Bhula Bhula Community Disaster

By Melissa Hirsch - A Defrauded Investor -

My experience of the Bhula Bhula Community disaster:

I bought into Bhula Bhula (BB) in March 2015, fourteen weeks before the land was purchased. I was both excited and concerned… in retrospect I can see how naive and trusting I was.

As a single, middle-aged woman I was excited at the possibility of living in a community of like-minded people. It would be a combination of a social, support and information network with kids, families, intelligent conversation, a brain-trust… people who knew more or differently from me.

My concern was the gap between what was on paper and what was alluded to and ‘emphasised’ by the front men (the boyz).

So many of the 'stories' that were sold to us never eventuated… the community centre, the equality, transparency and honesty… even the contracts on paper that were constantly a ‘known’ within the community were not honoured.

One of the most important processes that was not actioned was the "Incorporated Association" through which investors would jointly own and control the land. The Association should have been the sole share holder in the company that owned the land. 

Instead, Adrian Brennock made himself the sole share holder, never registering the Association or those that paid for the land, though I do have emails from Mark Darwin informing us the "Association" was registered, and all the rest of the 'stories' about how we would become members before the land was purchased, etc, etc…
 

No matter how many times we asked, requested, demanded, nothing changed!

Emails, YouTube clips and conversations were full of contradictions and manipulations of the truth to cover their arses, but these were also purposeful, conscious manipulations to 'sell'. At first we thought the contradictions and changing ‘facts’ were mistakes, but its clear now how deliberate these were.

Whenever anyone asked questions, or asked to see the financial accounts they were ignored, then eventually verbally bullied and abused in person or through emails. The boyz send the most delightfully spiteful anonymous emails, full of venom and personal attacks. Their most recent pseudonym is "Dummass Boofhead"  or "FYJ Boofhead" (thats FYJ for "F*k You Jimmy" -- a phrase that amuses them no end).

There are at least 5 families who have lost their entire life savings to these people and many individuals have lost huge chunks of their earnings, over $1.5 million, all taken from those who earned and saved then purchased the land.
 

Here are some of the games these boyz have played: they have gone from one tax avoidance scheme to another, changing companies, foundation names and fronts, burning many people/companies/foundations/businesses. All because they can, because they exploit legal loopholes and betray the trust of honest, decent people.
 

Their next project is another Eco Village at Mt Burrell. Apparently they are sucking in more people and manipulating the truth and those in authority. If you think those of us included in this blog are just bitter, twisted losers, then talk to some Mt Burrell locals and hear them out… that way you can save your arses, your money and count your blessings that there are some moral and ethical people out there, willing to take a stand.

I recommend watching the YouTube clips….RECREATING THE VILLAGE #1 &#2…..so much of what is said is NOT TRUTH… those TRUTHOLOGY boyz… tut, tut!

Facts About Mount Warning Eco Village Scam

By Gi Linda.

“Truthology” was the deceptive front used as a database by Mark Darwin and Adrian Brennock in 2014, when they first began calling for investors to buy land and form a “Village Community.”

Mark Darwin aka "Dumass Boofhead"

Darwin and Brennock acquired $1.5 million to purchase the land, plus loans and superannuation, and established “Bhula Bhula Village Community”  at 3222 Kyogle Rd, Mt Burrell, NSW, Australia.  

But the “Village Community.” was governed by an improperly executed Trust that enabled Darwin and Brennock to betray the trust of the supposed "unit holders".  

Potential investors were misled by false representations and the silent omission of known restrictions on potential land use.  Investors who paid for the land were then disenfranchised with only a beneficial interest in an empty Trust.

Online “Truthology” marketing material was removed after the land-share scam was exposed in local newspapers in 2016.

Tweed Daily News: "Living in a Nightmare"

Many assurances were given to potential investors that development approval was in process, yet Darwin and Brennock never applied for the required permits, knowing that the land was protected as water catchment for a proposed future drinking water dam.

More than 21 investors who had purchased the communal property at Mt Burrell, were forcibly driven off the land during 2016-17, without return of their funds. 

Despite much pretense, investors have received no restitution as Darwin and Brennock attempt to take private control of the land through a deceptive “phoenix move.”

Adrian Brennock aka "Jimmy the Maggot"

Darwin and Brennock, after fleecing the purchasers of the 640 acre property, are again rattling the can, asking credulous investors to believe their "new promises" and give them money, as they aspire to purchase 3,000 acres and form another “Village Community” on adjoining property, together with landowner Peter van Lieshout.

Landowner Peter van Lieshout

"Mount Warning Eco Village” is again marketed by Darwin and Brennock with assurances that dwelling is permitted, and cabins are offered for sale. Yet the intended "Eco Village", like the failed "Bhula Bhula Village Community", is located on environmentally protected land. Again, there is NO DA in place for multiple occupancy on the land, and no application for development of a "Village Community" has been submitted to Tweed Shire Council, although Darwin and Brennock are, as before, loudly stating their "intention to extend existing permissions".

Mt Warning Eco Village - baiting with "alternative lifestyle" lures

The continual soliciting by Darwin and Brennock, of "mezzanine finance," "loans,” “advances," “ethical investments,” "superannuation funds"   and “pre-DA purchase of home-sites" on environmentally protected land without development approval has been ongoing since 2014. This is a SCAM that has already left investors with trust betrayed and shattered lives, defrauded of over $1.5 million.

