Last Saturday, pre-poll voting opened at 9:00am in Cootamundra Town Hall...
As I was staying in Cootamundra for the weekend, I decided that it would be a great time to get my messy voting done...Maybe not too many people around, as I could take some time...
(Little did I know just how much time)...
Found the Town Hall site with little problem...Thanks Google maps...
But I should not have been too hasty...
Barriers were around the footpath in front of the town hall except for one narrow area...
I walked it to the front entrance...
And the front door had a sign 'closed' till Monday...
Hmmm...
Not one to give up, I wandered round one side of the Town Hall precinct and found this lovely garden area (above) with a little fountain...
Nice...but no doorway...
Not one to give up completely, as the government website declared Cootamundra would host pre-poll today,
I wandered round the corner to the town main street side of the hall...
I found a side entrance...
Lo and behold...
I was presented with a 'How to vote Labor'...No sign of others...
I queued behind 3 people...
When approached, I said that I would need to vote absentee...I was directed to the appropriate table...
And now more fun begins...
ME: I have just arrived in NSW over the last few weeks from Dromana in Victoria...I thought I would get here early in case I may have a few time-consuming issues...
NICE, PATIENT LADY: No problem...Actually, you are lucky...You missed the 9:00am queue waiting for doors to open...There seems to be a lull now (9:45am) but I am sure it will get more busy again at 10am...That's a popular time for Saturday morning...Now, just fill out this form and use your driver's licence address...It's recorded on the electoral roll?...
ME: Yes...
NICE, PATIENT LADY: What is your address now?
ME: I don't actually live permanently here yet...I am living in my daughter's rental till her new house is completed...Then I am taking over the rental...So should I record my current address?...
NICE, PATIENT LADY: Ummm...So there is no actual record of your moving here?
ME: No...Just a Post Office record to redirect mail here...
NICE, PATIENT LADY: Well, we will just have to leave that section of the form blank...That indicates you are holidaying here for now...But you must change the electoral roll record as soon as your name is on the rental...(Lady begins to print off ballot papers for my Dromana electorate of Flinders)...Now finish that form, sign it and then go to a booth and tick the required boxes for the Flinders electorate...Then bring your ballot papers back to me folded...
So far so good...One big problem sorted...
Filled out ballot papers in the booth...But as I ticked boxes on the long white form, there were large wet blotches on it...???? Back to nice lady...She examined the white paper and ran with a few deep thoughts...
NICE, PATIENT LADY: I think it's best you did the white form again...No idea why the table area in the booth was wet...Maybe a roof leak? I will sign off this first wet paper and print you another...Go to that booth just there and tick boxes again...Bring the papers folded back to me...
Ballot papers ticked again...back to nice, patient lady...
ME: I hope all is OK now...
Nice, patient lady nods...Carefully puts folded papers in an envelope and seals it...Smiles at me...
NICE, PATIENT LADY: Now that wasn't so bad was it? I have dealt with far more complex problems than yours...But, I must admit, yours is the first wet ballot paper I have had to solve...Have a great day...
It is now 30 minutes since I first sighted Cootamundra Town Hall and begin the pre-poll journey...
Back to the town hall garden for another photo/s and then it's time to explore Cootamundra in autumn...
