Celebrating Positives (offset of the Gripes Thread)

[nomadpete]

I really haven't anything against particular brands of bike (or car). Except maybe those Russian things from 1970.

 

I simply stated my personal experience, and that of a trusted friend. As such I didn’t welcome being called BS by a fellow forumite.

 

Going out for a regular ride has been a liberating experience, whatever the machine. I can't gripe about that.

 

 

Edited August 10 by nomadpete

[Jerry_Atrick]

My riding instructor back in Aus, who was previously a mechanical engineer had a saying about Harleys: "Yesterday's technology and tomorrow's prices".

 

I am not into those sort of cruisers so can't comment.. I checked Bikesales.com.au, and there were three Virago 1100s dated '96 and '97 and about $5k - $6k.. Not too bad for a worhtless bike, but paled into insignificance compared to about $15K = $20K for the same year Harleys that at least looked similar. How much of that is brand value v qualoty bike? I have no idea.

 

But I would still love a Goldwing...  I think their market is slightly different to Harleys.. I don't have tattoos 😉

 

I have only had Japanese bikes, and I love them. Even the cheap Kawasaki er-6f I had took a hell of a lot of abuse befire it finally decided it was going to cost me more than what a better bike was worth to fix up.

 

Unfortunately, VFR750s fall foul of the ULEZ emmisssions, which means it will cost me £12.50/day top ride it in London (Same as an old FJ55 spewing all of those emissions). Otherwise, I would get one as they were simply bullet proof. Back in Aus, I may get one. 

 

Edited August 10 by Jerry_Atrick

[Jerry_Atrick]

Back to celebrating positives. Yesterday was a humid hazy day. Today was slightly hazy, but dry, and got to 29 degrees. Yesterday, took the lad into town and had a wander.. He has a new phone, and, @red750, it takes great shots. Had lunch with him and mozeyed on back home, walking the dog; worked on my next project (sold the web site prototype for about $500 - was not much whe you consider I put in over 300 hours on it - but it's a hobby). 

 

This morning, while spraying the weeds (which was well overdue), the daughter rocked up from an overnight house party. She's not a big drinker at all, but has come up with a clever solution to avoid the peer pressure of driniking.. She takes lots of cans of beer to the party.. opens them, and takes a swig (one at a time), and "forgets where she left them" (hidden). So, while everyone else was asleep, we nipped oout for a quick breakfast.. Back at home, took the K9 for a 6 mile walk (he did about 16).. 

 

Do I want to go to work tomorrow - even working from home? Nope.. (hopefully more on that soon). 

[facthunter]

Sorry Pete, But I get sick of people (who don't ride them) Piling on Harleys. A have had more Yamaha's  than modern Harleys and my daughter (Smallish) has a 535 yam. Virago which I service very thoroughly. It has a weird fuel system requiring fuel pumps to work and too  much trail on the forks and needs another gear and gets pretty warm.  Chrome is ordinary..

  I wouldn't see the Harley as a good police bike. Maybe OK for Parades.  What are Police bikes good for these days??.

 Ride what you enjoy, not what your mates would be impressed by and something you can afford and get parts for. IF you don't fix it yourself, you are at the Mercy of whoever does do it. The wiring harness gives trouble on a lot of Bikes after a few years especially around the steering column. Insulation breaks and the wires harden.. Most bikes have the seat much too high for short People..Get the Miles up and get rid of them rather than work on them. .I still have the ONLY Harley that I bought new.  Nev

[spacesailor]

I must ask , why my daughter likes her ' Harley Davison '  .

Then , as others have said , she enjoys fixing mechanical things .

( I don't even know what model it is ) .

Her hubby has gone to the darkside ( Japanese ) . LoL .

spacesailor

PS. : I used to ride but couldn't stand those ' hard-hats '

Then , daughter & son-in-law got me to have a ride afer 50 years.

