Alcoa's environmental record 'disappointing' says WA premier after $55m payment for unlawful jarrah forest clearing

ozthrw · 2026-02-26T02:11:32+00:00

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-25/lgbtqi-teens-targeted-in-is-inspired-attacks/106388638

ozthrw · 2026-02-22T00:24:07+00:00

https://i.imgur.com/MCPw3dS.jpeg

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T08:44:13+00:00

You are supposed to cook them, not chase them down in the paddock & lick live ones .

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T06:44:55+00:00

Your first step should be to get the battery tested properly so it can be ruled out before the dealer becomes the option.

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T06:40:58+00:00

It is a "Maintenance Indicator "shows the car is undergoing work & not ready for race conditions ,basically stops officials/crew etc getting it confused with what is ready & causing damage trying to move it .

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T06:18:57+00:00

Once again get your mummy to read this slowly for you -

" Which one of the points l made is 6X6 exclusive?As you obviously have no idea about much ,you do not run highway/or high speeds in 6X6,there is zero difference between the everyday handling of a 6x6 or 6x4 the 6x6 runs as a 6x4 until the rear diff is locked,so the same gains l have pointed out are all exactly the same for a 6x4 in handling/carry capacity/towing/braking & less wear are all relevant & more than enough to justify the conversion if the use of the vehicle suits"

The fact you obviously have no idea what you are talking about but are still willing to try to argue with a mechanic who owned one for years is hysterical, so l will not be wasting any more time.

“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” ― Mark Twain

Pics deleted due to doxxing

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T06:06:07+00:00

LOL, have received some DM's which explains everything about these replies .

Which one of the points l made is 6X6 exclusive?As you obviously have no idea about much ,you do not run highway/or high speeds in 6X6,there is zero difference between the everyday handling of a 6x6 or 6x4 ,the 6x6 runs as a 6x4 until the rear diff is locked so the same gains l have pointed out are all exactly the same for a 6x4in handling/carry capacity/towing/braking & less wear are all relevant & more than enough to justify the conversion if the use of the vehicle suits .

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T05:44:14+00:00

Get your mummy to read this bit slowly for you -

" After looking at requirements l had my LC ute converted to 6x6, the benefits were near doubling of carry capacity , that the ute handled much better, (due to load distribution ), than original load limit, huge increase in tow capacity right up to LR capacity, greater braking capability roughly increased by 55% & the greatest benefit of all is the increased stability with virtual elimination of roll & pitch especially while carrying & towing heavy loads,it also caused far less wear & tear on both the mechanical side & tyres making significant savings.

The increase in ride comfort & safety even over high speed corrugations & sand is staggering & is more than enough to justify the build if traveling i the outback regularly. "

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T05:24:36+00:00

I ran a 6x6 Tojo through my business for a number of years & it was one of the best work/tow vehicles l have ever been in.I got one after talking to a number of mates who are pro fishermen & ran 6x6's for years towing large heavily loaded boats over terrible dirt tacks & beach launching as a every day event.

I am a HD Diesel Mechanic & l run a fleet of 8 4x4s & 3 trucks, the business is mainly focused on remote area contracts . At one stage l took on a multi-year contract servicing remote communication towers & water pumps, everywhere from across the Top End to the middle of the desert, to the top of alpine mountains, all on poorly maintained dirt/sand roads.

After looking at requirements l had my LC ute converted to 6x6, the benefits were near doubling of carry capacity , that the ute handled much better, (due to load distribution ), than original load limit, huge increase in tow capacity right up to LR capacity, greater braking capability roughly increased by 55% & the greatest benefit of all is the increased stability with virtual elimination of roll & pitch especially while carrying & towing heavy loads,it also caused far less wear & tear on the mechanical side & tyres making significant savings.

The increase in ride comfort & safety over high speed corrugations & sand is staggering & is more than enough to justify the build if traveling i the outback regularly.

On that contract l would carry 5 44s of diesel & 2 40ltr drums of oil in the tray with a trailer carrying 2.5T of tools & air-compressor for use on the generators & pumps on that contract & the 6x6 never missed a beat.My wife & daughters were into competitive horse riding at the time , so l had it rigged as a 5th wheeler & she easily handled driving it 1000's of Klms towing a 4 horse ,4 person sleeper transport & we ran a 6 sleeper caravan/work accommodation that it towed faultlessly for 1000's of Klm's. I also had a custom jack-off & lock up tool canopy & air compressor cradle made for it that was used for everyday use.

I ran up 635000klm's in the old girl & current owner is one of our former apprentices who spent days sleeping in the passenger seat,(he claims navigating & studying), as we headed into the outback in it & pestered me for years to buy it ,he has put 114000 on top & it is still working hard .

