My Big day and my big rant

King koala

Ever have one of those days, roll up to a removal of a large spotted gum
at glenelg this morning and it starts, first sign of trouble is when all the people are clustering on the side walk like a lynch mob then the news crews start to arrive first one then two then three all filming me dismembering this beautiful gum with a large even canopy.Then the Mayor fronts and the council vehicles are patrolling around the block with the news chopper swinging overhead.

Followed by the police because someone has phoned up threatening to shoot me, a old evil lady from across the road runs in to the work site with another lady and a child in tow after I joked with the crew on the ground that I was a tree murderer and all we need now is a person to strap them selves to the trunk.

In context its a light hearted remark because it has happened before so I think nothing of it till she at the base screaming that is that what I want to happen and its all a joke to me that this tree is being murdered.
I tell her shes in breach of the OHS and she is trespassing so leave because I do not need to listen to her crap.
Police search surrounding propertys come up empty handed and enter our site search that and I have come down for lunch by then so ask them to tell old lady to stay off site.

By 5.30pm Ive been here since 7.30am and all I want to do is get home put feet up and see my self on the news so I can have a laugh etc but evil old lady hasnt knocked off for the day so in she comes again to repeat this mornings lesson on why I am a bad person,try explaining to her what was said was in context to situation and could you please leave as I am not interested in hearing this bs and would like to pack up my gear and go home.
I ramp up this as she does not stop and tell here to leave but there is no stopping this biddy now shes got a head of steam so its NOT SINKING IN!.

I am now yelling at the bitch to just shut up and go away and leave me alone not swearing at her yet but seriously losing my cool by now its been a long day and I am done.she gets in my way as I am moving my gear to the driveway so I go get the landcruiser and start putting my stuff in the back but no shes not done yet and now I do blow pushing this lady out of my way telling her to just leave me alone and go away , still havent swore at her yet but I now assaulted a elderly women in the eyes of the law so she goes and get hubby.

Hubby comes up screaming about hitting his wife( fair enough ) and fronts me so I now am telling both of them will you just shut up leave the premises and get out of my face but thats not enough even if I am yelling loud by now so hubby looks at me like he is going to do something but then realises that he is going to be hurtin so bad if he trys it on that I see him cave , so now I
am jumping up and down in the driveway shouting at the top of my voice ???? off, so the police are mentioned and I encourage them to do just that before there is blood.

All right pushing a 60 year old women is not acceptable I get that so I wait till the law gets there and tell them what has happened Male cop is extradie and gets it female cop sees a women basher and gives me a hard time but have to admit that she wasnt allowed on site and as the contractor with a white card I am liable for her welfare in what they readily agree is not a safe place for witch women to be at during or after the event as tree is only half done. I get cautioned for the "assault" and if that bitch comes on site tomorrow that she now has been offically cautioned for tresspass so any sign of her and I am to call them straight away.
got home missed the news and still have to go back tomorrow for the big sections tree is at 6 albert st glenelg adelaide google it.

Any comments about my dealing with this are expected since its not a good thing to be going around manhandling women but keep in mind you werent there and how many times have you been assaulted just doing your job by these people year after year with the abuse and the police/council getting involved.

Not saying what I did was not wrong just bear in mind how can you make it any clearer to a person that enough is enough maybe the situation is getting out of hand so leave and it will stop becoming worse because as sure as hell I just wanted to leave but she wasnt getting it no matter how many times I made it clear that I was not interested didnt want to continue and could you please just stop what you are doing and ???? OFF!
so thats my big rant cause I have had enough of this micky mouse shit dealing with the crazies and needed to get this out of the system
thankyou for hearing me out.

Brent Ferris

I have had situations like that -- tho not quite as bad -- and I designate one of my ground guys to be the boss on site, where a white hat and deal with all the people, and hassles, -- and me in the tree, just keeps my mouth shut (except for instructions to ground crew) and my hearing protectors glued to my head so I can't (supposedly) hear anything. He deals with the people while I'm up top, and when i'm on the ground - and if it gets really bad, we ring the site with tape, and call the police ourselves to deal with the neighbours.

In hindsight, sometimes it is better to come back the another day.

