Saturday 12 December 2009

Suburban battler up a tree

as posted here


Suburban battler up a tree

MALCOLM QUEKETT, The West AustralianDecember 12, 2009, 11:25 am
The defiant cry of the little Aussie battler taking on the big guys has rung out loudly down the years.
And this week, out the front of a modest home in an average street in a typical suburb of Perth, another everyman battle has been raging: Richard Pennicuik against the City of Gosnells.
Battle lines were drawn over Mr Pennicuik's bid to save a eucalyptus melliodora tree. His is one of the last two of 22 gums which once lined Hume Road, Thornlie, which the council says could be dangerous and should come down.
In their place the shire wants to plant 35 jacaranda mimosaefolia.
To save his tree, Mr Pennicuik took to the branches early on Monday morning and despite the council's urgings, was still refusing to come down yesterday.
The scene could be a film set. At ground level behind him is a battered old caravan, which Mr Pennicuik used when he last worked on the mines, ("the best job in the world, mate").
Above his house flies a torn Australian flag. Another flutters at the base of his tree home.
Mr Pennicuik, 57, said his tree was not dangerous and did not need to come down. "They just decided to step on us," he said.
He accepted the right of his neighbours to have their trees felled and they accepted his right to keep his. That's the Australian way.
Jacarandas, he said, "are a disaster". For a start, they were not natives. Their flowers left a stain and attracted bees, which was a problem to those who were allergic to their sting.
Neighbour Jason Telfer, 39, is a Yorkshireman. He's got a jacaranda out the front of his place. He said his gum trees were infected and were felled several years ago.
He did not protest at the time when the jacaranda went in, but now regrets it. "I was still an English Pom at the time and didn't know the difference between the trees," he said.
Now, he says he is an Aussie, except about cricket and backed Richard 100 per cent. He was helping by handling the spotlight on his mate, which was taking much of his time. "I was a plumber until four days ago," he said.
And just a few doors down, in the other eucalyptus, a rotating team of four have made their home among the gum trees.
Ashley Hayes, 16, came up from Port Kennedy to help out when he heard what was going on.
He had a team of mates with him to make sure their tree was never without a sitter.
Mr Pennicuik said he would stay "as long as it takes".
"Are they going to arrest me and put me in jail for sitting in a tree? For sticking up for my rights as an individual Australian citizen? I thought this was a democratic society," he said.
For its part, the City of Gosnells urged Mr Pennicuik to climb down to discuss the issue.



as posted here

Tree man wary of council offer

as posted here


Tree man wary of council offer

11/Dec/2009
Comments:
Friday, 3pm THE Thornlie man who has been living in a tree for the past week reckons “shorts and a hose” will see him through the soaring temperatures expected this weekend.
However, Richard Pennicuick is considering an offer by the City of Gosnells to meet in private with the city's chief executive and a mediator.

City of Gosnells councillor Wayne Barrett today delivered a message from chief executive Ian Cowie to

Mr Pennicuick, who is living in the yellow box gum outside his home in a bid to save it from being lopped down.

The council is removing 20 similar trees from Hume Road because of their potential to drop limbs.

Mr Pennicuick's 16-year-old son, Riordan, also joined the cause in the adjacent gum today and is taking turns with mates and passers-by to sit in the second tree.

Cr Barrett said the chief executive wanted to meet Mr Pennicuick in a private location to discuss his concerns further.

He felt My Pennicuick received the offer positively.

But Mr Pennicuik said he was suspicious of the council's motives and feared being “nabbed” if he climbed down the tree.

He told inmycommunity.com.au on Friday that he would seek advice from his friends about whether to abort his treetop vigil to participate in the meeting.

His wife, Rose, made a rare appearance out the front of her home today to lend her support for her husband's cause from the base of the tree.

Mr Pennicuick, who had his first wash last night and has strapped on a harness for safety, said he was prepared to tough out the hot weekend from his perch and called down to his wife to go buy him some new shorts.

Mr Pennicuik said he was upset about an ugly incident yesterday during which a woman allegedly punched a worker involved in lopping trees further up the street and was arrested by Canning Vale Police.

“I don't even know who she is. That really made me upset that that happened,'' he said.

Mr Pennicuick said he did not personally like the attention his vigil was attracting but he thought it was great people cared about the environment.



as posted here

Gosnells house fire suspicious: investigators

as posted here


Gosnells house fire suspicious: investigators






FLIP PRIOR, The West AustralianDecember 11, 2009, 7:13 am



Investigators believe a Gosnells house fire was deliberately lit.
A FESA spokesman said the Eileen Street fire, which caused about $200,000 damage, started in the home's closed garage about 1.30am.
The couple who lived there was home at the time but escaped uninjured.
Firefighters remained at the scene until the early hours of this morning, mopping up the extensive damage.
Police are investigating the incident.



as posted here

Gosnells house damaged by fire

as posted here


Gosnells house damaged by fire

Posted Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:20am AEDT
WA Police Van
Police believe the fire may have been deliberately lit. (ABC News)
Police are investigating a suspicious fire which has extensively damaged a home in Gosnells.
The fire started in the Eileen Street house about 1:30am (AWST) and burned out a section of the garage.
Police believe the fire may have been deliberately lit.
Police will examine the scene later this morning.



