25 February 2012

An interview with William Woodbridge on the Lake Ginninderra teepee

| ConorHickey
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teepee

William Woodbridge is a typical second year university student. He is 21 years of age, has quite a relaxed attitude towards life and doesn’t mind thinking outside the square a bit.

Those of you who use Ginninderra Drive are already familiar with some of his creative thinking.

A floating teepee has become a topic of interest in Canberra and William Woodbridge is the man behind it.
Seeking to escape the monetary shackles of life living on the University of Canberra campus, Will created his floating home.

william woodbridge

“It’s deliciously hippyish,” says Will with a massive grin as he eats peach from the can.

Will tells me that he decided to leave on-campus accommodation after he accidentally set off a fire alarm while cooking. He says the company that ran his residence, Campus Living Villages, charged him $350. I tried to contact Campus Living Villages but their general manager was unavailable for comment until Monday.

After being hit with the fine, he decided that he did not want to live life on campus anymore and so looked for alternative styles of living.

As I sat there on his front porch listening to his explanation of how his raft came to be, a man rows up in a canoe.

The man says that his wife “forced him to check it out.”

Will is completely unfazed by the attention his floating home has gathered in recent weeks.

“I would invite you onboard for a cold drink if the ice in my esky hadn’t melted,” Will says to the man.

After a few minutes of raft relating chatting the man bids Will well and rows back to shore.

supplies

Will tells me that his new home attracts the odd visitor, although not always of the nice kind.

“Everyone has been really friendly and nice so far, which is why the generator was a bit of a surprise,” Will tells me,” says Will.

Will is alluding to the fact that sometime on Friday his generator, which he used to power his television and to recharge his laptop, was stolen from his lockbox on the back of the raft.

Despite this he remains quite optimistic.

“It will probably come back, Canberra is too small a place for something like that to happen and go unnoticed,” he says.

He has created flyers which he has taped to his teepee and lockbox, telling all who venture close enough to his raft that his generator has been stolen.

stolen generator

Our conversation progressed to the inspirations of the raft. He said after having left on campus accommodation, and living out the back of a car, he settled on the idea of a raft.

“I came up with a number of designs I could live in while on the raft, the first one was a square house boat type thing, I looked at, you know, a canvas hutch, various sorts of huts and a straight forward tent, and eventually my uncle suggested a teepee.

”So I looked at the design and ergonomics of a teepee, they can stay quite warm, the teepee because it has a cone shape, it’s very stable and because its rounded the wind doesn’t catch on it.”

teepee

True to what Will tells me, the teepee has held up through the storms of last week. Will maintains the storms were never a problem, and that if they got bad enough, he would simply delay his trip home in his leaky tinny.

tinny

He tells me that the ACT Government has been in contact with him, and has asked him to move along. Will says he has been in discussion with Territories and Municipal Services, he hopes the discussion with them can lead to an arrangement where he stays on the lake.

With a possible eviction notice heading his way, Will seems relatively unfazed. He does not want to leave his teepee because it will mean him becoming homeless. Yet despite the outlook of a grim future Will is completely calm.

Full slideshow here:

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I am suprised at all the negative comments. To me he seems like an interesting guy who is taking matters into his own hands. I mean how many people his age could make a raft teepee? Seems relatively harmless to me. I wont be moving to a teepee on water any time soon but if it works for him I say go for it.

p1 said :

If he went to Lake G for year twelve though, it suggests he is from Canberra? What kind of local lives on Campus?

One who wants to pretend he’s been brave enough to leave home.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back3:02 pm 02 Mar 12

Watson said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

Diggety said :

As much as I would like to see the (man-made) Lake Ginninderra be open to this kind of use, I have to say Will is coming off as a irresponsible sook, like so many Gen-Y’s…

Will signed a contract, if he didn’t read or understand the thing, including:
– the fire alarm being set off with a $350 bill
– signing up to accommodation too expensive
– foregoing secure accommodation

This is why we shop around, people signing up to CLV just allows them to charge such ridiculous prices/charges. It’s called the market.

In saying that, I whole-heartedly agree with the problems this raises in the cost of Canberra accommodation, roughly for reasons below:
1. Inflated average wages in Canberra = high cost of living
2. ACT Government not releasing land = high house prices

If Will raises awareness of this issue, then well done. Oh, and I like your tepee, but I think you could arrange much cheaper supplies of electricity.

Very well thought out. I agree completely.

But how could he have known that the vapour from his cooking could set off the over-sensitive fire alarm before it happened? Who would have thought of asking for them to add that to the contract? Who really contests anything in a contract of this kind anyway? Nothing to do with GenY I would have thought.

Who contests stuff in contracts like this? Me, for one. I’m currently on the process of having a bunch of clauses changed in a contract I’m due to sign next week.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

Diggety said :

As much as I would like to see the (man-made) Lake Ginninderra be open to this kind of use, I have to say Will is coming off as a irresponsible sook, like so many Gen-Y’s…

Will signed a contract, if he didn’t read or understand the thing, including:
– the fire alarm being set off with a $350 bill
– signing up to accommodation too expensive
– foregoing secure accommodation

This is why we shop around, people signing up to CLV just allows them to charge such ridiculous prices/charges. It’s called the market.

