Nightcap Village Nightmare Revived

By Gi Linda.

Peter and Joan van Lieshout.

Dutchman Peter van Lieshout, with familial ties to Super A-Mart, is not one to let controversy, adverse public opinion or the nuisance of Australian development regulations stand in the way of his ideas. 

Owner of 3,000 acres in Nightcap Forest, near Mt Burrell, NSW, he aspires to build a town where happy “Nightcappers,” prospective inhabitants of his village will hopefully live harmoniously with nature and pay his land taxes.

Nightcap Village was proposed to include 1,000 residents with 250 houses, 130 three storey units, a 100-bed backpacker, a 100-bed motel, 50 shops and a pub. The DA anticipated the village would generate an additional local 4,500 car movements a day.

Developed in 2006 by the Vanlieshout Group, Nightcap Village was marketed as "Zero Impact Living".

Before submitting an application for development approval, an Environmental Impact Study found the proposed village site to be located in pristine forest, rich with rare and endangered species.

  Undeterred, van Lieshout built unapproved dams, permitted unapproved residences and cleared an area for the proposed Nightcap Village without any prior development consent.

News in 2006 of the intended $137 million development triggered loud complaints from outraged locals, strongly opposed to the unwanted imposition of a potential urban eruption in the beautiful rural valley.

When van Lieshout lodged a development application for Nightcap Village with Tweed Shire Council there was massive opposition from local residents, spearheaded by environmental defenders who actively protect the integrity of the Northern Rivers’ natural resources from indiscriminate developers and corporate greed.

Local protest against Nightcap Village, 2009

The Caldera Residents Action Group, CRAG, gathered over 600 handwritten objections to the proposed Nightcap Village. When it came to a vote on the DA,  the Environmental Impact Statement listing endangered species was not presented and a required aboriginal heritage study had not been conducted.

Pete Symons, a local who studies the impact of “geopathic stress” on land, claimed the proposed site of Nightcap Village is “cursed” because of a massacre of Aboriginal people on that site, giving it a “destructive and harmful energy signature”.

Widjabul Elders said the bodies of the massacred men, women and children were “so badly mutilated that distressed people who discovered the massacre lit  beacon fires all around Mt Warning, calling in the clans to perform funeral rites and sing a curse into the land”.

Council received over 500 submissions arguing against the proposed development. Several speakers complained that council was serving developers rather than the people who elected them.

Peter van Lieshout’s wife, aspiring co-developer Joan van Lieshout, just happened to be Mayor of Tweed Shire at the time. She abstained from voting to avoid appearance of conflict of interest. Only two councilors, Katie Milne and Barry Longland, voted against the development.

The proposed village sounded an alarm in local papers with Tweed Daily News Aug 2007 reporting Nightmare 'Nightcap' Development Approved in Tweed Shire:  “On announcement of the vote in favour of the DA, the gallery broke into a near brawl, as residents yelled at the top of their voices their extreme anger and disappointment.”

At a subsequent Land and Environment Court hearing 100 people objected to the proposal with only one in favour. Even so, the Commissioner approved the development.

Despite Peter van Lieshout's aggressive push for development consent in contempt of overwhelming local opposition, he found the cost of required infrastructure impossible to meet. The plans did not proceed and development consent lapsed in 2011. 

The frustrated developer, with unpaid land taxes mounting, became re-inspired in 2015 when leaders of a Sovereignty Cult whose finance manager, known to those he has treated unconscionably as “Jimmy the Maggot” purchased an adjoining property and began to promote a community, “Living in Harmony”.

The "Intentional Community" called "Bhula Bhula" was established without development approval on environmentally protected land where multiple occupancy was prohibited.

Bhula Bhula Community marketing ad, 2015

Describing their initiative as “unconventional business,” Adrian Brennock and cohorts defrauded investors of purchase price monies in 2015. After falsely promising potential investors co-ownership of the land, they purchased the 640 acre property through a private company. Adrian Brennock acquired legal ownership of the asset in his personal right as company director and sole shareholder with a single share value $1.

Defrauded investors who called for accountability woke up to a nightmare of litigation, threats, bullying and stalking as they were forcibly evicted from the property without restitution of their funds.

Phillip Dixon

Undeterred by the carnage of broken dreams, shattered families and empty bank accounts left in the wake of their failed venture, and ever aspiring to greater visions, Adrian Brennock with sidekicks Mark Darwin and Phillip Dixon made a deal in early 2016 with neighbour Peter van Lieshout to expand their initiative onto his property.

