Tuesday 24 October 2017

Athena Blinked

 



By Gi Linda.

Athena, classical goddess of justice, is always depicted blindfold as a symbol of impartiality, but in a post-humane world what happens when the blindfold is removed and Athena blinks?
 

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Winning the Blog Wars

By Gi Linda.

The "Battle of the Blogs" was won with a welcome victory for truth and justice in NSW Supreme Court on October 3rd, when Justice Lucy McCallum ruled in my favor and rejected an injurious falsehood claim by Mt Warning Eco Village demanding a gag on freedom of speech and removal by court order of the blog, "Mt Warning Eco Village - A Warning".

The BlogWars began when defrauded investors decided strategies to recover collective losses of more than $1.5 million that we suffered after investing in Mark Darwin's land-share scam in 2014-5. We were preparing legal action and decided to start a blog to document our experience and warn others who were being sucked into the same vortex of deception that had robbed us of our life savings.

Having professional skills in media and journalism I agreed to author the blog on behalf of the "Group of Investors Defrauded by Darwin".

The blog warns that Mount Warning Eco Village is the latest attempt by Darwin and Brennock to form a "Village Community" on environmentally protected land without development approval. Alluring marketing hides the reality of a project already marred by the deep footprints of a long trail of disenfranchised investors whose broken dreams and empty bank accounts have caused a lot of anger and a deep interest in vindication.  

The first failed attempt by Darwin and Brennock to form "Bhula Bhula Village Community" under the deceptive auspices of "Truthology", was from 2014-17 at 3222 Kyogle Rd, Mt Burrell. Investors were led to believe we would have an equitable interest in the land that we collectively purchased, but we were scammed when instead of purchasing the land through a legitimate Community Association, as promised, the property was bought using our money by a private company with Adrain Brennock as self-appointed sole director and sole shareholder, effectively owning and controlling the land we paid for by holding a $1 share. 

In retaliation for the blog and my news report exposing them, in December 2016 the "Bully-Bully-Boyz" blocked my access to the land, smashed my camp, destroyed my Garden and stole my mobile home and belongings.

The police were told by the "Bully-Bully-Boyz" that Adrian Brennock was owner of the Land and that I was a "trespasser". They requested and received police assistance, so I filed criminal charges of fraud and larceny as a private prosecution.

The defamer charges the defamed with defamation!

In attempts to menace and damage my professional reputation, Mark Darwin, as founder of the failed "Bhula Bhula Village Community" and "creator" of "Mount Warning Eco Village" fueled the Blog Wars with vicious ad hominem attacks and false reports of legal matters. 

At the same time as publicly slandering and publishing malicious lies about me, Darwin and Brennock also initiated a defamation case and an injurious falsehood case against me in NSW Supreme Court.

A first injunction requesting court orders to remove this blog was withdrawn after two hearings by Darwin/Brennock's barrister, Dauid Sibtain, for lack of evidence that development approval was in place prior to selling home-sites. 

A second  urgent interlocutory injunction by Darwin and the boyz requested a Duty Judge to make a summary judgement to gag free speech, but was referred back to Justice McCallum on the defamation list.

After eight hearings of this matter in Sydney Supreme Court, Justice Lucy McCallum announced her judgement rejecting the claim by Mt Warning Eco Village that this blog contains injurious falsehoods that have damaged the inchoate company's commercial interests. 

This decision was made only on the company's request for an interim gag order until a final hearing of evidence of injurious falsehood. It's not yet known whether the defeated plaintiffs will now withdraw the charges or continue the Blog Wars slugfest.
 
Defamation Case

Apart from the company's injurious falsehood litigation, the original defamation charges against myself and Nimbin GoodTimes are still ongoing with claims for damages of over $3 million regarding an article I authored that was published by the Nimbin GoodTimes in October 2016; "The Truth About Bhula Bhula" that reveals Darwin/Brennock's land-share scam at Mt Burrell. 

Nimbin GoodTimes editor Dob Dooley quickly capitulated to the intimidation of threatening litigation. In exchange for promises that Nimbin GoodTimes would not suffer any bad times, Dob Dooley deleted my article from the newspaper's online archive and threw me under the bus with promises to Darwin and the bully-bully boyz of an apologetic retraction and the gift of free full page ads in every issue for the next year.

Darwin loudly celebrated by publishing his Pyrrhic conquest of Dob Dooley on his vicious blog dedicated to a false narrative mutilating my reputation and misreporting legal proceedings. Darwin uses his malicious blog to promote a false reality, painting himself as a hero whose failures are transmorgified into incredible delusions of success.  

Following the court decision not to take down the blogs, the promised retraction and ad have not been published in the Nimbin GoodTimes, although the original article has been removed from the paper's online archive.

The deleted  Nimbin GoodTimes article is archived here: "The Truth About Bhula Bhula".

