Bushfire Recovery Fundraiser

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

As part of the long recovery process for the Dereel community after the bushfire last March, the Dereel Community would like to invite you, your families, friends and networks to CAPTAIN CAT'S THEATRE - a musical play by the community for the community.

An original play, Captain Cat's Theatre is a comedy based around 1880 and features one of the last bushrangers. All cast, crew and production supporters are local community members or have strong links to the Dereel community, and have volunteered their time and talents to provide the wider community with some respite from the bushfire recovery process (Dereel's as well as other surrounding fire affected communities) and the coming summer.

In addition, all profits from Captain Cat's Theatre will go back into the Recovery Process to help support other community development initiatives.

Please consider supporting this important cause by coming along to one of the five shows, by sharing this information through your networks, or by an offer to help in an aspect of the production. To find out more, visit the website at www.captaincatstheatre.info.

To make bookings, please contact Ian on 0408 103 634 or email captaincatstheatre@gmail.com.

Domain squatters put value on savedereel.com

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

After the Dereel Anti-Tower Alliance (DATA) let their domain (savedereel.com) lapse it appears domain squatters have pounced on it. Out of interest I contacted the domain squatters to find out how much they were asking for the domain (I would never entertain the idea of dealing with a domain squatter but I was interested in their valuation), here is the response I got:

The owner of this domain has responded with a asking price set at $1250 USD. To make an offer, reply to this email with the offer you would like me to present to the owner of the domain.

So it appears DATA were sitting on a little gold mine! Shame they abandoned it so quickly after losing their fight. Of course now that DATA have shuttered their website it's difficult to get updates about them so if you have any news on what DATA is up to these days please post it below in the comments - I'm sure we're all very interested. Lets hope they join twitter one day.

Telstra Community Meeting

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Tomorrow, Wednesday 11th of December at 6pm representatives from Telstra will be attending a community meeting in the Dereel Hall where they will listen to the community regarding our needs for mobile phone service. Please come and show your support and discuss the issue of mobile phone service in Dereel.

Dereel NBN service went live today

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

NBN service for Dereel was enabled today, now for the signup rush.

List of providers

NBN tower is erected

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

A month to the day after we reported that the foundations were in we now have our radiation tower proudly standing. It will still be some time before we'll be able to sign up for NBN service (the equipment building still isn't on site for example) but I think the estimate NBNco initially offered us is still viable: NBN service by the end of the year. This will certainly make a good Christmas present for Dereel residents.

NBN tower construction commenced

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

In case you haven't driven passed the tower site recently you'll be pleased to know that construction has started and hopefully Dereel residents will be able sign up for NBN service before the end of the year. Here's hoping anyway!

Mt Mercer Wind Farm Workers Helped Fight Our Bushfire

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

I didn't hear about this at the time, but I think more people need to know. Here is a great little video update that includes the CFA thanking the workers for their help in our time of need.

Mt Mercer Wind Farm Update

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

If you haven't been on the Mt Mercer/Shelford road in a while you're missing some pretty impressive engineering being done nearby. Cranes are on site and they're getting close to erecting the first turbine (hopefully by the end of the month).

Keep up to date via the Mt Mercer Wind Farm Website or look out for monthly update flyers in local shops and cafes. I've included a copy of the August update below so you can have an idea of the quality information they are posting.

This wind farm is being built just 10km west of Dereel and will generate enough power to power all the homes in Ballarat.

Update regarding Dereel's NBN tower

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

NBNco have indicated that construction of our tower should start next week (19th August, 2013). The one month estimate for how long it would take to do all the paperwork was ambitious but it will be good to see work starting on the site very soon.

In other news it appears Wendy McClelland has allowed the savedereel.com domain to expire, you can of course still read archives of her site on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine if you so desire.

The Courier is coming to see our support for mobile phone services

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

This Thursday (25th of July) The Courier will be attending a show of support being held at the Community Hall at lunch time (around 12 to 12:30pm). Obviously we already have a tower approved (the NBN tower) but if the community really pushes it while we have the governments attention we can get the mobile phone providers to colocate their services on the same tower.

I have it on good authority that the NBN tower is being built as quickly as possible and currently contracts are being made and signed before ground work can start but it won't hurt to make sure the mobile phone providers are ready to use it as soon as possible and that we get as much press as we can.

Show your support for mobile phone service in Dereel

Location: Dereel Community Hall
When: 12pm Thursday 25th of July, 2013
If possible tea and coffee will be available

Have your voice heard regarding mobile phone service in Dereel

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Residents of Dereel that would like Telstra mobile phone service please send a letter to the Golden Plains Shire stating that you require mobile phone service (no need to go into details, a single sentence of "I want mobile phone service in Dereel" will suffice).

