By P Chong                                                                 Thursday, 21 January 2010

Have you ever heard of the ridiculous formality of having to apply to the Shire of Kalamunda, Western Australia, for the approval of keeping a family pet? As though that itself is not laughable, you are required to pay them a whopping processing fee of $132.00!

For the sake of our two grandsons, I was prepared to overlook the ridiculous formality but not the $132.00 which I didn’t know about! Happily, I tried to fulfil the requirements:

• I went round our neighbourhood getting supporting/consent signatures.
• Filled up the application form which reads: APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL TO COMMENCE DEVELOPMENT.

  Now, doesn’t that sound crazy as though I am about to start a pony business in our backyard? I am only buying a pet Shetland pony for our grandsons. The size of this pony is between a miniature one & the normal pony . . . just a size larger than the German Shepherd or a Great Dane.

• Three copies of our property’s location & site plan to be included.
• A Stock Management Plan is even required!
• No processing fee of $132.00 was mentioned or printed in the application form. I wouldn’t have gone to the Shire office today to submit my application form had I known of this or was even told about it!

Let’s hope & pray that this not reality but only a nightmare that I found myself in. Not sure if the Kalamunda community, or any other community, is aware of this nightmare.

After all, we have the space & area for the Shetland pony. Our backyard is in excess of 1500 M2 of empty grassy space and we also have the shed for its accommodation.

I have also seen the neighbours and they all have no objection whatsoever in our keeping one Shetland pony as a pet for our grandsons.

But why should Kalamunda Shire be so unreasonable?

Is buying a Shetland pony (gelding) as a pet tantamount to a business development?

Does the amount of $132 mean that the Shire is supplying me with the pony?

If you have any suggestion or comment, please have your say or email me:

paul21chong@gmail.com

Thank You.