Shire eyes funding for Jack
Jack Bennett, also known as "Windmill Jack" fears his days spent in the desert repairing windmills may soon draw to an end, unless some dollars are forthcoming for the service he provides.
Originally from Queensland, Mr Bennett, 80, has spent years servicing remote communities and cattle stations in the Pilbara and Western Desert.
He fixes windmills, whichprovide a vital source of water to people and livestock in the area.
But he worries about his ageing wife, Alice, who remains in Queensland, and says he's never received a penny from a community he's worked for.
"Not one community since I've been over here, which has been about seven years now, has ever given me any money for the work I've done," he said.
"I'm getting paid by everyone in Australia through a thing called 'Centrelink' and I've got to split it with my wife.
"But I said to the people out here, 'you haven't got much time people, I'm living in two places, here and over in WA while my wife's in Queensland and you haven't got much time, because I don't know how long I can keep this up'."
The _North West Telegraph _asked Mr Bennett if people thought he was crazy for doing all that work for free, to which he replied: "I've said to a lot of people I've got to be the maddest bastard in all Australia".
"When I came here and found it's still alive, that old Australian way, everyone will talk to you, everyone's friendly and I can't speak highly enough of West Australians."
Shire of East Pilbara chief executive Allen Cooper said the council was looking at funding for Mr Bennett.
But he said with windmills there was always issues with ownership depending on the land they were on and funding was difficult to come by.
"Council is worried about his age … they want to support the continuation of the program, but we'll develop a policy and allocate money each year to make sure it goes ahead," he said.
"Council sees it as a critical asset for the desert, but it's just hard getting funding for things like that these days."
