South Gippsland Futures

Hi John — yes, I share your concerns — I'm no ...

2012-03-26T20:46:13.623+11:00

Hi John — yes, I share your concerns — I'm no fan of Port Anthony and the possibility of a big brown coal export industry. I think there may be an issue with the shallowness of the approaches to Port Anthony: the entrance to Corner Inlet is over a bar which has a break on it sometimes at low tide (I remember an alarming moment on that bar in a big easterly swell when I was a deckhand on the "Mary Norling", returning from shark fishing in Bass Strait in 1976). I also seem to remember some problem with coal mined at Gelliondale close to Port Anthony, which is part of the Latrobe valley coal measures: some contamination which made it commercially unviable. However a rail line from the Latrobe Valley is I guess a possibility if some really serious money is involved. And maybe the entrance can be dredged deep enough for big bulk carriers.

I don't know of anyone else in the area who would be against it. After all, South Gippsland is merely a thinly-populated industrial suburb of Melbourne. When my mate Chris Aitken ran as Green candidate down here he got 16% of the vote in the Federal election but more than half of that was because he was a very successful football coach at Welshpool in the seventies. The normal Green vote here is around 6%.

I have some friends here who dream of a progressive revolution in local politics, but I think they need to change their drug of choice to better cope with reality. If big money is involved, we will be swept aside. That's the simple reality of it. I wrote a letter to the local paper a few years ago pointing out the costs of a deep sea port in Corner Inlet and wasn't exactly overwhelmed with support.

I remember meeting you guys all those years ago! I borrowed some saw horses from you which I never returned. Sorry!

Hi Lloyd Yep I reckon I might have a look at the A...

2012-03-26T19:10:15.679+11:00

Hi Lloyd
Yep I reckon I might have a look at the Arduino processor. Sounds very interesting. And thanks for putting me onto Hack Melbourne ... why didn't I know about it before!
Not sure if I should raise this issue here but I'm really concerned about the proposed coal port at Port Anthony to ship "clean" brown coal offshore. Not sure if you have ever sailed to Gladstone or Mackay ... coal ships anchored for as far as you can see. It would be a real shame if this happened in Corner Inlet. Its such a beautiful area. I know it would bring employment to the area but there must be a better way to do it than this. Even if you don't agree with my view, could you put me in touch with anyone who does share my concerns.
I met you many (like 30+) years ago when we were building a mud brick place off Savages Rd. Had lots of fun building wind turbines etc.
Still not connected to the grid. Just need to find a reliable second hand battery supply.
Anyway, thanks for the links. I'll have a good read of the rest of your blog now.
John Weatherley

2012-03-20T22:18:10.140+11:00

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Great post!

2012-03-20T22:16:06.732+11:00

Great post!

If you tell people where Leong??? is, then i sugge...

2011-12-28T17:52:45.779+11:00

If you tell people where Leong??? is, then i suggest more people will attend.

Yes i have heard of google maps.

Wow, that radio broadcast was very informative. It...

2011-05-19T07:55:42.899+10:00

Wow, that radio broadcast was very informative. It's definitely unique getting facts about what caused 2008’s mortgage crisis from the individuals who actually created it.

Hi Lloyd, I wanted to tell you that I just listene...

2011-05-15T07:36:36.050+10:00

Hi Lloyd, I wanted to tell you that I just listened to the radio program "soundscapes" on US National Public Radio, that featured you and your town talking about Peak Oil. I'm here in Northern California, but just moved back here after 5 years in New Zealand. I really appreciated your sense of humour and intelligence presented in the radio program.
Aloha,
Eleanore

The answer to your riddle is our contempt for our ...