In saying that, I whole-heartedly agree with the problems this raises in the cost of Canberra accommodation, roughly for reasons below:
1. Inflated average wages in Canberra = high cost of living
2. ACT Government not releasing land = high house prices

If Will raises awareness of this issue, then well done. Oh, and I like your tepee, but I think you could arrange much cheaper supplies of electricity.

Very well thought out. I agree completely.

But how could he have known that the vapour from his cooking could set off the over-sensitive fire alarm before it happened? Who would have thought of asking for them to add that to the contract? Who really contests anything in a contract of this kind anyway? Nothing to do with GenY I would have thought.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back1:25 pm 02 Mar 12

Diggety said :

As much as I would like to see the (man-made) Lake Ginninderra be open to this kind of use, I have to say Will is coming off as a irresponsible sook, like so many Gen-Y’s…

Will signed a contract, if he didn’t read or understand the thing, including:
– the fire alarm being set off with a $350 bill
– signing up to accommodation too expensive
– foregoing secure accommodation

This is why we shop around, people signing up to CLV just allows them to charge such ridiculous prices/charges. It’s called the market.

In saying that, I whole-heartedly agree with the problems this raises in the cost of Canberra accommodation, roughly for reasons below:
1. Inflated average wages in Canberra = high cost of living
2. ACT Government not releasing land = high house prices

If Will raises awareness of this issue, then well done. Oh, and I like your tepee, but I think you could arrange much cheaper supplies of electricity.

Very well thought out. I agree completely.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back1:24 pm 02 Mar 12

p1 said :

devils_advocate said :

Duffbowl said :

Interesting list of pages young Will has under “Activities and Interests”…
– League of the South (white, southern US, nationalist)
– La Voz de Aztlan (The Voice of Aztlan; hispanic separatists from the southwestern US)
– Black Panthers (African-American separatists)
– NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
– U.N.N.M. “United Nuwaubian Nation Of Moors” (US based African-American psuedo-Islamist)
– Jewish Defence League
– Aryan Nation
– White Order of Thule (Aryan, pre-Christian, closely linked with Aryan Nation et al)

LOL. It’s not everyday you see a Canberran completely forfeit his right to a security clearance.

Surely some of those groups cancel each other out though?

It depends on the nature of his involvement. Joining in itself won’t automatically preclude a lower level clearance, but it does make things harder.

Definitely making a rod for his own back.

My goodness, the hatred for free and independent thought on this blog is dispiriting. I thought the ACT had higher education standards, or are all the twattish trolls from Sydney?

Good on Mr Woodbridge. Off beat, slightly wacky – having fun and – hey, here is a novel idea – not hurting anyone. Maybe he should get on a reality TV show and turkey slap some bimbo. Would that make him acceptable?

Holden Caulfield11:43 am 01 Mar 12

Our delicious hippy even made it on to Hack on Triple J yesterday afternoon.

Wow- this is wonderful. It makes me want to braid my hair and row past his teepee bearing gifts. I hope it has survived the downpour and inspires a little floating tent city…

As much as I would like to see the (man-made) Lake Ginninderra be open to this kind of use, I have to say Will is coming off as a irresponsible sook, like so many Gen-Y’s…

Will signed a contract, if he didn’t read or understand the thing, including:
– the fire alarm being set off with a $350 bill
– signing up to accommodation too expensive
– foregoing secure accommodation

This is why we shop around, people signing up to CLV just allows them to charge such ridiculous prices/charges. It’s called the market.

In saying that, I whole-heartedly agree with the problems this raises in the cost of Canberra accommodation, roughly for reasons below:
1. Inflated average wages in Canberra = high cost of living
2. ACT Government not releasing land = high house prices

If Will raises awareness of this issue, then well done. Oh, and I like your tepee, but I think you could arrange much cheaper supplies of electricity.

p1 said :

devils_advocate said :

Duffbowl said :

Interesting list of pages young Will has under “Activities and Interests”…
– League of the South (white, southern US, nationalist)
– La Voz de Aztlan (The Voice of Aztlan; hispanic separatists from the southwestern US)
– Black Panthers (African-American separatists)
– NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
– U.N.N.M. “United Nuwaubian Nation Of Moors” (US based African-American psuedo-Islamist)
– Jewish Defence League
– Aryan Nation
– White Order of Thule (Aryan, pre-Christian, closely linked with Aryan Nation et al)

LOL. It’s not everyday you see a Canberran completely forfeit his right to a security clearance.

Surely some of those groups cancel each other out though?

Try telling that to US Customs at the airport 😉

devils_advocate said :

Duffbowl said :

Interesting list of pages young Will has under “Activities and Interests”…
– League of the South (white, southern US, nationalist)
– La Voz de Aztlan (The Voice of Aztlan; hispanic separatists from the southwestern US)
– Black Panthers (African-American separatists)
– NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
– U.N.N.M. “United Nuwaubian Nation Of Moors” (US based African-American psuedo-Islamist)
– Jewish Defence League
– Aryan Nation
– White Order of Thule (Aryan, pre-Christian, closely linked with Aryan Nation et al)

LOL. It’s not everyday you see a Canberran completely forfeit his right to a security clearance.