[facthunter]

There's  NOT a lot of things you have to do really. The tappets are hydraulic. Oil and filter very easy to change. Gearbox oil is separate. Most important thing is have it all very hot when you adjust the Primary chain as otherwise it can end up too tight when it does get hot.  Steering  Head, swing arm and wheel bearings are ALL Tapered rollers and don't pressure wash any Motorbike.  Nev

[red750]

Six months or more ago, I lost one of my hearing aids. The other was only really any good for listening to the TV on bluetooth. The aids were issued in Feb 2023, and free government aids for pensioners are only available every five years. In my last hearing test, I was told they couldn't do much withthese aids, and I would have to rely on lipreading to suppliment the hearing aids. I've had to ask people to repeat themselves 3 or 4 times.

 

Today, I decided to visit another audiologist. I explained that I had a neew set of hearing aids in 2023 and was not elligible for another set till 2028, and I had a hearing test last November. However they had been advertising free hearing tests and I wondered if their aids were any better than the ones I had.

 

They  gave me a full test, and tried some top of the line aids which were great, but cost $9,000.

There are 5 levels of aids, top level $9,000, second level $7,000, 3rd level $5,000. The bottom two levels are the ones issued free to pensioners. 

 

They said if I completed a stat declaration that I had lost a hearing aid, they could replace it free of charge under a government replacement scheme. I completed the form, got it witnessed at a chemist shop in the shopping centre, and they issued me with a replacement on the spot.

Unit cost $0.00, annual maintenance charge $0.00.

 

Without Bluetooth, I had to listen to the TV with volume at 78. With this replacement aid I can hear it at 36. I can now hear my daughter clearly first time, minimal repeating. No need for lip reading. An absolute positive. Can't wait to see how it goes at the Shed. I might be able to hear what is said at the lunch table. Have to take it out when the machines are running.

[facthunter]

So that was a good deal? WE don't do so bad. (Compared to MOST places). Hear Hear. It's pretty high tech stuff.  Nev

[spacesailor]

Those $9,000 ones are really good in a crowd as the AI finds the voice even behind you !.

I didn't get them , but had a " remote " to adjust the volue. To a level that works wherever I am . The TV can get turned down to single digits when I turn-up my remote hearing aids .

spacesailor

[Marty_d]

Yeah I need to decide which level to get. I don't think it'll be the $9k ones.

[red750]

They could put me on a payment plan at $160 per fortnight.

[onetrack]

I deal with Audika, they're part of the Oticon group, who make hearing aids, so Audika specialise in selling Oticon hearing aids. Oticon are Danish and make every component of their hearing aids.

I've used Oticon hearing aids since 2004, and I've gone through about 4 sets in 21 years.

 

I use the "in-the-ear" hearing aids, because I find working around machines, the "behind the ear" style are a PIA and fall off, or get knocked off all the time. I had trouble with the earlier models, they had a fragile "shell" (the plastic body) that would break easily when dropped - so I was often without a hearing aid while they manufactured a new shell (the shells have to be made from an internal ear impression, so they fit snugly).

 

Even worse - every time repairs are needed, they can only be done on the East Coast, so the hearing aid had to be sent East and then wait for repair, then sent back again. Nothing has changed in 21 years, the process is still the same, and I find that very annoying.

 

The last lot I acquired in 2019 and I paid $1600 over and above the "standard" hearing aid cost, to get a superior version. They're not too bad, but my hearing loss is severe, so nothing can make it up to good hearing ever again.

These hearing aids fell apart (the shells fractured) last December, and I was annoyed at having to send them off just before Christmas to get them repaired. What with the holiday period and repair time, I knew it would be mid-January before I saw them again. They gave me a set of loan "behind-the-ear" hearing aids - and they were bloody useless!

 

Mid-January came and went, and I inquired where my hearing aids were? A bit of panic ensued, and the girl rang the Eastern States repairer to find out what was going on - and they replied they had no knowledge of them!! But the girl insisted that they had a record of them being sent, so the mob in the East must have lost them somewhere?

 

It was a couple of days before I got more news - yes, they'd found my hearing aids, they'd been misplaced as soon as they arrived, and nothing had been done to them! That made me even unhappier.