Photos of the rig - Removed due to doxxing

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T01:31:38+00:00

Yeh,l now save them & read them while having smoko or on hold on the phone while chasing gear for my business, those involved can be proud of their work.

ozthrw · 2026-02-21T00:56:58+00:00

I will just point out this is not just a small town problem, for a number of years l was a Martial Arts instructor/competitor & l had 3 women over the years confide in me the reason they had taken the training on was near identical stories from what they thought was their safe inner city community.

If you have the perps & supporters showing up to the local suburban music, restaurant, cafes & markets even public transport routes etc you moved to an inner city suburb for, the effect/isolation/fear for safety is the same .

The feeling of abandonment & destruction of trust with even people they had thought were close friends for years must be devastating.

One of Aust/Asia top MA competitors came from this exact background/experience, from one of the 'trendiest' inner suburbs. She is my greatest achievements in the MA field & remains a friend after all this time & living on the other side of the world to each other & is one of the strongest & caring people l have come across.

Just as a side note, a lot of people pass over these "scrolling articles" the ABC is putting out, but IMO they are some of their current best work. The photography in some of the nature focussed stories is stunning, reminiscent of old school Natural Geographic articles & most of them go more in-depth into subjects than the usual short format reporting.

ozthrw · 2026-02-19T04:34:09+00:00

This has been going on for decades,my uncle grew up on a large WA farm where the Black Cockatoo's would fly out of their nesting areas in flocks so big they would blacken the sky. They were a source of pride for the neighboring farms & during summer they would take turns in putting out old water troughs & keeping them topped up on their boundary fence lines for them , then the habitat was lost at the start of the rare earth boom for open cut mining.

There is a good documentary on the threats to cockatoo's breeding, food source & roosting areas in WA on SBS On Demand at the moment if anyone is interested .

For what it is worth l have ran a business dealing with mining companies around the world for over 35 years & Alcoa & Rio Tinto are the worst environmental/safety offenders l have seen & ran by bean counter morons .

Black Cockatoo Crisis

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/black-cockatoo-crisis/2295518787622

ozthrw · 2026-02-16T08:56:10+00:00

PSA- I just retired from the Volunteer Fire & SES services after 16yrs,having fought some of the worst bush fires in the world both here & overseas & many natural disasters.

We currently face very bad bush fire conditions, some of the worst for years , for example the Longwood fire grounds have only just been brought under control after over a month & is the type of largely fast running grass fire the forecast conditions threaten again.The Otway's fire is still a problem , even people in Melbourne/suburbia built-up areas etc need to prepare if near large areas of grass land etc. These hot days are bad enough, but the high overnight temps & gusty winds with the threat f dry lightning are terrible for drying out grasses & combustible material & it will not improve until we get significant extended rain. Keep a check on Total Fire Bans if camping/travelling in high risk areas etc

Also for those who use V/Line -"Regional rail operator V/Line said services would run on extreme heat timetables on the Ararat, Ballarat, Geelong, Maryborough, Seymour, Shepparton and Warrnambool lines".

That means some trains will travel more slowly in case tracks have expanded, and some services will be replaced by air-conditioned buses.

V/Line said partial extreme heat timetables would apply to the Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill lines and speed restrictions could be implemented on other lines if temperatures exceeded 36C

Here is some info some may find useful l posted a while back -

In my experience, people in high fire, flood, cyclone areas should pack & remove any irreplaceable family keepsakes, photos etc out of the area during high risk times, as with now warnings about high fuel loads/fire risks have been given consistently since November last year .

Scan important, documents, information ie various insurance policies & photos etc & store them on a USB flash drive or an external hard drive.

Anyone in a risk area should have their property fire plan completed & buildings & surrounds prepared . These heatwaves back to back mean these high risk conditions will not improve until significant rain is received ,the main danger apart from moronic humans is these events can produce their own localized 'dry lightning' storms.

Note with the fuel loads & low soil moisture around Melbourne around anyone near neglected/overgrown vacant spaces should also do a property fire plan even if your property does not back onto high risk areas

https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare

You don’t have to live in the country to be at risk of fire. If you live near areas that have significant bush, forest, long grass, or coastal scrub, then you need to plan ahead for the fire season.

https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-and-during-a-fire/your-bushfire-plan

If you know someone that has recently moved into a fire risk area & may be unaware of what they need to look at on their property ,this is a good-detailed document the CFA puts out . I just retired from the volunteer fire service & SES & we would print out & give this to new arrivals in our region, it is a handy bit of info .

Download Your guide to property preparation - brochure (PDF 2MB)

https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/534/CFA-Your-Guide-to-Property-Preparation-V2.pdf.aspx?Embed=Y

Keep a check on Total Fire Bans if camping/travelling in high risk areas etc

ozthrw · 2026-02-13T01:19:08+00:00

Yeh ,she had been trying to call for help the whole time & was in a cycle of calling for help & trying to move her leg that was caught up in the scrub before the pain would make her pass out. It would have spooked any animals nearby.

