by JOHN MIKKELSEN – EVERYONE is probably fed up to their eye teeth with cyclone talk after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred stopped pirouetting and finally took a final bow.
After exiting stage left – and leaving a trail of damage in its wake – there are lessons to be learned.
- The Climate Council weighed in with its predictable theme – nothing could be further from the truth.
- Cyclones this far south might be relatively rare but Alfred was just one of a long conga line.
- Cyclones have actually decreased in frequency and intensity.
It was good to be forewarned about a week in advance while still hundreds of kilometres offshore.
But some would say the coverage was over-hyped, over-politicised and over televised.
WARNING
For several days before Alfie finally crossed the coast, we had reporters stationed everywhere from northern NSW, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Caloundra, Maroochydore, all standing outdoors and telling us not to be complacent, the cyclone really was coming.
Many looked drenched even when it wasn’t raining and some wags have suggested their camera crews might have kept a hose handy to give them that dramatic wet-haired look.
Then we had politicians such as PM Anthony Albanese, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, various Greens and Teals such as Zali Steggall blaming “climate change” for making cyclones more frequent and severe.
The Climate Council also weighed in with the same predictable theme, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Cyclones this far south might be relatively rare but Alfred was just one of a long conga line – and cyclones have actually decreased in frequency and intensity.
Queensland scientist and climate guru Dr Jennifer Marohasy posted a report while Alfie was still making very slow progress towards the coast.
She said the following: “Contrary to popular narratives, cyclones are not becoming more intense and their frequency is waning. CSIRO research has confirmed a statistically significant downward trend in the annual number of tropical cyclones in the Australian region over the period extending from 1981-82 to 2017-18.
“The intensity of these cyclones is also in decline. During the period 1935 to 1974 every other year there was a cyclone making landfall as far south as Brisbane and into NSW. This was a period of much more cyclone activity. There were two cyclones that made landfall as far south as NSW in 1934: on January 30 and then again on February 19.
“Two cyclones also made landfall in NSW in 1959: TC Beatrice and TC Connie.
“These four cyclones are listed in a journal article by JL Gray et al entitled ‘On the Recent Hiatus of Tropical Cyclones Landfalling in NSW, Australia’, published in the Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science in 2020.
“The most extreme cyclone to hit Queensland, Tropical Cyclone Mahina, was arguably the world’s most intense with a central pressure recorded at 880 hectopascals, a 12-metre storm surge, and 300 kilometre per hour winds. That was in 1899 – 126 years ago.”
A Wikipedia search shows that Mahina struck Bathurst Bay on Cape York Peninsula on March 4 1899 – and its winds and enormous storm surge combined to cause the deaths of more than 300 people.
“The Great Gold Coast Cyclone” which struck on February 20, 1954, also caused widespread damage and about 30 fatalities.
BLACKOUTS
So, while Alfred caused some serious flooding, building damage and reportedly the biggest power blackouts in history, on the scale of things we probably got off fairly lightly.
My sympathies are with all those who did suffer, but newsflash for Albo, Zali and co, there weren’t any coal fired power stations in 1899 and no one had heard of climate change back in 1954.
Here in our northern Sunshine Coast enclave just behind the beach, we were very lucky – despite daily warnings of potential strong winds and rainfall of up to 800 mm.
We remained practically becalmed until after Alfie crossed the coast, then some moderate winds and just enough rain to top up the pool and our rainwater tank after several days with no rain at all.
We have town water but the tank was mandated by the authorities back when they believed Professor Tim Flannery’s warning that rivers would never flow again.
That was a few years before the big Brisbane/SEQ floods of 2011 and the many which Australia has experienced regularly since then. Oops!
But when it comes to cyclones, having lived all my life in the Sunshine State, including north and central Queensland, I do have some skin in the game when it comes to their ducking, weaving, deceiving and knock-out blows.
Delving into a chapter from my past, one of these involved Cyclone Simon, which caused havoc as far south as Fraser Island (K’gari) 45 years before Alfred.
I wrote: “The Observer newsroom was a hive of activity back in February 1980 as Cyclone Simon moved down the coast leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. We received news mid-afternoon that a three-masted sailing boat, the Thisbe, had been wrecked on Lady Elliot Island at the southern tip of The Great Barrier Reef about 150km southeast of Gladstone.
“What a great front-page scoop that would make if we could get a first-hand report…
“The weather in Gladstone was relatively calm after the tail of the cyclone had passed, and according to the latest information it was creating havoc further south on Fraser Island.
“What were the chances of chartering a light aircraft and flying over the shipwreck to get some photos and an eye-witness account?
