Chapter 05

Interlude

As soon as Serge finishes the work Will has a real estate agent in to take photos of the apartments, common areas, and the grounds. He uses the same people who are handling the rental of the town-houses and the houses the Trust owns in the new development. With the apartments in the Manor coming on-line the Trust now has ninety-five quality places in a premier location in the city close to shops, transport, and schools.

Instead of paying to advertise the apartments in the local newspaper Will invites one of their reporters in to review the refurbished Manor. The fire started by the plane crash was big news due to the plane being shot down and also due to it destroying a historical landmark. Having access to photograph the refurbished Michaels Manor is a must for the local newspaper. They do a four page colour photo spread for the next issue with the details of the destruction and the repairs. Naturally they have to mention the living areas built for the farm workers are now modern apartments for rent and name the estate agent handling them.

The real estate agent is flooded with enquiries to rent. It turns out they could charge a lot more than they are, but neither Pat nor Will want to have the rents too high. They do vet the applicants with great care to ensure they’ll be good neighbours for Pat and his family.

When Will briefs Pat on the Trust income from all of the rentals Pat has a hard time believing the figures until they’re laid out for him:

21 - town-houses @ $200 per week;
4 - large houses @ $375 per week;
66 - 2 bedroom apartments @ $200 per week;
4 - 4 bedroom apartments with en-suite @ $275 per week;
For a total weekly income of $21,500.

The trust employs several workers to look after the yards, clean the common use areas, put the rubbish out when due, plus collect and sort the mail. Will also negotiates a new set of rates with the Council where the building is rated as an apartment complex of that size while the grounds stay at a rural rate. The Council likes the boost in rates revenue they get from the property due to the rates change for the apartments.

It’s no accident many of the Manor’s tenants are young families. So when Eve is asked to find maintenance staff for the Manor the first place she looks is amongst their tenants where she finds quite a few parents caring for their kids who can fit part-time work on the Manor in with their childcare tasks. This has the effect of them doing a better job and being in a better financial situation.

At first the estate agent can’t understand why Pat and Will aren’t accepting all of the financially well off tenant applicants while accepting some applicants with borderline finances, until one of her staff grins at her while saying, “Joan, it’s perfectly understandable when you take into account who’s doing this. The Michaels and Murphy Clans have been helping people in this area for over two hundred years. I doubt they’ll evict someone who has a money issue if they’re working hard to get a job. So it makes sense for them to charge a lower rent than they can and to accept tenants who others are worried about them being able to meet the rent.”

Joan Moore, the agent handling the Michaels Trust properties asks, “What do you mean about helping people out? I’ve not seen them at any of the charity function or the like around town.”

Paula replies, “I don’t think they give much to charity as they believe charity begins at home. But they also believe in giving a helping hand to those who’re trying. They’ll pay more to hire a local scraping by than go for a cheaper outsider. Several years ago when the big fire threatened to destroy the city what saved it was Samuel Murphy made the decision to destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars of crops to ensure the fire was stopped dead. He didn’t get any recognition for that, but he did stop a fire that had already beaten the professionals several times. Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone who wasn’t there that day knows exactly what he did to stop the fire. The rest of the Clan members were stunned but he made the decision then he saved most of his farm, and this city as well. The fire raged to the east for a few more days, but he’d stopped it dead and slowed it right down. I know, as I was visiting a friend when he briefed the Clan then set them to work. I know every cent spent on labour during the refurbishment of the Manor went to locals, so did the work on the development. Instead of selling the land they developed it with the locals. Charity begins at your home ... town.”

Joan gives a slow nod while it sinks in Pat and Will are selecting the tenants by who they can help the most as well as their compatibility as neighbours, and the last item checked is the ability to pay the rent. After that conversation she’s more able to pick who they’ll accept and who they won’t accept as tenants in the apartments and houses.

All of the Manor tenants can access the building, the common rooms, the three gates into the two playgrounds attached to the Manor, and their apartment. Only Pat and his family have access to the gates in the fence to The Cottage, the woods, and doors to The Cottage and The Stables.

When the tenants move in Eve, Alice, Pat, and Dean visit to welcome them, frequently helping them to move furniture and other items. In the afternoons Dean can often be found playing with the other kids around his own age. The older kids amongst the tenants appreciate having the large backyard to play football and cricket in without the smaller kids getting in the way. Many of the adult tenants speak of how quiet it is inside the grounds because of the way the front fence is set up very few of the city noises get in. They also like the large number of local birds and other wildlife they see within the grounds.