Surely some of those groups cancel each other out though?

devils_advocate1:23 pm 28 Feb 12

Duffbowl said :

Interesting list of pages young Will has under “Activities and Interests”…
– League of the South (white, southern US, nationalist)
– La Voz de Aztlan (The Voice of Aztlan; hispanic separatists from the southwestern US)
– Black Panthers (African-American separatists)
– NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
– U.N.N.M. “United Nuwaubian Nation Of Moors” (US based African-American psuedo-Islamist)
– Jewish Defence League
– Aryan Nation
– White Order of Thule (Aryan, pre-Christian, closely linked with Aryan Nation et al)

LOL. It’s not everyday you see a Canberran completely forfeit his right to a security clearance.

p1 said :

Actually, the tragedy of the commons applies pretty well. Imagine 1000 people all wanted free accommodation, built rafts and placed them in the lake. The current resource of a nice quiet body of water, with deserted shores, plenty of parking, etc would quickly be replaced by a crowded, polluted (even more then now) pond, alive with the buzz of generators and with all the car parks full and boat ramps busy. All a result of people making resource use decisions which make perfect sense from their own perspective.

Sounds good to me – there’s a resource there and it would be nice to see it used.

Like a paddock – it an sit there doing nothing, or somebody can “take away some amenity”from the local mob of kangaroos by building a wind generator, generating electricity with it, thus providing benefits to thousands of people.

p1 said :

Ryoma said :

With our current housing shortage, and the fact a young man uses his brain to try to both find a place to live, and to make a point, surely it’s time that the ACT Government realised that there is a real issue here.

The fact the a young man was driven to think independently is a sign that there is a serious problem? Way to accuse all young men of being brain dead morons normally.

P1, that’s a fair call…ouch! I certianly didn’t mean it for that comment to come out that way, but I can see how it could be seen as such.

No, it was more that I was impressed with how Will had found a solution (illegal, and not likely very good when winter sets in) to being, essentially,homeless.

Maybe the flip side to what I said earlier could be just that many of us are so used to having infrastructure and the like around us, that I question how many of us would cope well if it wasn’t there…

Ryoma said :

With our current housing shortage, and the fact a young man uses his brain to try to both find a place to live, and to make a point, surely it’s time that the ACT Government realised that there is a real issue here.

The fact the a young man was driven to think independently is a sign that there is a serious problem? Way to accuse all young men of being brain dead morons normally.

Ryoma said :

With our current housing shortage, and the fact a young man uses his brain to try to both find a place to live, and to make a point, surely it’s time that the ACT Government realised that there is a real issue here.

And maybe, just maybe, Will’s teppe points a way forward. If it was appropriately planned, why couldn’t Canberra have houseboats or house barges? Not on Lake Burley Griffin, but it’s not like the remining lakes around the city are pristine wilderness.

Or… the government could just release more land for housing. It’s not like we don’t have any space on dry land.

With our current housing shortage, and the fact a young man uses his brain to try to both find a place to live, and to make a point, surely it’s time that the ACT Government realised that there is a real issue here.

And maybe, just maybe, Will’s teppe points a way forward. If it was appropriately planned, why couldn’t Canberra have houseboats or house barges? Not on Lake Burley Griffin, but it’s not like the remining lakes around the city are pristine wilderness.

I think it would provide an opportunity to give Canberra a different character, and to show that Canberrans are able to find innovative solutions to problems. Unlike some of the naysayers posting that “life wasn’t meant to be easy” (it’s not, but this young bloke has got off his arse to do something about it, not sat and whinged from the comfort of his own desk).

So, as to how to go about it;

a) policies on how many houseboats a lake could feasibly hold in a sustainable manner
b) building of appropriate infrastructure (jetties/pontoons)
c) policies around waste disposal and safety

If this type of business can exist at Bateman’s Bay,Echuca,Mildura, Renmark, and the NSW Central Coast, why on earth can’t we manage it?

arescarti42 said :

I was going to reference a bunch of stuff by Ostrom and Hardin, but then I realised that would make me look like a pedantic asshat. So fair point.

So you leave me to look like an asshat on my own? 😉

arescarti42 said :

I guess the question is if teepee man is allowed to live on the lake, is the precedent likely to encourage others to live on the lake in numbers such that they become a problem for the non lake camping community.

I really don’t think it would. But I know this is the way governments think, hence I suspect his days are numbered.

p1 said :

Actually, the tragedy of the commons applies pretty well. Imagine 1000 people all wanted free accommodation, built rafts and placed them in the lake. The current resource of a nice quiet body of water, with deserted shores, plenty of parking, etc would quickly be replaced by a crowded, polluted (even more then now) pond, alive with the buzz of generators and with all the car parks full and boat ramps busy. All a result of people making resource use decisions which make perfect sense from their own perspective.

