Save the Footy Buskers!!!

[St Fidelius]

if it is on the basis of safety ( blocking the walkway).....how about those clowns in the bright green coats and little red stands...they take up much more space..............

of woops they are the record sellers......can't touch them.

Yes, but if they stood on one of those crappy seats after the match they wont be blocking anyone...

The would also be seen by everyone, and the public would not trip over at least one of the seats

[footybuskers]

Thanks for the support everyone, its fantastic to see!
The site savethebuskers.com is fully up and running, please check it out!

In response to a few comments:
The two little kids on the other side of the stadium copied us! We chat to them occasionaly and its no secret that they got the idea from us!

The Bagpipe girl, Lauren, is the same, she saw us and has copied what we do in her own way! But we'll let her off cos she's pretty cute!

We did get on 3aw today and thier support has been great!
we have contacted SEN, even spoke directly to Robbo and Billy at the G today, I don't think they care but we'll keep trying!

As far as I know the only complaints to the council have been from Etihad, no-one from the general public has complained once!!

Robert the classical gas man, the 2 kids, lauren, the records, the salvo's, the other collectors, the merchandising, the raffle ticket sellers, the sportsbet girls, the nando's chicken, the riding for the disabled collectors, the benches, the bins, the police divvy van, and any other person/people causing as much if not more of a ''public safety risk'' than us NEVER get hassled or asked to move! Fair???? I don't think so but then again I'm just a lowly busker with a permit and it seems that gives anyone in any position of authority the power to do whatever they like for whatever reason they like!!

We were involved with the Melbourne Footy Clubs march to the G today and President Jim Stynes gave us a huge rap before the crowd set off saying among other things that he thought Etihad Stadiums actions concerning us were an absolute disgrace!!

We will be there no matter what any authorities say as we know that you, the public, don't have a problem and want us there, and we are looking forward to an interesting night after the game on Friday! We expect to be approached by the Police on behalf of Etihad and the Council so things could get interesting!! We have told them before that the only way to get us to move is to shoot us or arrest us, so bring it on we say!!

We cannot thank you all enough for your support!

GO SAINTS!!

[footybuskers]

and Fireman, please bring your trumpet and have a jam with us on Friday night!!!

[n1ck]

Love the buskers, the two kids, Robert the Classical Gas man, and of course Lauren the bagpiper.

It's the best thing to be walking up to the ground before (and away from that hellhole after a loss!) to the many varieties of 'Oh When The Saints'.

It truly is a tradition these days, and im sure im not the only one who would chip in to contribute if these guys were forced to pay fines.

This is disgraceful from the stadium and from the council and it should NOT be allowed to continue.

Saints fans let your voices be heard.

[saintdooley]

absolute BS! the games wouldnt be the same with out you guys
i catch the train in with my little sister to the games every week, and the same questions are asked by her as soon as we have validated our tickets, "do you have any money?" "can i have some money?" "can we buy a cd?" "will you have money for on the way home?" i know she always gets excited about getting to give you guys money and im sure there are thousands of other little kids that do.
would be disgusted if you guys were asked to move along.

[The Fireman]

and Fireman, please bring your trumpet and have a jam with us on Friday night!!!

haha thanks, when I said I blow my own trumpet I meant something else lol, even if I could I would be way out of your league pal, you play a mean trumpet and your mate on sax is no slouch either.
I play in a band that has a trumpet player...he would have some problems if you auditioned
I'll play with you guys if you don't mind the sound of a 240v generator to power my Mesa ..
Seriously I wish you guys all the best.

[goodie]

Just sent off my email, look forward to hearing you blokes Friday night

if it is on the basis of safety ( blocking the walkway).....how about those clowns in the bright green coats and little red stands...they take up much more space..............

of woops they are the record sellers......can't touch them.

The crowds arriving at the games when the sellers are there arent as crushed as after the game when thanks to the dumb design...90% of the crowd are on that footbridge

One question....WHo exactly has complaied about them apart from Etihad and some council pen-pushers???

HUndreds of thousands of people walk past them every year and they are the ones allegedly being obstructed..has ONE single member of the footy-going public ever complained about them I wonder???