Post it to:

TELSTRA MOBILE SERVICE IN DEREEL
c/o Golden Plains Shire Council
PO Box 111
Bannockburn Victoria
3331

or you can email your support to Jenny Blake (again simply state "I want mobile phone service in Dereel" with the subject "TELSTRA MOBILE SERVICE IN DEREEL").

I have of course forwarded the community support I collected back in 2010 but more support or reasserting your support isn't going to hurt.

The VCAT ruling is now available online

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

If you're interested in reading the full text of the VCAT order on P1268/2012 (the Dereel NBN tower application) you can find it here: McClelland v Golden Plains SC [2013] VCAT 749. Personally I like the part that says Although she tabled and spoke to a very lengthy submission of 53 pages, much of the material has no bearing on the matters and I will direct that a permit issue.

The NBN is coming to Dereel

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Good news everyone! I stopped into the VCAT offices this morning while I was in Ballarat to check if a decision had been made for our NBN tower (VCAT P1268/2012) and I was surprised to hear that it had and it was made in the favour of the applicants (i.e. Wendy has lost her objection). Basically our tower is now clear to begin construction. I was unable to get a copy of the order (as it is only available to directly involved parties at the moment) but the chairman re-asserted the councils orders to paint the tower and ensure that the base of the tower is kept neat and tidy (i.e. landscaped) and that the nearby (dying) large cypress/pine trees are kept (plus other requirements but none of them were surprising or onerous). Hopefully the full text of the order will be available on the AustLII website within a week or two. According to VCAT the decision was passed down on the 17th, so all parties should be aware by now.

Latest update on Dereel fire recovery

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Edition 8 of the weekly Dereel Fire community newsletter is now available. If you have any queries or require further information please call Trish on (03) 5220 7162

Latest update on Dereel fire recovery

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Edition 7 of the weekly Dereel Fire community newsletter is now available. If you have any queries or require further information please call Trish on (03) 5220 7162

Here come the comments

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

It turns out Disqus supports importing comments from Wordpress. I've been running the import now for a few days (Disqus are having some issues causing delays on imports) and we can see that about 80% of the comment are now imported correctly. We can assume that the rest of the comments will be imported over the course of the next 24 hours.

VCAT Hearing 24th of April about the Dereel NBN Tower

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

The VCAT hearing regarding our NBN tower went ahead on April the 24th at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court. It was scheduled to only go for the morning but due to Wendy taking far longer to present her case (and starting the day with some theatrics about there being too many mobile phones in the room) it ended up running the entire day finishing up at around 16:30 in the afternoon. The good news however is that the entire case was heard and all that remains now is for the chairman to visit the site of our tower and then to deliberate on what was said at the hearing.

Of course Wendy did herself no favours constantly harping on about electromagnetic radiation when the chairman made it 100% clear to her at the beginning of the day that that topic is completely irrelevant to his decision making. The expert witnesses put forward their points very well with one of them stating that the location of the Dereel tower is "one of the best locations for a telecommunications tower" he has ever seen and would consider it to be the perfect example for NBN and other councils to use when looking for further locations in the future.

The chairman said that he should publish his decision within 6 weeks stating that he does have a heavy workload at the moment (not made any lesser with 5 of these telecommunication tower planning applications just in this week) so there is a small possibility it could take a little longer than 6 weeks but he felt that unlikely.

In my opinion based on all the evidence that I heard I see absolutely no reason for the chairman to override the councils approval and instead he will reaffirm the planning application approval.

A new website framework

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

After almost 3 years it's time for a change. Wordpress has been an okay framework for this site but in recent times it has been attracting larger and larger numbers of comment spammers and hack attempts. Most recently websites running Wordpress have been put under enormous strain as hackers attempt to brute force login details. It has simply become too much work to maintain a Wordpress site with these constant attacks. So now we're moving to something more modern.

All the content for the Dereel community website is now hosted on Github and is compiled and deployed by a program called {:awestruct}. You can find out more details on the source code page.

I have migrated all the old posts, images and other content over to this new system. I have not yet migrated over the comments (I am still deciding how best to do it). I have done my best to ensure that URLs remain consistent between the old Wordpress and new layout but if you find any 404's please let me know (comment on this news post).

If you find a bug in the website please lodge it as an issue against the Github project.