"Mount Warning Eco Village" was set up and by 2017 a move was in place to transfer legal title of the land paid for by the defrauded investors to the new company. The attempted pre-positioned asset sale as an ongoing phoenix move is being facilitated through liquidation by Vincents Chartered Accountants.

Tyler Tolman and Adrian Brennock

In November 2017, "Mount Warning Eco Village", the name of Darwin and Brennock's "Village Community" scheme, was switched to “Nightcap Village” and promoted by celebrity “Ambassador” Tyler Tolman, who describes himself as the “money man” behind the venture.

The aspiring developers of Nightcap Village prefer to occult their nexus as cabos of the dishonorable sovereignty cult that defrauded investors of over $1.5 million by offering "ethical investments" in a land-share scam!

Mark Darwin

Their first attempted “village community” failed, causing immeasurable hurt and harm to those who ingenuously trusted Darwin's deceptive blue-eyed sales pitch.

Nightcap Village website now advertises: "...an exciting project underway to build an entire eco friendly, sustainable village on a 3500+ acre site at the foot of Mt Warning..."

It's an attractive vision given a veneer of credibility with a gloss of celebrity, but with local outrage re-emerging it becomes increasingly evident that the new promises are the same as the old promises as "Nightcap Village Nightmare" revives.

Buyer Beware!

Darwin / Brennock Investment Scam -- A Warning!

By Concerned Neighbour -

I am a 'Mt Burrell local' and have watched what has gone on at 3222 Kyogle Road since 2014 when Darwin and Brennock set about getting the funds together to buy the land. I was appalled by Darwin's youtube video talking about our piece of paradise, calling it Hicksville and how they, with the help of likeminded people, would educate the locals, take over Sphinx Rock Cafe and serve real food, that they had grown on their land. 

3222 Kyogle Rd, Mt Burrell, NSW

A shanty town grew up at 3222 Kyogle Road. Fortunately the council became involved and the Land and Environment Court ordered all dwellings, except the original farmhouse, to be removed. What was once prime agricultural land is now in ruins. Everyone left after taking down their dwellings.

I have subsequently met several of the people who 'invested' their money in this illegal scheme and they are good people who believed the dream that Darwin and Brennock were selling. They have lost their 'investment' and for many that was all they had - everything gone.

New land, same lies

 Darwin and Brennock have now moved their scam to a property at Mebbin Springs (Mount Warning Eco Village). They have started with the same lies and schemes that I saw at Mt Burrell. More people are being conned and once again they will lose their money.

Don't listen to their lies!
Don't give them your money for nothing but heartache in return!

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!

Ripped Off

By Stuart Newman - A Defrauded Investor

Unfortunately everything on this Blog is true!

I say "unfortunately" because I am one of the members of this failed community. Very unfortunate for us. It has destroyed our lives. Now trapped in limbo, we are trying desperately to get our life savings back.

 My hope is in posting this that someone will read this before they fall victim to these scam artists. I say "scam artists" but I don't mean "artists" in any pretty way. The way they work is very ugly. Total con-men! Slick sales and the ability to lie directly to your face knowing all along that they plan to take your life savings and use it to buy themselves expensive toys and fund the expansion of their financial shit show.

Our community did not fail because of personality differences, it failed because it became obvious that the financials were being kept secret and that $600k was missing from our accounts. 

Records show it was taken by Mark Darwin and Adrian Brennock and the small team of dumb asses that have been suckered in to follow them.

It also became obvious that they had hidden a town planners report that showed we would never be allowed to build our community there due to water catchment restrictions that they knew about all along.

Now they have crashed us into liquidation 2 days before we were to vote a new trustee and try to rescue ourselves. They have added $550k of fake creditors to the company -- all made-up expenses from their friends and family and other companies they control.

No valid attempt was ever made by them to sort this community out. Their plan is purely to make lots of money off the backs of families who are wanting to build community. 

And now they are doing it to another group of poor unsuspecting folks. My heart goes out to those folks.

As for Mark Darwin, Adrian Brennock, Cherrie Stokes, Steve McSween, Richard Moate, Phillip Dixon: The words "Narcissistic Psychopaths" come to mind.

May justice prevail! May we find our way back to peace!

Please share this to anyone who maybe thinking of "community "

in the Mt Burrell, Uki, Nimbin area.

Save them from these sharks!

Justice is on its way!

Mount Warning Eco Village Warning - Update

Buyer be warned! 
Mount Warning Eco Village is a fresh face and a different name 
for an old “bait-n-switch” toxic snake-oil game!