2010-11-26T14:16:36.702+11:00

The answer to your riddle is our contempt for our leaders who after leasing an old factory to satisfy the inability of the lead to provide there own shelter and living space to get industrious suddenly wake up tomorrow to find a Big BLACK BEAR , non productive Bear who is attempting to summon up some crumbs for himself because his workload like worrying about all the writs from the health department frantic dudes eg; where only two possums pooed @ the Old Factory 1000 frantic freckels blurt all over the lush green eco system now , so now San Sans Batics have to fetch $450 ea and poor San San has to treble his production !
Why because it's going to cost 7 million to "do" the sewerage , But that's not all did the beastly Big BLACK BEAR DO A VIRO MENTAL Study ?
And so the Saga rages on Misery for all just ask Jim Cairns , Juni Morosy , John Laws etc I knew People up there near ACT who lost their everything in that experiment how cruel that was , never trust a Socialist do gooder and never become one either because they lost out too .

Hi Lloyd, Thanks for another insightful post. I p...

2010-09-20T23:11:15.823+10:00

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks for another insightful post. I particularly liked the observation:

Quote: "Our task as the transitional generation is to smooth the way, cutting the suffering which will be inevitable while making the way clear for the next generation to find their own direction." unQuote

That neatly summarises our goal or mission as 'transitioners'. In concrete terms, we need to prepare individually (by for example reskilling and clearing debt) as well as getting active in the community helping to educate and prepare others for the changes ahead.

does anyone know where we can find more informatio...

2010-08-03T22:47:16.623+10:00

does anyone know where we can find more information about what people believe will happen in Australia. I appreciated your comments at the beginning of this blog and would love to hear more.

Thanks for the link Rob! Bernard, I don't know...

2010-05-18T08:43:54.308+10:00

Thanks for the link Rob! Bernard, I don't know if you've come across the anthropologist Joseph A. Tainter (currently a professor in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah State University) but he has written a very influential book on complexity and social collapse, "The Collapse of Complex Societies".

To Complexity: thanks Bernard. My thesis here is w...

2010-05-18T08:31:47.375+10:00

To Complexity: thanks Bernard. My thesis here is we need to make a value judgment as to which course do we pursue and what systems do we design: but do we try and refine the existing system or grope around for a new one?

My implication in this post is that the odds of a favorable outcome to reform of the current system (via politics-as-usual by the average punter through their elected representatives) is very low. The inertia of the system, the unequal power and influence of the various players (currently the big players obviously control the governments) mean the small fry like us are simply toast.

What we have seen in fact in the past couple of years is a massive transfer of future wealth from the majority to a powerful minority through financial and taxation arrangements. The outcome of this will be that in the future (if our current political and economic arrangements endure), there will be a privileged minority living from the efforts of what will be a vast impoverished class born into inherited debt — these will be the former middle classes and working classes of the industrialised west.

But I don't think the current political and economic arrangements will endure, unless we in the West fall quickly into North Korean style authoritarian societies. What we will get will be a mess, but somehow we will have to try and muddle through it, fending off extremist politics on one hand and predatory gangster capitalism on the other. A new system will emerge — it always does.

An essay by Tainter @ http://www.sonofchaos.blogsp...

2010-05-18T08:12:19.714+10:00

An essay by Tainter @ http://www.sonofchaos.blogspot.com/
Cheers

Thanks for a great post. As you point out, complex...

2010-05-17T22:06:31.357+10:00

Thanks for a great post. As you point out, complex systems, such as the world financial system, can become very unpredictable, creating sources of instability. Nature, it seems, has built into its DNA reproductive framework dynamics (memory, redundancy, etc...) that limit unpredictability and unstability. Perhaps we can learn to better design man-made systems to do the same.

Hi Lloyd. I found your blog via one of your commen...

2010-05-10T10:29:56.367+10:00

Hi Lloyd. I found your blog via one of your comments on the Archdruid Report, and I've been enjoying reading through your archive.

I find the last paragraph in this post to be so very well expressed that I've come back to re-read it more than once. Really nicely put.

Do you honestly think you can repair a broken fan ...