I was going to reference a bunch of stuff by Ostrom and Hardin, but then I realised that would make me look like a pedantic asshat. So fair point.

I guess the question is if teepee man is allowed to live on the lake, is the precedent likely to encourage others to live on the lake in numbers such that they become a problem for the non lake camping community.

I don’t hate him, In fact I think it’s brilliant.

However, Mr Williamson needs to learn that, sorry to quote Malcolm Fraser, life wan’t meant to be easy.

Yes, life was certainly easy for Fraser doing nothing for seven years as PM (even with a majority of six in the Senate for most of his term), and leaving the hard work of financial deregulation, floating the dollar, macroeconomic reform and the introduction of foreign banks to Bob Hawke and Paul Keating.

johnboy said :

You say it like that would be a bad thing!

Houseboats on the lake would be awesome. Think of it as opening up new land for a caravan park. I suggest the area along the Kingston foreshore.

Interesting list of pages young Will has under “Activities and Interests”…
– League of the South (white, southern US, nationalist)
– La Voz de Aztlan (The Voice of Aztlan; hispanic separatists from the southwestern US)
– Black Panthers (African-American separatists)
– NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
– U.N.N.M. “United Nuwaubian Nation Of Moors” (US based African-American psuedo-Islamist)
– Jewish Defence League
– Aryan Nation
– White Order of Thule (Aryan, pre-Christian, closely linked with Aryan Nation et al)

HenryBG said :

Bad analogy – Teepee-man isn’t denying anybody access to their property, unlike the generator thief has done.

Sure he has. He has taken some of the amenity of a lake previously devoid of residential teepees away from the community, just like some arse puppet took away some (all) of the amenity of his generator.

arescarti42 said :

Invalid argument. Exactly the same problem occurs when someone swims or rows a boat on the lake, when someone swims in the lake, no one else can swim in that same spot and all value in that spot goes to that person.

The tragedy of the commons doesn’t apply to either situation because the lake is not a depletable resource in that context.

That’s not to say that if squatting for free on the lake was legal, that it wouldn’t pose problems.

Actually, the tragedy of the commons applies pretty well. Imagine 1000 people all wanted free accommodation, built rafts and placed them in the lake. The current resource of a nice quiet body of water, with deserted shores, plenty of parking, etc would quickly be replaced by a crowded, polluted (even more then now) pond, alive with the buzz of generators and with all the car parks full and boat ramps busy. All a result of people making resource use decisions which make perfect sense from their own perspective.

You say it like that would be a bad thing!

arescarti42 said :

Actually it would appear that building a teepee and floating it on the lake is the cheapest option available.

(Ex-fines and court costs, they’re equivalent to 18 months rent)

Also, dependent on the depth of the lake where Will is anchored, he could submerge his drinks in the lake itself on a long line. While they won’t be as cool as if from a fridge or ice filled esky, they will cooler than sitting in the sun (if we have sunshine…)

poetix said :

In drawing attention to how difficult keeping a home is for people on low incomes he is doing an important thing in a beautiful way. I can’t believe people are attacking him for creating this floating home, or worrying about where he found the materials to do it.

While I think there is method in his madness, and he has provided a novel way of protesting / raising awareness of accomodation issues, there are still some smokey questions.

If, as described, he has appropriated the property of others for his personal and sole use, how is that beneficial to society generally, and the owner of the property in particular? I know I would be rather annoyed if someone took an item of mine for their personal and sole use.

Of course, if RiotActors have no objections to their property being appropriate for such purposes, please feel free to let me know. 😉

Skidbladnir said :

Its not like student residences are the only accomodation option in Canberra, and they are certainly the cheapest option available.

Actually it would appear that building a teepee and floating it on the lake is the cheapest option available.

p1 said :

Within the current system though, the suggestion the Willy be allowed to continue to live on the lake rent free is to suggest that some of the value of the lake be made available to him alone, when previously it was a community resource. Not a big deal you say? True, but the Tragedy of the commons suggests that the lake would quickly be full of dilapidated moored accommodation, much of it without the aesthetic charm of a well constructed teepee.

Invalid argument. Exactly the same problem occurs when someone swims or rows a boat on the lake, when someone swims in the lake, no one else can swim in that same spot and all value in that spot goes to that person.

The tragedy of the commons doesn’t apply to either situation because the lake is not a depletable resource in that context.

That’s not to say that if squatting for free on the lake was legal, that it wouldn’t pose problems.

p1 said :

So if he is all for people taking whatever resource suits them, why is he sad about his generator being taken? We can only assume the personª who took it needed it for something more then Wills?

ª – a person, I might add, who is a total С¢?

Bad analogy – Teepee-man isn’t denying anybody access to their property, unlike the generator thief has done.

I would love it if he generated (sorry) enough comments to win the Mully. The cup could be rowed out to him, although it might lower the tone of the teepee.

In drawing attention to how difficult keeping a home is for people on low incomes he is doing an important thing in a beautiful way. I can’t believe people are attacking him for creating this floating home, or worrying about where he found the materials to do it.

johnboy said :

I think some of you need the think bigger.

