Greens candidate faces court following Port Blockade arrest

Greens Candidate for Lake Macquarie City Council North Ward Bryce Ham was among members of the Rising Tide 109 facing court today following last year’s blockade of the Port of Newcastle.

Greens leader Adam Bandt with Lake Mac candidate Bryce Ham at the blockade in Novermber

Bryce Ham was announced as the Greens’ candidate for Lake Macquarie City Council North Ward last month ahead of the election in September this year.

NSW Greens spokesperson for Climate Change and Member of the NSW Legislative Council Sue Higginson said:

“The actions of the 109 community members that were arrested during the Rising Tide Blockade last year stand as a testament to the determination and courage of people resisting the fossil fuel industry.

“Bryce has proudly taken a principled position on the need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and to call out the corporations and Governments that are driven by short term profit motives. I will stand today, and everyday, shoulder to shoulder with Bryce and others as we work to combat climate change in this world.”

Bryce on his commitment to climate action: “I’ve been on the frontlines of the climate action movement since I was a high school student. I’ve petitioned, penned letters, rallied, met with politicians, and helped educate our community. I have called out governments at all levels for not acting quickly enough to spare us the massive costs of climate change, from the Black Summer bushfires to the floods of 2022-23.”

Bryce on the People’s Blockade: “I proudly joined the People’s Blockade, the largest civil disobedience action for climate justice in Australia’s history. We blocked coal trade at the Port of Newcastle for 32 hours. We had received an unprecedented permission from Police to occupy the shipping channel for 30 hours. But we are in a crisis, and we have to keep pushing the boundaries.”

Bryce on the federal government’s actions: “Anthony Albanese’s Labor government continues to approve new coal projects. Despite the clear and present danger posed by climate change, they have chosen to prioritise short-term economic gains over long-term sustainability. This is not the leadership we need.”

Bryce on his arrest: “Being arrested was not an act of rebellion, but an act of commitment and resolve to send a clear message to our governments: We cannot afford to be complacent in the face of the climate emergency. Being arrested is a small price to pay in comparison to the disasters already occurring due to climate change. We will continue to fight for our planet and for climate justice.”

Bryce on his Council candidacy: “As a Greens’ candidate for Lake Macquarie City Council, I am running to safeguard our shared future. If elected, I promise to bring the same resolve to Council that prompted me to paddle out in the Port of Newcastle in front of coal loaders and container ships. I will challenge Council to adopt policies in the long-term best interests of Lake Macquarie residents, and ensure our community’s voice is heard. Because when it comes to the future of our planet and our community, we cannot afford to be silent.”

Pub Lunch at the Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks (I met @artistaffame!)

Ready to fight for another year, I was priveledged to have lunch wtih Mel, Kristen and Jay from the Antipoverty Centre yesterday when Mel came across from Adelaide for planning with the others. It was her first time in Sydney, so Kristen chose the Harbour View Hotel, under the harbour bridge in The Rocks to give her the ultimate Sydney backdrop for a pub feed and networking lunch.

Jay and I had the Fried Chicken Bacon & Cheese Burger Supreme ($27) – such crispy little fries that I couldn’t stop eating and a great piece of fried chicken. I was SO full but it was so good.

Kristen had the pumpkin ravioli ($34) and also wasn’t able to stop once full.

Mel got the Fish and Chips ($33) which she was able to control herself with, I’m told it was still delish though!

All a bit pricey, but it was good food with a great view and great company. Certainly a treat for some Antipoverty activists!

Harbour View Hotel

18 Lower Fort Street
Dawes Point, NSW, 2000
Australia
02 9252 4111

It’s the 8th. Things are supposed to be getting back to normal.

I still don’t have internet. More of the saga happened – I’d had the install booked for the 5th, Friday, for a month now since the original offer of it being installed today caused me to melt down because why should we have to wait a month? So, come Friday morning I’m waiting around as confirmed by several text messages when I’m contacted to say it’s being rescheduled for the 17th.

Yeah not happy. The extra two weeks was one thing, but also having already been waiting that morning, with all the texts from TPG and NBN making sure someone would be there in the previous days. Oh and they’d direct debited $75 for the month that morning too!

So, I don’t think I actually cried this time, but I spent an hour on the phone to them, and then it was booked in for 8-12 Saturday.

Come 11:30 Saturday morning, the NBN the calls me himself to say he’s definitely coming today and he’s text me himself to say when he was on his way and to ignore the text that was just about to come through sayng he was on his way then.

So, 3.45pm he arrives. Pleasant fellow, I made sure he’d had his lunch break before he got to work.

Installed the NBN box inside the house, but no, I still don’t have connection because the fibre to the house has to be laid. Sometime this week or next I’m told. He couldn’t do it because there was asbestos in the pit and he didn’t have the certification.

They’ve credited back the money hey took Friday – only as account credit I really could have used the cash – but yeah no offer of regular broadband FTTC or anything. So I wait some more.