Dereel Fire Community Newsletter Edition 5

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Here is the latest edition of the Dereel Fire Community Newsletter:

DereelFireCommunityNewsletter_Edition 5

VCAT hearing for Dereel's NBN tower now less than 10 days away

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

I'm sure everyone is getting tired of this topic but just a reminder to people that the VCAT hearing in regard to our NBN tower is scheduled for the 24th of April at 10am in Ballarat, that's less than 10 days away. I have heard some rumours being spread that the complaint had been withdrawn but I just rang VCAT and they have assured me that no such withdrawal is showing on their system and that the hearing is still going ahead as planned. I will definitely be attending the hearing.

Bushfire Meeting: Community Hall at 11am today [Thursday 28th of March]

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

All residents seeking information about the fire yesterday should make their way to the Dereel Community Hall at 11am today, Thursday 28th of March....

Wendy McClelland exposes scam

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

From Jacob Weston on Facebook:

Hey Dereel you might want to check this out Wendy has been planting her seeds of propaganda again please check out the website and comment on her rant.

(end quote)

Unfortunately that doesn't seem to work. I put in a comment, but the moderator doesn't seem to have liked it, so it hasn't been published. But nobody moderates my diary, so you can read it there.

Basically, it seems that satellite is far superior to fixed wireless, and the NBN has been conning us so that they can install smart meters. Haven't we seen all this before?

Greg

Dereel residents want the Radiation Tower!

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

After Wendy's interview with WIN News, a number of people were upset that only the opponents of the NBN tower got air time. Greg Nyary did something about it: he called up WIN and asked them to interview the people in favour of the tower. There was no mention of it here, but on 29 January the WIN team came down to interview the people in favour. Despite lack of publicity, 50 or 60 people came. More information in my diary

Only one problem: WIN news wasn't happy about the video of Wendy's news item being published on this site, which is why Scott took it down. But it also means that the new item for the proponents can't be put up. Did anybody keep a copy?

Greg

Wendy's practice VCAT hearing notes are published

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

At the hearing, the applicants/objectors may only rely upon relevant planning matters and not those grounds ruled to be not relevant.

It's a dry read but quite interesting, it's very clear that VCAT will in no way let Wendy say that the towers have a health impact and she can only object on Visual Impact, Noise, Amenity, Access and Compliance with State and Local planning policy.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VCAT/2013/59.html

edit: For reasons yet to be determined the VCAT hearing notes have been "moved" from the AustLII site, for the time being the text of the hearing can be found here: http://pastebin.com/kZtLnYgn

Wendy McClelland on Win News

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

UPDATE 29/1/13: Win News very politely asked that the video of their news story on the Dereel NBN tower be removed and so I have complied with this request. For those still interested in the content of the video I have transcribed it here:

ANCHOR:

A group of Dereel residents outraged over a proposed 40 meter NBN tower has taken its fight to VCAT. It says the potential levels of radiation are life threatening and argues the technology is not needed given most of the area has satellite coverage.

REPORTER:

Wendy McClelland says she's been on a government disability pension for 10 years from over exposure to radiation.

WENDY MCCLELLAND:

They recognise that the radiation is a serious problem for me and I must keep away from telecommunications towers. Now they want to put a radiation tower near my property which will just about kill me.

REPORTER:

She says she's forced to wear protective clothing in the vicinity of radiation. Chronic pain, nose bleeds and face swelling are just some of her symptoms. She has support in Dereel for a campaign to get NBNco to look elsewhere for a site to place its tower.

LORRAINE CARRANZA:

I'm not against progress... but I am against progress when it's at the cost of human life.

WENDY MCCLELLAND:

The CEO at the NBNco admits that you can't make a buck out here so it's not really worthwhile using wireless

REPORTER:

The head of NBNco told a Sydney conference that its services would need to be heavily subsidised to make money in region centres. Golden Plains shire council say planners can't vary or dismiss government standards for electromagnetic radiation. It said the proposal is now in the hands of VCAT which will only consider ammenity and visual impacts.

The residents are pleading with NBNco and the council to recognise their concerns saying they are at their wits end. A date for the next VCAT hearing is yet to be scheduled.

UPDATE:

The ABC have done a follow up piece: http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2013/01/23/3674993.htm

As have Delimiter: http://delimiter.com.au/2013/01/24/nbn-tower-life-threatening-claim-residents/

Are you having ABC TV reception problems?

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

For the past 3 months or so I've had particularly poor reception of ABC TV. Other channels aren't affected. I've called ABC on 1300 13 9994, and they don't want to know because we're in a marginal area, as they put it (the Digital TV taskforce thinks we're in a good reception area). So ABC says it must be my fault. That would change if other people also have problems. If this affects you, all you need to do is to call them up and tell them. The more people call, the sooner things will get fixed.