as posted here

Police look for pizza shop robbers

as posted here


Police look for pizza shop robbers

Posted Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:03pm AEDT
Computer bag robbery
WA Police say the pizza shop worker was hit over the head with a computer bag.
WA Police are looking for two men after a a pizza shop worker was hit over the head with a computer bag and robbed.
The robbery happened at the Albany Highway store about 4:00pm (AWST) on Monday.
Police say one of the men stayed in a silver Ford Falcon while the other went inside and paid for a pizza before assaulting the attendant.
The attacker is described as being fair skinned, between 25 and 30 years of age, about 170 to 175 centimetres tall, with short black hair and a raised upper lip.
Police believe the men may be responsible for two fraud offences where victims were told they were buying cheap laptop computers.
After handing over cash, the victims were given computer bags containing potatoes and onions.



as posted here

Thursday 10 December 2009

Tree-sit protest in Thornlie takes ugly turn

as posted here



Tree-sit protest in Thornlie takes ugly turn

10.12.09 Nine News Tree sitter protest

(no votes yet)
10.12.09 Nine News Tree sitter protest
Arrest as Perth tree-sitter's protest enters fourth night
Views today: 0
Bookmark and Share
A WOMAN has been arrested in an ugly turn for a Perth protest as a 57-year-old man prepared to spend a fourth night up a gum tree in an attempt to save it.
Police allege the woman punched a worker involved in a tree lopping operation in Hume Rd, Thornlie, Nine News said tonight.

Contractors for the City of Gosnells are in the street removing about 20 eucalypts considered dangerous.

Tree-sitter Richard Pennicuik told Nine he had bought his house because of the tree outside and would do everything in his power to save it.

When asked whether he would chain himself to the tree, however, Mr Pennicuik replied:

"No, I don't want to do that. That's ridiculous. I'm not an idiot."

Mr Pennicuik's son, Rhys, was among at least three other tree-sitters who had joined the protest, Nine said.

Rhys Pennicuik said his father could be very tenacious.

"He doesn't look too brilliant but he's determined enough to stay up that tree for a bloody long time," he said.

The City of Gosnells has said it will not seek to remove Mr Pennicuik, but refuses to talk to him while he remains in the tree.

Reportedly 60 per cent of street residents were in favour of the yellow box gums being removed.

Mayor Olwen Searle told local newspaper Comment News yesterday that the safety of pedestrians and motorists was paramount because Hume Rd provided access to several schools, a church, playing fields, shops, the library and the pool.

The Hume Rd trees are the first to go under a Five Year Streetscape Redevelopent Program to replace dangerous trees with more suitable alternatives.

A gum tree dropped a limb onto the road in February last year, sparking community and council fears for public safety.

With Jaime Schurmer, Comment News


as posted here

Spinal injuries after Thornlie crash

as posted here


Spinal injuries after Thornlie crash

ATHANAE LUCEV, The West AustralianDecember 9, 2009, 6:10 am
Six people, including four youths, were taken to hospital last night after a two-car crash in Thornlie.
The male juvenile driver of an allegedly stolen car ran a red light at the intersection of Forest Lakes Road and Garden Street and collided with a second vehicle.
Police had observed the car moments before it drove through the intersection but had not activated sirens.
Three passengers in the allegedly stolen car were taken to Fremantle Hospital, one with suspected spinal injuries.
The other passengers were taken to Royal Perth and Sir Charles Gairdner hospitals.
Police apprehended three people at the scene.
A spokesman said alcohol was not a factor in the crash.



as posted here

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Man living in tree to keep council at bay

SEE ALSO MARK OF DEATH

as posted here


Man living in tree to keep council at bay





JAYNE RICKARD, The West AustralianDecember 9, 2009, 5:53 am
Richard Pennicuik.
WA News / Lee Griffith ©



















    A Thornlie resident has been living in a big eucalyptus tree on his verge for two days in a bid to stop the giant being cut down by the local council.
    Richard Pennicuik said he had no choice but to protest against a City of Gosnells decision to remove more than 20 native trees from his street over the next week. He said he would not be leaving until the tree was saved.
    City of Gosnells chief executive Ian Cowie said the council would be removing the tree and hoped to come to an "amicable" resolution with Mr Pennicuik. But he said the city would not try to remove him from his tree.
    The tree removals follow a city survey which identified 22 potentially dangerous trees in Hume Road, mainly because of falling branches.
    The native trees will be replaced by 35 jacarandas.
    Mr Pennicuik had been living in the tree since Monday morning and had struggled to sleep throughout his protest. Neighbours and friends have been supporting him, bringing food, water and other items
    "I don't mind if other people want their trees cut down," he said. "But I won't back down."



    as posted here

    and



    The Mark of Death

     





    The x on this tree symbolises that this tree is "unsafe" or "dangerous" to pedestrians when the foot path is on the other side of this road. The council is going to cut this native tree down and replace it with a tree that is not native. The man who lives at this house with this tree has said that he is going to stay up this tree so that it is not cut down. I believe that it is wrong that the council is going to cut down these trees and especially during summer when we use our trees for shade. So i'm with him the council should not be cutting down these trees.  By Yoorala Evans



    1 comments:

    webyter said...
    thanks to my daughter Yoorala for this posting, typical council issue, a branch falls of a tree last year, so they move in and kill all of the trees in the row, at rate payers expense, a preventative measure one would assume, cut it down before it becomes a problem, one just hopes that council one day does not introduce a local euthanasia law to clean out the retirement villages in the city

    Day one ..

    the following reply was given ...

    Thankyou for your enquiry. Council meetings are conducted under the provisions of the City of Gosnells Standing Orders Local Law 2003, a co...