Bruce has given me his second monitor so I can do dual monitor internetting – mostly having a stream in the second window, currently BlizzardGurrl. Go say hey, she’s moving house this month and it’s her birthday!

My UA got registered so we need to put that up for sale. Spent some time decorating the Corolla more, Bruce is spending time trying to sort out HIS car. he stove got replaced on the weekend too so I can now cook up a storm lol, still need new pots.

Slowly slowly trying to get back  into routine. Have Everyplate coming today, so I’ll have that planned out for me again. Bruce son is staying a couple of nights, so I’ll expand tonight’s dish with extra taters, and I’m off to Sydney tomorrow to meet Mel from twitter so the boys can sort out their food tomorrow night, there’s still chicken burger patties from last night.

I have a psychologist appointment Thursday – we had one in Dec then the move was on and so we arranged for after new year. This one is free for me, so that’s the main reason I’m going. Back to Antabuse group Friday, I hope everyone made it through sober and safe, Xmas is always a risky time. I need to work on not overreacting to criticism again.

I’ve been tired and may have a scratchy throat but since that happens to me anyway when I’m anxious about something I’ve been doing RATs which are negative and will mask up and play it as it comes tomorrow, I don’t wanna get my friends sick!

2024 you say

Hello, 2024, and what shall this year bring? I’ve still two more days tethering off my phone, but my NBN connection is supposedly going to be fibre to the premises, so vrooom once I get that you won’t stop me!

Finally got my ears cleared, no thanks to Drs. Went to a new GP today since I was gonna need one anyway, and they wouldn’t do them themselves then and there and I’d have to book in with the nurse – with the first appointment being on the 15th, which is the closest I could get at the specialist ear places too. So I decided to buy an ear syringe at the chemist and spend half and hour irrigating my ears, and by golly everything is so LOUD when you don’t have a plug of wax in the way. So hopefully I’ve got this sorted and I won’t need the appointment come the 15th and can cancel it.

Did some household and giftcard spending this morning at the Reject shop – got a Xmas tablecloth and matching serving plates for next Xmas, as well as a few little bins for around the house. And two purple croptop bras from Best and Less. SChmexy.

Got the AU registered, so now we can sell that, hopefully sooner rather than later. I like it but it’s excess to our needs and I’d prefer the money hey. Then Bruce can get the rust fixed in the other Ford and all the other repairs needed on that. And we can vroom around in the Corolla!

I AM intending to food blog more, but I’m not sure how or what, with budget restrictions but also going back to everyplate boxes for my sanity there may not be all that variety. But we’ll see what happens! Hopefully meeting some Antipoverty Tweeps for lunch in Sydney next week while they’re in town so there may be something in that lol. Or the 15th when the Cooranbong Community hub opens again and I can opshop and foodbank shop there and see what comes my way! Ended up buying a few of the household thins I was hoping to opshop off Amazon, but at least I have them now and can get more settled. I need to take the last of the moving boxes to recycing at the tip, if I can get myself to do that this week that’s be MORE clutter away and more settled for me.

 

Farewell 2023

2023? Nothing really went as planned but hey, we made it through, right?

January 1, 2023

Who else started the year with things they wanted to achieve and find themselves wanted to restart the same things now? I had a great run at the start of the year, practicing Japanese on Duolingo daily while streaming it on Twitch and making new connections.

I think I managed a good 4 or 5 months before I stopped, not bad lol. Hoping to get back into it once my NBN connection is finally in, 5 more days to go after being without it for a month at the new place!

Yeah, we moved at the start of December, after housing and who was in it being a concern for much of the year. We had Bruce’s daughter move in with their partner and newborn in August – and became grandparents. Eeps. They stayed with us til just after this move, it’s been full on and all consuming at times, and I barely had to look after the baby directly! A whole heap of internet people became Aunties by keeping us in nappies and other household needs! Thanks you!!!

I met more of YOU in person, went to some rallies and meetups, thank you!

I want to do more of that this coming year, hop on the train to Sydney once a month for SOMETHING, a rally, training, a meetup. Something.

I saw G Flip live at the Bar on the Hill this year, first gig in forever I’ve been to, and will be Seeing K Flay this Valentines day!

SO, I’m going to start back on the Japanese, and Blogging more things that take thought and research rather than just off the cuff rants. And streaming games and Japanese. I wanna start practicing the scripts properly in Japanese, and maybe Arabic. I’m thinking of getting a graphics pad so I can write on screen better for practice. SO I do it more. I also need to get another second monitor since mine didn’t survive the move. Ugh. (My Wishlist?)

I need to walk more, eat better, all of that. As always. More food blogging perhaps. Not sure what the little life here looks like yet, we’ll see come the 8th or so lol. When life resumes properly for the year. I have a car to register and sell, so I can enjoy the little Corolla we got the week we found out we had to move (timing hey?)

A woman with fluffy purple hair and glasses wearing a purple onesie with lace shoulders and unicorns. She has a romper with fairy bread print over the top. She is holding a coffee in front of a coffee machine
December 31, 2023.

Vrooooom!