After the occupation of the Newcastle offices of NSW Premiers Department, protestors assemble on the steps ouside, 29 September 2006 Peacebus.com had only just arrived at its Wedderburn dock, 60 km south west of Sydney when me, the Captain, got a call urging me to return to Newcastle and participate in a Lake Cowal protest action which was planned for Friday 29 September. Eager to meet and support local Lake Cowal activists, I packed up and headed north again 200 km to the so called Batcave, an anarchist activist hang out in the basement of an apartment block abutting Harbour Park in downtown Newcastle. The journey was also plug into the TINA (This Is Not Art) Festival which was on that weekend. The TINA Festival is like the Adelaide fringe arts festival without the high arts, high cost program and lots of fringe arts activists gather for it and occupy City Hall and the surrounding cultural precinct. Included in the program was a series of panel led discussions on environmental issues called Earthling and this Lake Cowal protest action seemed like activist theatre and integral to the program. The action organiser was Paul Kimbell, whom I had met after his arrest for locking himself on to a pit truck during the mine site invasion of the Easter Convergence at Lake Cowal. Paul was also acting as the host in residence at the Batcave. Arriving at the Batcave, I found that Trappa and Jennifer, friends from the Walk Against Cyanide were in temporary residence there, also in town for TINA and the action. Paul understood that Michael Costa MLC, NSW Treasurer and Minister for the Hunter, was to be visiting Newcastle that day. The Hon. Michael COSTA, MLC Never elected, Costa got into Parliament via the Upper House seat take over deal by the ALP Right. He represents all that is gangsterish, ugly and pro-development about the NSW government. If ever there was a totally pro mine corporate courtier and despiser of greenies, this is the one. A reconnaisssance of the offices on the morning of the action established there was no security at the entrance and a lift that went directly to the fifth floor offices of Premiers Department in the office block about a kilometer up river from the Batcave. At noon a group of about ten assembled at the Batcave and walked from there to the government office block via the TINA Festival where they collected another 15 or so from the Earthling session. Amongst them were Friends of the Earth from the Blue Mountains with whom I had shared the National Day of Action for Water 22 March. Basic black was their colour and wild and bizarre their appearance as the group approached the office building; a tribe of primitives off to do battle, all that was missing were the spears. Some had painted up their faces clown-like and Trappa, wearing his kilt, had his face roughly painted white and eyes blazing, he looked particularly fierce, some kind of koori/Fenian mongrel. Into the lifts they surged. I stayed on the pavement, put out flags and set up Peacebus.com across the road so that it could be seen from the fifth floor and its speakers heard. Peacebus.com set up across the road from the Newcastle offices of NSW Premiers Department, 29 September 2006 Twenty cops were soon on the scene and media crews too. Paul had called the latter once they got to the offices and did radio interviews by phone. The scene outside during the occupation of the Newcastle offices of NSW Premiers Department, 29 September 2006 On the street below I spruiked for Lake Cowal and against the cyanide criminals and the corporate corruption of the NSW Labor government and was complimented on my public speaking style by my fellow protesters. The occupation lasted about an hour and we on the street could see the occupiers waving to us from behind windows on the fifth floor. I was to learn that the receptionist had quickly locked the door to the offices and the protestors had occupied the adjacent conference room instead. Costa did not come to Newcastle that day but the point was made anyway. A "Sack Costa" banner strung to the cyclone wire fence beside Peacebus.com got lots of supportive honks from passing motorists. He is not a liked man. Jennifer the Maremma at ease with sacking Costa across the road from the Newcastle offices of NSW Premiers Department, 29 September 2006 No arrests were made and having made their point with media, Paul and his fellow occupiers were happy to co-operate with the concilatory police commander and withdraw to the street and from there disperse. Police Commander negotiates with Paul Kimbell, 29 September 2006 Trappa and Newcastle street performer, Mathew, clown on the steps and on the road, 29 September 2006 Trappa arrived back rolling drunk. He told me that while occupying the Conference room, he had raided the fridge and consumed a whole bottle of rose. Back on the street he pulled stubbies of beer from his pockets. "Liberated from Costa," he proclaimed. The occupying crew were exhilerated with the ease and success of the action. Back at the Batcave, Paul expressed some unease about Trappa's behaviour: drunks don't build group trust and confidence. But no harm done. Trappa took up a guitar and sang out his passion. We need the wild ones too. Graeme Dunstan posted 11 November 2006 Back at the Batcave, Trappa sings. That's Melbourne rapper, MC Pisces sitting by and indicating its not exactly his kind of music, 29 September 2006