We have a few fights with Energex around here. Our progress association is always giving them a hard time about reliability of supply of our power.

Some of them admit privately that they really can't clear trees far enough back from main lines without suffering greenie howls.

At the same time the greenies are blaming "Gold Plated" distribution systems for the power price increases caused by renewable power generation.

Well today it blew a bit. Not a major storm but certainly windy. The wind started about 11.30 AM & by 12.15 our power was gone. We advised Energex, & were given the impression that it should be back in an hour or 2. We were about to get out the little 2 KVA generator, but by 2.30 Energex sounded much less confident. Radio reports said 50,000 without power.

So we got out the 10 KVA diesel gen set. It is a lot of work setting it up to supply the house, the granny flat, the drinking water & grey water systems, but was a wise move. After 9 hours, most of our fridge & freezer food would be stuffed. It looks like tomorrow morning if we are lucky.

There will be 10s of thousands of dollars worth going to the tip tomorrow, thanks to greenies who love trees more than their fellow man. I would love to see the greenies who prevent proper power line clearing made to pay for this waste. At least mine won't be there with the rest.

It proves the lie of gold plated power supply once & for all. This was just a bit of wind, not some major thunder storm. Meanwhile I sure hope though that the poor buggers further north fighting the bush fires didn't have to contend with it, it would have made fire fighting very dangerous.

It is like being back in the navy. We don't run this thing connected to the house without someone being "ON WATCH" & ready to shut it down if necessary. I've got the 10 to 2 watch. Roll on 2.00 AM.

Hasbeen

I think you are wrong to blame environmentalists for bush fires, and here is why.
In the case of the big fire on the coast above you, it was entirely caused by the energy company linesmen.
The locals had the initial fire caused by fallen power lines, under control until the arrival of the linesmen. The linesmen cordoned off the area, making it impossible for the locals to further control the blaze.

And on the perimeter clearing of power lines: there is a clearing formula to be followed for the safety of lines and the immediate environment.

These fires are entirely the fault of the power companies and their lack of line maintenance for profit promotion. It's how private enterprise works. It doesn't!

And as for environmentalists. I was diving Julian Rocks off Byron Bay recently; and I can assure you the environment protection plan is working like a charm for the environment. Hand feeding giant snapper which haven't been seen on this site since 1970’s, when the area was turned over to professional fishermen to rape and pillage. Now a marine sanctuary.

As I've said to you before, our navy is a disgrace and national embarrassment. When the sea shepherd private navy is doing the work of our navy for nix, tracking down illegal fishing in Australian waters, it becomes a waste of money.
We should do what NZ did with their navy. Abandon the concept

Still no power after 22 hours, & no advice of when it is likely to be back.

One neighbour was down early to fill 3, 25L jerry cans. He can't get water out of his underground water tank without power. Bad design. He was back a little later after using that to flush his toilets, to get more to leave with his wife.

That reminded us about Mary down the road. She can't lift much due to arthritic, so can't get water from her underground water tanks. Her husband has been in a nursing home for about 6 months now. She does really well except in emergencies.

We took 30 gallons down, flushed her toilets, & refilled the cisterns, so she has at least another flush each. We filled a number of containers she can handle, so she's right for a while. We took a thermos of hot water for her to make tea, but she is ahead of us. She had a kettle on the barbeque as soon as she had water, & was offering us tea.

She's a great old girl. She had filled a couple of eskys with ice as soon as the power went off. The servo ladies had put them in the back of her wagon. She has this backed up to the barbeque area & was more or less camping behind her house. Pity she hasn't been able to sell, she needs to be somewhere more civilised than the wilds of country Queensland. It can be a bit tough on a single lady pensioner.

Aint life grand with a "GOLD PLATED" power distribution system!

Well we will never know, not saying you are twisting it Hasbeen but it is one side
Power contractors came to my home, said large bottle brush was too high, ok cut what ever you want down no problem
They left the top on!
Cut a few branches, not sure why, my job is to do what they did not, get a ladder and on a good day take the top out of it

I didn't mention the bush much increased fire problem Diver, but now you do, that is even more down to the greenies.

We used to control bush fires with a few farm trucks, & a dozen men with whet flower sacks. It wasn't that hard as most of the country, private or public, had been burned recently, & there was not much fuel. Today with millions of dollars worth of gear bush fire brigades, even with huge water bomber back up can't do the job, due to the huge fuel load no the ground.

Today you can't ride through my neighbours 10,000 paddock, with out being scratched to pieces by understory & dead fallen timber. It is so difficult to get fire permits that many like him have given up.

The chemicals we used to control regrowth have been banned, [greenies again], & you can't burn, so previously good grazing land turns into nothing but a choked fire hazard, ready to kill.

Belly of course there are rules, that's the problem.

They were written to pacify the greens. There should be no tree with in falling distance of power lines. Nor only does that secure reliable supply, it also greatly reduces fire risk.

Must go refuel the gen set.

Sorry to hear you are in the middle of it but pleased to see you are caring about others
Think the power company,s including mine are more about cost than law, handy to be able to blame others
Doing my best, not enough, to stop that future fire eating my neighbors house, but you have it right once we burned in winter now the paperwork is just too hard
more fires more deaths as desk jockeys kill by neglect
Interestingly once it was my area of road to look after and my crew would have cleared the drains and vegetation now? not allowed to its not part of the contract