association president Neil Randall of the Paddington Alehouse was seen to be wearing a Dockers tie.

In case that is just slander we may put forward a pre-emptive defence that, perhaps, our sources were wearing beer goggles that night.

Taxing times

While the federal government may wonder what sort of mess it has got itself into with the resource super profits tax, the rest of us are marvelling at the unity it has created in a fiercely competitive industry.

People who would not normally be seen in the same room as each other have become all chummy at press conferences deriding the tax. Even iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart admitted to WA Business News that she was having daily chats with the likes of Marius Kloppers and Andrew Forrest. See, tax has a positive side.