ShaneM3

From 1990 to 2014, I resided in Lithgow, after having been moved there as a child after the untimely death of my father in Newcastle. For reference, I was actually born in Lithgow in 1983, but have no memories of those times.

For what its worth, there are still very good people in Lithgow, and those who have moved on, but not far, to the Blue Mountains. I commanded a certain level of respect in Lithgow, and participated in community organisations, the State Mine Railway, the SES, and a major political party. This is where I had won most respect, for my can do attitude. This is so you can get an idea of what I actually was in terms of the town, I'm not a blow in, or blow through, I spent most of my life in Lithgow.

Its just too bad that the majority of Lithgows residents don't have a similar can do attitude. In 1990, Lithgow puts me in mind of the way Casino is now - you could look an older person in the eye, and they would greet you heartily in a friendly way. Over 24 years, that become less and less, until finally, entropy on the scale of the entire town had taken place. One review here mentions "bad vibes" and "creepiness." I can safely say, I too had felt that throughout the years, as my former open and gregarious nature was ground into the dirt by successive years of years of bullying by students, and example making by teachers in the schools of Lithgow, mostly due to my above average academic performance (one teacher even accusing me of my high grades forcing class averages up and making other students look dumb!).

In the last part of my time in Lithgow, I attended the new university, and while I noted, I was indeed going to pay a HECS debt at some point, the level of quality education simply wasn't there. UWS did absolutely everything they could to go out of their way to force me to conform to outrageous demands on type of computer system used, test requirements, and deliberately giving classes false information (that I had learned was quite the opposite when I had taken my trade ten years beforehand, and I didn't pay for that!). Its almost as if the university has been deliberately given second rate staff in order to eventually fail when their graduates spout crap at real universities that doesn't make any form of sense.

I can also mention that certain elected members of Council have a naked disdain for those forced by circumstances out of their control due to family breakdown to live in public housing (which oddly enough, is a large proportion of the constituents). The choice between being homeless and living as a second tenant in public housing was clear. For that, I earned the unjustified ire, and repulsion by this certain elected member of the Council in a public situation. If she was not a woman, I would've actually called her on it there and then. However, I'm sure she would've played a familiar sexist card on me, and I'd be the ogre. Sure. Some of us weren't actually born with the silver spoon in our mouths, and others of us don't serve on the Council of a town that is, by all reports seen by me on the internet, perusing the Lithgow Mercury online, is dying so slowly, you can hear its rasping breath from here in the North East of NSW, a true tinpot empire, empire in name only, and laughing stock to those of us in the know.

Is there anything that can redeem this place? I was very fond of bushwalking and mountain biking during my time there, simply myself, my dog, and a bottle of water, to brave the elements and explore new and exciting places. It so happens that I know all of the nooks and crannies of Lithgow, there is little that could be hidden from me there. The surrounds are amazing, try the walk up the back of the old Zig Zag. And take a camera, you won't want to forget it.

I have some fond memories of Lithgow, I'll give you that. But the memories of years of my childhood and teenage years lost and wasted suffering under the yoke of a town with residents who have indeed seen the writing on the wall and would rather ignore it to hold onto their little piece of Empire, ostracising those who thought progress and advancement could've actually saved Lithgow - and there WAS a time I was organising an effort to examine the plans for the silicon smelter to ensure computer chip fabs could set up in the town (yes, I had the stars in my eyes a long time ago) with little to no effort - and you have someone who on that last train out was finally glad to be free of a sentence that he would've gotten less for murder on.

Right now, you can bet your bottom dollar, if there was no rail line through Lithgow, it would've gone the way of Newnes - a ghost town. The Small Arms Factory is a bunch of concrete slabs, and three main buildings left - one the museum, one the Nutella factory's, and the last, the Brethrens, Wallerawang power station has the final approval for demolition, Piper Unit #3 and #4 will never go ahead as NSW is officially still broke, concerted actions in the Courts are trying to shut down Springvale Mine and Angus Place is in mothballs, Airly was in the dumper for years due to the washery issue, Baal Bone had the dam burst after ceasing operations... makes you wonder if the NSW Government is going to expand the SDRO or something? But then again, most employees for the SDRO relocated from Sydney, not many local residents got jobs there. I know of two local residents that got jobs, they're low level staffers.

The housing market is hotly contested, and nowhere near as affordable as people like to make out it is - sure, compared to Sydney, its great. And two hours between trains is bearable. Although stupid, every six months, the Government tries to squeeze the taking down of overheads past Mount Victoria back onto the debate, as the lines are barely maintained (deliberately? Perish the thought!) which would force the inevitable change to buses at Mount Vic, which happens every six to eight weeks anyway, due to "essential maintenance" (where they run more coal trains anyway - odd how no one mentions that!). I'd hate to try to get a house there now, even with my connections, I don't think it would be possible, or if I did, it'd be a cockroach infested shack, or better yet, had Farmers Creek run through the kitchen and deposit silt all over the floor.

I hear that people have not given the place a go, and I appreciate that, and you'll either love it or hate it. But I more than hate it, I'm disappointed in my former Home. I did give it more than a fair go, and lots more besides. And it has let me down, so many times. Now I hear suicides are on the rise again, and Winter is never a good time for that, looking up at a Valley sized cabin fever syndrome with the grey clouds that are everywhere for weeks at a time...

Lithgow. Officially going back to the Stone Age, and has been for the last twenty five years. My Dad was right to leave, and take us with him. You have to wonder why none of the Aboriginals never went in the Valley before colonisation, don't you? Theres your fun fact no one else will tell you. There is quite a bit more to that story too, that no one really wants to know about. I paid attention, and noted over many years, including what wasn't said. Bad vibes? Please! Thats a walk in the park. The other thing is, ice is on the rise, and its making me nervous for the people left there that I love, I keep expecting to see one of their names on the national news, along with the words "bloody murder" or "appalling attack."

If you can get past the people, you'll be ok. But if you can't, Lithgow can be a Hell on Earth. And Hell is cold, after all...

I'm sure I'll get flak over this, but I believe, given the amount of time I've spent in Lithgow, I should be the guy warning people "Stay away from that Amtrak..." Don't worry, I do that offline anyway. Lithgow was once my Home. But I don't think I was from there, if you know what I mean. And despite many people moving away, only to return a couple of years later, that is sadly not an option for me. My health would stop me right in my tracks if I spent a Winter in Lithgow now. I do have to return and look up old editions of the Mercury on microfiche at the Library, I'll need probably a week to do all that.

After that, I'll simply wipe out that part of my life. But you got the goss first!

Enjoy!