Unusual spats that sparked fury in Melbourne’s east
Whether it’s someone flipping the bird at neighbours — via a wood sculpture — the constant squawk of nearby chooks, punny signs or councillors referring to people as “scum”, there’s been several quirky disagreements in the east. Enjoy.
Outer East
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Whether it is neighbours from hell or council stoushes, Melbourne’s east has had some memorable disputes.
And there’s been many an issue — including animals, protesters and strange-shaped houses — that have gotten up people’s noses so much they’ve sneezed out a hissy fit.
Here’s just a few:
Climate roasting
A Knox councillor who described climate protesters as “scum” on social media was publicly scolded by Mayor Nicole Seymour.
Cr Darren Pearce was slammed on Facebook after he had a go at people who joined in the January 10 rally calling them “self-centred, self-indulgent, scum” who were taking already stretched emergency personnel away from the national bushfire crisis.
Fellow councillor Tony Holland joined in the debate in the post’s comments, mocking people’s responses and views.
And while the post met with mixed community response — some supporting his views — many people were disgusted and called the pair “unprofessional”.
The move by both councillors prompted Cr Seymour to make a statement on social media calling for the pair to make a public apology, and that she would review the council’s social media policy.
Cr Pearce later edited his post, changing the word ‘scum’ to idiots.
Many were unimpressed with Cr Pearce’s post, with Michael Colling-Semens saying it was heading into “Trump territory”.
Mr Colling-Semens said: “having an extreme opinion is one thing, but being so aggressively unprofessional on your professional social media platform is another.”
Finger feud
A man described as the “neighbour from hell”, who fashioned a sculpture of a rude finger in his front garden and headbutted a neighbour, was fined and convicted in court.
Park Orchards man David Muscat pleaded guilty to charges relating to the assault, the sculpture and failure to turn off his stereo, and was convicted and fined $700 in August, 2011.
The Ringwood Magistrates’ Court heard Muscat, 47 at the time, felt he was “at war’” with the other residents of Frogmore Crescent during a long-running feud.
Muscat used a chainsaw to carve a 1.2m wooden sculpture in his front garden in August 2010, after his neighbours complained to Manningham Council that he had cleared trees on his property.
The court heard two months later Muscat assaulted his neighbour, John Washbourne, who had asked him to turn off a leaf blower that was sending dust and debris into the caravan Mr Washbourne was cleaning.
The court was told Muscat headbutted Mr Washbourne, shoulder barged Mr Washbourne’s wife Judy Lewis and put the leafblower in their faces.
After being visited by police following the assault, Muscat ignored an order to turn down music.
Prosecutor Acting Sergeant Jo Allen told the court police obtained 20 statements from residents who found the sculpture indecent, offensive or inappropriate.
Magistrate Max Cashmore said Muscat’s neighbours would have considered him “the neighbour from hell”.
In a separate hearing, Muscat was fined $10,000 by Manningham Council after pleading guilty to removing vegetation and doing earthworks without a permit.
Dome-estic dispute
A controversial derelict Lilydale dome house had neighbours up in arms after inaction on the abandoned “eyesore”.
The two-dome structure on Alexandra Rd was an ongoing nightmare for neighbours Alex and Phyllis Murphy who told Leader in 2017 they wanted the unique house, which attracted squatters, druggies and vermin, to be demolished.
Mr Murphy said he had been told by a real estate agent that the ugly structure would knock thousands from the value of his house.
“There are all sorts of characters in there, spray painting and cutting into the plastic,” Mr Murphy said.
“I heard a noisy couple who went up there to stickybeak say ‘Oh look, someone’s been smoking bongs’.”
Mr Murphy said the rats kept digging into his aviary and eating his canaries.
“I’m hitting 70 and I can’t sell because no one will buy it,” Mr Murphy said.
“It’s just a circus.”
Leader understands the house has now been demolished.
Sign of the times
A Ferntree Gully business owner was shocked when his popular sign was pulled by Knox Council after an anonymous complaint.
Demak Outdoor Timber & Hardware had been putting an A-frame sign on the nature strip in front of its Brenock Park Drive business since opening in 1998, until someone complained.
Rather than advertising specials, for the past few years staff have been writing funny sayings including ‘Is it time for hot cross buns yet?’ on Boxing Day; ‘Honk if you love Tupperware,’ in a shout out to the nearby business, and ‘We love timber as much as Kanye loves Kanye’.
“Our local community seems to love it because my boys can’t go up to the shop for lunch without the sign being mentioned,” Mr Trewin said.
But a few months ago Mr Trewin said there was a complaint made to the council about the sign.
“It was more about what was written on the sign, they complained to council and council said ‘Well they don’t have a permit’.”
The sign’s message said: ‘My wife said I never listen to her or something like that.’”
Mr Trewin said he wasn’t sure what the issue was but someone had taken offence and gone straight to the council instead of contacting the business.
The business now has the permit.
“The response from the community makes it all worthwhile,” Mr Trewin said.
Neighbours flock to aid
Feathers were flying during a neighbourhood dispute, which had passions running so high a former Whitehorse councillor was threatened.
The furore dating back to 2005 started with a complaint when a Box Hill South resident complained to the council about what she described as the “incessant” crowing of several roosters among 145 chickens owned by her neighbour.
These are no ordinary chickens but rare, prize-winning, bantam breeds cared for and bred by Trevor Pearce at his Gardener St home for the past 40 years.
The council wrote to Mr Pearce following the complaint informing him he had breached a council by-law by failing to have a permit for more than six chickens.
But a permit was issued in April on the condition he keep fewer chickens.
Mr Pearce disputed his chickens were noisy all day and said he covered roosters’ cages to prevent or at least muffle crowing at dawn.
But many of his other neighbours rallied in support of Mr Pearce, presenting a 35-signature petition to the council calling for him to be allowed to keep his chickens.
Passions ran so high that (former) Cr John Koutras said he received a threatening phone call last week from one of Mr Pearce’s supporters shouting about bantams and threatening “to get” him.
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