Freemasons ordered to clean up after corellas

Geraldton’s masonic hall is the corellas’ latest target, with the birds stripping paint from possible asbestos surfaces and strewing the flakes over the surrounding road and footpath.

However, a spokesman for the Freemasons Hall said preliminary examinations by a licensed asbestos contractor showed the material in question may not be asbestos after submitting samples for testing.

Nearby neighbour Indre Asmussen said she had contacted the City of Greater Geraldton as she was distressed to see children walking through the mess on Augustus Street on the way to and from school.

“It is an unacceptable health risk given it is asbestos,” she wrote to the City.

“Apparently CGG has been in contact with the Freemasons ... We have passed through this area for a week now, and the delay is unacceptable.

“This really needs to be cleaned up by people wearing appropriate PPE and disposed of correctly.”

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn, who is also a Freemason, said a contractor was quoting to replace the gutters.

“Our roof is not asbestos, it is tin, but we do have fibro-cement gutters,” he said.

“I don’t think the tin is painted but I think they have peeled some paint off the guttering.

“The City has touched base with the Freemasons and advised that they do need to clean up the immediate area and look into replacing the guttering.” The masonic hall secretary Carl Reynolds said the white cockatoos were also damaging the Colorbond roof.

“They are there every afternoon,” he said.

“They are even taking the bolts out of the roof now. We find two or three of them every day.”