Imagine a Lake Ginninderra covered in teepee rafts as low cost accomodation.

Just think how cool the parties would be!

Ain’t no party like a teepee party!

AAMC said :

Also, I get the impression that he has a lot of resources at his disposal. To build and deploy/launch a raft of that “impressiveness” requires materials, tools, power supply, large trailer, tow car, several people, a tender (tinny), a location to build it (possibly mum and/or dads driveway), not to mention where he lived while the construction was underway or his stylish Indiana Jones style hat..

Yes and no. I was part of a small group which knocked up a raft of a similar size a few years back and camped a few nights on the lake. We built it by the lakeside, so there was no large cars or big trailers required, and we sourced the majority of the building materials through stuff people already had and donations. While his is somewhat prettier, the same might well still be possible if he has good friends/contacts.

If he went to Lake G for year twelve though, it suggests he is from Canberra? What kind of local lives on Campus?

trevar said :

I hardly think he’s screaming. He’s taken responsibility for himself, grown up and realised that the accommodation choices made by the rest of his society are rather foolish and unnecessary. It hardly makes sense to be leasing land and/or shelter when a lake surface is freely available and you can afford the materials to build a floating home.

Seems to me the only ones doing anything vaguely like throwing a tantrum are those who say William should be paying someone else rent, rather than thinking for himself… and why would they care? No doubt they have an investment property and William’s initiative, if it were to be taken up by more people, threatens their profits. Landlords may get some serious competition soon, so suck it up, princesses!

If it is Williams intention to start an “Occupy” style movement, advocating that complete reworking of the current concepts of property rights and the financial system, then fine, you may well be on the right track. People with investment properties would certainly loose out it a majority of people currently renting decided to just live, camp, squat, wherever they could without paying any rent. Personally I wouldn’t be entirely displeased if we could all live in a communist utopia.

Within the current system though, the suggestion the Willy be allowed to continue to live on the lake rent free is to suggest that some of the value of the lake be made available to him alone, when previously it was a community resource. Not a big deal you say? True, but the Tragedy of the commons suggests that the lake would quickly be full of dilapidated moored accommodation, much of it without the aesthetic charm of a well constructed teepee.

So if he is all for people taking whatever resource suits them, why is he sad about his generator being taken? We can only assume the personª who took it needed it for something more then Wills?

ª – a person, I might add, who is a total С¢?

I note form ‘Bill’s’ face book page that he is a former student of the Lake Ginninderra college in 2008, I wonder where he has been living for the last 4 years; before he set off the smoke alarm?

Also, I get the impression that he has a lot of resources at his disposal. To build and deploy/launch a raft of that “impressiveness” requires materials, tools, power supply, large trailer, tow car, several people, a tender (tinny), a location to build it (possibly mum and/or dads driveway), not to mention where he lived while the construction was underway or his stylish Indiana Jones style hat.

Don’t get me wrong I love the idea of living on the lake and legitimate protest, but to frame his situation as on the edge of homelessness seems a little absurd.

Skidbladnir said :

Its not like student residences are the only accomodation option in Canberra, and they are certainly the cheapest option available.

Bah, insert word “not” after certainly.

devils_advocate said :

Yawn. Even first-years are taught that bargain theory doesn’t hold up when one stronger party is in a position to unilaterally dictate terms. F, please resubmit within 1 week.

Well, it does, but then the only choice left to the powerless party is “Take it or leave it” so it doesn’t get covered in academia to any degree.
Its not like student residences are the only accomodation option in Canberra, and they are certainly the cheapest option available.

But since nobody seems to be caring about the fact that UC Village have built an entire business model around being exempt from law (beyond even what is allowed in NSW) yet somehow fill rooms with willing residents, I’ll just keep on the “Lake camping is not legal” train, because sometimes I enjoy train wreck coverage.

Have you people no sense of adventure!

“It is in the compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that man finds his supreme joys.”

johnboy said :

I think some of you need the think bigger.

Imagine a Lake Ginninderra covered in teepee rafts as low cost accomodation.

Just think how cool the parties would be!

Spring Break

devils_advocate8:44 am 27 Feb 12

Skidbladnir said :

If his issue was the fine he incurred for the smoke alarm, he brought it on himself by signing the Agreement with UC Village to live on-campus, clearly without reading it.
Campus residents do not get the same tenancy rights as non-campus residents (mostly in exchange for being a few minutes from their classes…), and are instead bound by whichever Terms the Village offers, as its a private agreement without the requirements of a Residential Tenancy Agreement.
The Rules do now, and have under the last version also, explicitly cover the “our smoke alarms are sensitive, please take care or tenants will be hit with the (inevitable) callout fee” angle.
Rules (which make up a part of the agreement) available here, Agreement available on request.

Yawn. Even first-years are taught that bargain theory doesn’t hold up when one stronger party is in a position to unilaterally dictate terms. F, please resubmit within 1 week.

mattapalooza11:04 pm 26 Feb 12

Good on him!

He’s a young fella making a point!

A city full of political wannabe’s and this bloke has the inclination to take a stand.
Regardless of whether he’s wrong or right, good on him!

