Graffiti in a National Park (by a bushwalking club!)

[jeremy089786]

Although not condoning graffiti, especially in a cave, I really do appreciate some funny/ creative graffiti. I have spent many enjoyable evenings pouring over some great work in NZ huts/ shelters. Also, coming across a cheeky little name and date carving from 60 or 100 years ago takes you back to what it would have been like hiking then. So although I do not graffiti myself, I certainly don't believe all of it is pure evil.

[GPSGuided]

No need for a loophole. Leaving a charcoal mark on a rock is, quite simply, legal.

If it's legal to charcoal around, then try saying the same when charcoaling some city buildings! Gees!

Fact is, the behaviour of UWS Bushwalking Club/President has been addressed by higher authority and that's the rule. Wigging around legal definitions will just label those involved and those with similar thoughts, misfits of society, and ridiculed.

[Clusterpod]

Depends on the rock.

Charcoal isn't going to come off of limestone or spongolite without further damage. Therefore vandalism, by definition.

[FatCanyoner]

My feedback from local police (a senior officer) was that this is indeed an offence, under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (vandalism in national parks is governed under different rules than in general areas, where it comes under the Crimes Act).

Does anyone know the Act / Regulations well enough to provide the exact reference?

[FatCanyoner]

Just having a look at the Act now. I assume it comes under this section:

156A Offence of damaging reserved land

(1) A person must not, on or in land reserved under this Act or acquired under Part 11:
(a) remove any water other than for purposes authorised by or under any Act or for the purposes of personal use on the land, or
(b) damage or remove any vegetation, rock, soil, sand, stone or similar substance, or
(c) damage any object or place of cultural value, or
(d) cause or permit any removal or damage referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c).

[maddog]

Just having a look at the Act now. I assume it comes under this section:

156A Offence of damaging reserved land

(1) A person must not, on or in land reserved under this Act or acquired under Part 11:
(a) remove any water other than for purposes authorised by or under any Act or for the purposes of personal use on the land, or
(b) damage or remove any vegetation, rock, soil, sand, stone or similar substance, or
(c) damage any object or place of cultural value, or
(d) cause or permit any removal or damage referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c).

The definition of harm within the Act, excluding as it does the trivial or negligible, would make prosecution of the current case difficult.

Cheers

[Turfa]

Regardless of the legal fine points & chances of successful prosecution, scrawling grafitti on a rockface in a National Park is simply ignorant behaviour........ and trying to justify it as OK seems almost as bad.

The very first statement on the Bushwalkers Code brochure (NSW) is.....

"Minimal Impact Bushwalking means do nothing, leave nothing that shows where you have been."

Seems pretty simple really..............

[puredingo]

014 (800x600).jpg

[justacouch]

No need for a loophole. Leaving a charcoal mark on a rock is, quite simply, legal. Consensus amongst the righteous does not determine the rules by which others live, and I hope it never will.

Setting an example to those unschooled in bushwalkers etiquette, is admirable, but the way in which this lesson is being delivered is not. Bullying never is. What a minor misdemeanor, for such a reaction. A little charcoal mark on a rock.

Set your sights higher, and find an issue more worthy.

Cheers

Agreed. Reactions expressed and described in this thread are not in proportion to the inconsequential act of writing on a rock in charcoal. Well said maddog.



Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[Clusterpod]

Hardly inconsequential. Look at that photograph above. 74 years.

[MartyGwynne]

I do agree with what the above posts.
I do sometimes find some graffiti in areas, some of which I do like and appreciate and others are just wrong.
I do like this one as it seems to work for me.
But who is 'Tim" ?
Is it just a co-incidense (apologise for the spelling).

[Onestepmore]

Thumbs up Tim. What an *&%$#!. Thanks for going to the appropriate authorities and making this a public issue. And lol@ ninja puppets suggestion. Sitting here in a boring hotel room in Melbourne at a work conference watching inane TV, makes me laugh. Cheers guys.

[taswegian]

Many years ago I was extremely privileged to wander about the many rock arts found n Carnarvon Gorge. The ranger back then was comfortable with my interest and we had many conversations.
Given much of the sympathy towards this seemingly trivial and blown out of proportion reactions by some, is it permissible to conclude I could have left my mark amongst that fabulous work.
A simple 'Richard March 20 1978' would have done the trick.