 

Then, the following day, I got a call from the local business, saying the repairers had examined my aids, and they were unrepairable, and they would have to make completely new ones!!

That then entailed another trip to Audika to take new ear impressions. To say I was pissed off, was the understatement of the year. I was getting thoroughly sick of Audika.

 

So I waited another 10 days, and got a call that my new hearing aids were ready to be picked up. I went there and had them fitted and tuned, and was then amazed to be told that the new replacement hearing aids were free under warranty, as the old hearing aids had a 5 year full warranty, and the warranty was still in force when they buggered up!

 

So that was particularly good news. These new hearing aids now have a new design computer chip in them, that is specifically designed for hearing aids. Previously, they used off-the-shelf chips that didn't have all the design features that the new chips have. They're reasonably good, but I still have times when I have to ask people to repeat themselves.

 

I was under the impression, the top-of-the-wozza hearing aids were more about increased miniaturisation, rather than having major increased abilities. I was told if you keep shrinking the hearing aids, you can't get the same abilities in the smaller aids, as you can get in the larger versions, as they simply run out of room to install components.

[red750]

The one I got today was an Amplifon.The audiologist, Adam, said I had less than 40% hearing in my left ear and less than 50% in my right ear. It was the right ear aid that was replaced. I'm sitting here listening to the TV. clear but a little like an echo chamber, with the TV volume on 35. Adam said the brain takes about a week to adjust to the change in sound and I have a followup appointment next Tuesday to check all is OK. I asked about the iPhone airpods which now have hearing aid approval by the gov't body, used in conjunction with a newer model iPhone. Adam said he had heard people talking about them, so got some to check them out (He showed them to me). He said they are only good if you have over 60% hearing. They are about $300 plus the phone cost. He also said a cochlear implant would not work with my level of hearing.

 

 

 

 

[octave]

38 minutes ago, red750 said:

I asked about the iPhone airpods which now have hearing aid approval by the gov't body

Here is an interesting opinion from Adam Savage (Mythbusters), who has significant hearing loss. 

 

 

[spacesailor]

SO , Strait from the top tester .

they work ,

Will they work on anyone or even on any-phone he didn't say & I don't know .

spacesailor

 

PS. : I have never had an iPhone 

 

Edited August 12 by spacesailor

[octave]

The Apple air pods are for mild to moderate hearing loss. They work best when paired with an Apple iPhone although I believe they will work with Android but more of a pain to setup I believe.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I don't suffer hearing loss, but I use air pods for listening to music, pod casts and the like. They are the better model of air pods I got for a small fee when buying the daughter her student discounted apple stuff. Their noise reduction is first class and their sound reproduction is as good as I have ever heard. And I use them with a cheapie Samsung android. . 

[facthunter]

The ones I have are made to fit MY ears by taking a CAST of the ear canal. It also changes over time so I'm getting new ones at the Moment It's done to your existing units at pretty minimum cost. Vickers Machine Guns ruined my ears when I was about 21 and finished off by Noisy radios (HF) and engines of Planes and tractors. Nev

[octave]

 

Here is something that Mrs Octave and I are still celebrating two months on.

 

 

 

 

 

In 2017 we moved from our beautiful 44-acre bush block with its own crystal-clear river. After 21 years, we were thinking of what it would be like living there as elderly people. We had many neighbours who had grown old and needed people to shop for them, given it was 20 km to the nearest town. We did not want this for ourselves, being that we are fiercely independent. We also did not want to work until we were old and knackered. At 55 years old, we sold up and bought a small unit. For seven years, we would say that “it was a bit of a risk, but not once have we regretted it.”

 

 

Then we found out that the mysterious premises next door was owned by the Housing Department—public housing. Eventually, they moved someone in. “Hi, I am Sonia,” she said as she introduced herself to my wife, “if I am ever too noisy, just let me know.” We consulted with another neighbour and suggested to him that she may be dealing drugs. The first night, there was a procession of lowlifes coming and going.

 

The other neighbour confirmed this when he said that he had confronted her and she had admitted it. Her defence was that it was not her fault—it was the people who visited her and she could not stop them. Whilst this was plausible, 20 months of observation suggested she was a willing participant.