Greg

The Miner is now available online

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Their website is here: http://theminer.net.au/

"The Court elevated science and common sense over paranoia and ignorance"

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Wendy has in the past made threats to sue me for my support of a Dereel communications tower. I of course have laughed this off as ridiculous and look forward to seeing her in court. Here is how it's going to work out for her: http://www.cellular-news.com/story/56464.php. This is an American story, but our judges are just as level headed and sane.

these symptoms may be due to pre-existing psychiatric conditions as well as stress reactions as a result of worrying about believed EMF health effects, rather than EMF exposure.

Mount Mercer Wind Farm to begin construction in December

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Our community will soon (within 2 years) have a 131MW windfarm. Meridian Energy have released a press release stating that construction of the Mount Mercer Wind Farm will begin in December of 2012.

Meridian to build Mt Mercer wind farm
For immediate release: 3 September 2012

Meridian Energy Australia will commence construction of the Mt Mercer wind farm in December this year and will take about two years to complete. Meridian Australia's Project Director, Wes Ferguson said the wind farm, with 64 turbines, will provide sufficient renewable energy to meet the electricity needs of the entire population of Ballarat and will have a capital cost of around AUD $260 million. "The project will employ around 200 people during construction and upon completion it will provide about 20 permanent jobs in the local region. There will also be other external jobs in the local community for the supply chain, such as ongoing maintenance," Mr Ferguson said.

"During construction, Meridian will continue to engage the local community to ensure that the benefits of the wind farm are maximised and any impacts minimised." The 131MW Mt Mercer wind farm occupies seven conjoint landholdings (2,460 hectares). This land will continue to be used for cropping, sheep, cattle and pig farming.

Meridian Energy Australia - a wholly owned subsidiary of Meridian Energy Limited - bought the consents for Mt Mercer in April 2009 and will be Meridian's third wind farm in Australia.

The wind farm will be connected to the Victorian Electricity Grid by a new powerline and green field terminal station near the town of Elaine. This connection will be built, owned and operated by Transmission Operations (Australia), which has the same majority owners as distribution companies Powercor/Citipower.

Mr Furguson says the competitive National Electricity Market, combined with the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (requiring approximately one fifth of electricity generation to be from renewable sources by 2020), is enabling renewable energy to be delivered for all Australians on a low cost and efficient basis.

"Our job is to deliver efficient sources of renewable energy to the market and assist electricity retailers to meet the MRET liabilities, improve choice and price for Australian electricity consumers," Mr Ferguson said.

"We're excited to be proceeding with Mt Mercer with the support of our partners - REpower Systems SE, Downer EDI and Transmissions Operations (Australia)."

Meridian Australia Chief Executive Ben Burge says that "with a capital cost of around AUD $260 million, the Mt Mercer project increases Meridian's existing presence in Australia and further leverages Meridian's proven experience in designing and managing the construction of new wind farms in some of the toughest terrains on the planet."

Key facts about Mt Mercer

64 turbine, 131MW wind farm, located 30km south of Ballarat, Victoria.

Occupies seven conjoint landholdings (2,460 hectares). The land will continue to be used for cropping, sheep, cattle and pig farming.

Grid connection will be via 23km of new, 132KV powerline and a new Terminal Station near the town of Elaine.

Meridian Australia bought the consents for Mt Mercer in April 2009.

Construction projected to start in December 2012.

Completion scheduled for December 2014.

The project will provide sufficient renewable energy to meet the electricity needs of the entire population of Ballarat.

Construction partners will be: REpower Systems SE for wind turbines; Downer EDI for civil works; and Transmission Operations (Australia) for grid connection.

Mt Mercer will be Meridian's third wind farm in Australia.

For more information contact:
Joanna Stevens
Mobile: 0408 299 740
Phone: 03 5333 4426
Email: jstevens@premierpr.com.au

About Meridian Energy

Meridian Energy is an integrated renewable energy company; the largest generator in New Zealand, with a strong pipeline of development options in Australasia; and an electricity retailer throughout New Zealand.

Meridian and its online subsidiary Powershop retail electricity to approximately 290,000 connections ? homes, farms and businesses throughout New Zealand. Meridian received the highest customer satisfaction ratings of all the major national retailers, and Powershop was rated first overall, as voted by customers in two independent surveys[1] carried out in 2011.

The Meridian Energy Group includes a parent company Meridian Energy, subsidiary businesses in Australia and the USA and other innovative New Zealand investments that complement our core activities as an electricity generator and retailer. In total the Group employs approximately 750 people and has offices in Wellington, Christchurch and Twizel, and, internationally, in Melbourne, Australia, and San Francisco, California.

Meridian generates electricity from renewable sources ? wind and water in New Zealand; wind in Australia; and solar in the USA. The company supplies thirty per cent of New Zealand's total electricity needs, including to the country's largest consumer, the New Zealand Aluminum Smelter, near Bluff. Meridian owns and operates seven hydro stations, six within the Waitaki Hydro Scheme, and four wind farms throughout New Zealand.

