Praises heaped on 'hero' housewife ...

From the Courier Mail:

Praises heaped on 'hero' housewife

By Amanda Gearing

31 July 2006

TOOWOOMBA housewife Rosemary Morley has become an overnight folk hero after successfully opposing a $460,000 council campaign to introduce water recycling.

Mrs Morley has received dozens of phone calls of congratulation from local residents as well as from people interstate and overseas since news of the "no" case win emerged.

"I've lost my voice today with so many people who can't say thank you enough," she said yesterday.

"I won, I won, I won. It was a hell of a battle but I wouldn't have missed it for quids."

She said more than a dozen people had phoned saying they had been going to leave Toowoomba if recycling was to be introduced and were relieved that they now did not have to leave town.

"We are going to have our clean, green image again," she said.

Mrs Morley said the campaign had overtaken her life for the past year.

"There has not been much time for my husband and family, but I was encouraged to keep going by the courage and sheer determination of everyday people," she said.

"All we had was a computer, a phone and a photocopier. We had no paid staff and this has all been done by the community."

She admitted to being surprised by the breadth of community concern about recycling, which ranged from young people to the elderly and from professional people to tradesmen.

"That's why I find it so offensive at being labelled a flat earther. It shouldn't have been said and it doesn't apply," she said.

Looking to the future, Mrs Morley said she had no big plans and would wait and see what happened.

Cr Lyle Shelton, one of three councillors against recycling, praised Mrs Morley for enduring what he called a campaign of vilification by City Hall.

Source - Courier Mail - Community triumphs over Thorley.