Although the vines and bushes are growing well they’ve still got a lot of growing to do before they’ll get to where they’ll fill all of the spaces and the fences. However, the way the privacy fences are made each area has a great deal of privacy, which is appreciated by the tenants, and so is the fact the fences break up noise between the areas to make it a lot quieter within the grounds as well.

Within a few weeks all of the properties are full and those living at the Manor all get on well. There’s also one minor change requested by a few tenants and approved by all when asked. So Pat builds a covered patio and barbecue area on the concrete area beside the garage in the main house backyard. It doesn’t take anything from the backyard playing area but it adds a facility the tenants can use and enjoy.

Lewis Ladies

The change in her understanding of the tenant selection process is thrust home to Joan Moore a few days after her talk with Paula when a local widow comes in to lodge a tenant application. Mrs Lewis is in a bad financial situation due to their business folding when her partner in the business committed suicide and left the business owing money all over. Lana Lewis didn’t have the education to get the licences needed to operate their property management business but her cousin did. So Lana did the field work under George’s licence while he did the books. He developed a gambling habit a few years into their partnership. He sold all he owned and then he borrowed all he could to feed his gambling. In the end he saw no way out so he drove his car off of a cliff. There were a few witnesses and the financial situation came out so the coroner ruled he committed suicide, and that cut down on the insurance payouts. Since it was a partnership she became financially responsible for paying out the rest of the loans; which she did, but it took all she had.

Several years ago when her husband died while on active service with the Australian Army Lana was left with the house they owned all paid for and a small pension from the Army. The house and most of the contents were sold to pay out the business debts. She didn’t have to file for bankruptcy but it was very close and it left her flat broke. The people buying the house gave her a few months rent free to find a place to live, but she doesn’t have the money for the rent security deposit or a job. Because she was self employed Centrelink, the government agency for welfare benefits, won’t pay her anything for several weeks.

Lana Lewis had seen the news report on Michaels Manor and felt she couldn’t afford the rent or be accepted as a tenant. However, Peta Wilson, the best friend of her eldest daughter, Marsha, insists on herding Lana and her two teen daughters down to lodge an application. So the five ladies, Lana with her daughters Marsha and Naomi, Peta, and Joan are sitting at a table as Lana completes the paperwork while telling Peta it’s a waste of time since she doubts she can afford the rent let alone the security deposit. Joan is listening closely while the two talk.

Once the papers are filled in Joan asks Lana about her financial situation and she isn’t surprised at how desperate it is.

Joan says, “Missus Lewis, I can’t say if you will or won’t be accepted as a tenant because I’ve not got the final say. However, I...”

She stops speaking because Peta interrupts with, “Can I make a call on your phone, please? And does it have a speaker phone mode?”

Joan nods yes while pushing the phone over to Peta then she turns the mode over to speaker phone. In a moment they all listen to the phone ringing. When it’s answered Peta says, “Pat, am I right in thinking you have the final say on who gets accepted as a tenant at Michaels Manor?” On being assured he does have the final say she asks, “Can I ask a favour of you for a friend of mine, Marsha Lewis? Her mum is flat broke and they need a place to live. Can you waive the security deposit and drop the rent so they can live at the Manor, please?” All of the ladies are shocked at her asking.

Pat asks, “Isn’t Marsha Lewis’ mother Lana Lewis, the widow of an Army corporal who died on active service and recently had a business fold because of her partner’s actions?”

“Yes, Pat, that’s right.”

“Peta, you aren’t going to like the answers, but on another issue, will I ever have a conversation with you where you don’t ask me to do you a favour?” When she doesn’t answer he continues, “I’m sorry, but I don’t own the Manor, the Trust does. Due to a number of legal reasons they can’t waive the security deposit or lower the rent rates set. Doing that will cause a lot of legal hassles and they’d have to do it for everyone.”

Peta swears while looking around at her audience. She’d been so sure Pat would do as she asked because he’s always very helpful to people, but she now learns he can’t. “Damn! Sorry, Pat, I didn’t know that.”

“Peta, knowing you, and from the sounds on the phone, would I be right in assuming you’re with Missus Lewis and Joan Moore?”

“Yes, Pat, I am. Missus Lewis just completed a tenant application form and Joan was discussing it when I called you on a speaker phone.”

“Right. Now you be quiet for a few minutes. Joan, is the application complete, and what are the issues?”

“Hi, Pat. Yes, the application is completed. Missus Lewis has major financial issues with no money and no real income. All else is OK.”

“Right. As I just said, the Trust can’t do anything to help without it causing some major legal issues. Also, there are some restrictions put on me by the Trust, like I can’t tell people I want them to apply. However, once an application is lodged there is some leeway in what I can do. Joan, do you have the Manor file with you?”

