A rubbish honour
City names its tip after John Cleese
A New Zealand city has honoured John Cleese, not with a statue or a plaque – but by naming a rubbish tip after him.The garbage pile in Palmerston North has been renamed Mount Cleese in retaliation for disparaging comments he made about the city during his 2005 tour.
At the time, the comic described the city as one of the most boring places on earth, and dubbed it ‘the suicide capital of New Zealand’.
Now a sign has been erected at Awapuni tip, reading: ‘Mt Cleese, Alt.45.2m asl [above sea level]’ and adding that it was named by Fred Dagg, the alter ego of local comic John Clarke.
At the time of Cleese’s comments Clarke had suggested the dump be renamed the ‘John Cleese Memorial Tip’ with the tagline: ‘All manner of crap happily recycled’.
But the city council was quick to point out that the ‘honour’ is entirely unofficial.
Waste manager Chris Pepper said: ‘Somebody had the sign made up as a joke. It's popped up overnight, and nobody has said to pull it down. People just smile and leave it there.’
Published: 21 May 2007
