Principality of Lairds Corner
From Lomwiki, the micronation encyclopaedia
The Principality of Laird's Corner was an Australian micronation located in the town of Robertson, in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales.
It was created in 1985 by John Bleeker, the then-owner of the town's iconic retail establishment, the Robertson Pie Shop, when a building application for extensions to the premises occupied by the shop, at the intersection of the Illawarra Highway and Jamberoo Mountain Road, was rejected by the local council.
Upon Bleeker's death, ownership of the Robertson Pie Shop passed to his son, Will Bleeker, and as of February 2010 he remains its proprietor. On a 28 December 2009 visit to the establishment, micronation researcher Kieran Bennett interviewed the younger Bleeker, who explained that his father had been something of an eccentric and a local media curiosity.[1]
Bleeker stated that his father “just thought he could do what he wanted”, and apparently took offense when municipal employees explained that there was more to applying for a building permit than merely submitting a crude sketch of his plans..[2]
Whilst Will Bleeker no longer maintains his father's pretensions to Laird's Corner's independence, advertisements for his business that appeared in the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 schedules for the annual Robertson Show include identical references to "The Principality of Laird's Corner: The Robertson Pie Shop",[3] [4] which suggest residual local interest in the former micronation.
References
- ↑ Principality of Lairds Corner, by Kieran Bennett, The Micronationlist Access date: 19-02-2010
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ The Micronationalist - 2008 Robertson Show Schedule Access date: 19-02-2010
- ↑ 2009 Robertson Show Schedule Access date: 19-02-2010
External links
- Robertson Pie Shop at thesoutherhighlands.com.au.