 

The next six months became hell for us and our other neighbours. We and other neighbours installed doorbell cameras. The first call to the police we made was on a Sunday morning when two testosterone-fuelled morons were being noisy. My wife confronted them, but this made no difference. She did note, however, that they appeared to be switching number plates between two vehicles. A quick search on VicRoads showed that they were putting a plate from a registered car onto an unregistered car. We called 000, and they had someone on scene within about 20 minutes. Result: one arrested, one got away. This turned out to be the least of our problems.

 

Over the next six months, we had several police raids (the use of a ram to bash the door down type affair). A man climbed onto our roof to evade the police. Another man stood outside our place, waving around a savage-looking hunting knife. We called 000, and by the time they arrived, he was on the road leaving the premises, but was detained and searched and had his weapon confiscated—though not arrested. As he came back to the premises, he was shouting, “If I find out who dobbed me in…” Another was arrested and tackled to the ground with a stolen motor scooter. A woman was viciously assaulted. A man was arrested (and jailed) with a loaded gun. (Earlier, I had confronted this creature, but at the time I did not know he was armed.) I think there were around six or seven full-on raids in total.

 

Naively, we thought that this would prompt the Housing Department to evict the tenant. At first, we thought they just did not care. Mrs Octave and I did our research and found that the Housing Department cannot evict anyone directly—VCAT makes the order, and it comes with many second chances. A search of the net suggested that people in a similar predicament had given up, sold up, and moved. There was no way we were going to do that.

 

We printed large signs warning of video surveillance and that drug activity would be reported, saying “deal drugs elsewhere.” This really ruffled feathers, but was quite effective—they started dealing further away. Although things improved, we were not prepared to tolerate it. We had two allies, one in Housing and one in the Serious Crime Squad. Whilst we felt they were ineffective (due to the limits of their power), we made daily incident reports to Housing and many, many Crime Stoppers reports (we lost count at 80).

 

If I detail every dramatic thing that happened, this post would be way too long.

 

There were several aborted VCAT cases. The problem is that the Housing Department does not have the budget for legal representation, whereas the tenant had free legal representation. VCAT tends to be reluctant, in this climate of homelessness, to put someone out on the street—and I can understand that. After one aborted case, the frustrated housing officer, Jessica, came out from the hearing, burst into tears, hugged us, and told us that she was determined to get rid of this tenant.

 

 

We arrived home one day to be approached by an ashen-faced detective asking if he could have our doorbell cam footage. Of course, we sent it to him, and as we ourselves watched it, we were horrified to see the video of him parking behind a car under the neighbour’s carport, behind a suspect car. This car reversed into the unmarked police car, the detective leaping out of the way and escaping death by inches. The car managed to escape. (We do have an exciting video of this.)

 

When the case was scheduled and the tenant and her “cockroaches” had obviously received a copy of our (and our neighbours’) evidence, about 7 AM, two of her female hangers-on were riding scooters up and down outside shouting, “We know your names, WE KNOW ALL OF YOUR NAMES.” and in fact mention my wife by name, this was gold for the VCAT case. By this stage, we had learned that these morons were too messed up to carry through any kind of threat.

 

 

Fast forward to July 1. We were at VCAT along with one of our braver neighbours. The local Detective Sergeant gave evidence (they usually don’t bother with VCAT matters). We felt the case was airtight, but VCAT tends to side with the tenant. We all gave our evidence, which was stressful. She was not going to address VCAT, but at the last minute, she changed her mind. It was beautiful—ten whole minutes of self-incrimination. The verdict -  Fourteen days to move out.

 

Of course, she did not. So, a week after the 14 days, the police knocked on her door with a “we are coming to throw you out by force on Monday.” On Sunday night at 11:30PM, she and some of her people drove up in a van. They finally left about five minutes before the police arrived. They did leave most of their stuff (other than the meth, I would imagine).