By Gi Linda

If you’re sick of the corporate rat-race, looking for a life-change and dreaming of happy families sharing, caring and growing veggies in harmonious community; if you are all cashed up and a bit credulous, then there are deep blue eyes spinning sweet honey lies with captivating cadence, eager to embrace your life savings in a notorious Mt Burrell property scam.

Attractive online façades with changing names and faces conceal a long line of defrauded creditors pressing for restitution. Headed by Mark Darwin and Adrian Brennock, the current lure, “Mt Warning Eco Village” at mountwarningecovillage.com.au is presented as an exciting opportunity to be part of an up-market “intentional community” dedicated to an alternative lifestyle. The sales pitch sounds smooth, but baited buyers are unaware that habitation is not permitted on the residential sites offered for sale. 

Once hooked and bled dry of funds, financiers soon wake up to the reality behind the trance-like delusion; a hidden history of hurt, harm and betrayal that has spat out many disillusioned investors.
 

Truthology - A Matrix of Lies

Beginning in 2014, followers of Mark Darwin were enticed to fund the scam through an anti-establishment online front, “Truthology”, linked with “Create A Foundation” apparently aiding abused girls. “Freedom Summits” and public presentations in major cities promoted Darwin’s subversive ideology of “Sovereign Citizens”. Flying under the radar of a dynamic, compassionate activist movement with a sagacious international following, the fraudsters spun a land-share scam offering residential sites in an unapproved community on environmentally protected property without development approval.

Potential investors were not told about existing restrictions on use of the land, and employment of a town planner enhanced a false appearance that permits were in process. Soon after the communal venture began, families who were camping and constructing dream homes were forced to leave when Tweed Shire Council took legal action to stop the building of an unapproved “village” on environmentally protected land.

 

Criminal Charges Expose Fraud and Larceny

I have brought criminal charges of fraud against Darwin, Brennock and Richard Moate, and charges of larceny against property manager Steven McSween for theft of my mobile home valued over $90,000, a caravan and personal belongings, that accompanied the malicious destruction of my Garden.

After driving investors off the Mt Burrell property without return of their money, Mark Darwin’s partner Adrian Brennock, holding a single share of value $1, remained as sole shareholder in the company Wollumbin Horizons Pty Ltd, and still asserts control as the illegitimate yet legal sole owner of the land asset.  They then appointed themselves co-directors of a new company, Rainmaker Eco Investments Pty Ltd, and together with Cherrie Stokes and Philip Dixon, bought the commercial precinct adjoining Bhula Bhula, including Sphinx Rock Cafe, shops, fuel servo and caravan park.

Mt Burrell Commercial, purchased by Darwin, Brennock & co in 2016

The Mt Burrell property scam was first exposed in October 2016 in my Nimbin GoodTimes article, “The Truth About Bhula-Bhula by Gi Linda"

“Legal action is in process by disillusioned investors in a community at Mt Burrell, near Nimbin. The community was founded by Mark Darwin through his organisation, ‘Truthology’. Investors warn that ‘Truthology’ presents a matrix of lies, using misleading marketing to facilitate acquisition of multi-million-dollar properties.  

  “Investors paid up to $120,000 for fake shares in the 640 acre property and some also transferred their superannuation, falsely assured by Mark Darwin and Adrian Brennock that development applications were in process and would be fast-tracked to approval."

Tweed Council strongly warned that no community would be permitted on  that property because parts of it are protected as rainwater catchment. Yet these warnings were kept hidden from investors by Darwin and Brennock. 

Sites for sale on protected land

Fraud occurred when the first and second plaintiffs deceptively offered consensual contractual terms that were later dismissed or switched, demonstrating prior intent to vary the conditions after “selected” investors had fully paid.

During their recorded sales presentation, (min 40) the first plaintiff assures his audience that “sweeping legislation allows for habitation” on the Land and he demonstrates contempt for local authorities and neighbours:




"Recreating the Village" Promotional Presentation in Sydney

An archived video recorded at a sales pitch in Sydney in August 2015, “Recreating the Village” was posted online and is now removed. “Recreating the Village” demonstrates how the first and second plaintiffs set up an apparently impenetrable fire-wall protective structure using the services of Wroth Wall Lawyers, before deceiving potential investors with misleading information.

Mark Darwin: “We’ve already been contacted by Tweed Shire Council, 48 hours after settling... the locals have already contacted Santa Clause ... they’ve accused us of carrying out illegal works and all sorts of stuff. But we want to develop a relationship with them... Cough-cough.” 
  
Adrian Brennock: “Bullshit!... We’ve ruffled a few feathers.
"   

Mark Darwin: “And if you know AB and I, we don’t get bullied by authorities!”

