Amid the usual council meeting toing-and-froing there was a lull as a motion was photocopied, hence councillor Danny Lowe pushed his tablet’s play button on the rap group’s song Hard Road.

Its travel reference proved unintentionally apt as the big question to be answered at the meeting was whether mayor Anna Speedie would be allowed to jet off to Asia next month in an education delegation.

The mayor absented herself from the debate, saying it would be a conflict of interest.

It was left to Cr Lowe and former mayor John Watson to stress the benefits of having the city’s leader extolling education alongside TAFE, university and high school representatives in China and Vietnam.

But unlike the Hilltops’ lyrics – Going down the hard road, Don't know where I've been – two councillors opposed to the spending, Tim Quilty and Libby Hall, knew exactly where the council had been and why this subject was so contentious.

They both referred to the council’s history of overseas travel.

This was an oblique reference to the fallout from a $13,600 trip to a social enterprise world forum in South Korea in October 2014.

Council chief executive Patience Harrington and then councillor Lisa Mahood embarked on that Seoul junket, which included business class airfares.

But what it is best remembered for is the plagiarised report Ms Harrington presented to the council afterwards.

Just four paragraphs of the three-page report had not been cut-and-pasted from websites, including Wikipedia. 

Ms Harrington was asked by ABC radio’s Joseph Thomsen at the time whether her report would undermine public confidence in council overseas trips.

“I don't doubt that it will,” she replied.

Equally galling for ratepayers Lisa Mahood, a former mayor, went to ground and presented nothing to council and has offered no public comments on the trip to the city of Gangnam Style.

With that background, any future overseas trips were bound to be fiercely assessed.

So there was more at stake than just the $6430 earmarked for the mayor’s trip when the subject was debated on Monday night.

Cr Quilty, who admitted to surprise that the trip was not approved, told the meeting that only public artwork was “hated” more by ratepayers than foreign travel.

That is debatable, but what is certain is that education leaders lost the chance to have the mayor on their trip because of the stain left by the Korean experience.

The council needs to show the merit of mayors or councillors going overseas.

Wodonga Senior Secondary College principal Vern Hilditch, who has organised the trip, said mayors were revered in Asia.  

“The council leaders are held in utmost regard and it’s important our mayor meets with their mayor to reflect the sincerity of the relationship,” he said.

With a push to make the delegation’s Chinese destination Weihai a sister city of Wodonga, there is little doubt there will be another trip opportunity arise.

A successful visit by the education chiefs, resulting in more foreign scholars studying in Wodonga, could drive a council visit.

If that comes to pass cynical ratepayers will hope the lyrics of another Hilltop Hoods song prove true.

I won't let you down, won't let you down again