Cr Pamela Rothfield, left, looks unimpressed as Cr Les Larke, right, accuses activists of desecrating Mothers' Day.
By Catherine Watson
A BASS Coast councillor’s invocation of the spirit of motherhood to denounce local climate activists backfired when the two mothers amongst his council colleagues turned on him.
On Mothers’ Day, members of a small group called Xtinction Rebellion Gippsland held a short vigil for Mother Nature outside the Inverloch hub in response to a UN report that a million species are at risk of extinction as a result of climate change.
A BASS Coast councillor’s invocation of the spirit of motherhood to denounce local climate activists backfired when the two mothers amongst his council colleagues turned on him.
On Mothers’ Day, members of a small group called Xtinction Rebellion Gippsland held a short vigil for Mother Nature outside the Inverloch hub in response to a UN report that a million species are at risk of extinction as a result of climate change.
Cartoon by Natasha Williams-Novak The ceremony went virtually unnoticed until Cr Les Larke moved a notice of motion at last week’s council meeting asking the council to “denounce” the group.
Latching on to the frustrations expressed by some against the recent Xtinction Rebellion protests in the Melbourne CBD, Cr Larke claimed that the Inverloch vigil “desecrated” Mothers’ Day. To clinch the argument, he listed the women who had been significant in his own life.
His colleague Cr Pamela Rothfield was not persuaded by his logic and told Cr Larke she was embarrassed by the motion.
“Five months ago there was a peaceful demonstration of people on Mothers’ Day expressing their concern about extinct animals. I don’t see what that’s got to do with action disrupting the public.”
She then gave Cr Larke a brief lesson in the history of Mothers’ Day, which was founded in 1908 by Anna Jarvis, who later disowned it as the increasing commercialisation of the day disgusted her.
“So what did she do? She was an activist. She was arrested for disturbing the peace. She also attempted to have the day rescinded.
“So I find it ironic that this notice of motion is actually endeavouring to stop the freedom of peaceful protest to bring about a change in society. I’m embarrassed by it.”
Cr Clare le Serve was equally unimpressed. “I’m concerned about the use of Mothers’ Day to stop our democratic right to have peaceful demonstrations.”
Cr Larke’s sole support came from Cr Julian Brown, who blamed Xtinction Rebellion activists for disrupting people’s lives in Melbourne this month.
“These people think their opinions are more important than other people’s. They think they have the right to bully other people into accepting their views and they do not.
“They do not represent quiet Australians who recognise climate change as an issue to be dealt with and favour practical steps to deal with it.”
Cr Bruce Kent responded that he was one of those “quiet Australians” and as far as he could see the Government was not listening to people like him. “The media does not turn up at a nice quiet group. They don’t report it. But they will turn up at a major function. They got the attention. We need to be vocal in this day and age. We just need to be heard.”
Cr Michael Whelan described the motion as "an attempt at intimidation worthy of Peter Dutton and carried on here by Cr Larke.
“Google Mothers’ Day and you get an ad for chocolates. The people I have come across who are part of Xtinction Rebellion are also mums, a lot of them, and all power to them.”
Cr Larke’s motion was lost seven votes to two, but that did not appear to deter him. While he professes to believe in the science of man-made climate change, he appears to be waging a one-man campaign against any signs of climate activism.
Earlier, he submitted a motion attempting to rescind a resolution passed at the August council meeting relating to the declaration of a climate emergency by the council. The 1800-word motion failed to find a seconder, probably because no one could understand it.
At the end of the meeting he introduced another motion into urgent business urging the council not to act on the climate emergency declaration as he has asked the Local Government Inspectorate to determine whether it breaches the Local Government Act.
Once more, he failed to find a seconder.
A Mothers’ Day mourning Mothers and others gathered to mourn for the first mammal to be wiped out by rising seas.
Latching on to the frustrations expressed by some against the recent Xtinction Rebellion protests in the Melbourne CBD, Cr Larke claimed that the Inverloch vigil “desecrated” Mothers’ Day. To clinch the argument, he listed the women who had been significant in his own life.
His colleague Cr Pamela Rothfield was not persuaded by his logic and told Cr Larke she was embarrassed by the motion.
“Five months ago there was a peaceful demonstration of people on Mothers’ Day expressing their concern about extinct animals. I don’t see what that’s got to do with action disrupting the public.”
She then gave Cr Larke a brief lesson in the history of Mothers’ Day, which was founded in 1908 by Anna Jarvis, who later disowned it as the increasing commercialisation of the day disgusted her.
“So what did she do? She was an activist. She was arrested for disturbing the peace. She also attempted to have the day rescinded.
“So I find it ironic that this notice of motion is actually endeavouring to stop the freedom of peaceful protest to bring about a change in society. I’m embarrassed by it.”
Cr Clare le Serve was equally unimpressed. “I’m concerned about the use of Mothers’ Day to stop our democratic right to have peaceful demonstrations.”
Cr Larke’s sole support came from Cr Julian Brown, who blamed Xtinction Rebellion activists for disrupting people’s lives in Melbourne this month.
“These people think their opinions are more important than other people’s. They think they have the right to bully other people into accepting their views and they do not.
“They do not represent quiet Australians who recognise climate change as an issue to be dealt with and favour practical steps to deal with it.”
Cr Bruce Kent responded that he was one of those “quiet Australians” and as far as he could see the Government was not listening to people like him. “The media does not turn up at a nice quiet group. They don’t report it. But they will turn up at a major function. They got the attention. We need to be vocal in this day and age. We just need to be heard.”
Cr Michael Whelan described the motion as "an attempt at intimidation worthy of Peter Dutton and carried on here by Cr Larke.
“Google Mothers’ Day and you get an ad for chocolates. The people I have come across who are part of Xtinction Rebellion are also mums, a lot of them, and all power to them.”
Cr Larke’s motion was lost seven votes to two, but that did not appear to deter him. While he professes to believe in the science of man-made climate change, he appears to be waging a one-man campaign against any signs of climate activism.
Earlier, he submitted a motion attempting to rescind a resolution passed at the August council meeting relating to the declaration of a climate emergency by the council. The 1800-word motion failed to find a seconder, probably because no one could understand it.
At the end of the meeting he introduced another motion into urgent business urging the council not to act on the climate emergency declaration as he has asked the Local Government Inspectorate to determine whether it breaches the Local Government Act.
Once more, he failed to find a seconder.
A Mothers’ Day mourning Mothers and others gathered to mourn for the first mammal to be wiped out by rising seas.
The Mothers' Day vigil at the Inverloch hub that prompted Cr Larke's ire