“Yes, Pat, I do.” None of the ladies can work out where he’s heading.

“First, write this down on a pad. The current date and time with a note I’m giving you an authorisation code of Blue Fire Green Dawn. You need to put that note on the file because it authorises you to charge the security deposit to the bank account codes listed as Zulu Two. You can also charge the first two weeks rent to that code. All of the others are trust bank accounts, but that one isn’t.”

“Right, Pat. Will do. With the money sorted out I can now finalise acceptance of this application. And I’ll do so.”

“Good. Does that mean Missus Lewis is now a tenant?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Right, Missus Lewis, the Trust has asked me to find staff to do all of the maintenance work of the Mansion and the grounds. For the work we’re hiring part-time people but we also need a full-time employee to manage them and to supervise the work. You’ll need to talk to Will about the terms and pay. However, I’d like you to do the job, please.”

Lana is stunned, new top level housing, financial help, and a job, all in one go. Marsha sees her mother is stunned so she nudges her. Finally, Lana says, “I’d like that. Thank you, Pat; but why?”

“I know you can do the job well and I like to help the families of our troops when I can. Mum and I will look forward to seeing you when you move in. If you need any help to move anything or need some more furniture or gear let us know and we’ll see what we can do. OK?”

“Yes, thanks, Pat.”

After a little more talking they hang up. A bit more paperwork to do then the Lewis contingent heads home to pack what little they have left while Joan thinks on her talk with Paula the other day and what she just witnessed with Pat. Yes, he does believe charity begins in their home town, and he helps people when he can. She’s sure the Zulu account codes are a personal account of his.

The Lewis family moves into one of the four bedroom apartments that weekend and the next week Lana starts her new job as the manager of the Michaels Manor Maintenance Group. Also, Marsha is doing some paid work at the Council Offices as a casual employee. This is part of her schooling because it ties in with her work experience credits. She gets paid a small wage by the Council for some legal reasons to do with the Council’s insurances.

The first task they have Marsha do is to set up a set of web pages on the Council’s website about the several Council’s Heritage Areas and all of the buildings on their Heritage List. The most work is about Michaels Manor so Marsha spends a lot of time talking to Pat about the Manor, it’s history, the fire, and the work. The finished web pages on the Manor are approved by Pat, Will, and the Council management. It takes a few weeks but Marsha does a very good job on it. Within the first month the site registers over a million hits from people who visit to look at the images of the beautifully restored building and grounds.

Web Page Extract

Michaels Manor

Michaels Manor is a beautiful very old three story building of large sandstone blocks with an elegant hardwood interior. Refurbished in the last few months the Manor has retained the simple elegance of its era with some of the general use rooms having their original materials and fittings; also, all of the common areas have been restored to match them. The Manor and its matching outbuildings are three of the first dozen buildings built in the region and are the only ones from that period still standing. The original three buildings were made of sandstone walls with hardwood floors and panels while the additions all used sandstone from the same quarry and were made to match the existing buildings.

The first pastoral leaseholder in the area, Mr Patrick Michaels, built a wooden structure that was soon replaced with a sandstone house which is still on the site and is now known as ’The Cottage.’ In the early 1800s he added to the permanent structures with the huge sandstone stables and a two story sandstone set of living quarters for workers and their families. His son later expanded the 60 x 30 metre two story building by erecting a matching 65 metre extension that included a large entrance. The ground floor of this extension was built as his home with more worker housing on the floor above it. Some time later he also added a third story to the building. The current structure is described in a mid 1800s survey of the pastoral leases. The buildings have remained in the Michaels family since the first wood structure on the property. In the many years since its construction there have been several changes to the interior.

A major renovation in the 1950s saw the building modernised and much of the original hardwood interior panelling was placed in storage in the garage and storerooms created in the old stables.

In recent times the Manor was all but destroyed by fire when a plane crashed behind the Manor and its wing-tip fuel tanks broke free to fly into the Manor, setting it on fire. Only the five sandstone walls were left after the fire. Since then the Michaels Trust has worked with the current Michaels heir and the Rivers Council to clean up the site, protect the old building, and to rebuild it with the original interior as a guide.

Due to current building codes and laws the hardwood framework has been replaced with a steel structure, thus making the Manor much stronger than it was. During this work all of the old buildings and the old sandstone fence on the front of the property have been cleaned up and protected from further weather damage. The original panelling is back in the rooms it came from. Now the halls, main lounge, dining room, and kitchen look like the Manor did when the first addition was built.

