There is a story on the main website for this forum which describes itself being about littler and rubbish being dumped in the bush but, to me, it looks more like disgraceful treatment of a homeless person:
From the story and photographs it appears the guy has been living in his bush camp for some time before some busybody dobbed him in to Qld Parks. I don't imagine many people would choose to spend their annual holiday living like that and taking an unregistered car with them for company so homeless is a fair bet I reckon.
However this didn't trouble chief ranger Donna Haslem who was more concerned about the "rubbish" (ie. the man's belongings) than the fact she had just forced some poor bastard out of what was his home and possessions. Keep an eye on local news Donna as you never know what people on the edge are driven to in such circumstances, he's probably a bit depressed right now wouldn't you think?. Did you not think Donna that before evicting him you could have informed social services he was there and given them time to have a chat with him? It's not as if he was doing harm from what I can see and who knows what his story is?
A few years past I helped a guy in similar circumstances with the authorities, we did all we could but they would not budge and he had a stroke and heart attack from the stress and lay on the floor of his bush shed for four days before being found.
Over the past four years of my nomad life I have met a number of homeless people living in tents in bush camps, mostly they live quietly and are no trouble to anyone and in general the rangers turn a blind eye at least for six months plus and then give them plenty of time and help to move on to the next campsite. I mean... what else are the poor sods supposed to do!?
Next time Donna, maybe you could show a little of the same kindness and I hope you sleep well in your dry, warm and comfortable bed but not everyone does....
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
Agree entirely, there are too many of these tinpot council dictators, give them a uniform and a badge and off they go. I know that we need Rangers and the like to help keep things in order in our parks but sometimes in cases like this, the rules could be stretched a little? On recent trip up the Murray at Nyah I saw an old bloke with his dog carrying an esky walk along the river bank. A bit later on I went to the toilets and he was sat on his esky in a corner to get out of the wind. Whipped up a couple of ham sangers and a cup of tea for him.
I later talked to a chap who came around selling honey about him, and he said that he was often seen around the area, very rarely spoke to anyone and was no problem to anybody. There has to be reasons why people live the way they do, and who knows what has caused them to be that way. It would be great if those in authority showed some compassion towards them instead of getting out the rule book.
Good post Mike, it reminded me of the the old feller.
-- Edited by Magnarc on Saturday 22nd of October 2022 11:37:32 AM
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How many positive brain cells would anyone have to be writing a ticket for a fine close to $3000 to a person who was in such a position as to have to live like that.
Oh well they have managed to move him on and more than likely caused him to lose most of his meagre belongings. Rubbish to some is necessities to others.
Maybe he should have glued himself to a tree and claim land rights.
-- Edited by Ivan 01 on Saturday 22nd of October 2022 02:26:56 PM
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Reminds me few years ago I was line inspecting out Galstone way NSW . We where told to look out for uncovered mains in bush fire areas . Found one older couple on their property with the last 10 power poles, mains where uncovered ( un insulated). . What I didnt know these poor people had to pay over $60000!to replace some poles and all the mains . I felt so bad us guys at the elect depot all put in to fix the problem! Just dont ask where most the fitting etc came from !! Bloody beaucrats or councils have no idea !! The power pole there was beside the road 30 years ago ! The changed the road which made it private property . So essentially it was STILL local gov mains ! But we fixed it for an 80 year old couple !!
I can't remember where (I blame Uncle Al) but I read an article that said if people live in caravans, they/we are homeless.
What a load of cow dung! Just because I live in a caravan full time and not a concrete box on land and pay Council's great amounts of money doesn't mean I'm homeless. It is my choice to live how I do, my caravan (TeePee) is my home.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
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I can't remember where (I blame Uncle Al) but I read an article that said if people live in caravans, they/we are homeless.
What a load of cow dung! Just because I live in a caravan full time and not a concrete box on land and pay Council's great amounts of money doesn't mean I'm homeless. It is my choice to live how I do, my caravan (TeePee) is my home.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
i believe the expression is HOUSELESS not homeless
The comments of the park ranger bring to mind the social welfare woman in the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
What once were places of refuge for homeless people who choose to remain independent away from the cities have been colonised over the past couple of decades resulting in no small part by the advent of various free camp databases, both paper & digital, combined with the large increase of RV travellers. The move from institutional care to poorly funded community care of of folk with mental health issues has seen an increase in demand for such isolated camps for those with nowhere else to go.
We have met a number of folk living alone & isolated like this , where they feel safe, away from the society which is so often is not accepting of their difference or oddness. These are people existing the best they can in which to them is often a hostile world. The illegal camper in this instance will no doubt have left with almost literally nothing, not knowing where to go, having no shelter, but with powerful confirmation that the society he or she had chosen to hide away from continues to represent a danger to him/her.
I agree that the thoughtless & uncaring act by the authority concerned was not the right way to behave, but to justify that poor behaviour by publicising it as being only about the rubbish was an ignorant dog act. That they can get away with it says as much about the state of our society as it does about the heartless authority.
It would help if rangers and others in that type of capacity have a course in empathy, and are interested in people and peoples stories and are not judgemental.
There's a fine line between genuinely homeless people & druggies.
Earlier this year we stayed at Green Hill Lake near Ararat for a while.
There were lots of cheap dome tents set up permanently with rubbish strewn around them.
The police checked on them twice a day.
A few campers were complaining about filthy pigs using the toilets & ****ting in the shower cubicles.