In Australia, Meridian owns and operates Mt Millar wind farm and is partnering with AGL Energy to build the Macarthur wind farm, which, at 420 megawatts, will be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. The company also built the world's southernmost wind farm at Ross Island in Antarctica, in partnership with Antarctica New Zealand. Meridian's solar farm, CalRENEW-1, was the first grid-connected solar farm to be built in California, and the company has used that expertise to build the first solar farm in Tonga.

Meridian's pipeline of renewable development projects includes options at different stages of investigation and consent. The Australasian development pipeline equates to more than 1,000 megawatts.

Meridian's commitment to renewable energy, environmental stewardship and support for the communities living alongside its assets makes it authentically sustainable. Meridian continually looks for ways to provide positive energy solutions to customers to help them reduce their energy use.

1. Independent surveys
Consumer. Energy provider survey results, 28 July 2011. Available at http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/energy-providers/survey-results
Fair Go/Colmar Brunton Best in service poll - power companies, 19 October 2011.

PDF: Meridian Australia to build Mt Mercer - Local media release - 1 September 2012

Cape Clear NBN Tower

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

The Cape Clear NBN communications tower was approved by the Golden Plains Shire on the same day as the Dereel tower. No residents of Cape Clear took the shire to VCAT to object and so construction was able to start. This is where the Dereel tower would have been up to if no-one had objected. The foundations are poured and the tower has been delivered to site.

Dereel NBN Tower delayed 6 months

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Even though our council approved the tower it appears at least one resident in our community (I can't imagine who) has lodged a complaint to VCAT. This means our tower will now be delayed a further 6 months at least. It's a sad day for those of us who need a broadband solution ASAP but it's just how our planning system works. As mentioned in previous posts it is extremely unlikely that VCAT will rule against our councils decision, it's just a shame that the wheels turn so slowly and we have to wait so long for a decision. When I get the details of the hearing (date, time and location) I will post them here, VCAT has a public gallery and anyone can attend their hearings.

Have you lost a dog?

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

We've just found a dog which came to our property in Kleins Road (just west of the lagoon). He's a friendly bloke, and he looks a little like a Jack Russell. No identification. Photos here. If you know him, please contact me at 5346 1370.

Greg

Previous VCAT hearings about communications towers

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

I've been reading up on past VCAT hearings about communications towers that have been objected to by residents claiming "visual impact" and "health concerns". They can be found via the AustLII search page (search for "communications tower" or "telecommunications facility"). You will be pleased to hear that VCAT consistently approves the towers, four key points I see repeated are:

There is strong State policy support for improved telecommunications facilities if, when balancing improved telecommunications services with environmental (including visual) impact, a particular proposal provides a net community benefit.

The Commonwealth communications regulator adopts radiations standards established by ARPANSA. The Tribunal has consistently held it must apply this standard.

The impact on adjacent land is not unreasonable.

The facility has a net community benefit and is an acceptable planning outcome.

VCAT hearing regarding the Haddon telecommunications facility that was built recently in our shire

NBN publishes coverage map

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

I've just become aware of a new NBN rollout map. It shows not only the current state of the rollout, but also the planned coverage. Enter "Dereel" to see the situation here. It seems that the term "work commenced" includes the work that the NBN people have done to get the project rolling: for Dereel, "work" started in July 2011.

More importantly, though, not all of Dereel will be covered according to this map. I'm OK, and even Progress Road is marginally covered, but coverage stops just down Rokewood Junction Road. It's worth taking a look.

Greg

Ordinary council meeting unanimously approves the Dereel tower

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

I attended the ordinary council meeting held in Bannockburn Shire Hall yesterday and can happily confirm that the planning application for our tower (P11-334) was approved unanimously (without any fuss or objection). Not a single objector bothered to attend the meeting. This decision of course could be disputed via VCAT (as Greg mentioned in a previous post) but it is extremely unlikely that VCAT would rule against our council's decision as it was both fair and legal. At worst a VCAT hearing may delay construction of our tower by a few months.

To any objectors reading this posting (all 5 of you): you may wish to think very carefully before lodging a VCAT application, from the VCAT website they state the following:

[...] costs are more frequently given to the successful party in unjustified applications for enforcement orders, requests to cancel or amend a permit and applications for declarations. Examples of cases where an order for costs may be made are where it can be proved that the proceedings have been brought vexatiously, frivolously, or where the case for the application or request is misconceived, weak on the relative merits or not tenable in fact or law. Private persons bringing such applications or requests should consider the desirability of taking professional advice beforehand.