__________________
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If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

Apocalypsse

I feel the pain brother, I've been there a few times with my old boss but not that. Had news crew, council, cops and crazies abusing us and being racist towards our clients. Now its the same thing but on a minor scale, upset residents anywhere from disappointed to all out rage when you are pruning a council owned tree >_> . It really is hard to keep your cool at time but when you just keep getting smashed with their bs, its all over.

Did Google that street, pretty big tree, right in the back corner. Out of curiosity, what was the reason for removal?

King koala

Thanks for the support, like I said I was wrong to push the biddy so I am not looking forward to some of the reactions to my unprofessional conduct yesterday, today the same shinola went on but with out the news crews,
ended up following police advice and had them act as security guards which is definetly not what the police should be doing with their time,
found out from another neighbour next door who was great that biddy in question had two large gums cut out from her house two years ago with no one complaining and replanted with introduced ornamentals,
Tree in question was being removed because the idiots in some state government dept did not know or realise that technicaly and so legally that corymbia are not eucalypts so when they passed new tree laws to protect eucs and agonis flexuosa meant that there was a loophole so no protection for any bloodwoods no matter how Big or beautiful as it stands in SA.
The Chinese couple in real estate found out and arranged removal before moving back to sydney to live while they add this reno to the portfolio.
No pest no disease no signs of defects in this particular tree perfectly healthy had never been pruned 63 yrs old gone in two days no damage big rigging!.
If I didnt do it someone else would have so I take pride in skill needed and demonstrated in this job but if I had quoted (Subcontract climber am I) would have recommend not removing and walked away I know that standing by your beliefs is better but need to pay the rent so whats a fella supposed to do let a idiot try same removal or do it the right way with no injuries or damage?
As I said on news last night its open season in sa right now.

King koala

check out kevinE's post in the laws thread gives all the info

Apocalypsse

Did you guys actually make the news? What channel and did you get a recording?

Eric Frei

What a PITA that fool was!

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King koala

Hey Eric where can I get some of those camo chainsaw pants I see you sporting in some of your climbing vids, cant seem to find them anywhere but if they come in your size I shouldnt have any trouble finding a pair to fit.

Eric Frei

That's not me but Brockley, and they are not chainsaw pants just the typical Army Surplus store camo's.

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ArbTrain

This sh%t really pisses me off-, had this mole of a woman (just nth of Bris. ) run in and stand under the tree as it was being blocked down- VERY nearly killed by falling block- screaming about us being vandals- told us her hubby ( who is some big shot lawyer- LIKE A GIVE A F@CK) would have us all locked up - THE TREE WAS A COUNCIL REMOVAL!!!!!. As the foreman, i ordered the site shut down as it was now a OHS breach ( she was not moving),. Next day , the tree was finished, and another neighbour told us how this vagina of a woman had trees taken down CAUSE THEY PUT LEAVES IN HER POOL!! ( kinda wish the block hit her)

As stated above- we are all trying to pay the bills- if tree crew A does not do it,, - crew B,C or D will.. end of story.

Keep your chin up mate.- you got nothin to be ashamed about

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http://www.arbtrain.com.au

Scott Augur

Wow, King Koala...I have never had a day like that. That sucks. Glad you survived without a trip to the jailhouse.
I live and work in a rural logging community so I don't get exposed to that kind of culturally imbued reaction from people living near my job sights.
One thing I do when I look at a job to bid it...I look around at any close neighbors and try to imagine what it will be like for them when I do my tree work. If I think my work will make a big "Splash" in their life, I will try to contact them, explain the scope and nature of the work I would do, and give them a business card. I tell them I am insured. I tell them that I was concerned for their welfare, even though it is their neighbor I will be working for. Never had a problem. Sometimes I have gotton another job from the neighbor of the first client. They get a chance to watch me work before they decide to hire me. I offer them free chips for landscaping, or firewood, or ask them if they are day sleepers or if there is a baby at their house that sleeps certain hours each day. This gets them on my side right from the begining.

Apocalypsse

I've heard similar stories about lawyers. A lot of our work includes power line pruning in the highest class areas in Melbourne. So many stories... A lot end up being a tree out front of a lawyers house is pruned away from power lines and when the guys get back to the depot at the end of the day theres already letters from the lawyer waiting for them.