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Ashley Robinson: not just scratching around for rubbish ideas to fill a weekly column 

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My main function at my real job at Alex Surf Club is rubbish – leaves and palm fronds.

I leave the customer service to others.

But I think my obsessive-compulsive disorder has finally taken over.

Well, everyone else knew that, except me.

For instance, my son set up a meeting one day at the beach kiosk at Alex and, unbeknown to me, threw palm fronds on the path.

When I came around the corner, I was picking them all up as everyone sat there laughing.

Very funny!

Or the other day at a nippers presentation, with 200 people in the room, I noticed a food spot on the carpet right in front of where the speeches were being made.

I stared at it, looked away, tried to ignore it but about 30 minutes in, it got the better of me.

I found a little red brush and got on my hands and knees and cleaned it.

My disorder was on display for all to see.

But all I was worried about was the carpet, not the 200 looking on going: “What the?”

Picture: Shutterstock

Rubbish is my thing.

In my world, the most important people are the rubbish contractors because as the Coast gets busier and busier, rubbish is a top priority.

Same in the parks and gardens around the Coast.

A lot of users treat the areas with disrespect, so the rubbish collectors and amenity contractors should be our most important people – the ones we always say hello to and offer a hand or a cold drink.

Without them, we would be living in absolute chaos.

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor with your name and suburb at Sunshine Coast News via: news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au

Back to my weird behaviour.

The last piece of the puzzle to confirm I have finally been totally controlled by rubbish was a working bee the other day.

Everyone was very proud of themselves as they had totally filled the big bin up with stuff we didn’t need anymore.

ashley robinson Sunshine Coast news
Ashley is general manager at Alex Surf Club.

I was proud as well, until I found out the bin man had already been.

I freaked out and, even though the team told me they would go to the dump, I couldn’t wait.

So there I was in our industrial bin at lunchtime on a Friday, pulling all the stuff out so I could fill my ute up and go to the dump.

It was best summed up by a nice lady walking past.

She peered into the bottom of the bin as I scratched around in there like an agitated scrub turkey, and said: “I guess I will read about this next week.”

Scrub turkeys – now don’t get me started on them!

Ashley Robinson is a columnist with Sunshine Coast News and My Weekly Preview. His views are his own.

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