Vandals in the Southern Highlands

The Southern Highlands are home to a bunch of Vandals, as we all know.

Here is Proof. It is on Ministerial Letterhead, so it must be true. (Please click on the image of the letter to enlarge it to readable size print.)

We should all be on alert now for an invasion of Visigoths as well.

Who do these people think they are kidding?


Here is the one cracked pipe in question.
After reading Mr Debus's Press Release, did you think that there were hundreds of smashed pipes? Gosh, do you think he was over-reacting?





It is wonderful what a Minister of the Crown can dictate to a Press Secretary in the post-prandial session of the day. Incidentally, my photos of the water squirting out of the cracked pipe were taken at about 10:45am. Mr Debus's Press release seems to have been circulated at 5:07 pm.

All Mr Debus's best work seems to be done at this time of the day. This is reminiscent of Mr Debus's famous "Oversized Dragonfly and an odorous bog" quote (see Daily Telegraph, 13 December 2006).

Seemingly it is a machine cut to the pipe, but it is clearly not a Chainsaw cut (from the regular cut, and the smooth edges from which the water is squirting). How many "vandals" do you know who carry electric generators with them? You could not use an average handy-man saw to cut these pipes. Have a look at the size and thickness of the wall. This kind of reinforced pipe would be an absolute nightmare to cut through with handyman tools.

Applying "Ockham's Razor" , it is incumbent upon us to find the simplest possible explanation for this event.

To my eyes, this looks like a fine blade cut, such as would be incurred if a "drop saw" was brought down in the wrong place, when these huge 22 metre pipes were being measured and cut in the factory. That is my guess.

An engineer has reviewed the photographic evidence and suggested that perhaps it is a kind of stress fracture in the pipe, as a result of handling errors when the pipes were being laid out.

• Eric Conley (an Engineer) is in no doubt the damage to the pipe could not have been done post laying!


• "The rupture was caused by a 'beam failure' (a term applied to pipe construction of this type. It is laterally wound to withstand high pressure)


• "This failure is either a manufacturing fault or mechanical damage cause pre-laying either in the manufacturing, handling or cutting phase, or, maybe transportation of the PVC pipe production.


• "It is 'highly unlikely to have been caused by any trauma to it post laying.


• It could have been the result of poor handling during transit, loading or unloading or during the laying process it was longitudinaly bent.


• "Any bashing or tampering, bending or pushing after laying would have caused far more damage."

Photos of the ends of pipes prior to laying, to show their "machine cut " ends, and the size of the pipes.

The thickness of the walls is illustrated by my "hand model's" little finger. Thanks Liz.

This is the huge amount of water being splashed all over the place after being pumped from the aquifer.

It comes out of a curved section of pipe (90 degree bend) and pours over a galvanised tray, to disperse it and allow it to drop to the ground, in order to be "oxygenated", and to disperse the pressure of the rushing water (presumably) before it seeps through the sandbag levees, and then into a pipe whence it floods into the Nepean River.



Just let me ask one question:

WHO IS THE REAL VANDAL

ON THE KANGALOON AQUIFER?