The Bywong Soapbox

I wonder if anyone in the Bywong/Wamboin area has noticed the little yellow airplane that’s been buzzing around at low altitudes the last few weeks.

In the skies over Bywong

Well, it’s a geologic survey aircraft, VH-KPY, owned by Fugro Airborne Surveys that does magnetic geologic surveys for mining companies and whoever else has enough money to pay for their services.

VH-KPY A Geologic Survey Aircraft

“So what?”, you all say?  Well, this little gem has been sighted for the sixth time in a few weeks, flying low altitude patterns over Bywong, especially around William McEnally’s old mining area, ‘Macs Reef’.  One or two passes might be the norm for a simple survey, but they’re making these low passes a habit, so I’d assume they’ve found something interesting in their survey.

Keeping in mind that at today’s petrol prices and pilot fees, it costs a hell of a lot to spend a few weeks flying low altitude passes over Bywong. Must be something REALLY interesting in the ground around here.  Does everyone have their panning dishes handy?  In 1852 the NSW Government geological surveyor, Rev. W. B. Clarke, concluded that “gold in profitable quantities will hereafter be found in some part of the district of which Bywong Hill is the centre”.  Perhaps Fugro is about to make the same statement in 2010..  The price of gold in recent months HAS made the smaller deposits look profitable again.

“Big deal!”, you all say?  Well…  Eventually, their mining company client will apply to the NSW Department of Primary Industries for an exploration permit.  They’ll then rock up to your door and expect to drill some exploratory bores or dig a hole here and there.

How is this possible?  If you take a good look at your Land Title papers, you, like everyone else in this area, will find a little caveat that states the mineral rights belong to a mining outfit in West Australia, who just happens to hold the mineral lease on your property.

Yes folks, you only own what you can see.  What’s below the surface of your paddock, belongs to this outfit in WA, and there’s nothing you can do about it.  So, if you’ve been digging holes in your property, everything you take out, actually belongs to them.  So.. any nuggets you find…  you’ll have to turn in to the proper owners.  Right?

Go have a read of the Landholder Rights, pursuant to the the provisions of the Mining Act 1992.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/titles/landholders-rights/mining_act_1992

Know what they can and cannot do. Know your rights and you can use the miners to your advantage.

How would Bywong look as a Strip Mine?

Now, I’m sure that if some large reserve of Gold, Silver or Uranium (Heh heh.. now wouldn’t THAT piss off Earth Mother Moore?), were found in Bywong, the Shire’s pillar of honour, Stainless Bascomb, would be soon filing writs of Compulsory Acquisition on everything the Shire could get it’s hands on.  And you could be sure that Bywong would become an open pit strip mine from the Lake George escarpment to Kowen Forest.

One good thing…. It would get rid of all the noxious weeds in the area..

There’s an interesting article on the Bywong Community Association website that talks about the Macs Reef Road Tip and the vote to turn it into a Waste Transfer Station.  Here’s an excerpt:

“Last Council meeting in March narrowly voted for the waste transfer station proposed for Macs Reef Road but it could still come unstuck if money is not found to build it. Discussion by Councillors about the 2010/2010 Management Plan to fund works will be happening soon. Bywong Community Association would like to urge all Bywong, Wamboin and Sutton residents who want a local waste management facility to contact all the local Palerang Councillors to urge them to follow through on their agreement to build a new facility at Macs Reef Road. Email all Councillors via councillors@palerang.nsw.gov.au”

“If the money is not found to build it”?    WTF!

Palerang Council

All the council has to do is backcharge the local resident Building Contractors who have been filling the tip with contractors rubbish from Canberra  for the last 20 years..  You see… if you have a residents tag, you can dump all your contractors garbage from your Canberra building sites in the local tips and bypass the need to pay a fee at the Mugga Lane Tip in Canberra..  where the shit belongs in the first place.

Find the money… indeed!  Cough it up  ‘Palerang Council’, as it’s your turning of the blind eye for so many years that created the problem in the first place.

The heading says it all, to take a quote from one of the sweetest politicians in Australia.

A lasting friendship

For the last seven years, this enterprising ex-pat has been quietly running a low-power American Multicultural radio station, out in the middle of the wine district around Lake George and just a few tens of kilometers from Canberra.

Dotting all the I’s and crossing all the T’s, it quietly promotes multicultural Baby Boomer music, with a slant towards American 70′s Rock, Soul & Blues.

No Government funding, not many advertisers, but a plethora of avid listeners, the little station goes on day after day, keeping to the constraints of it’s limited license allocation.

Now, could someone please explain how the Chinese Government can set up a Propaganda station, smack dab in the middle of Canberra, Australia’s National Capital.

Not only is there a Chinese Propaganda station running 24/7, it’s also using the same Tourist Information frequency as the American Multicultural station, but at some enormous power level that allows it to be heard over the entire ACT region and deeply into New South Wales as well.

A slap in the face to both the great democracies of the United States of America and the Australia Governments to have the Communist Chinese flaunting their propaganda within earshot of both the US Embassy and the Australian Parliament House.

The Chinese

But then again… depending on just who’s country is the flavor of the month….I suppose all Governments are equal… it’s just that some are more equal than others.. (sorry Mr. Orwell, that semi quote just fit the theme so well).

So, while the Chinese station, with it’s direct feed from Beijing, keeps waving it’s red flag over Canberra, the little American multicultural radio station will keep on pumping out it’s eclectic tunes and waving the Stars & Stripes to whoever might still be interested.

How many of you  Bywong/Wamboin residents have come home after a hard days work to find your dog cowering under the veranda or hiding in it’s dog house? Shaking, afraid to come out?  Does this odd behaviour in your pet seem to occur about every three months?

You’ve probably been visited by Country Energy’s Meter Reader.

Oh, he’s a friendly old sort… Always smiling and happy to chew the fat on what’s happening in the neighbourhood.  But if your pet get too close to him, he’s quick to throw the boot or give your pet a good cuff to the ear.

Yes, this friendly old guy has a real mean streak towards over-exuberant pets.  I’ve watched him.  On each visit to my electric meter he has either cuffed or booted a small puppy, who’s only crime was the joy of having someone new to smell and lick.

Is it this mans place to discipline your pet? How would you feel if he were dispensing this sort of discipline to your child?

This isn’t the first time Country Energy Contractors have taken liberties with pets.

A favorite dog of mine, who has since gone to his great reward, was once disciplined by the Country Energy tree trimmers.  I came home to find the poor animal bleeding from the nose with a crushed eye socket. Evidently, he’d been ‘disciplined’ by the tree trimmers.

I rang the Country Energy people and explained my concerns.  Their answer wasn’t good enough, so I’ve indicated to them that any future visits by their contractors would require a phone call to arrange a time for me to be present while any subsequent work is carried out.

I have told these people, any Country Energy Contractor venturing onto my property, without my permission, will be treated as an intruder and dealt with as such.

Unfortunately, I’ve had to extend this to the Meter Reader as well.

Remember, Country Energy is not above the law, nor are they allowed dominion over your animals.

Well, the little girl is getting bigger and also getting her adult teeth.  Sharp… & with her strong jaws, she makes playtime, very interesting.  She’s becoming a strong, nuggety little dog.

Little bone chewer

Her puppyhood is going well and she seems to have potty trained herself.  Her appetite varies  according to how much her new teeth hurt, but she’s still managed to weigh in at over 10 kilos (that’s a bit over 22lbs for my un-metric American friends & family).

We can leave her by herself for the day and she’s learned to use the dog door.