Williams eyes city keys

By Lia Bichell
CRANBOURNE jockey Craig Williams may be able to add keys to the City of Casey to his trophy case if he rides Melbourne Cup contender Dunaden to victory this Tuesday.
The City of Casey plan to open their arms, and doors, to prominent residents and guests by presenting them with symbolical keys to the city at special events.
Council officers are creating a draft policy on how council could honour special visiting dignitaries and outstanding residents at special events by presenting them with a symbolic key to the City of Casey.
The key will be placed on a plaque, which would also have a caption to recognise the dignitary and the event.
Councillor Sam Aziz, who moved the idea, said he thought there needed to be a clear policy regarding the gesture as he did not want to give the honour out “willy nilly” but agreed with a suggestion from Cr Wayne Smith that the symbolic keys should also be given to outstanding residents in the municipality.
Mr Williams would seem an obvious choice for the honour, having a long list of sporting achievements under his hat- or helmet. He won the Caulfield Cup on Southern Speed, Geelong Cup on one of the Melbourne Cup favourites Dunaden and the Cox Plate on Pinker Pinker.
Cr Aziz said the move to present keys to dignitaries and outstanding residents would emulate the moves of other major cities across the world.
“I think it is a unique thing to symbolically give people the keys to the city and tell them they are part of Casey- any great cities in the world do that,” Cr Aziz said.
“I think it is valuable to do this. Imagine the City of Casey’s logo hanging in board rooms across the world.”