 

Whilst this was occurring, we did suffer anxiety. The sound of a car in the middle of the night would cause me to sit up in bed and grab my phone to see what was going on outside. Even during a trip to New Zealand in April, when staying in a hotel, the sound of a car would cause me to jump. Eight weeks later, this has all gone.

 

There have been upsides as well. We are now very good friends with most of the neighbours. We started a WhatsApp group and would provide instant (and sometimes hilarious) intel about what was happening. We have become very good friends with our closest neighbour. When this neighbour moved in, they were clearly female, but they have transitioned. I wanted to make contact earlier, but I think this person assumed that because I was of a certain age, I would be anti—which could not be further from the truth. Now we go out to lunch together every few weeks.

 

And for the icing on the cake, we put to the Housing Department: how do we know we won’t be put in a similar situation in the future? We also engaged the local state MP. We pretty much said, “We will not put up with it.” We then received an email that sort of suggested they would sell the property rather than go through this again. That sounds good, but who will buy it?

 

Last week we had a BBQ to celebrate, and cheekily we had it on the porch of the now empty offending property (dancing on their f*****g grave). One of our neighbours admitted that she has made an offer for the property. She has a few properties in the street that she rents, and all her tenants are top-notch. The end of this story could not be better for us.

 

Just a few points I would like to make.

 

We are definitely anti–public housing. During this period, it became a full-time job collating evidence and making reports as well as researching the law. In Victoria, we found that

there are serious complaints against less than 5 per cent of public tenants. This is very small but very serious, and solutions need to be found. These people are a problem for their neighbours, both public and private.

In situations like this, although it is easy to direct anger at those you feel could instantly fix your problem, usually, you are unaware of their limitations ans difficulties.

Don’t make enemies—make allies, even if they frustrate you at times.

Don’t listen to people who say it can’t be done.

Don’t whinge and say “poor me.” Either work out how you are going to fix the problem and, if that is not possible, how you are going to live with the problem (we had a “live with” plan).

Don’t be afraid to ring 000. Although there are ads that say if you need us but you don’t need lights or sirens, ring another number, we were initially reticent. But we were told by our friendly detective that you should not worry that it may not be serious enough. I would usually start a 000 call by saying, “No one is in immediate danger but…” Our detective assured me that 000 triage calls, and we were well aware that they may or may not attend.

000 calls, even if not acted upon, create a record that can help build a case.

Overall, we were happy with the police, given the stress they are under, although I do have some suggestions that I might pass on.

Something we found useful was the welfare check. You ring up the police and say you think your neighbours are doing drugs, and someone sounds like they may be in distress. The police don’t really do much, but it did give the neighbours a fright to have the police knock on their door.

Above all, do not surrender to emotion. It is rational, intelligent thinking that will solve the problem.

 

Some of the dramatic occurrences that we caught on video

 

A man on our roof is trying to flee the police (he fell off)
Man with a rather large knife (we got him detained)
Man arrested carrying a homemade pistol - jailed
Man flying a drone over our place at 3 AM
Numerous obvious drug deals (it was like a McDonald's drive-through for crystal meth.)
At least 6 dramatic raids IE door smashed in.
 Detective narrowly escapes a car ramming

 

Anyway, we are pretty proud of ourselves, and although it took too long, the result could not be better. This is ultimately a story with a happy ending.

 

We have gigabytes of extremely dramatic footage that I probably shouldn't share, but here is testosterone man (we came up with names for all of the characters) assaulting a woman.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Wow. That is some story and a great example of working together to solve a problem. Uf a lot more people took that route, the world would be a better place!

 

2 hours ago, octave said:

We are definitely anti–public housing. During this period, it became a full-time job collating evidence and making reports as well as researching the law. In Victoria, we found that

there are serious complaints against less than 5 per cent of public tenants. This is very small but very serious, and solutions need to be found. These people are a problem for their neighbours, both public and private.

