The Lighter Note

Table manners at Kalamunda

Normally a boardroom table gains notoriety because of the people who sat around it and the decisions they made.

So, spare a thought for the jarrah furniture proposed for the Shire of Kalamunda’s operations centre.

It has reportedly become the subject of a scandalous development before it has even entered the premises. The Note hears that the councillors were upset to discover the price was nearly $17,000. There was even a cheeky suggestion that there were other things the council could have spent ratepayers’ money on. Heaven forbid!

Then again, the Kalamunda council might be relieved to know that theirs may not be the most expensive table going around.

An operative attending the opening of HHG Legal’s new digs last year was surprised to find a boardroom table inscribed with the leafy logo of defunct plantation timber mob Great Southern, the office’s former occupant. An unconfirmed rumour had it that the table had originally cost $90,000. Ouch!

The Note once tried to compile a list of the locations of notorious corporate furnishings, amassing a grand total of two. There was the old Bond Corp boardroom table, which defunct metals hopeful Kingstream Steel inherited when it took up residence at the top of Bankwest tower.

The Note fondly recalls stroking the old state cabinet table from the Brian Burke era, which to our knowledge, still graces the West Perth HQ of Engineers Australia. Imagine the stories it could tell.

We are still searching for a certain chair.

Home insurance

At the risk of alienating a large proportion of the population, The Note could not help but be gobsmacked at the latest offering from the insurance market.

We are reliably informed that housewives can now be insured to cover the need for home help in case of injury.

The announcement had the usual survey, which purported to reveal that WA women were most accident prone. Apparently, falling, hitting something and being hit by something were the most prevalent injuries.