Agreed, that corner out front of gate three is a far greater hazard. Every time I exit that way I wonder what dumbass decided to create this massive bottleneck (and then I think it's probably the same moron who stuffed up the Brunton Avenue walkway)

[StSteven]

email sent in support

[skeptic]

Just sent the following e-mail
kind thx to this forum as i pretty much lifted all my material from this thread

Dear Melbourne Council,

I like most fans really enjoy the work that the footy buskers do on the bridge post games. It adds a little bit of color to the atmosphere and makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

It sounds to me like they've tried really hard to follow all relevent legislation and I hope you guys stand up for them.

From an occupational health and saftey perspective, it doesn't make sense to identify them as more more of a risk then any of:
- The can rattling Salvos
- The footy record sellers
- The footy team tents that sell merchandise
- Other buskers
- The difficult to see seats impeding the walk way (which fans texting on thier phones not looking where they're going are more likely to bump into, as I've found out).
All of which are located on the bridge

Further to that, the buskers aren't exactly hard to see or here. Exactly who are they a threat to? A friend of mine jokingly said to the blind, deaf and dumb. He may have a point.

Now I'm not one for mass conspiracy theories, but this has agenda written all over it.

If you guys are really concerned RE public's safety, surely you would identify the 20k odd fans trying to get into Southern Cross station through 2 terminals (as is often the case), as the greater risk.

In all the time they've been there, I don't believe the buskers have ever been involved in a serious incident

Please do the right thing,

Signed, footy member

[Sainternist]

The Bagpipe girl, Lauren, is the same, she saw us and has copied what we do in her own way! But we'll let her off cos she's pretty cute!

Had a feeling I wasn't the only one!

<3 Lass Lauren

[iwantmeseats]

s*** guys, way to shoot yaself in the foot.

http://www.bomberblitz.com/forum/index. ... opic=50332


I keep reading "have been banned" there. Is that official ?

[Finey]

yet it's ok for kids and adults to kick a footy around tyeh concourse at half time, before and after the game. what a joke.

[Sainternist]

yet it's ok for kids and adults to kick a footy around tyeh concourse at half time, before and after the game. what a joke.

Is that you, Mr.Fine?

[St Fidelius]

yet it's ok for kids and adults to kick a footy around tyeh concourse at half time, before and after the game. what a joke.

Is that you, Mr.Fine?

No, it's not

[aussierules0k]

[saint66au]

With respect AOK..they did say they dont do it "JUST " for the dollar.

I'm sure if it was purely about the money they could make a quid playing jazz in the Bourke St mall at lunchtime.

[aussierules0k]

[aussierules0k]

[saint66au]

The two little kids on the other side of the stadium copied us! We chat to them occasionaly and its no secret that they got the idea from us!

The Bagpipe girl, Lauren, is the same, she saw us and has copied what we do in her own way! But we'll let her off cos she's pretty cute!

Oh I see, you guys are the first to ever busk there? - but from the kindness of your hearts, you'll allow the bagpipe girl busk.

You 2 are a couple in a long line of buskers. You have no right to "let anyone off". You say the kids "got the idea from you"... oh really.. so you are the first buskers ever known to man?

If you want my support, get off ya high horses and just say, hey it's a living and if no-one minds we'd like to continue. At which point I'll support you.

I even said hello (skinny guy) - but now I've read these posts....

I'll be donating to the girl and the kids.

Seriously... fair dinkum!

Happy to be corrrected AOK, but as far as I remember, the footy buskers were the "original" buskers on the bridge, so technically anyone who thinks its a plan IS a follower yes. Yes the bagpipe girl DOES copy them..she plays the winning teams song after a game The Classical gas dude was also playing the Saints song after the Brisbane game

They are also the ones being targeted by ES/Council..not busking in general, the stadium have singled them out.

I took their comments above as tongue in cheek and I'd hope the other buskers took it that way too. As for their comments about Essendon..well..theyve made their allegiances pretty plain on here in the past..so maybe a bit of good-natured byplay?

Anyway..theyve got my support, but if the jackboot clowns at ES tried to shut down Classical Gas man or the bagpipe girl, they'd have my support too.

