clearer soup

Some progress made from where we left off yesterday...

Pat Barblett says she's been trying to get the FOR off the ground for a while.

She reiterated what it said in the Post: FOR is an offshoot of RIF, which was set up to raise money for environmental and cultural heritage.

"The RIA can't access Lotteries money or Federal funding, but we can," says Pat.

"Five hundred thousand people go to Rottnest every year: if 1000 of those pay $30 a year, we'd be laughing."

The FOR want to be like the successful Friends want to be like their counterparts at New Norcia.

What about RIA people being in FOR?

FOR is "absolutely quite separate", says Pat.

Pat says Janet Holmes a Court is the head friend, and Frits Steenhauer is her partner.

Yes, she was an RIA chairwoman, but only from 1991-1993.

Laurie O'Meara was just launching the FOR.

Lloyd Smith is chair of the RIF.

Yes, the Friends support the new hotel: the Rottnest Society don't.

"They just want no development on Rottnest and that just can't be," says Pat.

"We need another level of accommodation."

It's all about money for Rotto: "Think of a triangle," says Pat.

"At the top you've got big corporate donors, and at the base you've got mums and dads.

"The RIF has 50 paying members who pay $50 a year, but we want Friends to pay $30 a year."

Pat agreed there are a lot of organisations to do with Rotto: there're also the Winnits, the boaties..."there's a diverse group of people who think they know how to run Rottnest."