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depression J.Golstein MECFS Books

THIS IS A TRUE INCIDENT ABOUT THE CORRUPTION THAT EXISTED IN THE LISMORE CITY COUNCIL

 In 1996 we complained about the putrid yard of the then neighbours at 15 Peate Street, but council was reluctant to order residents to clean up their yard. In 1998 Lismore Council Health and Environmental Officer told us they had complaints that we were breeding flies in "FRESH" horse manure on our garden. This was outrageous!  We never used "fresh" horse manure. It was unbelievable that a majority of Lismore City Councillors, general manager and some staff at the time, bowed down to the absurd claims of a very vindictive woman: and persecuted and harassed us over her false accusations. But what hold did she have over council?  However the majority of Lismore City Councillors who supported these claims were also dishonest in their actions. Council never had any evidence to support these allegations.

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 both voluntary community workers. But what was behind this fabricated furphy to make Mr Fullerton's the victim? Was it to cover up illegal activities in our area? Only four or five councillors ever visited our garden. Mayors Irwin, Gates and King supported all these false allegations, claiming it was a neighbourhood dispute. Neighbours of 19 Peate Street (at the time) who made all these false allegations to council, sued us for $100,000.00 damages from the flies.

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 negligence

These neighbours lost because they had no evidence to support their claim. The plaintiff lied under oath and I am led to believe this is perjury. After the court case councillors Jeff Champion and Merv King told me that animals were being slaughtered under the other neighbour's house (at the time) at 15 Peate Street.  I was unaware of this and was completely flabbergasted that two councillors knew about these animals being slaughtered. Just how many more councillors knew this? I had made many complaints to council about the putrid state of this neighbour's (at the time) putrid premises but Lismore council did nothing. 

 Therefore at the next council meeting I asked Lismore City Council for an apology but they would not accept the Judge's verdict. So early 2000, these same neighbours complained again that Fullerton's were the cause of the fly problem in North Lismore. Former Councillor Ros Irwin said at a council meeting 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? In December 1998 Matt Kelly Lismore Council Health and Environmental Officer asked us to sign a landuse agreement that we would not to use any horse manure on our property, which we did. Mr Fullerton was so petrified of doing something wrong.

However in July 2000, Matt Kelly and Tony Kohlenberg 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 on this landuse agreement had definitely been forged plus Matt Kelly's signature and date added. Was someone trying to make this a  legal document?

Although I wrote to Politicians, the Ombudsman, the ICAC about this situation they believed all the lies as Lismore City Council said it was just a neighbourhood dispute. So 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 council 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 him. In 2008 council was finding it too much of a burden for council to maintain this useless piece of land and they asked residents of 19 and 17 if they wanted to buy it. Just how low 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 me by 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?  I believe that cattle duffing is still going on 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) felt the actions by council was to discredit me as president and stop all the work we did for people with this illness.

When the ICAC visited Lismore in 2001 and we attended these meetings the ICAC rep 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 our society 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. So I decided to write a book about the corruption in Lismore Council.

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