“Come down here for a few nights – stay with us, stay with Jan Hetherington, stay with Ron Jelbart, stay with Louise and Simon Manifold, stay with Maria and Colin Linke – these are but a few of the people whose lives your company has RUINED already.
“We’ve had enough !!!!!! The last three nights and two days have been hell – that’s on top of all the other nights and days since the beginning of October.”
Scott Thomas is the general manager power development (and community relations) for AGL – he has been delegated to deal with complaints about Macarthur wind farm as Michael Fraser, MD, apparently won’t reply to any of correspondence from residents.
Amanda Shaw is in the Public Relations Department. Bernice Lockard is Fraser’s PA.
From: Ann Gardner
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 10:15 PM
To: Scott Thomas ; Amanda Shaw
Cc: Bernice Lockard
Subject: It’s time you came down here to experience
Dear Scott and Amanda,
The situation for so many of us living next to this wind farm of your company’s is just intolerable.
We are just at our wits end and the jolly thing has only just begun full operation. As I write this, the turbines are absolutely roaring next to us. Wonder how little sleep we’ll get tonight …
It’s about time you people who sit in your ivory towers in Sydney came down and stayed in our homes and experienced the absolute HELL your company is putting us through. It’s just a disgrace and all you can do is tell us to go and see the doctor.
Come down here for a few nights – stay with us, stay with Jan Hetherington, stay with Ron Jelbart, stay with Louise and Simon Manifold, stay with Maria and Colin Linke – these are but a few of the people whose lives your company has RUINED already.
We’ve had enough !!!!!! The last three nights and two days have been hell – that’s on top of all the other nights and days since the beginning of October.
And all you can do is keep on with your “spin” whether it be the rubbish about the fact that wind farms have been operating in Europe for 20 years without any problems – or go and see the doctor – or read Leventhal’s submission to the recent Senate report.
Get out of your ivory tower and stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes. You conned the people of this district with your spin but the truth is coming out now. And we DON’T LIKE IT.
This wind farm is going to explode … a visiting American professor who had been to wind farms all over the world said to us that “this is the wind farm the world has to have” as it’s just too big and too wrong.
Nobody has ever seen such a disgraceful scene as 140 turbines of this enormous size, in GRID FASHION. Usually they’re placed on ridge lines, but the cumulative impact of this monster will destroy it …
WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH. WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF AGL’s SPIN AND DECEIT.
I have just had a phone call, the story which is still to be confirmed, telling me that apparently one family is planning to leave the district, due to the impact on their young children. That’s nice isn’t it … the turbines have only been fully operational for a few weeks and it appears, not confirmed yet – that people have decided to go, before the damage is too great.
Scott, my husband Gus is often saying “I wonder how Scott Thomas would feel if his wife were affected in the shocking manner in which my wife has been impacted over the last few months, along with Jan Hetherington, Louise Manifold, to mention but a few of the people living near, but not necessarily next to this monster which is destroying us already”.
How would you like it if your wife couldn’t live in her home full time – how would you like it if your wife had to leave and sponge on friends, or family for a few days every week ? How would you like it if she was not well enough to be able to work at her job any more ? How would you like it if her employer forced her to work in an unsafe work place ?
We all just wonderd how you can work for such a company, being paid for destroying people’s lives … you must have a skin of leather.
We say, come and stay – come and experience what we’re having to put up with tonight, and last night and the night before – and yesterday, and the day before. Come and experience what I had to put up with trying to work in our sheep yards where I’ve worked for 33 years now, happily and healthily – and see how it feels for me now – trying to work feeling nausea, a tight chest, heart palpitations in conjunction with the ever present head pressure and extremely painful ears and nose.
Come and see what it’s really like for all of us here – I had a phone call from a neighbour tonight telling how he has trouble mustering sheep now due to the blade flicker – but oh no, in the panel we were told blade flicker wouldn’t be a problem. This was at the same time we were told “the wind farm would be LESS NOISIER than a normal working farm with machinery”.
How can you keep on with this “spin” when the truth is finally coming out.
There is a quote by Emile Zola which goes as follows –
“If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through, it will blow up everything in its way”.
We fully believe in this quote in this district, now, more than ever.
Come and stay and you’ll experience what hell we’re going through.
Ann Gardner,
for and on behalf of all the affected residents around the Macarthur wind farm.
