by Adrian Hill

Here at the Community Lead Advisory Service (CLAS) we have been SO excited at the birth of our new (non lead poisoned ) baby - our new project ! So excited in fact, that we launched it twice !

In the rather swanky official launch, the rather swanky state minister for the environment The Hon. PAM ALLAN, M.P., along with her baby Sidonie, officially launched the CLAS project at our office in Summer Hill on August 21st. It was an extremely fulfilling occasion for all of us at The LEAD Group.

In her speech the minister outlined the importance the NSW government places on lead. She said that NSW was particularly at risk because it suffers from every combination of environmental lead contamination possible - particularly lead industry sites, leaded paint and high traffic volumes.

She also stressed the need for action from all sectors of government. She said the Federal government appeared to have faltered in its support for Community education and information about lead issues.

Many LEAD Group employees particularly enjoyed this last part of The Minister’s speech and we have been inspired to send her a record of out-of-state calls answered by CLAS. It is hoped she can use this information to communicate with other environment ministers about funding lead information services for people outside NSW - hey, they get lead poisoned too.

Sometimes it can seem like funding can come along only once in a blue moon, and this inspired the naming of our unofficial launch and office-warming party, the Once In A Blue Moon Party, which was held on a real live blue moon.

A blue moon is the second full moon in a single month.

Project Coordinator Elizabeth O’Brien spoke of (amongst other things) how The LEAD Group had grown from a $5,000 grant from NRMA in 1993 to the current NSW EPA grant of $290,000.