It is my opinion that your objection is vexatious, frivolous, misconceived, weak on merits and not tenable in fact or law and could easily result in you not only losing your case but being required to pay costs of all parties. You may wish to sleep on this fact before lodging any VCAT applications. Just my 2c.

NBN tower delay: how much will it cost you?

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

On Tuesday the Golden Plains Shire Council will decide on whether to approve the planning application for the NBN communications tower. I have little doubt that it will be approved, and if there are no further objections, the tower could be up and running by the end of June.

But that seems unlikely. The "Dereel Anti-Tower Alliance" is likely to complain to the VCAT. I have little doubt that here, too, the complaint will be dismissed, but only after about 6 months. In that time we will have the same old network and telephone service.

How much will that cost us? For me, it's about $730. See my diary for more details. Nearly 100 households answered in favour of the tower; many more will benefit by it. So: do the sums. How much will the NBN save you? How much of these savings will you lose because of people tilting at windmills?

Greg

Planning committee unanimously recommend approval of the NBN tower for Dereel

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

We still need to wait for the application to be approved by the full Council meeting in 2 weeks time but it would seem unlikely that they would go against the recommendation of the planning committee and the large amount of community support for this tower.

The full council meeting is open to the public and anyone who is interested can attend and I urge any of you who are available at the time to attend. It is being held at the Bannockburn Town Hall (12 High St. Bannockburn) on Tuesday the 27th of March at 4:00pm. I know it's a difficult time being on a work day during normal working hours and school hometime hours, so rest assured that if you can't attend I will be there on your behalf.

Wendy of course did her level best to try and scuttle the application by accusing the councillors of being corrupt, liars, deceitful and part of a bigger conspiracy involving the government, NBNco and Powercor. Unsurprisingly the councillors did not take kindly to such unfounded allegations. In Wendy's 34 page objection letter she also made reference to "Some local people can be extremely gullible with no common sense or reasoning powers" so it appears she holds us all up in similar high regard. Is it any wonder she has no support on this issue? My only other comment on her objection is she made the claim that her democratic rights are being stood on. Now I was pretty sure the main tenet of democracy is that people vote and the majority win. According to Wendy democracy is her getting her own way even when she's the minority. I think Wendy is mixing up dictatorship with democracy.

Warrambeen Film Fest Tomorrow, Saturday March 3rd

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Come and support this excellent local event. If you don't have tickets don't fret as they are available at the gates from 11:30am. More information is available at their website. If you don't want to believe me then perhaps Hugh Jackman can convince you: Hugh Jackman supports Warrambeen Film Festival

Wendy McClelland claims to speak for all of Dereel

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Here yet again Wendy McClelland stating that she speaks for our community when clearly she does not, do you only want satellite Internet service? Wendy says you do. Please add your own comments to her error filled fear-mongering letter to The Courier editor found here: http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/opinion/letters/general/what-happened-to-fibre-optics-nbn-promised/2445658.aspx

Electromagnetic radiation expert talks to the ABC

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Listen to an actual expert in the field on the ABC website as broadcast on ABC Ballarat recently. Yet again it is said that Mobile phone towers are not of concern and it is the use of mobile phones up against your head that you should be concerned about (if you're concern at all, personally I'm not). Yet more proof that Wendy should not be blocking our tower all she needs to do is never use a mobile phone or have an NBN device attached to her house - two things she can choose to do while not stopping the rest of her community access to important services.

Keep an eye out for a fire bug

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

There has been a spate of fires in the Dereel area in the last couple of weeks, the most recent one was this past Saturday (4th of Feb) in the Enfield forest in the north west corner of Dereel [1] [2] on the way to Berringa. Local police are asking residents of Dereel to make a note of suspicious activity and to take down the license plate of any cars that seem out of place and forward the details to the police. As we are all aware Dereel has been identified as a town at extreme risk of being destroyed by a bushfire and we need to look out for each other.

Rokewood Newsletter Edition 404 - Not Found

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

The editor has asked that digital versions of the Rokewood and district newsletter (i.e. our community newsletter) no longer be posted on this website and of course we will comply with those wishes unreservedly. You will need to pickup or organise your own copy to be delivered to you. There are no published details on where other pickup locations are (I only know of the one at Rokewood Take Away but I've been told they are also available at Dereel, Cape Clear and Napoleons but I have no details on exactly where - just a town name) or how to organise delivery but I'm sure if you call the editor she'll help you out. Maybe they'll post more details in the next edition.

I live in hope that the editor with the rest of the Rokewood newsletter committee will address the lack of a digital version of our community newsletter like Meredith and Bannockburn have already managed (for more than 2 years each). I can of course continue to offer the service free of charge on behalf of our community if the committee and our community want such a service.