“I called chief photographer Murray Ware into my office and suggested a flight to him. Murray was up for it, he lived opposite Gladstone Airport and he had a mate who operated a charter business, so a flight was quickly organised.
“I had a team of reporters and I could have asked for a volunteer to occupy the other passenger seat, but this was something I wanted to do myself.
“Was it going to be dangerous? Probably no more than any other single engine flight unless Simon decided to change course.
HURT
“Should I call my wife Cathy and tell her what we were doing? No way, what she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.
“Before we departed, I issued a general instruction to the newsroom: ‘If my wife calls, tell her I’m out of the office on business – don’t tell her I’m chasing a cyclone in a light plane’.”
After a relatively uneventful flight, the pilot banked the small plane and Murray leaned out the side window to snap some pictures while I formed a mental picture of the scene below, including a few humans on the beach, waving as we circled overhead.
The crew obviously had a miraculous escape, but when we made our way back to The Observer newsroom, I wasn’t so lucky.
I was greeted by the sports editor, who gave me the ominous message: “Call your wife, she’s freaking out about you…”
“What do you mean ‘freaking out’? What did you tell her?”
“Oh, I just said that you and Murray were on a plane to get some footage of the cyclone damage on Fraser Island.”
“What the f—? We didn’t go anywhere near bloody Fraser Island! Didn’t you hear me tell everyone not to tell her anything about planes or cyclones?”
“Er, no, I didn’t hear that…”
Good one mate. I knew I was in for a blast from Cyclone Cathy at homebase that would outdo Cyclone Simon.
It was no good putting it off – so I called her and tried to weather the storm.
“Are you crazy or do you have a death wish? Don’t you care about me and the boys?”
“Maybe, no, and yes.”
SCOOP
Finally she calmed down when I assured her it was a calm flight, and I returned to the task of writing the page-one scoop featuring one of Murray’s excellent photos and my eye witness report (which beat the metro dailies.)
The island is now a thriving tourist resort and its Facebook page includes this account: “The Thisbe ran aground on Lady Elliot Island after enduring a nightmare ride through the clutches of Cyclone Simon.
“The vessel was heading north from Sydney and ran into the first heavy weather off Sandy Cape on Monday February 25, 1980. They battled cyclonic winds and swells up to 20 to 30 metres high, before the engine failed and a huge wave smashed into the chart room and washed over the radio. As a result of the heavy pounding of the monstrous seas, the seams of the boat began to open up.
“The five men aboard the Thisbe hoped for a miracle until two days later when they saw Lady Elliot Island about 5km to the north-west. With three anchors out to slow the impending crunch, Thisbe came to a sudden halt on the outer reef. All crew made it safely to shore with the help of the lighthouse keepers.”
They really were lucky! PC
CSIRO fudges figures, doubles actual cost of coal-fired electricity
https://cairnsnews.org/2025/03/15/csiro-fudges-figures-doubles-actual-cost-of-coal-fired-electricity/
and
CSIRO report criticised by energy expert for ‘lack of transparency’ after declaring renewables to be cheapest form of energy
December 9, 2024
Australia’s national science agency has been accused of “doing the government’s dirty work” by delivering a report to make renewables look like the cheapest energy technology.
HOWEVER, THE REPORT HAS ATTRACTED HEAVY CRITICISM OVER ITS METHODOLOGY AND ASSUMPTIONS, WHICH HAVE APPEARED TO FAVOUR THE GOVERNMENT’S RENEWABLES OBJECTIVES.
Energy expert and Senior Policy Analyst at the Centre for Independent Studies Zoe Hilton told Sky News the CSIRO report had not made an objective analysis.
“The CSIRO has once again made unrealistic and unobjective assumptions about coal in order to make integrated renewables look like the cheapest technology,” Ms Hilton said.
She further criticised the report’s treatment of nuclear power, stating, “The GenCost report contradicts itself”.
https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/csiro-report-criticised-by-energy-expert-for-lack-of-transparency-after-declaring-renewables-to-be-cheapest-form-of-energy/news-story/1418ba982d5f41edd5ec32307e96d97c
CENTRAL BANKERS ARE ENTIRELY FUNDING THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE WORLDWIDE CLIMATE CHANGE ‘PROJECT’.
Climate Change and C02: Fake Sustainability Versus Real Sustainability – The EU/UN/WEF Technocratic War on Farmers – Climate Alarmism, Corporate Control, the IoT, and Electrification of Everything
By Mark Keenan – Global Research, June 24, 2024
The modern green movement is far removed from the original principles of environmentalism.