At least someone is finally using the lake!

thy_dungeonman10:01 pm 26 Feb 12

Skidd Marx said :

It never surprises me just how cold and hearltess RA’ers can be. Why all the hate? It’s not like he’s hurting anyone. So maybe he could have secured his generator a bit better… still doesn’t justify theft.

Good on him I say, stick it up the man!

I don’t hate him, In fact I think it’s brilliant.

However, Mr Williamson needs to learn that, sorry to quote Malcolm Fraser, life wan’t meant to be easy.

I hope that when he gets smashed with huge fines that he has the courage of his convictions….

I realy hate that quote “life wasn’t meant to be easy” after all how does anyone, let alone Malcom Fraser know that, they didn’t create life.

Even if “life wasn’t meant to be easy” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a go at making it easier just like this guy, he’s my new hero.

He looks very much like an indigenous Scot – perhaps he could move to the Tent Embassy for a bit and pick up some tips, he could well be welcome. : )

Skidd Marx said :

It never surprises me just how cold and hearltess RA’ers can be. Why all the hate? It’s not like he’s hurting anyone. So maybe he could have secured his generator a bit better… still doesn’t justify theft.

Good on him I say, stick it up the man!

Effing right. Get your heads outta your arses and acknowledge someone who didn’t like their circumstances and did something about it. Bloody creatively and oddly too. You naysayers give Canberrans a worse name than they/we already have. Bloody wowses.

He paid the fine after following all the appropriate channels in attempting to appeal it. His living conditions were no more secure in residences as he had things stolen from there also. The Wheel barrow is a herb garden. He has an emergency camping toilet for on board, aside from that he has bowel control and is capable of rowing to the toilet.
This is a young man who spent his childhood riding horses along the Bicentennial National Trail for months at a time he is capable, hardworking and genuine.

It never surprises me just how cold and hearltess RA’ers can be. Why all the hate? It’s not like he’s hurting anyone. So maybe he could have secured his generator a bit better… still doesn’t justify theft.

Good on him I say, stick it up the man!

vg said :

…What an Einstein

You really need to broaden your vocabulary. Doing so would (probably) contribute positively to the quality of your comments too. Just sayin’.

poetix said :

(By the way, what’s the wheelbarrow for? Is it a garden?)

I assumed good risk management for the wheelbarrow: the biggest danger afloat is fire.

Thoroughly Smashed4:16 pm 26 Feb 12

Oh also, he’s not Nelson Mandela, you guys don’t have to get carried away.

Thoroughly Smashed4:14 pm 26 Feb 12

Maybe the generator’s worth $350 and CLV came to collect?

William sounds like an interesting young fellow in the making, and not just because he’s got the mechanical skills to knock up a small barge. He’s clearly got initiative, as well as the courage to take a stand and to take a risk with his personal safety.

A key issue he’s raised is the high cost of Canberra’s rental accommodation for young people — whether they be students or apprentices or young families. We need to ensure the next generation is not priced out of living here.

It all sounds pretty harmless, just a young fellow working out how to make his point. Let’s hope it all ends well.

Also, I know a bear craps in the woods, but what about this guy?

If they are going to evict him from the lake I would like to think the tent embassy would be shortly thereafter. Legitimate protest made in a legitimate way.

UC should just sponsor more sporting teams, then with all the money that supposedly generates everybody’s problems would be solved!

Something about the whole construction reminds me of the end of James Bond films where Bond and whichever girl are deliberately evading rescue by the British submarine or destroyer. And the rug William is lying on is pure Austin Powers. (Sandals spoil any resemblance to Bond though…)

CLV sounds like the SPECTRE of Belconnen. What a stupid policy in regard to fining people who have a fire alarm go off. It will encourage students to dismantle the fire alarms so they don’t get fined.

(By the way, what’s the wheelbarrow for? Is it a garden?)

Mysteryman said :

I’d rather spend my time with people like Mr Woodbridge than people who have given up on trying to make a difference.

Exactly. There are do-ers in the world, and then there are the uninspired, such as Screaming Banshee, who obviously find the initiative and get-up-and-go of the do-ers extremely upsetting.

The fact is, it’s people like Woodbridge who create society. The sheep who never do anything original are just along for the ride.

Dayam, haters gonna hate.

I’m a little surprised.

trevar said :

It hardly makes sense to be leasing land and/or shelter when a lake surface is freely available and you can afford the materials to build a floating home.

I do hope that’s sarcasm. Because if it’s serious it says much about your lack of reasoning.

It makes sense because that lease includes connection to essential services and shelter that under normal circumstances won’t fall down.

He’s complaining about a generator being stolen? Heck those things get nicked off building sites all the time, how naive was he to leave it unsecured.

Where exactly is he showering, going to the toilet? That is a public lake so he’d better not be pissing over the side.

He’s running everything off a generator so he must have the cash for petrol, but not for wasting the time of out emergency services?

He’s a nutter.

I really think some of you need to open your hearts to a little more magic in the world

c_c said :

Take some responsibility, grow the f—- up and stop acting like a toddler. This guy is no better than a 2yr old lying on the ground in the toy isle screaming for the parents to buy something.

