Not sure whether anybody's posted this - I'm just catching up after a couple of days floundering in the deluge. From the Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday, May 9, 2001, p.24 Pic posted as jpeg to abs www.smh.com.au Spike Edited by Tony Davis with Peter Gotting Lonely volcano: nothing to do with us It's probably the ugliest thing in central Sydney and even a fire did little to improve it. The 33-metre wide, 10-metre high volcano avec advertising screen stuck on the front of the Metro Theatre on George Street has been in its burnt state now for nine months and still hasn't been repaired or, better still, pulled down.

If you said the fibreglass volcano was Homerian in its scope it could only be a reference to Homer Simpson. That's fitting since it was opened by the voice of Bart Simpson, high-profile Hollywood Scientologist Nancy Cartwright, five years ago this month.

Whose fault is it that Sydney is still blighted with this monstrosity?

The screen spent most of its time spruiking the Dianetics book by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, so The Church of Scientology Inc seemed a good place to start asking questions.

"It has nothing to do with us," said Scientology's Linda Fitzpatrick.

"This is one of the big misconceptions. It was set up by an independent company which sold some of the screen time to the publisher of books by L. Ron. Hubbard. I thought the Metro was going to pull it down."

We asked a Metro spokesman: "It has nothing to do with us. The video. screen at the top is ours but it is not being used because the projector is being leased by a third party. As for the volcano, you'd really have to talk to Claude Neon."

"It has nothing to do with us," said Claude Neon's general manager Ray Humphrey. "We don't own it in any respect. We were the manufacturer for a third party [Woodbridge Associates Pty Ltd] but they took ownership in about 1998 and we walked away with empty pockets."

So what about Woodbridge? It seems Woodbridge has nothing to do with it either since The Australian Securities and Investments Commission lists it as being "under external administration and/or controller appointed".

All of which leaves Sydney with a half-burnt fibreglass grotesque in one of its main thoroughfares. As long ago as November 1996, Lord Mayor Frank Sartor offered to pull the volcano down as part of a drive to rid the city of "ugly spots" (and what a great campaign that's been!).

So is the Sartor offer still open? No, it seems, though spokesman Graham Cassidy bucked the trend by failing to say "It's got nothing to do with us".

He told Spike the latest negotiations had confirmed it would come down in August-September "at the expense of Edgley's which holds the master lease on the site with the City of Sydney". So, folks, only a few weeks to go. We hope!

Here's the challenge for Spike readers all across Greater Sydney: grab your camera and photograph the ugliest eyesore near your home or work. Then call your local law enforcement agency - or better still send the results into us (with a short explanation of what it is and what should be done to it). Our address is below.

So, the hunt continues for the parties behind 'Woodbridge Associates'.

Who's betting that there'll be some names that pop up in a cookie- cutter spam page or two?
tam --
Leaving your opponents no way out is a stupid way to operate, but scientology is well known for this trait. Has to do with all the brain's processing power being used up running a low quality simulation of LRH's mind.

Keith Henson

In Message-ID: <3afa1ae2.ad432@nancy.pacific.net.au>

From: "Thomas J Best" <noemail@nowhere.yet>.
Organization: Hardly ever.
Wrote on the subject: Sydney volcano - cult denies all knowledge!:
It's not that hard really. It's already established that Woodbridge & Associates is a crime cult company.

From: http://thingy.apana.org.au/~fun/scn/press/960504-smh.html
The managing director of Woodbridge & Associates, Ms Carmel Underwood, a scientologist for 16 years, told the Herald the volcano symbolised the "power and strength of dianetics".

-------------------------------------------- Sten-Arne

"Hello, my name is Carmel Underwood, and here is a little bit about myself:

"I am thirty nine years old. I have been married for fifteen years. My husband Tim and I have three sons, aged eight, ten and eleven.

"I enjoy being a Mum, I have my own business, and I have a large group of friends and associates. Life for me is exciting, a challenge and very rewarding."
Sydney Morning Herald, 04 May 1996 - http://www.suburbia.net/~fun/scn/press/960504-smh.html details the raising of the volcano.

Expected to last for six years, it was designed and built by outdoor advertising company Claude Neon for Woodbridge & Associates ... The managing director of Woodbridge & Associates, Ms Carmel Underwood, a scientologist for 16 years, told the Herald the volcano symbolised the "power and strength of dianetics".
From the Sun-Herald, Sun 23 Jun 1996, we see:

Eruption Unfounded In response to the comments made about the George Street Volcano (Nightmare on George Street, S-H 26/5), I wish to make certain facts clear.

My company, Woodbridge Associates Pty Ltd, owns the lease on the volcano. We are leasing some of the screen time to New Era Publications, not the Church of Scientology. New Era Publications is advertising the Dianetics book on the screen. They are the publishers of the works of L.Ron Hubbard. There have been no breaches of any advertising standards and this is just a ruse by a grouchy councillor to create trouble where there is none and to get her name in print.

CARMEL UNDERWOOD, managing director, Woodbridge and Associates, Strathfield.

I don't have the "Nightmare On George Street" article from the Sun 26 May 1996 Sun-Herald to hand ... anyone?
-- http://thingy.apana.org.au/~fun/ http://www.caube.org.au/ "Our next contestant is from Nazareth! He's a carpenter who does a little wine-making and raising the dead in his spare time! Let's see if he wants to be a millionaire!" (Barbarella)

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