Darwin admits that apart from their willingness to comply with construction safety standards for residences, they do not intend to seek any prior Development Approval, but intend to get “current approval status” extended.

Only an inner circle knew that the advertised lots were reserved for future water catchment to a proposed dam at Byrrill Creek. 

In December 2015, an independent town planning report advising that multiple occupancy would not be allowed was hidden from investors, who began building dream-homes with exotic mountain views.

“Those who sniffed a scam and called for accountability were menaced and forced out of the community. When an accidental fire in a camper almost set the forest ablaze, Tweed Council ordered everyone to leave. 

Investors were driven off the property without return of their funds and without share titles. Loans were not repaid. Despite calls for transparency, all books were hidden. The cattle were sold and abandoned paddocks overgrown with weeds.  

A sign bolted to the broken front gate warned ‘ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!’”

Following the Nimbin GoodTimes exposé, Mark Darwin’s front groups all disappeared. Truthology, Freedom Summits, Create A Foundation, the Bhula-Bhula websites, FaceBook pages and all marketing videos were scrubbed from the internet with apologies, while the ongoing abuse of truth just took on a new guise. 

Darwin whimpered empty promises that overdue loans would be repaid and reassured defrauded investors their money would happily be returned… except that “fines” must be imposed, leaving nothing to return.

Instead of ending the fraud and making restitution after being exposed, Darwin’s gang, with the  new front company, Rainmaker Eco Investments, went fishing for more investors, and the land-share scam resurfaced as they continued selling fake shares in the failed Bhula-Bhula Community.

Darwin and Brennock, together with Phillip Dixon, then presented a new façade, “Mt Warning Eco Village”, and extending the “Village Community” from Bhula-Bhula to a neighbouring property, "Nightcap Forest".

Peter van Lieshout  - Mt Warning Eco Village

In collaboration with landowner Peter van Lieshaupt, Darwin, Brennock and Dixon began advertising residential lots on the adjoining land in Nightcap Forest, in areas which, like the property used for the failed "Bhula Bhula Village Community" are also protected for rainwater catchment. 

As the visionary developers are well aware, both properties are part of an area protected for rainwater catchment to provide future drinking water to the Gold Coast with a proposed dam at Byrill Creek. 

Tweed Council confirms warnings received by the prospective developers that, as with the adjoining "Bhula Bhula" property, the area they are advertising as designated for residential lots in  "Mt Warning Eco Village" is reserved for future water-catchment — no habitation is permitted.

Despite the restrictions to potential use of the and and the failure to lodge development applications, the advertised Eco Village was promoted nationally and internationally, and loans are sought to facilitate purchase of the land by Darwin, Brennock & co in a prospective shareholder agreement with landowner Peter van Lieshaupt.

To silence opponents, Darwin, Brennock and their bully-boyz aggressively confronted and made defamatory ad hominem attacks on all who have exposed or opposed them.

To date, no development application has been approved for the establishment of a village on the protected land, and despite dishonest assurances by Darwin’s boyz that they do have green-lit DA approval, no Development Application has even been initiated.

Tyler Tolman celebrating the launch of "Mt Warning Eco Village" with Adrian Brennock

In 2016, with fake shares in the failed Bhula-Bhula Community still being sold, Mt Warning Eco Village was advertised as a unique opportunity to buy into an “entire town” on 3,500 pristine acres. Plans include a medical cannabis university and dispensary with a luxury spa hosted by international celebrity health coach Tyler Tolman, who runs an expensive Bali resort offering “Heal Thy Self” juice fasts. 

In August 2016 Mark Darwin posted online: “Now we've just bought the entire township of Mount Burrell, and are taking on investors who wish to join us... Tyler Tolman has secured space at our Intentional Community near Mt Warning.” Asked about his participation in the alleged fraud, Tyler Tolman confirms he is collaborating with the venture.

 

Mark Darwin and the Boyz

Mark Darwin, Caroline Coman

Mark Darwin, a master of chameleon disguise lurking in the background, assumes the identities “Annonymous BB Wife” and “Dummass Boofhead” to menace those who attempt to expose his fraud. 

A snake-oil marketing master, Mark Darwin presents himself as a former high-flying finance-monger who had a glorious epiphany when he was healed of a brain tumor by Tyler’s celebrity father, Don Tolman. He tells how he was transmogrified from a scurrilous money-grubber into a humble "Sovereignty" guru, saving people from corporate enslavement - for a fee - by sharing "Freeman" tricks such as how to get off paying fines and how to abuse the legal system for commercial advantage. 