Fake sustainability is the political agenda designed and pushed by the United Nations, implemented by subservient governments, and which serves the aims of the private banking and mega-corporate super-entity. Central to this agenda is the climate change deception and other false UN narratives, as described in the book Transcending the Climate Change Deception Toward Real Sustainability.
Under ‘FAKE sustainability’ we may consider points including:
Manmade climate change is a convenient lie it is not caused by CO2 or by methane from livestock, such as cows. Temperatures were higher in the 1930s than today, but the UN ignores that data. A UN IPPC committee chairman actually resigned in protest at UN IPPC lies and false information. Most of the scientists that say climate change is a problem are on perpetual government grants. The UN IPCC cherry picks data, uses flawed modelling and scenarios not remotely related to the real world
Geo-engineering under the guise of combatting climate change, and the technology they use to pollute the skies
CENTRAL BANKERS ARE ENTIRELY FUNDING THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE WORLDWIDE CLIMATE CHANGE ‘PROJECT’.
Central bankers hijacked the real environmental movement in 1992 creating the fake climate change agenda. Amongst other financial ulteriors, the Rockefeller banking dynasty promoted the climate alarmism agenda. The Chicago Climate Exchange is a trillion-dollar money-generating hoax.
Renewable energy is not a viable solution to the world’s energy problems. This is evidenced by the work of David MacKay, (1967 – 2016) former Regius Professor of Engineering at Cambridge University and former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, in his book Sustainable Energy without Hot Air, see Endnote . His analysis shows that an area twice the size of the entire country of Wales would need to be completely covered with wind turbines to meet the energy demand in the U.K., based on average energy consumption per person.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/fake-sustainability-vs-real-sustainability/5860714
THE DANGER OF DIGITAL CURRENCIES
HOW CENTRAL BANKS PLAN TO CONTROL YOU – by Catherine FITTS
Take particular note from 19.20 minutes …..CENTRAL BANKS WILL HAVE ABSOLUTE CONTROL…….
This speech was given on November 11, 2024, during a Hillsdale College CCA seminar on “Economic Issues and Controversies.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Ivv6jjixE
Aussie Banks owned by Vanguard & BlackRock
The 8 Largest Australian Banks (which own most of the smaller banks except community banks) are owned by Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street.
(and just about everything else…)
Who Owns Australian Banks? The Answers Might Surprise You…
These hedge funds basically control the planet: the banks, the supply systems, the land, the governments, the biggest corporations, all essential industries, the media “they control what you think”, social media, Hollywood, BigTech – Google, Twitter, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook. Travel, transport and all the airlines. All the vaccine and biotech companies. Tobacco and Health Insurance. Weapons. Police. Phones… You name it!
Everything.
Vanguard investment Group owns $16 Billion in Pfizer shares. Notice how they were buying up big in 2018 (orange line)? Everything is pre-planned. And then there’s BlackRock as 2nd largest Investor.
They are BigPharma.
They are BigBusiness.
They are BigInsurance.
They are BigBanks.
They are BigMedia.
They are BigAgriculture.
They are BigEnergy.
They are BigTech.
They are BigGov.
They are BigFood.
They are BigOil.
They are BigEd.
https://pennybutler.com/oz-banks-owned-by-vanguard-blackrock/
WHY YOU ARE allegedly NOT GETTING TRUTH FROM ANY MAINSTREAM MEDIA EMPIRES >
“Who Owns the World?” A Small Group of Big Money – BLACKROCK, VANGUARD AND STATE STREET
By Peter Koenig – Global Research, February 26, 2024
Who Owns the World” is the title of an extraordinary documentary, describing how Big-Big Money controls not only every aspect of your life, but has a stranglehold on every government, the political UN body, as well as every UN agency, and all industries and services of this globe.
THESE LARGEST INVESTORS ARE BLACKROCK, VANGUARD AND STATE STREET.
These same investment groups also control over 90% of the world’s major media.
Even Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is majority owned by BlackRock / Vanguard. It is therefore no miracle that hardly any news penetrates the walls of secrecy about these major shareholders of every aspect of human life and life-related activities and businesses.
They control politicians, geopolitics and military deployments
It is a monopoly that can literally not be opposed by traditional means. They have also invented the “rules-based order” — overruling every international and national law at their will.
They know no limits, no ethics and adhere to no human or human rights standard. POWER is them.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/who-owns-world-small-group-big-money/5850681
For all those breathless reporters and puffed up politicians, Cyclone Alfred was the best chance for the spotlight they’d had since the last covid variant wandered into town.