And the inaugural recipient would be the young man with short blonde hair, aviator sunglasses and performing the socially unacceptable and quite illegal practice of riding his large skateboard along the footpath of Macquarie Street, weaving in and out of the lunchtime pedestrian traffic.

While there are notices proclaiming the act is not legal, they seem to be few and far between.

The young man performs his skating with an attitude of arrogance that makes one wish for a large, blue cattle dog.

Perhaps it's time for more foot patrols by the police along the street during the lunch hour.

ooo

EACH year, 500 men and 100 women develop mesothelioma in Australia, and the unfortunate new is this statstic is expected to rise to 900 new cases a year by 2020.

So the news NSW councils will be given guidelines on how they can minimise asbestos risks for home renovators is a welcome campaign.

Asbestos is found in most homes built before the mid-1980s and can cause deadly cancers if the fibres become airborne and are inhaled.

With all the enthusiasm a do-it-yourself program can generate, the risks are high.

They say the thing about common sense these days is it is not that common.

Home renovators should be alert to the dangers.