A few posts back we covered the fantastic Chris Back interview on Sky News with Alan Jones and Graham Richardson – where the Senator from Western Australia gave the wind industry and it’s parasites a terrific serve (see our post here).

One of Pac Hydro’s long-suffering neighbours at Cape Bridgewater – Melissa Ware – has written this heartfelt letter – setting out her appreciation of the work being done by Chris Back and Alan Jones to help bring an end to the greatest economic and environmental fraud of all time – as well as the entirely unnecessary harm caused to decent, hard-working rural people.

To Senator Back and Messrs Jones and Richardson,

Thank you Senator Back, Mr Alan Jones and Mr Richardson on Skynews for this interview informing people about the uselessness of wind facilities. You managed to convey a wide range of issues all Australians face living with wind farms and RET’s, Renewable Energy Targets.

The health effects on neighbours, including hosts, the higher electricity bills we’re all paying, the enormous subsidies paid annually by taxpayers for each turbine; and the fact that turbines are an inefficient and expensive source of power because wind is a limited and unreliable resource that doesn’t always blow. Simply put, when turbines and renewables don’t generate enough electricity to meet needs and demand, prices for energy soar that none of us can afford.

Creating an Australia which is no longer one of the cheapest energy countries, forcing manufacturers and businesses to close due to roll on carbon costs. Every day Australians are impacted yet we haven’t reversed carbon emissions and still rely on back-up coal to meet energy need.

Wind farm noise experienced here at Cape Bridgewater is covered up and Pacific Hydro present as having no idea what we residents are truly suffering from exposure to the many different wind farm sound emissions, the heard noises and unheard infrasound. Community Consultations held with Futureye for residents of Cape Bridgewater, by Pacific Hydro staff, is an attempt by this company to garner trust and be seen to be accountable following its apology to Cape Bridgewater residents in August 2013. An apology for screeching noises Pacific Hydro claimed to have fixed and are still occurring.

Pacific Hydro and the Glenelg Shire Council openly supports the VicWind Alliance, favouring wind energy, also claiming that despite complaints of health impacts near wind turbines, “there is no scientific evidence to show a connection”. See Portland Observer 4.April.2104, p5 ‘Wind Energy Petition launched at Cape Nelson’. There are more than 80 Professionals, such as Professor Salt, whom disagree with that statement. Many are requesting the AMA to apologise and retract their recent position statement claiming a similar view.

I am grateful to Senator Back for doing his research, for standing up to inform the facts, to declare he has been to a wind farm and actually heard them and that when the blades pass the towers there’s a peak noise (amplitude modulation) that wind farms cover up. I blinked away furious tears at the continual injustice we neighbours of wind farms endure from such continued omissions of fact.

Those condoning our suffering ‘wind turbine syndrome’ and wind energy nuisances can’t ignore an Australian Senator. They can’t say it’s in his head, can’t accuse him of ‘nocebo effect’ and can no longer dishonestly claim “turbines are no louder than the fridge”. With this Government committed to independent noise and health studies it’s time to stop fudging the data and making baseless statements when it’s not proven there are no health impacts and it is proven there is nuisance noise in our homes.

Mr. Jones is equally appalled that AGL interfered in health management two years ago, by sending a letter to 12 clinics in the Western District, including 2 in Portland referring wind farm effected patients back to AGL where they are insultingly informed there are no health impacts. It’s an outrage recently revealed in Parliament by Senator Madigan.

My main concern is for residents and workers in homes, aged care, kindergartens and schools in South Portland. Particularly for the students and staff at the Portland Bay Specialist School, about to be impacted by Stage 4 of the Portland Wind Energy Project, which will have bigger towers and turbines than already inflicted on Cape Bridgewater and Cape Nelson.

How is Pacific Hydro going to prevent harm to children with special needs known to be noise sensitive and overstimulated by noise?

William C. Mulvaney, Superintendent of Armstrong Schools in Illinois, has reported wind farm health issues, seehttp://www.windaction.org/posts/38759-illinois-school-superintendent-letter-turbine-noise-creating-health-problems-for-students#.U0To4o1–M8

Dr. Chrystella Calvert a Paediatrician in Canada has reported concerns about wind turbines and impacts on his patient Joey, whom has complex developmental issues. See http://waubrafoundation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Calvert-Dr-Chrystella.-Joey-Correia-and-Exposure-to-Wind-Turbines.pdf

Like so many mothers wanting to protect their children, Joeys mother Shellie Correia has to fight the Government on his behalf see;http://waubrafoundation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Correia-Shellie.-Real-People-are-Suffering.pdf

How can Staff and parents protect children in their care when Pacific Hydro allows suffering at Cape Bridgewater to continue for nearly six years without fixing low frequency noise, infrasound and vibration etc. problems which we Cape Bridgewater residents have been reporting since the wind farm started operating.

None of the Capes residents can continue to live and function in our homes as we did prior to the wind development. All effected families have either left semi-permanently or seek regular respite because of wind farm emissions. GP’s and Specialists have advised me to leave my home on the Cape due to impacts on my health. The banks valuer unofficially told me our house and land is unsellable due to the wind farms proximity. How many more people will continue to be ignored or told to move away or take a sleeping tablet? These issues may not be ignored without consequence.

These questions do not have to be answered as part of permit conditions but can Pacific Hydro guarantee no-one in Portland will be sleep deprived nor cause or exacerbate health conditions from their turbines? Have they actively warned people of heart health risks and possible impacts of the magnetic field on pacemakers near wind farms? Have they done proper noise studies pre-construction of Stage 4 where people live and work? Will they conduct proper noise studies showing the peaks and troughs of noise that people hear and the health impacting infrasound after commissioning? Have they already ‘gagged’ those living in close proximity to Stage 4?

Community funding, sustainability and promise of temporary work won’t address growing concerns about a wind industry that brutally divides and sickens previously strongly connected and quiet rural communities all around the world.

Melissa Ware
Cape Bridgewater
10.4.14