[The Fireman]

Well said AOK, buskers is buskers, none better than the other or one having privileges over the other (i'm sure that the buskers on here weren't intimating that, a bit tongue in cheek in their reference to the bag piper I would think)
Actually I have busked with AOK once before , it may have been in a studio but what the hey

[aussierules0k]

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I enjoy the footy buskers, and emailed in support. Thought people might be interested in the reply I recieved:
-------------

From: Kristi Franks [mailto:Kristi.Franks@melbourne.vic.gov.au]
Sent: Thursday, 11 June 2009 12:06 PM
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Footy Buskers are Great

Dear xxxxxxxxx,

Thank you for your enquiry regarding the 'Footy Buskers' duo.

City of Melbourne Busking Permit holders must adhere to the Busking Code of Conduct which states, 'buskers must allow free access along pathways'.

When pedestrians have to alter their course along a pathway to navigate around or past buskers, this is considered a breach of the Busking Code of Conduct.

Etihad Stadium, Victoria Police and City of Melbourne are concerned about pedestrian accessibility during the exit phase of stadium events.

City of Melbourne is committed to ensuring that busking continues to provide atmosphere and entertainment whilst maintaining safety, access and amenity for the community.

Therefore, a static structure (red pole) at the centre of the Bourke Street bridge has been identified as a suitable busking location during high pedestrian flow timings.

The buskers can then continue to perform on the Bourke Street bridge with minimal impact upon pedestrians leaving the Stadium.

Yours sincerely,

Busking & Programs│ Engineering Services
City of Melbourne │PO Box 1603 Melbourne Victoria 3001
________________________________________

[goodie]

I think everyone's going to receive the same cookie-cutter reply. I did

[widereceiver]

Mine to them
Dear Madam,

I am writing to protest that the footy buskers at Etihad stadium have
been ordered to cease and desist on the grounds of a perceived public
hazard. It is not unusual for the proprietors of Etihad stadium to
attempt to remove sources of pleasure for the paying patrons of the
AFL but this is ludicrous. I would suggest there are several more
dangerous hazards and obstacles a member of the public has to
negotiate to enter and leave the stadium safely:

1. The unsafe (yet approved) design of the stadium precinct itself,
which forces the paying public into a dangerous bottleneck after a game.
2. The limited access to the train platforms.
3. The dangerous (and painful) benches along the bridge itself. Nearly
every week somebody walks into these obstacles.

I respectfully suggest that the powers vested in the council would be
better spent on resolving these issues rather than persecuting the
footy buskers. The footy buskers provide a festive ambience before and
after the football matches and, if anything, serve to divert the
public's attention from the aforementioned deficiencies, which should
be the responsibility of Etihad stadium, the Victoria police and above
all, the Melbourne City Council.

In the words of St Matthew, "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own
eye?"


sincerely,

*****

Theirs to me, a form letter. Quelle surprise!!
On 11/06/2009, at 2:54 PM, Kristi Franks wrote:
Dear *****,

Thank you for your enquiry regarding the 'Footy Buskers' duo.

City of Melbourne Busking Permit holders must adhere to the Busking Code of Conduct which states, 'buskers must allow free access along pathways'.

When pedestrians have to alter their course along a pathway to navigate around or past buskers, this is considered a breach of the Busking Code of Conduct.

Etihad Stadium, Victoria Police and City of Melbourne are concerned about pedestrian accessibility during the exit phase of stadium events.

City of Melbourne is committed to ensuring that busking continues to provide atmosphere and entertainment whilst maintaining safety, access and amenity for the community.

Therefore, a static structure (red pole) at the centre of the Bourke Street bridge has been identified as a suitable busking location during high pedestrian flow timings.

The buskers can then continue to perform on the Bourke Street bridge with minimal impact upon pedestrians leaving the Stadium.

Yours sincerely,

Busking & Programs│ Engineering Services
City of Melbourne │PO Box 1603 Melbourne Victoria 3001

and back to them

Dear Kristi,

Thank you for your response, the buskers form letter is your response to that issue. To this writer, this action is complete overkill and the manufacture of a non-existent problem by interested parties for some inexplicable reason. To whom should I address my concerns regarding the real safety issues present at and around Etihad Stadium?

Yours sincerely,

*****

It seems like a done deal, what a pack of a*seholes.

[aussierules0k]