Noble crusader patrols his patch - ALAN Gordon Noble crusader patrols his patch - ALAN Gordon

15 June 2003 - ALAN Gordon could be Melbourne's top complainer.

Eighty eight complaints to Greater Dandenong Council in three months have prompted some staff there to dub him "Sir Gripe-a-lot".
But neighbours in the southeastern suburb of Noble Park say he is their Clark Kent, a community crusader without rival.

Mr Gordon, a father of two, admits he is "a bit different", a man on a mission.

"There's so much that needs to be done,"he said yesterday. "Somebody's got to be out there doing it. I just thought I'd take it on myself."

Mr Gordon, 46, pounds the streets surrounding his Fintonia Rd home for up to three hours at a time, two to three times a week. His eyes are peeled for faulty paving, waste and any other potential hazards, eyesores or illegal practices.

For every issue he sees, the credit officer takes out a blank council request card from his pocket, fills it in and posts it.

Since early March, Mr Gordon has put in 55 complaints about sunken or raised paving slabs, 24 about dumped rubbish, two about fallen branches, one about a dead tree, one for an abandoned road sign, two on unregistered cars, two about roads needing repair and one about a bridge.

"I meet a lot of people on my walks and they often say 'good on you',"Mr Gordon said.

He even keeps blank request cards in his car in case he sees anything amiss while driving.

And he tries to raise at least two issues at council meetings, which he has regularly attended for almost three years.

"A lot of people in my area, especially the elderly, wouldn't push things, so I would,"Mr Gordon said. "Now I go to all the meetings held in Springvale and catch up with the agendas and minutes of other meetings on the Internet."

At this week's meeting, Mr Gordon called for measures to ensure the streets did not become strewn with litter during hard-waste collections and asked for improved lighting outside the council offices.

Mr Gordon, who has lived in Fintonia Rd for 22 years, said he had always been drawn to local issues.

He is a life member of Safety House Victoria and for eight years has been a trustee of Noble Park Public Hall, where his daughter did gymnastics.

He is a Greater Dandenong focus group volunteer, is on the council at Carwatha College and was a member of Springvale Police's community consultation forum for five years.

He ran for council in March, missing out on election by about 180 votes, and decided then to focus even more on local issues.

"I care for the area I live in and I feel people should have more say,"he said.

"The kids sometimes ask why I'm doing it, but my wife knows I am dedicated to these things.

"I find it rewarding that I may be helping prevent people from hurting themselves by tripping on the pavement, or just making where we live a better place. I must say I always get a prompt response."

Council customer service manager Noel Dobson said: "The council has some customers who put in more requests than others, but all requests are treated with equal importance."
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Source
https://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/
common/story_page/0,5478,6595535%255E2862,00.html

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