STOP THESE THINGS 
Yeah, and then you find out that one of your brothers is working for wind farm “clean energy”, (at Macarthur- where I grew up), while you’re fighting conglomerates who only care about money not people. Why would any one want to destroy the countryside is beyond me. We live near Waubra, and neither I or my husband can go near those things. Even if they blades aren’t moving there’s a dreadful humming, like cars on a freeway. Wait till you’re also confronted by NBN 40m towers and not the promised fibre optic and “smart meters”. They’re all tentacles of government surveillance. Christine
We are sorry for your loss and concerned that many more residents will be impacted in the future. Here in Far North Queensland, where Ratch Australia proposes the 75 turbine Mt Emerald Wind Farm, many of us were initially told we would neither see nor hear the turbines. Their expert reports now show something entirely different. The “spin” continues…
My heart goes out to all of you who are suffering so. It is unimaginable that this can go on & on without the companies being held to account. Keep fighting!!! We are currently fighting to stop a wind farm going ahead next door here. Reading this article just leaves me cold with horror of what we will be in for if we lose the fight!
Upton Sinclair: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!”
Forget industry (and their hacks) acknowledging the issue, and accepting an invitation to risk experiencing what they do not want to know as there is too much money at stake. Their salaries and much much more.
Forget any politicians without principles (the Milne Greens, Doug Cameron and Greg Hunt spring to mind https://stopthesethings.com/rogues-gallery/) as their ideology (and attached salary) is at stake. Oh, and exposed Industry Super Funds and industry kick backs into family trusts etc.
The parallels with the denial of big tobacco and asbestos are inescapable
And as with tobacco and asbestos and paedophiles (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/wind-farm-scam-a-huge-cover-up/story-e6frgd0x-1226345185075), to rely on the goodwill, honesty and integrity of the perpertrators (and their Government sponsors) is to live in eternal false hope. The Australian senate committee recommended ‘urgent’ research more than a year ago. Nothing has happened since??
The abuse by the wind industry perpetrators will only cease when the systematic independent research occurs, to build upon the existing and growing national and international evidence of the problems being experienced by wind farm neighbors (and hosts) when they live too close.
And when that is then used in court and parliaments to bring this ongoing abuse to a halt.
MacArthur is the wind farm that will be heard round the world. Keep speaking the truth, Annie and Gus. Stay well. I am so sorry to hear how bad it is, but it does not surprise me one bit. The Pure Greed of the wind industry has got to stop and governments must discontinue their practice of aiding and abetting the wind industry over the health of the public and the rights of citizens. The Violence of wind industry continues. I am writing a paper on the Violence of Wind Energy in North America, Australia, and New Zealand for an international conference on human rights. I will be sure to include your story and I’d love to keep in touch to stay updated on your struggle. best, Libby
Oh Ann, it is devastating to read your plea for someone to take responsibility for the grief that you are experiencing at the loss of the beauty and tranquillity of the Macarthur landscape. Worse still to know that this is what we at Mortlake are facing happening to us over the next 2 years when Acciona builds their monstrous wind factory on our doorsteps. Where is the justice and equity in this process??
Maybe invitations need to go higher asking Julia Gillard to visit overnight a home affected by these monsters – she could bring others along too, to experience the ‘silence of the night and quiet peaceful days’, working alongside farmers – it could be a nice relaxing repast for them away from the hustle and bustle of parliament!
They could see where our taxes are being spent in their chosen effective way to ensure people can have a safe, and healthy environment to live in!
C’mon Scott. C’mon Amanda. Country hospitality. Unique farmstay experience. But will your employer stop you? Just try it on your employer. If you are not stopped, you will have the best opportunity to validate or otherwise your employer’s spin. If you are stopped – well I guess you will know why.
Yes, Absoluely ditto for Waterloo!!!!!!!!!!!
I have invited many of the people “responsible” for this to Waterloo and guess how many have bothered to even reply, let alone turn up?
Still waiting
I’ve included this report on http://www.illwind.org. It is only noted as one report unfortunately when several people are clearly being affected.
This is a mirror copy of what went on in South Australia,in a small town of Waterloo, they promised everything will be fine, the noise will be NO louder then a fridge LOL.. what they forget to tell you , was the fridge is in your Bed with you and never stops ruining then some lol .you will NOT get used to it, it will make you and your Family sicker the longer you stay. I’m Not saying this lightly, If you can get out, I have been a Wind Turbine refugee for nearly two years, my Brother left his house long before me and will tell you ! if he had stayed he would be Dead now.
I don”t understand that we cant just go and have these Industrial Turbine developers arrested ?
My other point is how often do you here farm machinery all night all day 24/7 how are they kidding ??
This is NOT a good thing, I’m sorry what you are all in for.