Saying it with roses

It’s not all politics for the flower guy outside Town Hall even though some of his best customers work within it.

Peter Savva is present every afternoon and evening until 9pm and he likes a chat.

People can’t help confide in him as they select a bouquet for a special occasion.

“It goes in one ear and out the other,” he took pains to explain to CBD News. “I block it out.”

But what he can reveal is that Lord Mayor Sally Capp is a lover of flowers, Deputy Lord Mayor Nick Reece goes for the natives and, surprisingly, Greens councillor Rohan Leppert is not a customer as he heads off on his bike.

Peter moved to the CBD six years ago and lives on the 23rd floor of a tower in Lonsdale St.

It’s not all bees and nectar at his new home base. The body corporate fees are steep and he’s heard of desperate people living nearby.

On a more positive note, his move to the CBD saves quite a lot of travelling time from Doncaster where he used to live.

The florist business has kept him busy for 27 years, just a small drop in the ocean in terms of flowers and the Town Hall.

He says there’s probably been a florist outside the Town Hall since the 1800s.

Jonquils called “Early Cheer” have just come in, as has wattle. But roses are the most popular.

“The Lord Mayor buys them all,” he said.

Peter never goes to meetings even though he feels part of the Town Hall team.

“It’s bad for business if you get too involved,” he said. “I look, listen but don’t say nothing. You don’t know which way the wind’s going to blow.”

He is happy to go on the record that the current Lord Mayor “is the best of the lot”. •