Australia day car boot sale

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

The old Dereel shop will be hosting a car boot sale on Australia day this year, if you happen to be at a loose end between BBQs be sure and drop in....

NBNco Community Update (December 2011)

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

Tony Gibbs from NBNco has sent through a community update on the NBN roll out in Dereel. You can read it in full here:

Dereel Community Update: NBN Co Fixed Wireless Service

By Tony Gibbs, Community Relations, NBN Co

Dereel has been selected as one of the first communities in regional Victoria to be connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN) via its fixed wireless service. Dereel residents, business owners and students have the opportunity to look forward to high-speed broadband, which has the potential to enhance the way everyone connects with one another, from health and education to lifestyle and business.

The question everyone is asking is 'when will we be connected to the NBN?' The answer is that NBN Co has currently lodged a development application (DA) with the local council in relation to the fixed wireless facility it would like to install to provide broadband services in the area. If this proposal is approved, Dereel is expected to be connected to the NBN by mid-2012, providing the potential to offer enhanced broadband download and upload speeds* to local residents.

NBN Co held two, two-hour information sessions in Dereel on Tuesday 6 December as part of its ongoing commitment to provide open and transparent consultation with the community. Both sessions were well attended and were an opportunity for local residents to find out more about the NBN and the fixed wireless service. While many people openly expressed their support, a small group voiced concerns about the proposal. NBN Co is working with the community as a whole at each and every stage of the rollout to address these concerns and to ensure residents' feedback is heard.

Dereel is receiving the NBN via fixed wireless service rather than fibre optic cable. As highlighted in the information sessions, Ballarat is among the first handful of places in Australia to see the rollout of the NBN. NBN Co plans to roll out fibre to 93 per cent of Australian premises. In areas where population density is lower, it's more efficient to roll out fixed-wireless services. Where we can't provide fixed wireless services, NBN Co will be offering satellite services.

Dereel falls into the category of being part of one of five first release sites in Australia selected for the fixed-wireless service. NBN Co is planning to build a fixed wireless service using the latest fourth generation technology commonly referred to as 4G or LTE. This is the same technology that is just starting to be used for mobile data services. While NBN Co's fixed wireless service is not a mobile broadband service, it will use cellular technology to transmit signals to and from a small antenna fixed on the outside of a home or business premises. The antenna is then connected to NBN Co's equipment inside the house in a similar way to a fibre-based service. Unlike mobile broadband services where people move in and out of an area or get further from the centre of the cell, the advantage of a fixed wireless service is that the network can be built for a known number of users at a set distance from the base station.

In other words, NBN Co is designing its network to a target standard of service, and plans to offer internet service providers wholesale broadband services designed for speeds of up to 12/1 megabits per second (Mbps) , and aiming to offer higher speeds in the not too distant future.

To offer this service to people in Dereel and some of the other smaller communities in the Ballarat region, NBN Co needs to install transmission equipment. In designing the network the first thing we do is try and use existing mobile infrastructure, and in fact around half of the network can be built by simply co-locating our equipment at existing sites. However, to deliver the level of service we are targeting, it does mean some new sites will need to be established.

In building the network we are committed to consulting with the community as we work to comply with council development application processes.

Part of the information supplied to councils for all existing and new site proposals is a report on cumulative electromagnetic energy (EME) based on predictions of the maximum signal strength from a proposed facility. The power required to operate the NBN fixed wireless broadband network is really very low, particularly when compared to the power levels required by TV and radio broadcasts.

The EME reports that we have submitted with the development applications show that the EME from the NBN equipment is a small fraction of the acceptable safety limits. The safety standard in Australia is based on the international safety standard recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

We are also aware that there may be concerns about the visual impact of any new structure, and we aim to provide the lowest impact structure that can support the necessary level of service. For example, in some areas it may be possible provide service via a 30-metre concrete pole, but because of terrain in other areas a larger structure may be necessary.

More information is available on the website operated by the responsible government agency http://www.arpansa.gov.au/eme.

If you would like to find out more about connecting to the NBN and the fixed wireless service, we encourage you to contact the NBN Co Solutions Centre on 1800 881 816. If you would like to view a map showing the respective fibre and fixed-wireless services areas in the Ballarat district, as well as further information about the NBN rollout plans in Victoria, please visit the NBN Co website at: www.nbnco.com.au.
* Speeds actually achieved by retail customers (end users) will depend on a number of factors including the quality of their equipment and in-premises connection, the broadband plans offered by their service provider and how their service provider designs its network to cater for multiple end users.

