Not happy Brendan Mitchell-MIA

[graham.hobart]

Posting this as I am about up to here with conventional methods of communication. My EQ 6 went to Brendan Mitchell on the 18th June 2012 ( a tune up). I belatedly got acknowledgement that it had arrived and since then, apart from second hand gossip and possible "I am busy type" chinese whispers, I have heard zilch. No emails/texts/ phone calls to reply to my many requests for info.
I am posting this here as a plea to anyone who might know him in WA or run into him at work. Please, please get him to contact me and tell me what the bloody hell is going on. I think 8 months without contact is stretching the credibility some what.
If this causes embarrassment, tough toe nails. Just pick up the goddamn phone/ computer/ messenger pigeon.
:mad2:Graz,

[asimov]

I wouldn't be happy with this either.

[MrB]

A couple of days of no communication because you're very busy is ok, but 8 months is simply not acceptable. It only takes a minute or two of someones time to send a text/email.
Hope you get your property back soon. :(

[2stroke]

Last Activity: 01-07-2012 11:28 PM

Have you checked his website?
http://brendanmitchell.net/

have you tried births and deaths? thats pretty odd

[brian nordstrom]

:question: Fair enough ,,,
Got your ears on Brendan ?
Brian.

[TrevorW]

Wouldn't hold much hope with his website the last post appears to be June 2012

Try the student guide at UWA, I think that is where he was studying engineering the may have a contact number

Also try member "leinad" I think they are friends

[leinad]

I doubt universities will give out student information without reasonable grounds.

I, and a number of others in Perth have not heard from or seen him since June last year. Disappeared from the radar, gone.
As far as I know(going by IIS) OICURMT is the only one that has touched base with him since.

Sorry, nothing I can do here. My concern's are with g.h

[TrevorW]

Sorry Dan I knew you knew him better than I :thumbsup:

[Lee]

You're a patient man Graham - I would have been hopping up and down a lot before 8 months!

[ReaPerMan]

Several of us who were friends with Brendan have not heard from him for the last 7-8 months. He has not returned any calls or texts sent to him. His mobile number is still active and the message bank message is his, His webpage has no new entries and his facebook page is inactive. We can only assume that he chooses not to answer. I like some others have loaned him some items of equipment and requests to return the items or answer his messages fall on deaf ears.

It may be time for a Wumpus hunt!

[TrevorW]

Before we crucify the man lets just make sure that something bad hasn't happened. :question:

[LewisM]

Sorry, not going to pussy-foot around this one, you need to take action.

1. Contact a couple of the guys who live near him. Time to let people do some face to face explaining. At least you may be able to get answers about his whereabouts, well-being etc. If he is there, your "posse" should demand IMMEDIATE surrender of said mount to them, whilst they supervise. Failing that:

2. Contact the local police station closest to where he lives. They will take it seriously. They may have records of anything untoward that may have happened to him, or the like. If need be, yes, I would file a complaint of theft.

I have been in this situation before. Option 1 rectified it for me. My incident was in the USA - guy took my money for an item, and never shipped. I had 2 friends local enough to him drive and face to face him. He quickly coughed up the money to replace the item he DOUBLE SOLD.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Sorry Lewis, that's ridiculous. I think the Police have far more pressing matters to deal with and I doubt that they would take this seriously.

The item was sent to him voluntarily and just because it has yet to be returned is probably not considered theft. The onus would probably be on the sender to prove that he had no intention of returning it to be considered as "gain by deception" or fraud. Furthermore, waiting 8 months before doing anything about it would suggest that isn't the case. Otherwise I could have the Police chase up things that I have lent and haven't had returned; boy, they would be busy. That is the risk we all take, from time to time.

A civil suit would be necessary to get the item returned. If BM is actually a business then Fair Trading would need to be contacted to raise a complaint and have it investigated. And if he isn't a registered business then that is, unfortunately, the risk one takes when sending items to others.

The fact that BM seems to have completely dropped off the radar suggests that something may have happened to him, e.g. he may have had an accident and is in hospital and may not be able to delegate the matter to someone else to handle. I know what that is like, I had a serious accident and was in hospital for over six months.

I sure hope Graham gets his mount back, but I also think he hasn't done himself any favours waiting eight months before doing anything about it. Although, I seem to think that this matter had been raised earlier than now anyway.