[perfectlydark]

Many anologies can be drawn, even leaving the legal perspective out. Loud music on a train isnt illegal, but frowned upon, for example. I dont think anyone has overreacted but have displayed their dissaproval of a socially unnacceptable act. "Take nothing but photos leave nothing but footprints" is old but is the standard when it comes to venturing in public land. I dont want the bloke who wrote this lynched but they must be made aware that its not on and dont do it again. The actions taken by FC will hopefully result in this. No big deal, no overreaction, just a desire that we all treat our parks with the respect they deserve.
and to compare this to aboriginal art is not the same. There was never a convention then to not draw on rocks (or probably even 100 years ago) but there is now. So lets not do it.
Much like anzacs that made their inscriptions on the great pyramids. Not cool but a different time. Noone in their right mind would do that these days

[stepbystep]

Many anologies can be drawn, even leaving the legal perspective out. Loud music on a train isnt illegal, but frowned upon, for example. I dont think anyone has overreacted but have displayed their dissaproval of a socially unnacceptable act. "Take nothing but photos leave nothing but footprints" is old but is the standard when it comes to venturing in public land. I dont want the bloke who wrote this lynched but they must be made aware that its not on and dont do it again. The actions taken by FC will hopefully result in this. No big deal, no overreaction, just a desire that we all treat our parks with the respect they deserve.
and to compare this to aboriginal art is not the same. There was never a convention then to not draw on rocks (or probably even 100 years ago) but there is now. So lets not do it.
Much like anzacs that made their inscriptions on the great pyramids. Not cool but a different time. Noone in their right mind would do that these days

Spot on!

FC it might be good form to pull the FB screenshot.

[Rob Gosford]

The very first statement on the Bushwalkers Code brochure (NSW) is.....

"Minimal Impact Bushwalking means do nothing, leave nothing that shows where you have been."

Seems pretty simple really..............

THIS is grafitti/rubbish. It saddens me >>>>>>


Great North Walk, Sugarloaf Range.......




Great North Walk, Archery Road......



Great North Walk, 'neath DeBurghs Bridge......




Great North Walk, signage Lane Cove River........




itsa disgrace

[FatCanyoner]

itsa disgrace

Totally agree. Disgusting stuff. If I ever catch one of these people I think there's every chance I'll go for some vigilante justice!

[FatCanyoner]

I know I've already said I was happy with the University's response, but I'm even more impressed after receiving this response this morning from the Acting Vice-Chancellor. I think both their commitment to act to ensure something like this doesn't occur again, along with highlighting the importance of ensuring students experience the bush in an environmentally responsible way, should be applauded.

Dear Tim,
Thank you for your email (25 June 2013). I was disappointed to learn of the Brisbane Water National Park incident and share your concern regarding both what happened and the nature of the initial response of the UWS Bushwalking Club.
The University of Western Sydney is committed to providing the best experience for its students, not just in teaching and research, but across a range of recreational and social settings and pursuits. Importantly, as our ‘Making the Difference’ strategy stipulates, ‘environmental and social responsibility’ is a key part of this commitment.
Jo Quinn, the University’s Events and Student Clubs Coordinator (Bankstown), informs me that she contacted you via phone to address your concerns. I understand that Club members have agreed to remove the graffiti in question and that Ms Quinn has also spoken with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service authorities.
On behalf of the University, please accept my apologies and my assurance that we are taking steps to ensure such an incident will not occur again. Thank you for taking the time to raise this important issue with us. The University takes its role as a member of the community seriously and remains committed to upholding its environmental and social responsibilities.
Yours sincerely,
Rhonda Hawkins
Acting Vice-Chancellor and University President
University of Western Sydney

I feel this response vindicates my actions. Where an incident occurs we all have an obligation to act to ensure it is addressed. I think it is fair to say the members of this bushwalking club will definitely be more aware of the appropriate ethics governing bushwalkers in future, which will be great for them, and the places they visit.

[FatCanyoner]

FC it might be good form to pull the FB screenshot.

Agreed. I have edited my earlier post and removed those two screen shots. I have retained an image of the graffiti to ensure any future readers of this topic will know exactly what it is about, but as you correctly point out there is no benefit in retaining the identifying images of the people involved.

