Series 02: Alan Gibson Stewart papers, 1987-1989 - Page 487
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We had decided that a frontal attack on the mayor would be the ineffective, and that the best strategy to combat her hostile stance was for me to embrace her -- to ensure that she was associated with me in various projects and consequently to make it difficult for her to criticise me.
The main aim of the tour of the North Head installation was therefore to obtain a photo of Thorburn and me "getting the facts" from the Water Board. We were fortunate that the photographers on the staff of the Daily were Labot supporters. As militant unionists they were often in conflict with the management. The photographer who came on the sewer tour was lehpful -- he only took photos when Stewart and Thorburn were together.
In due course, the Daily ran a picture on the front page which showed the two of us, wearing safety helmets, earnestly questioning a defensive looking Water Board official.
Meers was quick to exploit the sewage issue. With in a few weeks of his arrival, the stirring began. A flood of complaints about sewage on the beaches resulted from a skilful appeal to mass hysteria. People had suddenly noticed that they were swimmingn in their own shit.
Almost every issue of the Daily carried reports of letters about this new-found threat to the