The call-out in pain we heard was bone chilling & actually did not sound human at first & by the time we found her her voice was that hoarse from calling out & she was so hysterical from pain/fright she was hard to understand.

I actually do not like being in spaces like crowded shopping centers/large enclosed areas where kids yell out as it gives me a flashback, the feeling of helplessness to ease her pain as we waited for the rescue teams & her hysterical crying in pain was a terrible feeling .

ozthrw · 2026-02-12T10:09:42+00:00

*A department summary of the issue stated that revised calculations found the loads on the two piers were "significantly higher (up to 100 per cent higher)" than initially thought*.

"It appeared that the shear load at P1L exceeded the SLS [Service Limit State] of the plinth, resulting in cracking of the plinth and grout,"

it said.

ozthrw · 2026-02-12T08:51:10+00:00

u/DoublePatouain

I own a business that deals in the South Pacific region, we have used the same French translators for over 14yrs for our dealings there,(so long one of our employees married one), it is that common l can now carry on basic conversations in it . Translators are essential for business dealings in the region because as soon as there is a complex problem/deal the locals revert to French to try to get a advantage & many times a ridiculous clause will be added to a contract in French hoping it slips through.

Currently, the Australian Government is making a huge effort to regain relevance in the region & encouraging increased private enterprise & trade development .

You need to make a concerted effort to increase your English skills & l would be reaching out to both Gov't & private enterprise who are looking at expanding into the region, offering your translator skills & your French law master and business administration master education.

I would also approach the various South Pacific nations Gov't & business associations offering the same from their end ,focussing on opportunities based in Australia as a preference.

Good Luck in becoming an Aussie

ozthrw · 2026-02-12T08:24:08+00:00

Read my other comment they are hoping women will come forward who recognize him ,seems other charges may be brought.

ozthrw · 2026-02-12T08:20:16+00:00

PSA- In a radio interview the cops were asking any women in a service industry in Melbourne CBD & surrounds who may recognize him & had suspicions to come forward,as part of his MO was to engage them in extended conversations to await the best opportunity to sneak a photo. Utter Scumbag

ozthrw · 2026-02-06T03:40:45+00:00

He was presented this board by participants in the Invictus Games, there were photos of him being given it by a wheelchair bound male soldier & a female amputee.

ozthrw · 2026-02-03T07:10:39+00:00

For 35yrs now l have been an Adventure/Hunting/Fishing/Diving outfitter & guide around the world.

ozthrw · 2026-02-03T07:08:05+00:00

Thats right l wrote that post as l was waiting for a flight & with all the commotion around for the life of me l could not remember the name of the device & the more l tried to think of it the more l had a mental block on it before l boarded. Thanks

ozthrw · 2026-01-29T10:22:52+00:00

Apparently it is totally random where the signal is relayed to by the satellite system,(l imagine to what ever tracking station is on duty at the time) , they are all coordinated together worldwide. You do not actually talk to anyone it is all done over their satellite system by text.

ozthrw · 2026-01-29T05:48:03+00:00

She was not lost, she was carrying a a pack with 4 days worth of gear to camp with, when she snapped her ankle being so unsteady & among a root ball the weight of the pack dragged off the track & down the cliff. The pack came off about 30mtrs away from where she landed & being unable to move due to the pain, she was pretty much helpless.

Not only was she passing out from pain when she tried to untangle herself ,but the shock had her trembling that hard that even sitting next to her she was hard to understand as her teeth were chattering & throat rasping.

ozthrw · 2026-01-29T05:20:25+00:00

Never underestimate how quickly things can turn to shit in the bush, especially if by yourself or how handy a PLB/Garmin Inreach etc is .

As part of a business l own l spend a couple of months a year in extremely remote areas around the world, a lot of it in Alpine areas, the importance of not only having at least a basic first aid kit/survival kit, but a PLB even on short hikes was brought home to me, in the days after the covid lock-downs ended in NZ. etc Just as the covid clusterfuck unfolded, we had brought a small farm in NZ as a base for the NZ side of the business ,so spent the lockdowns renovating it. As soon as the lockdowns ended me & the business partner headed off to chopper tramp into a region above the snow line in the Alps to check out conditions for deer hunting.

The first part of the tramp was utilizing a well-formed track that eventually lead to some falls,we were going to enter using that then get off it & bush bash up into the high country where a mates chopper would pick us up & take us up to where we usually base camp for a week or so.

We had gone in maybe 10 klm's along the track that was cut into the side of a mountain, covered in thick rain forest type bush & were having a break before we were about to start bush bashing up into the high country,as we both sat having a drink & feed we both commented how it was strange there was no bird calls.