[photonaturally]

Charcoal is not permanent. It can be cleaned. yes.
If it is not permanant, they should have clean their writing after the photo was taken. In fact they should go back and clean all the non-permanent markings.

There was really no reason to write, permanent or not. A simple group photo would suffice.

People from the future will be looking at these rock scribblings, wondering what primitive ritual this bushwalking thing is.

[vicpres]

I don't see a response from anyone from Bushwalking NSW as yet, but I am president of Bushwalking Australia and have checked our records and can state that UWS is not affiliated with Bushwalking NSW.

However, the fact that they are not an affiliate doesn't matter as their totally inappropriate actions and initial response from their leader brings bushwalkers, and club bushwalkers in particular, into disrepute. One positive aspect perhaps is that the response from the university does prove that it is worthwhile raising such matters with relevant authorities, whoever they might be.

[Travis22]

Good on you FC for following the matter through.

Im very impressed by the university's responses and there is without a doubt, no question you did the right thing.

Travis.

[FatCanyoner]

I am president of Bushwalking Australia and have checked our records and can state that UWS is not affiliated with Bushwalking NSW.
However, the fact that they are not an affiliate doesn't matter as their totally inappropriate actions and initial response from their leader brings bushwalkers, and club bushwalkers in particular, into disrepute.

Chris, thanks for confirming that with us. It is unfortunate that the club are not affiliated. I may, in my response to the uni, inquire about that. I think it is beneficial for all clubs to be affiliated with the state / national bodies and therefore to be governed by the Bushwalkers Code. You are spot on about the impact of the actions of rogue club members on all bushwalkers. As club walkers I definitely think we have an obligation to live up to a higher standard.

[David M]

Graffiti crime is NEVER appropriate, whether in National Parks or anywhere else.

It annoys me when some misguided fools refer to the perpetrators as "artists" not the criminals they are (with the exception of very rare cases of work done with permission).

[north-north-west]

Good outcome, and goodonyamate, to Fatso for taking on the job of sorting it.
I just wish something could be done about the masses of modern name-carving on Chambers Pillar, which is threatening to totally overwhelm the old historical engravings . . .

[Happy Pirate]

I hate the "Waza was here" & LH 4 FO mentality of most graffiti and I don't understand the 'mess it up' mentality that becomes obvious of most human intrusion but at the same time I have once replied to graffiti with graffiti on the Crosscut Saw walk that is clearly marked as a closed road on all maps.
Of course I understand the argument that all graffiti is future archeological data. But in our era of extreme output we should at least judge even if we cannot always choose... and maybe sometime respond?




My lame response to a lame response to a basic depiction of the world.
Steve

[davidmorr]

I am president of Bushwalking Australia and have checked our records and can state that UWS is not affiliated with Bushwalking NSW.
However, the fact that they are not an affiliate doesn't matter as their totally inappropriate actions and initial response from their leader brings bushwalkers, and club bushwalkers in particular, into disrepute.

Chris, thanks for confirming that with us. It is unfortunate that the club are not affiliated. I may, in my response to the uni, inquire about that. I think it is beneficial for all clubs to be affiliated with the state / national bodies and therefore to be governed by the Bushwalkers Code.

University clubs are covered by the university's insurance and so have no need for the insurance the state bodies provide. They are also very limited financially - if they were to pay Bushwalking NSW an affiliation fee, that would be less money for buying gear, drinks and food.

A friend's son and girlfriend were on an abseiling training trip with a uni club about 12 months ago. The "leader" of the group was very gung ho: "You don't need gloves for abseiling." So the girlfriend ended up with severe burns on the palms of her hands. Bright attitude by the leader.

My friend contacted the uni authorities (he worked there) and the leader was made immediately aware of his responsibilities, and of safety procedures while abseiling. They were required to document everything they did from then on. A good outcome, just a shame about the girl's hands.

[Liamy77]

Please be reminded that even if you view anothers actions to be distasteful, it is not appropriate to call them abusive titles such as "f*&%*$d" .... regardless of if they are acting like one or not.
I have locked this topic as I feel that the point is made, and further discussion will not add to the topic.

I would also like to point out that the university has accepted fault and remedies were made to the disfigurement.
A good dose of humble pie served, and a cautionary lesson re the privacy of public sites such as Face Book and MINIMAL IMPACT walking to be learned here.