Five-star tree for Treeman

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RICHARD Pennicuik is spending his 24th day in a gum tree in Thornlie and says he is “living in the Ritz” thanks to a passer-by who installed a sleeping platform yesterday.

The 57-year-old man said this morning he felt “great” after a five-hour sleep and remained determined to keep up his vigil in the New Year.

He has refused to come down until the City of Gosnells promised in writing the tree would be exempt from a tree removal scheme that began earlier this month.

The council removed 20 gum trees along Hume Road in early December to improve public safety.

Mr Pennicuik said an offer by the council to retain the tree for three months before another review in March was not good enough.

“I will not do anything until I get it in writing the tree will be here permanently,’’ he said.

Christmas Day was spent talking to the media and taking calls from his family.

“I missed most of my family, they live on the east coast and I am the eldest of 10,” he said.

Mr Pennicuik has not opened Christmas presents from his family, saying they must still be under the Christmas tree in his house.

He opened small gifts from his support crew who are based at the bottom of the tree and help with his daily needs, including emptying his toilet bucket.

He was amused with the bell that one of the crew gave him so he could summons them.

His protest had attracted more attention than ever from the public, especially when the tree was illuminated to celebrate Christmas Day, he added.

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Call for whole beef industry to unite

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Kevin Armstrong outside his Maddington butcher shop, The Beef Shop.

BETH JOHNSTON

26 Dec, 2009 04:00 AM

BEEF producer and meat retailer Kevin Armstrong has called for an industry-wide conference to encourage communication along the beef supply chain.
Mr Armstrong, a beef farmer for 35 years at Boyup Brook, Benger and Kalgan, was inspired to open The Beef Shop after the 2007 beef crisis meeting.

"I came home from that meeting more confused than when I arrived," Mr Armstrong said.

"I said to my wife that if we want to keep going in this industry, we need to have a butcher shop."

So the Armstrongs purchased a wholesale butcher store in Maddington, hired a farm manager, and moved to Perth.

After spending $1.2 million and developing their own beef brand, Willowbank, the duo now process between 15-20 beef carcases per week.

Mr Armstrong said they had come a long way but it was a very hard business to be in.

Like many producers, he said prior to starting the business he thought butchers were making a fortune while beef producers did it tough.

"It's been a lot harder than we ever thought," Mr Armstrong said.

"I used to sit back on the farm and think that butchers have got it easy and were killing the pig, but that's not the case.

"My eyes have been opened.

"Now I invite farmers to come and have a look to help them understand the costs invovled with this side of the industry."

Mr Armstrong said the best thing that could happen for the beef industry would be a seminar-type function whereby everyone involved in the industry, right along the supply chain, attended.

"Farmers, butchers, chefs - everyone could attend and showcase what they're about so that the whole industry can come together and have a better understanding of where each other are coming from, from start to finish," Mr Armstrong said.

"At the moment the beef industry in WA is full of meat from the east because of the high Australian dollar.
"Some butchers buy it because they are trying to cut a profit but that's not why we got into this in the first place.

"We're new kids on the block and it takes a long time to get a good name.

"But we know we've got a quality product, it's just a matter of getting it out there."

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Tree man staying put for Christmas

SARAH QUINTON, The West AustralianDecember 25, 2009, 12:42 pm

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WA News / Ben Crabtree ©

Neighbours gathered around and passers-by honked their car horns as the so called Thornlie Tree Man spends Christmas day up a 30-year-old gumtree, despite the City of Gosnells guaranteeing they will not remove the tree for at least three months.

A letter was hand delivered to Richard Pennicuik on Christmas Eve, who has now spent his 19th day up the tree, stating that the City acted in a spirit of goodwill so Mr Pennicuik could spend Christmas Day with his family.

But Mr Pennicuik said the letter has only further stirred his anger, vowing to remain in the tree until he has a written guarantee that the tree will 'never be cut down'.

"I don't believe anything they (the city) say," he said as the mercury level soared toward 35C today.

"They said they would extend an olive branch to me, but I'm not coming down. If I come down, the tree will be cut down. If I stay, the tree will be saved."

Supporters of Mr Pennicuik have sent Christmas well wishes via a Facebook page, 'Thornlie Tree Man', which boasts nearly 5000 fans.

Mr Pennicuik said the community in the street have lifted his spirits with 35 people expected to share a Christmas lunch which would be passed up to him via a rope.

"I'm glad I'm up the tree doing something truthful," he said.

"I feel a real bond to the tree now and it's drawn all the neighbours together. It's like the old days when everyone looked after each other."

The City of Gosnells extended their offer after receiving a letter from Mr Pennicuik to enter into negotiations via an independent mediator.

"The City has said since day one of the protest that it would be willing to discuss the issues with the protestor when he comes down, but would not conduct negotiations from the base of a tree in a public street," the letter said.

"We believe our offers made in writing and in good faith, provide an opportunity for the resident to spend Christmas with his family."

The City also said it would not forcibly remove Mr Pennicuik from the tree and would be review the issue in March after the three month deadline expires.

Mr Pennicuik said he would also spend New Years Eve in the tree as a symbol of strength to his supporters around the world.

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