"Sovereign Citizens" promote their own mashup of common law that's held above government statute. They assume the right to trample truth, discard moral and ethical oversight and ignore legislation that constrains normal mortals from anarchy. 

So, regardless of expressed platitudes denying intent to hurt or harm others, "Sovereign Citizens" or "Freemen" feel they are specially empowered to deceive and defraud if it profits their supreme cause. Being a law unto themselves, able to perjure with impunity and with aggressive enforcers at their bidding, Darwin and the Bully-Bully Boyz boast that they will evade accountability, according to their supreme golden rule:

“The Law of the Brute” -- They score the loot and defrauded investors get the boot.

Adrian Brennock, "AB"

While Mark Darwin is a charming salesman and sovereignty mentor skilled in strategic flattery and duplicity, his diminutive partner is  Adrian Brennock, known at first a "Mr X", aka Andrew Brennon or “AB”. He is a professional loan shark who claims he is a "former plumber". 

Kelly McSween, Sales

Puppet directors Steven McSween and Richard Moate were set up to carry the can in the Bhula-Bhula scam. 

For two years, with dishonest marketing by Kelly McSween hiding the harm caused to those they betrayed, Darwin’s gang have continued advertising and selling residential lots in a “harmonious community,” headed by “new young energy”, without revealing their lack of DA approval and environmental constraints on use of the advertised sites.

 

After being exposed in several local newspapers, Darwin and cohorts simply scrubbed online references to Bhula-Bhula Community, issued threats of extreme litigation to their opponents, then popped-up a new front and continued marketing a “once in a lifetime opportunity to own a town”.

    Philip Dixon - Mt Warning Ecovillage

Working closely with Philip Dixon, Darwin says they’re “recreating the village”. He promotes the venture as “ethical, sustainable and green”, as he continues flogging fake shares in a community fiasco built on environmentally protected land without development approval.

The “village”, intended to span three properties with a projected total of 2,300 dwellings, is advertised at mountwarningecovillage.com.au: “Recreating the Village through Community Spirit and Respect of the Planet”.

Distancing the elitist Mt Warning Eco Village from neighboring communities of farmers and local pot-growing hippies who keep alive the communitarian values of Nimbin's 1973 Aquarius Festival, potential buyers are assured: “Make no mistake, these aren’t your daddy’s hippy communes”:

“Those who find themselves on the pioneering growth edge of communal living are calling for a return to our roots… and are advocating for a cultural resurgence of a new form of village living. Learning from both the successes and missteps of our parents’ generation, conscious Millennials and Gen-Xers are uniquely poised to Re-Inhabit the Village in ways the world has never seen.”

Mount Warning EcoVillage Website

Location of the property

Tours showcase the environmentally protected areas that are offered for sale with optional cabins for only $150,000:

 

“We encourage you to book a tour with us to explore this incredible 3,500 acre project. The tours are usually twice a month (on weekends) and commence at 8am (NSW time) and conclude with a lovely lunch at a log cabin in the middle of the property over looking Tallow Wood Dam at around 1pm. During the tour, you will meet the Founders, existing members, and also some local tribal elders who will welcome you to country, and show you how to introduce yourself to country over time…”

Environmentally protected land offered for habitation at Mt Warning Eco Village

Anyone who enquires about the advertised “ethical investment opportunity” in the Mt Warning Eco Village is first required to reveal their phone number. The automated response is slightly menacing: “We’ve got your number.”

Criminal charges exposing the land-share scam were initiated in private prosecution by Gi Linda on March 28 at Murwillumbah Court after Mark Darwin and cohorts failed in desperate attempts to liquidate the land asset. Legal action by Tweed Shire Council in the Land and Environment Court continues, as well as an investigation by Coomera police. 

Litigation and fraud investigation continues as Darwin, Brennock and cohorts persist in soliciting loans to enable them to purchase more properties for their proposed "Ecovillage", located on environmentally protected land.

"Millennials and Gen-Xers" who are “uniquely poised to Re-Inhabit the Village in ways the world has never seen”. Certainly the world has seen every type of scam, but perhaps this one really is original?

Great profit and special privilege can evidently be gained from the simple intent to “re-inhabit” land that is not legally habitable.
    

 -------------------------------------------------------

Mark Darwin - "Scammer"

Mark Darwin "Scammer"

Comment by a Concerned Neighbour:

"Mark Darwin - So many lies! People who 'invested' in Bhula Bhula have not received their money back. The Land and Environment Court on behalf of the council stopped you at Bhula Bhula and now you are doing the same thing on different land under the name of Mount Warning Eco Village. You are a scammer."

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...