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THIS IS A TRUE INCIDENT ABOUT THE CORRUPTION THAT EXISTED IN LISMORE LOCAL COUNCIL In 1996 I complained about the putrid yard of new neighbours at 15 Peate Street, but council was reluctant to order residents to clean up their yard. In 1998 a new house was built on a paddock next door at 19 Peate Street. After these neighbours had been living in their new home a few months, Council Health and Environmental Officer told us that Council had received complaints that we were breeding flies in the "FRESH" horse manure on our garden. This was outrageous! Council never had any evidence to prove these allegations. Roden used stable waste manure when the horse trainers cleaned out the stables he never used "fresh" horse manure. Through F.I.O I received copies of these complaints and both neighbours said practically the same thing. Both were related. At the time it was unbelievable that a majority of Councillors, general manager and some staff, bowed down to these vindictive neighbours and their absurd claims. We were persecuted and harassed us over these false accusations. Did the neighbour have a hold over council? The council was well aware of the fact that I was very sick with M.E and Fibromyalgia and my husband was my carer. My husband and I are both senior pensioners with severe disabilities. At the time we were both voluntary community workers. But what was behind this fabricated furphy to make us the victim? Was it to cover up illegal activities in our area? I invited the mayor, general manager and staff to visit our garden but only four or five councillors responded. One mayor at the time claimed it was a neighbourhood dispute. One Neighbour who made these false allegations to council, sued us for $100,000.00 damages from the flies. In December 1998 Council Health and Environmental Officer asked us to sign a landuse agreement that we would not to use any horse manure on our property. We agreed and Roden and I signed this form. My husband was so petrified of doing something wrong. When this case went before Chief Justice Blanch on the 3rd December 1999 at the Lismore Court: the Judge stated: That being the case, the action of the plaintiff must fail whether it be in negligence or in nuisance, although I believe in this case there never was any evidence of negligenceAs I sat in court I was astounded as I listened to furphies coming from this neighbour. However these neighbours lost because they had no evidence to support their claim. After the court case I told two councillors the outcomes and they told me that animals were being slaughtered under 15 Peate Street residence (at the time). I was unaware of this and was completely flabbergasted how many more councillors were aware of these activities? although I had made many complaints to council about these putrid premises but nothing was done. Therefore at the next council meeting I asked Council for an apology but they would not accept the Judge's verdict. Early 2000, these neighbours complained again about the flies from our property. t a council meeting one that we were the cause of the fly problem in North Lismore. At a Council meeting Councillor Irwin said that when she was in Peate Street that two flies got in her car so she knew they came from Fullerton's place. Did these flies have tags on them? However in July 2000, two Council H & E officers instructed a Lismore solicitor to send us a threatening letter which included a copy of the landuse agreement we signed in 1998. BUT now it was obvious that our signatures had definitely been forged plus H & E officer's signature and date had been added. Was someone trying to doctor a document to make it legal? Although I wrote to Politicians, the Ombudsman, the ICAC about this situation they believed all the Council lies saying it was just a neighbourhood dispute. Nothing was done about this dishonest situation. Do we live in a corrupt society? A lot of drug activities and cattle duffing was going on in this northern region of NSW. But even stranger things can happen! Mr Fullerton had been leasing council land at the rear of his property at 17 Peate Street for over 18 years. Now with all the lies about flies and skulduggery by Lismore Council they cancelled his lease. Lismore City Council staff then erected a new boundary fence between council land and Fullerton's property and wonder of wonders this amazing fly problem ceased. Mr Fullerton had applied to buy this useless piece of council land that he had maintained free of charge to council, but council refused. In 2008 council was finding it too much of a burden to maintain this useless piece of land and they asked new residents of 19 and 17 if they wanted to buy it. Just how despicable can Lismore council be? After this new boundary fence was erected, Mr Fullerton resumed using the same well composted stable waste horse manure that he had always used; but now there was no more complaints about flies. Whenever I went to the Lismore Council Chambers and asked to see our property file council employee refused saying: I could not see it as there was too many documents that I was not allowed to see. A person's property file is a public document. What was Lismore Council hiding? A former council employee told me we were made victims to cover up illegal activities. Was it cattle duffing and slaughtering of animals in a residential area? Cattle duffing was prevalent in this area! Was it to cover up illegal actions by council? Was it to cover up drug activities in the area? Which have now been exposed. The management committee of the Northern Rivers ME/CFS/FM Association (at the time) were concerned that Lismore City Council was trying to discredit me as president and stop all the voluntary community work we did for people with M.E/FM. When the ICAC visited Lismore in 2001 we attended these meetings and the representative spoke of dishonest dealings in local government. When I wrote to the ICAC about Lismore council they wrote back to say they had no money to investigate my complaints. The late Hon Ben Chifley Prime Minister of Australia said, "when you see corruption stamp on it with both feet." It is a shame we don't have politicians of the same calibre today. Although I sent many letters to politicians to find out why there was so much corruption in Lismore I never had any real answers. Everyone has a right to fair justice and although I have tried to seek justice; solicitors told me that you have to have the money first. As far as I can see there is no justice in the law as it stands today and I think this needs to be changed. I decided to put extracts of our story on my website for people to read.
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