Write a letter to support the Dereel communications tower

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

The planning application for the Dereel communications tower has been submitted to council and if you would like to help ensure its approval now is a good time to write them a letter. I have spoken with the town planner in charge of the application (Amy Boyd) and she has informed me that anyone wanting to send in letters of support should do so before January 6th 2012.

I will be sending in to the council the petition results from this website as this communications tower is not just for NBN high speed broadband but it will also be used by mobile phone providers to give Dereel mobile phone service. If you signed the petition on this website rest assured that your wishes will be heard, but if you would like to reinforce your view I would suggest also writing your own letter of support.

The council prefer to receive letters via post (rather than electronically or by fax) so please send your letters of support to:

Amy Boyd, Town Planner
Golden Plains Shire Council
PO Box 111
Bannockburn Victoria 3331

The planning application reference number (which should be included in your letter) is: P11-334

Letters of support need to be received before the 6th of January 2012.

Edit: here is the notice from the Courier:

Footnote: Sadly I have learnt that Wendy McClelland is still attempting to stop our community getting a communications tower. This time she is trying to change NBNco's mind and switch to providing service to Dereel via fibre optic cables instead of wireless using a petition. This is a pointless move on her behalf as there is no fibre network connectivity anywhere near Dereel for such cables to uplink into. To get fibre optically connected to the NBN we would not only need more residents (there is a population threshold for such connectivity) but it also requires the NBNco Internet backbone running past our community - neither of these conditions are met for Dereel and so it is not an option for us unfortunately (believe me if I could get fibre optic cable running to my home I'd be extremely happy, but I am a realist and understand the limitations esp. as I have over 20 years experience with Internet networking having worked for many ISPs - unlike Wendy McClelland who clearly doesn't know what she's talking about).

Bee numbers exploding

2019-12-22T10:32:33+11:00

If Wendy McClelland is to be believed (hint: she isn't) our bee population should be decreasing as they are killed off by "deadly pulsed microwave radiation". Well actually their numbers are exploding and they are producing more honey than ever. It appears nothing Wendy says adds up.

Bee breeding skyrockets in central Australia

Of course I'd expect Wendy to come back and make some bold claim that central Australia doesn't have very much "deadly pulsed microwave radiation", so here's a map of towers in and around Alice Springs (the town the story is about):

That's 236 official installations in Alice Springs known by the ACMA. I'm still waiting for a single bit of proof to back up Wendy McClelland's claim that communications towers "adversely affect all living things" because the real life facts clearly don't line up with Wendy McClelland's fairy tale facts.

dereel.com.au

Dereel Community Hub

Mobile service for Dereel is now funded

Spring Festival

Details:

Dereel Newsletter Edition 18

Bushfire Recovery Fundraiser

Domain squatters put value on savedereel.com

Telstra Community Meeting

Dereel NBN service went live today

NBN tower is erected

NBN tower construction commenced

Mt Mercer Wind Farm Workers Helped Fight Our Bushfire

Mt Mercer Wind Farm Update

Update regarding Dereel's NBN tower

The Courier is coming to see our support for mobile phone services

Show your support for mobile phone service in Dereel

Have your voice heard regarding mobile phone service in Dereel

The VCAT ruling is now available online

The NBN is coming to Dereel

Latest update on Dereel fire recovery

Latest update on Dereel fire recovery

Here come the comments

VCAT Hearing 24th of April about the Dereel NBN Tower

A new website framework

Dereel Fire Community Newsletter Edition 5

VCAT hearing for Dereel's NBN tower now less than 10 days away

Bushfire Meeting: Community Hall at 11am today [Thursday 28th of March]

Wendy McClelland exposes scam

Dereel residents want the Radiation Tower!

Wendy's practice VCAT hearing notes are published

Wendy McClelland on Win News

Are you having ABC TV reception problems?

The Miner is now available online

"The Court elevated science and common sense over paranoia and ignorance"

Mount Mercer Wind Farm to begin construction in December

Cape Clear NBN Tower

Dereel NBN Tower delayed 6 months

Have you lost a dog?

Previous VCAT hearings about communications towers

NBN publishes coverage map

Ordinary council meeting unanimously approves the Dereel tower

NBN tower delay: how much will it cost you?

Planning committee unanimously recommend approval of the NBN tower for Dereel

Warrambeen Film Fest Tomorrow, Saturday March 3rd

Wendy McClelland claims to speak for all of Dereel

Electromagnetic radiation expert talks to the ABC

Keep an eye out for a fire bug

Rokewood Newsletter Edition 404 - Not Found

Australia day car boot sale

NBNco Community Update (December 2011)

Write a letter to support the Dereel communications tower

Bee numbers exploding