2010-04-19T20:49:24.789+10:00

Do you honestly think you can repair a broken fan or water pump? I've tried, and failed. I've had more luck fixing electronic devices.

Hi, Great house design! There is a house project...

2010-03-09T10:42:40.418+11:00

Hi,

Great house design!

There is a house project underway in Victoria that is exploring the principles of permaculture as outlined by David Holmgren via a blog which would probably make interesting reading: http://abdallahhouse.blogspot.com/

Cheers,
Geoff

2010-02-26T11:23:22.420+11:00

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Great post. The last few days have been a rude awa...

2009-12-22T02:09:20.770+11:00

Great post. The last few days have been a rude awakening for many. For others who had long ago lost faith in our political leaders and failing institutions the debacle at Copenhagen can come as no surprise.

On a different, but related tack, I came across the following link via the UK Guardian:

http://www.chinahush.com/2009/10/21/amazing-pictures-pollution-in-china/#post-2

Sometimes we need to be reminded why the world has to change.

The Status Quo is bankrupt in so many ways. Change has to come.

It's becoming increasingly apparent that solutions will need to come from individuals and communities rather than politicians and large institutions. That's where grass roots movements like Transition fit in. Enough enlightened and outraged people can help instigate real change.

Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium? ...

2009-11-22T13:04:47.754+11:00

Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!

For all those interesting in what's happening ...

2009-11-18T15:20:10.951+11:00

For all those interesting in what's happening around Gippsland/Bass Coast be sure to check out and sign up to:

TRANSITION CORNER INLET BLOG

Corner Inlet transition team Foster. We're dedicated to helping the Corner Inlet district stay a vibrant and healthy community through the decline of the oil age.

http://transitioncornerinlet.blogspot.com/

THE ENERGY INNOVATION CO-OP BLOG

The Energy Innovation Co-operative's purpose is to enable communities of the Bass Coast and Gippsland region to work together towards a carbon neutral future.

http://energycoop.ning.com/

SUSTAINABLE GIPPSLAND

Sustainable Gippsland is a group of people interested in sustainable
living and industry in the Gippsland region. This page is a space for
people to come together to share information and make connections for a
more sustainable Gippsland future.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sustainable-Gippsland/111360218593?re...

It is a good show. If anyone with a good internet ...

2009-11-14T11:57:50.377+11:00

It is a good show. If anyone with a good internet connection goes to the ABCs' iveiw site they have most shows up for 2 weeks after broadcast.
link http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#

That is really exciting Lloyd, I am so glad for yo...

2009-09-27T00:13:51.802+10:00

That is really exciting Lloyd, I am so glad for you.

I remember a geography assignment I did when I went to high school some 30+ years ago. In the assignment, I visited all the farmers in the neighbourhood, and asked them their perception of growing trees, and what their intentions were in the future regarding tree planting.

With few exceptions, the universal response was one of ambivalence. The matter just didn't register on their mental radar. However, in asking such a "greenie" question, I made myself a target for ridicule by all the local kids. And I daresay the local farmers had a good laugh at my tree-planting parents too.

I went back there recently, and now it seems all the farms are planting long windbreaks of trees, and talking of wildlife corridors and pest control though bird life. The rise of organisations such as Landcare has not only encouraged people to rethink their relationship to the land, but its existence in itself is a barometer of just how much social attitudes have changed.

15 people is not many in a town of 2,000. But it is 14 more than you would have got 5, 10 years ago. Passionate people such as yourself and the others at the meeting can make a difference in turning around how people feel about the world around them.

Please don't stop now.

Yes Jamie, but who is going to stop Melbourne expa...

2009-09-15T08:23:11.064+10:00

Yes Jamie, but who is going to stop Melbourne expanding? Not you or I!

Sorry Elizabeth — I can see I've fallen into t...

2009-09-15T07:27:45.025+10:00

Sorry Elizabeth — I can see I've fallen into the trap of thinking too much and saying too little! I'll do a short post to explain things a bit better…