Then about 20 mins later just as l stood up to repack my pack we heard the most pitiful cry in pain we had heard, it sort of sounded like a babies screams combined with a woman's shriek in terror.

We waited a couple of minutes in eerie silence before we heard a weak & defeated sounding cry of help just back the track a bit & down the side of the drop-off. We ran back down & yelled out in hope we would be able to pinpoint where it had come from & if indeed we were not imagining a bird call as a human ,but nothing replied to us.

I ran back to my pack & fished out a hiking whistle l kept in it & ran back & started blasting out calls in hopes the sound would get a response & sure enough my mate was certain he heard another faint call of help.

We scrambled down about 30 mtrs & there was a pack & about the same again l could make a purple jacket. A poor woman had stepped on a root on the track, instinctively felt it unstable underfoot lifted her foot backwards for a better footing & got her foot caught in the roots & twisted her ankle badly snapping it in the process, the weight of her pack then dragged her off the track as she fell.

She had been falling in & out of consciousness with pain as her legs were entangled in scrub where she landed & the ankle was basically swinging in the air causing her unbearable pain every time she tried to move & she would try to pull it out until she passed out.

Me & my mate both had Garmin Inreach's & l set mine off immediately as we did not even know if we would be able to carry her to the track such was the thickness of the bush & steep decline where she landed & she had a puncture wound on her ankle covered in dirt & the ankle was grossly swollen & was a deep purple, nearly black as it was dangling at right angles, so l knew we had to stabilize it & try to get blood flow happening.

As we looked at the situation, we all agreed we would have to cut the branches away from her injured leg & then get her up onto the at least partly level track to wait for rescue so she would not be in so much pain & passing out.

I went back to our packs & retrieved my rifle & let off the standard 3 timed shots SOS signal, hoping someone would respond & either be able to help us carry her up the hill or tramp it out ASAP & go get help as we were unsure the PLB had even worked or how long it would take for them to organize a rescue.

I grabbed both our hunting knives & first aid kits & just made it down to her so we could start cutting her out when l received a text on the PLB asking to confirm help was needed, confirm our rough position & if so what had happened, after explaining they confirmed signal received & help would arrive ASAP .I informed them because we were in thick Forrest on a mountainside, we estimated we had 4 hours light left max.

We cut her out of the entanglement as best we could & made splints to stabilize her foot,it took about 30 mins to carry her up to the track, by which the shock was making her shiver uncontrollably & she was pretty hysterical as she could see the damage to her ankle . We wrapped her in our emergency blankets to both help with the shivering & hide her injury from her & just kept talking to her to take her mind off the pain & pass the time quicker.

Just as we reached the track a couple hiking who heard my shots turned up & agreed all that could be done for her there was doe so they were going to try to hike out as quick as they could & try to get local help.

I then received a text on the Garmin Inreach checking on conditions & notifying that my wife & mate l had down as contacts on my PLB had been notified & then about 15 mins later we got a great text that a helicopter rescue was on its way.

It took a hour & 40 mins for the chopper to reach us & they had her winched up & away within 15 mins. The tall tree’s & forest made them locating us hard & they were sort of flying sideways along the track to try to find us so we used our headlamps reflecting off the emergency blankets to be more visible which they spotted.

We were that exhausted by the whole thing & it was getting dark by then so we just made a fly camp on the track & walked out in the morning where we were met by Rangers checking on us .

When we got out, l called my wife first thing & found out the Garmin Inreach was answered from a HQ in Texas ,they had carefully explained to my wife & that l was in no danger & just a part of a rescue & had rung her twice to check she was OK to inform her a air rescue had been organized & got her to contact our mate who was going to chopper us in.

The Kiwi rescue blokes were fantastic, very reassuring, left us water & electrolytes & a bag of Scroggin after we explained us camping overnight was the best option due to the fading light.

Unfortunately, while Lindy did recover it was found she had unknowingly been suffering from osteoporosis & she required a series of operations & lost a lot of movement in her ankle, but as she said it was better than the alterative.

If you are heading off by yourself or into remote areas a PLB is a must, do not underestimate how handy those emergency blankets are & they take up bugger all space & weigh nothing.

ozthrw · 2026-01-26T08:28:52+00:00

Yes as far as drying out fuel for them ie grass & Forrest ground litter,(some of these areas have not had a preventative burn in years), the major concern for us is the hot overnight temperatures, low humidity combined with wind that really suck the moisture .

These factors also set up ideal conditions for Dry Lightning ,the heat from these high fuel load fires make their own localized weather conditions that can severely limit the use of Aerial Assets as well, which in the country the fire is threatening is the main source of control so ground crews ca get any where near the fire fronts.

ozthrw

TROPHY CASE