The Manor now contains seventy modern two and four bedroom rental apartments in place of the many worker apartments. To enter the building and walk around the common use areas is like stepping back in time two hundred years to when the Manor was first built. The range of dark hardwoods used in the doors, floors, and walls give you a feeling of timeless elegance. Also, the large sweeps of grass where the children of the tenants play in the grounds are surrounded by high walls to create a quiet haven in the middle of a bustling city. It’s an elegant place to live in and enjoy, and clearly not a museum.

At every stage of the refurbishment great care has been taken to see the original look and ambience has been kept. The need to provide parking for the tenants has seen the building of a large carport that looks more like a greenhouse than a carport. When entering from the street all you see is sandstone buildings and large green walls of vines set amongst a sea of grass. It’s not possible to put into words what it’s like in Michaels Manor, but the pictures on the follow pages help to show it while still failing to get across the full feeling of peace available there.

Trouble Returns

Almost a month goes by before the State Heritage people contact the Michaels Trust about the Manor again. This time the letter is signed by the head of the Heritage Council of New South Wales stating they’re seeking an order from the minister to stop all work on Michaels Manor.

Another meeting is held by all the Rivers people involved and Will writes back to inform the Heritage Council all work on the rebuilding of Michaels Manor has been completed and it’s within all the applicable laws so it’s of no concern to the Heritage Council. He adds he’ll sue them for compensation for harassment of the Trust members if they persist in this behaviour.

Two weeks later they receive a letter from the Heritage Council with an order to stop work and to return the building to its prior condition. The order is signed by the appropriate State Minister.

Will responds with the delivery, by the NSW Sheriff’s Office, of local court orders for the Council and the Minister to stop harassing the Trust and its members, plus he’s seeking one hundred thousand dollars in compensation. He also makes a point of having the matter reported on in the local news, which quickly ends up in the state and national news. The recipients of the court orders are not amused by Will’s actions, and they’re a lot angrier when they see the matter is already in the news.

Three weeks later the matter is before the local magistrate in Rivers.

In Court

By quickly getting this matter before the local magistrate’s court Will is able to circumvent the issue being dealt with by a rigged court in Sydney. If left to go to a court organised by the Minister or the New South Wales Heritage Council it would’ve gone before a judge biased toward the New South Wales Heritage Council. This way it’s before an independent magistrate. Although a civil matter the ’cease and desist’ order means the New South Wales Heritage Council and the Minister have to deal with this before they can do anything at all on the matter within their system, so here they are to attend court at the earliest opportunity the court can provide. It is not convenient or agreeable to the Sydney based officials concerned.

The New South Wales Heritage Council solicitor presents his case, “Your Honour, this case is very simple. It has come to the attention of the Heritage Council the current owner of the premises known as Michaels Manor has been making changes to this historic building without first obtaining any approval to make any changes from the New South Wales Heritage Council. They’ve since refused to work with the New South Wales Heritage Council on this matter. The New South Wales Heritage laws are clear on the duties and responsibilities of owners of such properties. So the New South Wales Heritage Council has acted to force compliance on the owner.”

He sits down and Will stands to present his case, “Your Honour, the issue here is the New South Wales Heritage Council staff is making demands and threats in regards to a building that’s not any of their concern. We’ve told them so a few times, but they keep wanting to throw their weight around.”

Magistrate Hanson glances between the two solicitors for a moment before checking a couple of items in the paperwork before him. Looking up he says, “I think we need to establish a few facts here. Mister Green, present the facts as your client sees them, please.”

Green stands and says, “Yes, Your Honour. About a year ago Mister Ball of the New South Wales Heritage Council was asked for some advice on work to the building known as Michaels Manor by a Mister Jamieson of the Rivers Council. He gave that advice and awaited an application for approval. When about a year had gone by without such an application arriving he made some enquiries and found the owners were involved with some extensive work on the premises without the approval of the New South Wales Heritage Council. So Mister Ball started corrective action and then enforcement action.”

Hanson turns to Will, “Mister Dunn, do you dispute any of that?”

Will replies, “Your Honour, we have no dispute with the events as stated as happening in that order. We dispute the right of the New South Wales Heritage Council to be involved in Michaels Manor at all. Also, the New South Wales Heritage Council seems totally unable to accept the facts of the damage done and the condition of Michaels Manor as it was a year ago. When the plane crashed in the backyard the fuel tanks were ripped off the wings by the impact and thrown into the building. Thousands of litres of aviation jet fuel was splashed about and set on fire. The building was left a gutted shell of smoke blackened stonework. Urgent action was needed to see the remains didn’t collapse. Michaels Manor is in the middle of a large Rivers Council Heritage Zone so the Council was contacted. Checks were made on the laws and regulations applicable then work was started in line with all of the Council regulations that applied. The result is a rebuilt building and grounds that look better than they have in over a century.”