Buyer Be Warned!

Living A Nightmare

Failed Community Leaves Families Broke

By Alina Rylko / 12th Aug 2017 / Tweed Daily News
 

Defrauded family - the Kirkwoods

"A COLLAPSED shared-living community at Mt Burrell serves as a warning to potential investors of alternative housing schemes. With its court-ordered dismantling this week, the Bhula Bhula Intentional Community has left in its wake at least 20 financially ruined investors and a litany of complex legal clashes.
 
"Investors were lured with the concept of a self-sustainable community, with permaculture gardens and shared labour. Former investor Neil Pascoe and his partner poured $80,000 into the project in 2014 when it was marketed at an "anti-government" Freedom Summit at Byron Bay. "Everyone wanted to get together and make something amazing, to grow food, and to try to create an oasis," Mr Pascoe said. "We wanted to live in self-sustainable container ships - earth ships - and beautiful log cabins. Now people are on the verge of losing their life savings, living in a nightmare."
 
"Suffolk Park resident Emanuele Agus and his wife claimed to have invested $120,000 into Bhula Bhula after they heard about an "off-the- grid community" from a friend. "Things started (to) go wrong when people started asking too many questions about the increasing amount of money missing, and the lack of financial transparency."

According to emails seen by the Tweed Daily News, a man described by some as the co-founder of the community, Mark Darwin, promoted units for $180,000 each in the 'intentional community' via email in 2014, under his "Truthology" and Freedom Summits movements.

 

Mark Darwin - Co-Founder Bhula Bhula Community

"But in a statement to the TDN, Mr Darwin denied any leadership over the Bhula Bhula community, instead saying his involvement was limited to that of an interested "community member"."

Read more:
https://www.tweeddailynews.com.au/news/living-in-a-nightmare8221-community-collapse-leave/3211697/

Open Letter to the Editor

To: Editor, Tweed Daily News

Re: "Living a Nightmare" - Request for correction

From: Gi Linda

Thank you for covering this story, I hope the warning will save many people from loss and harm, but, as one of the defrauded investors in the community featured in Alina Rylko's "Living a Nightmare", I'm disappointed with her report. Perhaps a "poor victim" tearjerker sells better than more complex truth, but "Living in a Nightmare" misses the real story!

I’m a former BBC reporter and independent documentary filmmaker working on social justice issues. Alina phoned me for a quote, saying she was past deadline with only moments to talk about criminal charges I am bringing against the kingpins running the scam and the mega-million-dollar defamation charges they have brought against me for exposing their fraud. As a professional journalist I'm sorry to say that your reporter either ignored what I said, or didn't listen.

I would like to request a correction, including the following facts:

The fraudulent "Bhula Bhula" venture was a set-up by Mark Darwin and Adrian Brennock to sell home sites on land protected for rainwater catchment, where no dwelling is permitted. Some investors knew no development approval would be granted, but were encouraged to take the risk, so they fought council for a year in court, and lost. Others, misled by Darwin's dreamweavers, were not told of environmental restrictions.

I was deceived by dishonest marketing. In 2015, Mark Darwin was inviting participation in a progressive community as an escape from a dysfunctional society on the brink of collapse. I have lived several years in successful self-sufficient communities that were built on Christian principles of love, truth and justice. I hoped this new community, founded by Darwin and Brennock under a banner of "Truthology", would uphold integrity. 

In 2015, on the basis of false assurances and mistaken trust, I invested $120,000 for a 3-acre site to build a garden, not a home, before realizing I had bought into a scam.

I soon saw that Darwin and Brennock had formed a tightly controlled Sovereignty Cult, attempting to establish a pirate community on land where no habitation is allowed, by hiding known environmental restrictions from investors.

Defrauded investors who woke up to the scam and requested restitution were threatened, harassed and defamed. We were rejected from the “community” without return of our money and driven off the land with gag orders. I refused to leave without return of my investment, so they smashed my garden, stole my mobile home and belongings, then charged me for "cleanup".

Adrian Brennock, the delinquent fiduciary, controls the company owning our land. As self-appointed director and sole shareholder with a single share value $1,  Brennock is currently attempting to crash the company, burn investors and buy back the land for the private commercial profit of the Darwin/Brennock Sovereignty Cult.

To achieve this phoenix move, on July 7th, Brennock took a $1m loan on the company he claimed was insolvent, to pay their front company, Mt Warning Eco Village Pty Ltd, to purchase the land for $1m over market value!

Together with other defrauded investors, I publish an online blog exposing this scam, and have brought criminal charges of fraud and larceny against Darwin & Co in a private prosecution pressing for restitution and retribution. I am also litigating against them in Sydney Supreme Court for defamation.

A warning! Darwin, Brennock & Phillip Dixon have now expanded their scam to "Mount Warning Eco Village" on a neighboring property, where they continue selling dream home-sites on environmentally protected land. It’s their brazen audacity that stands out; as they menace disenfranchised investors into silence, they continue selling fake dreams in a failed community on land where dwelling is forbidden. As more and more defrauded investors are spat out, new victims are needed, so buyer be warned, before your dreams disappear into the back-pocket of a slick stranger’s snakeskin pants...