I hardly think he’s screaming. He’s taken responsibility for himself, grown up and realised that the accommodation choices made by the rest of his society are rather foolish and unnecessary. It hardly makes sense to be leasing land and/or shelter when a lake surface is freely available and you can afford the materials to build a floating home.

Seems to me the only ones doing anything vaguely like throwing a tantrum are those who say William should be paying someone else rent, rather than thinking for himself… and why would they care? No doubt they have an investment property and William’s initiative, if it were to be taken up by more people, threatens their profits. Landlords may get some serious competition soon, so suck it up, princesses!

“It’s deliciously hippyish,”

Unless you’re a gay New York socialite or Dr Evil, no one speaks like that.

As for the reason he gives for leaving his residence, what a stupid tool. Yes, residents get charged for setting off the fire detection system. I thought this was quite normal for residential buildings actually, given that a false alarm does have costs associated with it. In fact $350 is well below the cost I’ve seen quoted for the ACT Fire Brigade to attend an alarm call.

Take some responsibility, grow the f—- up and stop acting like a toddler. This guy is no better than a 2yr old lying on the ground in the toy isle screaming for the parents to buy something.

He’s making such a ‘stand’ that when steam set off a fire alarm and he got fined he didn’t say ‘it was steam that set it off, not a fire, your alarm is faulty,I’m not paying the fine and you’ll read about it in the paper if you try and evict me’?

Idiot. When he has to be extracted from the lake by emergency services I hope he gets his stupid *ss fined off.

There’s a reason why people don’t live on lakes. What an Einstein

Woody Mann-Caruso12:58 pm 26 Feb 12

“Bitch axed fo’ it, nomasayin?”

– Skidbladnir

How much did it cost this idiot to build the raft and teepee?

Also, using stolen/’found'(?) beer kegs as a part of your flotation rig beneath the raft (as well as part of the outdoor furniture) probably isn’t such a good idea either as most breweries are quite attached to their kegs and will go a long way to get them back.

Anyway, Winter will be here soon – and if the ACT Govt hasn’t driven him off the lake before then, the first cold winds of Winter probably will.

If his issue was the fine he incurred for the smoke alarm, he brought it on himself by signing the Agreement with UC Village to live on-campus, clearly without reading it.
Campus residents do not get the same tenancy rights as non-campus residents (mostly in exchange for being a few minutes from their classes…), and are instead bound by whichever Terms the Village offers, as its a private agreement without the requirements of a Residential Tenancy Agreement.
The Rules do now, and have under the last version also, explicitly cover the “our smoke alarms are sensitive, please take care or tenants will be hit with the (inevitable) callout fee” angle.
Rules (which make up a part of the agreement) available here, Agreement available on request.

His protest is pretty much exactly what UC Village wanted from their perspective, which was for a rule breaker to pack up and leave since he refused to pay for his liability under the agreed bargain, and wanted a special treatment without precedent.
That UC Village holds a privileged place in law which enabled their entire business model (and so the drama of this situation) has, so far, been irrelevant to his message of protest. So far, his message has been laughable if he’s serious.

So he decided to leave behind his secure accomodations and history of rule breaking, built a teepee to be used as a houseboat (alarm bell 1), and noting the absence of any other vessels on Canberra’s lakes (alarm bell 2) decides to deploy his houseboat onto a lake (in contravention of a law older than self-government), and expects the people charged with law enforcement to create precedent and let him continue to occupy, by not doing their job and ignoring those Sections of law he failed to research beforehand.

Besides, all it takes is an email to a Minister or MLA’s office (pick your side of politics) to turn Bill’s camping trip to a bureaucratic nightmare.

My money is on Bill getting hit with a few thousand dollars in fines and no law-ignoring precedent, but exactly how many thousand depends on if he’s been in touch with the Delegate for Lakes, as indicated in a previous post.

Pity about the generator, but I think it was the two minute “I have no physical security and only a two dollar lock defending a generator, look at all my stuff, here is where I live” music video that invited it.

There should be more of this, I say.

We lived on a floathome in Vancouver for a few months. These aren’t houseboats, but floating homes. You pay a monthly moorage fee and build or buy a floathome and become part of a maritime community. A step above a teepee of course.

Maybe the ACT Gov should investigate this as a revenue raising opportunity.

thy_dungeonman11:37 am 26 Feb 12

It’s great that he’s not only making a statement about affordable student accommodation but about simple living in general. It’s exactly the kind of thing I read about at http://tinyhouseblog.com/. People living in all kinds of small houses and shelters have written stories for this blog and I think it would be great if William would write about to them about his teepee. http://tinyhouseblog.com/contact/

Rawhide Kid Part311:31 am 26 Feb 12

johnboy said :

Just think how cool the parties would be!

Very cool in the winter I would think.

screaming banshee said :

He does not want to leave his teepee because it will mean him becoming homeless

You are homeless, idiot!

At 21 its about time you took responsibility for your own actions, if you set off a fire alarm that results in a callout firies or a fire service company to investigate/reset…that costs money.

