As it turns out, so I've been informed, the reference to the sale of the Scone Library in the Finance Committee's Agenda ...
... mentioned in my last post was the old Scone Library, not the new Scone Library!
Who knew?
I am drowning in a flurry of questions which have crazily consumed me over the last couple of weeks as I madly try and find out answers, some of which I've had to spend more $$$ on to find out ... which I think sucks when you think most of this information ought to be in the public domain.
So ...
Why was the 'old Scone Library' (aka Barwick House) sold when Syd and Percy Barwick gave it to the Scone community for the Scone community's use?
Yes the Barwick brothers gave it to the Scone community not the Upper Hunter Shire Council.
Who said the Upper Hunter Shire Council could sell it when it had been so generously bequeathed to us?
Was the old Scone Library (Barwick House) put up for tender?
Was there a song and dance about it? I don't remember - anyone?
Did the Upper Hunter Shire Council consult with us?
Who or what bought it?
(Ok so I ended up spending money on that question through the NSW Land and Property Information Division by doing a title search, and it turns out Transcare bought it in 2011, with conditions I think, for $380,000 - the 'price bit' I got for free through Google Earth, Six Maps and NSW Globe!)
Who or what is Transcare when they're (really) at home?
We're told they're the old Upper Hunter Community Care .. so they had a name change? Why? Still got the same CEO though, but who are they?
And we're also told that they're a not-for-profit company?
Can you be a not-for-profit when you're a franchise?
And since they're a franchise who is their parent company? Who do they pay their royalties to?
And for their quality assurance, why would they use QAS International, a UK certificate mill ...
... which, according to the Australian QAS International (without the hyphen in their url), is a company not registered with the Joint Accreditation Scheme of Australia and New Zealand ...
... and therefore perhaps ought not to be issuing certificates of compliance in Australia. So very confusing.
Is this a question of health by stealth?
And why doesn't Transcare list on their website who is on their board? (Again it really sucks that I had to pay a tonne of money to discover that our local mayor is a director on the board - why the secrecy and why make it so difficult for us to find out this information?)
Why is the Upper Hunter Shire Council selling off all our libraries and buildings and to whom or to what are they selling them?
What is happening to Scone?