Is it public housing you're against, or the way it is administered? Only asking because 95% of tentants nto showing serious problems is not bad, but for those that do, there is little recourse. To me, it smacks of governments deflecting their obligations by giving the right power to the right enforcement (and remediation) organistations to accomodate the need for public housing and keep the public safe when things don't do wrong. For example, if it was a privately owned and tenanted house, would the police have been able to deal with the problem more effectively because of the pwoers they have under normal criminal law (notwithstanding the issues with that, too)? Why should public housing tenants be afforded more rights than a private tenant when it comes to things like conduct?

 

2 hours ago, octave said:

Some of the dramatic occurrences that we caught on video

 

A man on our roof is trying to flee the police (he fell off)
Man with a rather large knife (we got him detained)
Man arrested carrying a homemade pistol - jailed
Man flying a drone over our place at 3 AM
Numerous obvious drug deals (it was like a McDonald's drive-through for crystal meth.)
At least 6 dramatic raids IE door smashed in.
 Detective narrowly escapes a car ramming

Sounds like you can set yourself up as a docu-drama producer, director, and cameraman. 😉

Edited 13 hours ago by Jerry_Atrick

[octave]

28 minutes ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

Is it public housing you're against, or the way it is administered?

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant to say we are definitely NOT anti-public housing, being that only 5% of tenants are problematic. I think the problem is that the system works, but very slowly. Checks and balances are necessary, but they need to move faster.    Our neighbour was charged several times with drug possession, which is not enough to get you evicted. Drug dealing is enough to get you evicted; however, this drug dealing is but video of someone selling drugs is not enough. The police have to catch the person in possession of a certain amount of drugs, and these people know how to carry only this amount. If a tenant commits a serious crime, they can be evicted, although they have to be prosecuted and have been found guilty in court.  A tenant is also responsible for the behaviour of her visitors.  Here is a good example. One morning, a man turned up looking for the tenant and shouting abuse.  One of our neighbours told him to keep the noise down. The man (allegedly) lifted his shirt to reveal a pistol in his waistband.  This was reported to the police, but by the time they got here, the man had left. When it was reported to the housing department, they said (and it is true) that they can not act without evidence.  The tenant denied knowing the man. 

 

I think it is fair and correct to give people a second chance, just not a fourth or fifth chance.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

40 minutes ago, octave said:

I think it is fair and correct to give people a second chance, just not a fourth or fifth chance.

Same.. but I am going to come across as wokey, but when we give people a second chance, is there some assessment as to why they are where they are at life and do we provide support for them to make sure there isn't a third or fourth or beyond chance? If they bust their second chance, is it into the clink - or is there a better way...

 

There are defo low-life crims that come from all sorts of socio-economic backgrounds and nothing we do can change them.. anf from your description your neighbour was one of them - an a very entreprenuerial druggie. But what about the chronic drug affected person who is there because they suffered say sexual abuse as a kid (and I have seen some horrific stuff that has long term effects - a suicide of an Epstien victim that was paid out by the Queen, no less, should shed some light on the torment people go through)?

 

Of course, it has to be balanced with the safety of law abiding people. You have suffered mental side effects, such as the anxiety with cars passing at night - people need to be able to live in a safe environment despite the challenges society throws up. You also could have ended up suffering a lot worse with armed retribution attacks, or if they were using it as a meth den, any risk of explosions, etc. 

 

Tough problems to resolve.. 

[octave]

3 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

Same.. but I am going to come across as wokey, but when we give people a second chance, is there some assessment as to why they are where they are at life and do we provide support for them to make sure there isn't a third or fourth or beyond chance? If they bust their second chance, is it into the clink - or is there a better way...

Ye, I totally agree. I would describe us as being on the woke end of the scale.   Mrs Ocatve and I have regular conversations about how the system could be better, although we don't come up with much.   One of our neighbours worked with someone who knew of this woman, and they said she went to an exclusive school and her father is a retired policeman.

 

The nature of the operation seemed to change with time.  At first, we would see her walking out a few steps behind hard-looking men. We put it to Housing that perhaps she was being manipulated.   After about 6 months, it became clear that us neighbours were reporting things to the police. The "hard men" seemed to visit less, and she began to be the one coming and going with minions following her.  We suspect that she started to play a bigger part and was ambitious. 

