About me
In 1854 my great, great grandfather, Charly Happ signed the petition to protest the mining licence, and the inability to purchase land. My wife Ros' ancestors pit-sawed the coffin planks for those butchered behind the stockade. Squatters held the land, ran the government. The population of Victoria grew tenfold in a decade.
Motivation
I've seen Busselton grow from 8 to 40 thousand. The cost of housing and the motor car conditions everything we do. Again, a crisis.
Our grandfathers just got on with providing shelter. Why can't we?
- Initiative is constrained by standards, licences, permits and penalties.
- There is little land 'deemed' suitable.
- Conserving bush is important, not people.
- Houses are large, plots small.
- Owners 'free range' behind the colorbond fence if there is space for it.
- We live in a 'nanny state' of narrow roads, speed humps, parking inspectors and tight surveillance. Frequently we are 'in transit', foot on one pedal or the other.
Needs addressing
Living in the bush is healthier, especially for children. Barriers to owner building should be reduced. Renting rather than owning land would halve the outlay. We should liberate landowners and shelter seekers, to make adaptive choices. Transportability keeps landowners on their toes.
CO2 is greening the planet. Increased plant water efficiency means more litter, treetop fires, fearsome wind and flying embers. The bush could be our garden if we set out to avoid canopy fires. 'Asset Protection Zones' will not suffice. Our approach should be based on self-help and community action, not the firebreak notice. We must burn the verges to get residents out, firefighters in, if they will take the risk. Currently, that wouldn't be wise.
'Net zero' is a mirage. Energy density is no better than fairy floss. Intermittent, high maintenance. Climate change is not new. What's new is the productivity of nature.
In my spare time
I'm a big fan of classical music and the blues. On my days off I'm at my desk working out why the climate is changing. I am a farmer, so that's important.