Take your fifteen minutes of fame and f*ck off.

Um… dude…

just do your degree and get used to it.

For the rest if your life you will be f***ed around and f***ed over.

Is it fair? No.

but it will happen.

That’s life.

Sorry to destroy your wordly view.

On the other hand, stealing your gennie is pretty low…

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man” – George Bernard Shaw.

I’d rather spend my time with people like Mr Woodbridge than people who have given up on trying to make a difference.

PearlGem said :

screaming banshee said :

He does not want to leave his teepee because it will mean him becoming homeless

You are homeless, idiot!

At 21 its about time you took responsibility for your own actions, if you set off a fire alarm that results in a callout firies or a fire service company to investigate/reset…that costs money.

Take your fifteen minutes of fame and f*ck off.

I know this guy and am sick of hearing things come back to the stupid fire alarm I know for a fact it wasn’t even smoke that set the damn thing of it was steam, I think he was cooking rice.
Also I realize your just trolling because no one could possibly be that stupid If you don’t like what he’s raising awareness for or the stand he’s taking against something we shouldn’t just be lying down and taking up the arse then why waste your time on his “15 minutes of fame”

Because the only thing he’s bringing attention to is his stupidity. It’s time that he realises that the world doesn’t owe him free accomodation and there’s no requirement for him to live on campus.

Welcome to the real world son.

PearlGem said :

screaming banshee said :

He does not want to leave his teepee because it will mean him becoming homeless

You are homeless, idiot!

At 21 its about time you took responsibility for your own actions, if you set off a fire alarm that results in a callout firies or a fire service company to investigate/reset…that costs money.

Take your fifteen minutes of fame and f*ck off.

I know this guy and am sick of hearing things come back to the stupid fire alarm I know for a fact it wasn’t even smoke that set the damn thing of it was steam, I think he was cooking rice.
Also I realize your just trolling because no one could possibly be that stupid If you don’t like what he’s raising awareness for or the stand he’s taking against something we shouldn’t just be lying down and taking up the arse then why waste your time on his “15 minutes of fame”

While I understand the ACTFB will charge you for irresponsible call outs, I don’t think it is fair to charge someone who is already being charged so much to live in a box with a bed. The Uni needs to have a good hard look at who they are supposed to be supporting to continue being able to be a university.

screaming banshee said :

He does not want to leave his teepee because it will mean him becoming homeless

You are homeless, idiot!

At 21 its about time you took responsibility for your own actions, if you set off a fire alarm that results in a callout firies or a fire service company to investigate/reset…that costs money.

Take your fifteen minutes of fame and f*ck off.

I know this guy and am sick of hearing things come back to the stupid fire alarm I know for a fact it wasn’t even smoke that set the damn thing of it was steam, I think he was cooking rice.
Also I realize your just trolling because no one could possibly be that stupid If you don’t like what he’s raising awareness for or the stand he’s taking against something we shouldn’t just be lying down and taking up the arse then why waste your time on his “15 minutes of fame”

johnboy said :

I think some of you need the think bigger.

Imagine a Lake Ginninderra covered in teepee rafts as low cost accomodation.

Just think how cool the parties would be!

…..and all the drunken drownings that would ensue.

Bugger me. My daughter asked me what the tent in the lake was a few weeks ago and I had no idea. She’s gonna love hearing about this.

And of course, a plague of scabies on the dogs who stole his generator.

I think some of you need the think bigger.

Imagine a Lake Ginninderra covered in teepee rafts as low cost accomodation.

Just think how cool the parties would be!

johnboy said :

Heavy though, which is a problem for a raft.

While the teepee is pretty clever for metacentric height issues panels and batteries would present some serious problems for both deck space and stability.

To say nothing of his orientation changing as the wind blows.

(although if he really trusts his water proofing batteries could be stowed under the deck providing improved stability)

True. It’d really depend on the size of the system I suppose. Still an option worth looking in to IMO.

screaming banshee10:36 pm 25 Feb 12

He does not want to leave his teepee because it will mean him becoming homeless

You are homeless, idiot!

At 21 its about time you took responsibility for your own actions, if you set off a fire alarm that results in a callout firies or a fire service company to investigate/reset…that costs money.

Take your fifteen minutes of fame and f*ck off.

Solar gear is probably less convenient to steal and harder to sell on as well.

Heavy though, which is a problem for a raft.

While the teepee is pretty clever for metacentric height issues panels and batteries would present some serious problems for both deck space and stability.

To say nothing of his orientation changing as the wind blows.

(although if he really trusts his water proofing batteries could be stowed under the deck providing improved stability)

Damn, those little Honda generators are worth a fortune, probably $1k+ for that one. Expecting it to find its way back seems very optimistic to me.

If I were him I’d probably be investigating a solar system. A 100w ish panel, deep cycle battery and inverter I would have thought would be enough to do laptop charging and a bit of lighting for around the $500 mark.

The irony here being that the same outlets that aired his dramas also aired pictures of his gear (generator included)…

Pirates on the lake!

Seriously, stealing his generator is pretty low.

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