 

In our meetings with housing, there was a lot of info that they had, but for privacy reasons, they were unable to pass on. 

 

At one stage, she did have a legitimate job and was sacked.  She took her employer to court for unfair dismissal and lost; however, she did appeal, and on the day of the appeal did not turn up.

 

A lot of information came out at the VCAT hearing.   After many warnings from housing, they told her that they would find her a new housing property, which apparently they did, and she turned it down. The presiding member (judge) asked her why she turned it down, and she said, "too many druggies in that suburb"  She was also offered counselling, which she started and then stopped, but she claimed that the week before the hearing, she had resumed counselling.

 

We were not sure that we would win the case.  History shows that VCAT is very reluctant to evict anyone, and I understand that.  The case for the housing department was put by a housing officer with no particular legal training, and the tenant had a lawyer from a housing advocate group (in fact 2 of them)  

 

Our local serious crime squad detective sergeant gave evidence first. We didn't hear his evidence because you can't go in until you give evidence, and then you can stay for the rest of the hearing.  When he came out, he had a quiet word with us.  He said, "Don't get hung up on the evidence, it has already been presented. emphasise the emotional toll" 

 

When I gave evidence, the member asked her legal team if they wanted to cross-examine me.  The lawyer said, "No, we don't want to add further trauma to the neighbours.   I started to feel more optimistic. They were not questioning the evidence. They put it to VCAT that the eviction was not fair and proportional 

 

Then came the beautiful part.  She wasn't down to speak, having declined the opportunity.  She suddenly changed her mind, and she did speak in her defence, but she really started to incriminate herself.

 

She said that the people who visit are hardened criminals and that she is scared of them. Her defence was that she was a victim along with us neighbours.  The presiding member was pretty switched on. He asked her why these people visit her. She tried to chage the subject, but he persisted. "What is the motivation for these criminals to come to your house?."  She said, "Because I'm a soft touch", she said.

 

She then went on to say that she would often stay at her mother's house because she was scared to be at this property.  In the verdict the member said "you say you are afraid to be at your property and you stay with your mother, you dont seem to want to be a

anciallye property and your neighbors are suffering, the best thing is for you to vacate (14 days) of course it was more like a month because she did not even start moving until the police came to say that she would be physicall removed on monday.

 

As to what can be done about this kind of problem, I don't really know.  Housing can not vet anyone; if you qualify financially, then you are on the list. This woman, I believe, is back on the list and has a high priority.  There are stories in the press about others who find themselves in this situation, and often the neighbours just have to move. We decided we would dig in. Some neighbours did give up and move.  

 

The police were pushing housing to move her to a particular area. I am not sure of the details, but I believe that it was about herding all the hard cases into one area where they could be more easily policed. 

 

I feel that even if housing offers properties to the hard cases that it needs to at least have a few strings attached. Perhaps you could earn your way into a better property with time and good behaviour.

Although we are woke bleeding heart lefties, we don't feel too concerned. She has family in the area, and indeed, sometimes we would not see her for days.

 

There would be times when she did not have others staying, and then things would be quiet, but this would not last long.

 

Anyway, all is well, trauma gone, and the property is being sold to someone we know. We believe the outcome was fair and just; however, it took way too long and way too much effort on our part. Being retired helped, but sometimes we would put in a whole day's

work looking through hours of doorbell footage and sending it to housing and the police. We know our evidence got several people arrested. We did wonder if there would be reprisals; however, it has been 2 months.  These people were pretty dumb, and I suspect they have moved on.  There is a saying about successful dealers don't use the products themselves or "don't get high on your own supply" The detective who arrested one of them told me that "he was as dumb as a speed bump"

 

Here is a picture of Knife Man. (deidentified) Knife Man was high on some kind of upper and spent about 2 hours polishing his pushbike. We noticed that he had a scabbard attached to his bike.  He wasn't being aggressive, in fact, a neighbour told him to keep the noise down, and he said "sorry mate"  We called the police and they did apprehend him briefly, searched him and confiscated the knife.