I've been a stern critic of RC over the years but have to...

I've been a stern critic of RC over the years but have to acknowledge the grass roots work he has done to get the fracking moratorium lifted here. Below is one of many, many examples:

19th April, Richard Cottee, the Managing Director/CEO of Central Petroleum will be in Alice Springs to present a cheque for $34,000 to the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir.

Now who cares about the Choir? Well lots of left leaning green types in the Territory do and RC never won them over but largely neutralised them. I remember criticising the CTP purchase of 6 Toyota off road vehicles from the CentreCorp owned Peter Kittles Motor Co (Central Land Council has a majority stake in CentrCorp). So RC headed off the CLC by buying lots of vehicles from them and also by getting the traditional owners on side. He always employed a lot of traditional owners and paid good royalties rather than getting into arguments with them. The purpose of the vehicles bought from the CLC? Let's not go there but very effective lobbying. Then he had former Chief Minister Giles on side almost as if he had hypnotised him, they were often seen out and about together. RC became a Territory icon in his own right. Giles put the Jenema Pipeline project in place and did many other things to help his mate RC.
Good work RC