It started as a world record battle when Ipswich claimed the title of the World's Largest Lamington in 2009 only to be pipped 2 years later by Toowoomba with one twice the size.
Over a week ago Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio scoffed at the announcement that the New York-based American think tank, the Intelligent Community Forum, had ranked Ipswich in the top 7 intelligent communities of the world.
Now with an exchange of ties and lamingtons in Ipswich with Mayor Paul Pisasale, the Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio made an obligatory "mea culpa" and disappeared back to Toowoomba quicker than Paul Pisasale could say: "Have a lamington on us".
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| Toowoomba and Ipswich mayors Paul Antonio and Paul Pisasale trade lamingtons and Ipswich City neck ties at a meeting at St Edmund’s College in Ipswich on Friday. |
The Queensland Times reports:
We don't hate here anymore.
IF YOU are a regular reader of our sister paper up on the range, you could be forgiven for thinking there was some kind of stoush going on between Mayors Paul Pisasale and Paul Antonio.
The Chronicle didn't take too enthusiastically to the news that Ipswich was recently named among the world's seven intelligent cities - well at least according to American think tank The Intelligence Community Forum, anyway.
What followed was what could only be described as an envy-fuelled attack from our western siblings - a needless put-down on Ipswich in order to prop themselves up - which appeared to backfire.
Unfortunately for the Chronicle, two out of three of its readers who voted in an online poll disagreed that Toowoomba was a smarter city than Ipswich.
Banter aside, the story has at least prompted a pledge from both mayors to work together for the benefit of residents at both ends.
After all, Ipswich and Toowoomba are probably more alike than our country cousins would like to admit.
For all his boasting that Toowoomba is the epicentre of the ever-expanding USQ empire, Cr Antonio also has to concede that his two grandsons, twins Hamish and Campbell Owbridge, are proud students of Ipswich's St Edmund's College.
Both boys were inducted as school captains on Friday, February 13, along with Henry Creamer and Harry Peucher.
"Let's set the scene here," Cr Antonio said.
"We're good mates and we stick by each other. I admire Paul and what he has done and, don't tell anyone, but I've tried to model some of my actions as mayor on what he has done - the way he has lifted the pride."
The Toowoomba mayor remained defiant on which he believed was the smarter of the two cities.
"I thought it was April Fool's Day when the results came through naming Ipswich as the smarter city. We know we are."
Cr Antonio said he was immensely proud of his grandsons and that their intelligence was "genetic and not environmental".
Cr Pisasale said his opposite number was so intelligent that he picked the best school for his grandchildren.
"I went to St Edmund's and I know he wants his grandkids to grow up like me," Cr Pisasale said.
"No matter whether you live in Ipswich or Toowoomba, we would never say that our city seriously is better than any other city.
"What we want to do is to be part of a great state, and we work to make sure our community is the best it can be. The Australian way to do that is through a bit of humour and a bit of fun."
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