Underlying Darwin's mendacious blog, the scoffing of spamming comments and the manic "Bah-ha-ha" of threatening emails sent to opponents by his avatar, "Dummass Boofhead", there is a claim that my professional qualifications are fake. Until now I have ignored Darwin's taunts, insults and contemptuous threats. However, since his malicious attacks have escalated and the litigation is a public matter, as writer of the Nimbin GoodTimes article exposing the land-share scam, and principal author of the blog facing defamation and injurious falsehood litigation, to validate my credentials I have posted below a synopsis of my filmography:

Gi Linda FILMOGRAPHY

Gi Linda 

Gi Linda -- Gillian Linda Norman, nee Brown
Former BBC Reporter - Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker - Blog Author

Sunday 1 October 2017

Darwin / Brennock Investment Scam -- A Warning!

By Concerned Neighbour -

I am a 'Mt Burrell local' and have watched what has gone on at 3222 Kyogle Road since 2014 when Darwin and Brennock set about getting the funds together to buy the land. I was appalled by Darwin's youtube video talking about our piece of paradise, calling it Hicksville and how they, with the help of likeminded people, would educate the locals, take over Sphinx Rock Cafe and serve real food, that they had grown on their land. 

3222 Kyogle Rd, Mt Burrell, NSW

A shanty town grew up at 3222 Kyogle Road. Fortunately the council became involved and the Land and Environment Court ordered all dwellings, except the original farmhouse, to be removed. What was once prime agricultural land is now in ruins. Everyone left after taking down their dwellings.

I have subsequently met several of the people who 'invested' their money in this illegal scheme and they are good people who believed the dream that Darwin and Brennock were selling. They have lost their 'investment' and for many that was all they had - everything gone.


New land, same lies
 Darwin and Brennock have now moved their scam to a property at Mebbin Springs (Mount Warning Eco Village). They have started with the same lies and schemes that I saw at Mt Burrell. More people are being conned and once again they will lose their money.

Don't listen to their lies!

Don't give them your money for nothing but heartache in return!

The Bhula Bhula Community Disaster



By Melissa Hirsch - A Defrauded Investor -

My experience of the Bhula Bhula Community disaster:

I bought into Bhula Bhula (BB) in March 2015, fourteen weeks before the land was purchased. I was both excited and concerned… in retrospect I can see how naive and trusting I was.

As a single, middle-aged woman I was excited at the possibility of living in a community of like-minded people. It would be a combination of a social, support and information network with kids, families, intelligent conversation, a brain-trust… people who knew more or differently from me.

My concern was the gap between what was on paper and what was alluded to and ‘emphasised’ by the front men (the boyz).

So many of the 'stories' that were sold to us never eventuated… the community centre, the equality, transparency and honesty… even the contracts on paper that were constantly a ‘known’ within the community were not honoured.

One of the most important processes that was not actioned was the "Incorporated Association" through which investors would jointly own and control the land. The Association should have been the sole share holder in the company that owned the land. 


Instead, Adrian Brennock made himself the sole share holder, never registering the Association or those that paid for the land, though I do have emails from Mark Darwin informing us the "Association" was registered, and all the rest of the 'stories' about how we would become members before the land was purchased, etc, etc…
 

No matter how many times we asked, requested, demanded, nothing changed!

Emails, YouTube clips and conversations were full of contradictions and manipulations of the truth to cover their arses, but these were also purposeful, conscious manipulations to 'sell'. At first we thought the contradictions and changing ‘facts’ were mistakes, but its clear now how deliberate these were.

Whenever anyone asked questions, or asked to see the financial accounts they were ignored, then eventually verbally bullied and abused in person or through emails. The boyz send the most delightfully spiteful anonymous emails,
full of venom and personal attacks. Their most recent pseudonym is "Dummass Boofhead"  or "FYJ Boofhead" (thats FYJ for "F*k You Jimmy" -- a phrase that amuses them no end).

There are at least 5 families who have lost their entire life savings to these people and many individuals have lost huge chunks of their earnings, over $1.5 million, all taken from those who earned and saved then purchased the land.
 
Here are some of the games these boyz have played: they have gone from one tax avoidance scheme to another, changing companies, foundation names and fronts, burning many people/companies/foundations/businesses. All because they can, because they exploit legal loopholes and betray the trust of honest, decent people.
 
Their next project is another Eco Village at Mt Burrell. Apparently they are sucking in more people and manipulating the truth and those in authority. If you think those of us included in this blog are just bitter, twisted losers, then talk to some Mt Burrell locals and hear them out… that way you can save your arses, your money and count your blessings that there are some moral and ethical people out there, willing to take a stand.

I recommend watching the YouTube clips….RECREATING THE VILLAGE #1 &#2…..so much of what is said is NOT TRUTH… those TRUTHOLOGY boyz… tut, tut!