[LewisM]

Definitely agree that waiting 8 months is going to raise all sorts of problems in itself. The SECOND time he failed to make contact/return contact, I would be starting to take things up a notch. You are FAR too patient Graham!

Though Peter, do NOT under estimate what the Police may or may not consider "trivial". When we lived in Perth, the local constabulary certainly did not consider such things petty or not worthy of their attention, though we did live in Armidale at the time, which may explain things :D A word in their ear is sometimes all it takes to at least flag the attention. More than once and a complaint escalates.

At the very least, I think some of you Westies should arrange a meeting with Brendan and see whats the matter.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Sure Lewis, they may take a report, but I seriously doubt they would take any action.

I know Armadale well, as I used to have a house there, and I know that the Police there are way too busy with more serious matters to bother with trivial matters, so you must have been lucky. You won't get any satisfaction now unless it is a serious matter. I certainly wouldn't live there.

I am glad I live in a good area as I wouldn't want to rely on our Police force. I do not blame the Police for this situation either as they are understaffed and overworked.

[mental4astro]

There's another way that the Police can help, and I had used their services for this:

A year or so ago I had tried calling a mate who lives on an isolated Airfield in the Blue Mountains after a major storm. Due to the isolation and the nature of an airfield, I called the local Katoomba cop shop and told them of my concerns after not being able to get through for over two hours. They certainly did not dismiss my concern, and my old mate got the surprise of his life when he saw a police car roll up to his office. The storm had knocked out the phone line, but I wasn't to know this, and my mate was perfectly OK. I got a call back shortly afterwards from the Police to tell me he was good. I called my friend a few days later when the line was restored, and I can tell you, that someone should care enough to call the cops to make sure you're OK is something that doesn't go unnoticed.

I don't think it would be wrong to call the police to see if Brendan is OK. Regardless of the gear in question, for me it would be WRONG not to make sure he is ok. The gear can follow. Not much good trying to get you stuff back from a dead man.

If you can leave your anger to one side, do call the police. Yes tell them what's happened, but that your first concern is the Brendan is OK. I'd make sure the man is alive and well. The gear can follow - it's only stuff afterall.

Alex.

[blink138]

well lets just hope firstly brendan is ok, and hopefully...... he has just got some explaining to do!
pat

[sheeny]

+1

It's a perfectly reasonable thing to approach the Police about. If they are busy with more important stuff, it'll just be down their list a bit. You can't decide how busy the Police are, or their priorities.

Al.

[taminga16]

As Brendan's friends I feel that it would be prudent of you to contact the UWA, explain your concerns and have them contact him on your behalf, and don't leave it the bloke might be in real strife.
Greg.

[taminga16]

If a "posse" turned up at my home I would deem them to be trespasses and deal them accordingly, FYI this action would be seen as theft by the police and the courts and a "posse" would arrive at your door, all in matching clothes.

Contact your local police explaining the situation and express your concerns for BM's wellbeing, let them deal with it, a letter to the appropriate Dept at UWA would not be wasted (see my earlier post).
Best.
Greg.
In the interim, let's all hope that Brendan is OK.

[LewisM]

Someone knocking on your door and asking how you are and about a missing item is not trespass. Entering a premises unlawfully IS, or staying on a property after being asked to leave IS.

Per Australian High court ruling:

"The occupier of any dwelling-house gives implied licence to any member of the public coming on his lawful business to come through the gate, up the steps, and knock on the door of the house. This implied licence extends to the driveway of a dwelling-house. However, the licence may be withdrawn by giving notice of its withdrawal. A person who enters or remains on property after the withdrawal of the licence is a trespasser"

WA state law goes on to say that after asking someone to leave, and they fail to do so, REASONABLE and EQUAL force can be used to remove them.

But that is drifting off topic.

OK, so he fails to answer phones, emails, faxes, courier pigeons. No one seemingly has seen him. Easiest first action is for someone to visit him to see if all is OK, and politelly and truthfully explain to him the situation.

If that fails, or if he cannot be found, an enquiry to WA Police may be in order.

No one is talking about smashing down doors with baseball bats and bolt cutters. Geez, don't go jumping to conclusions about the word posse :) Just means sending a search party. It may be the West, but it's not the wild west (well, until you get to Bindi Bindi or Narrogin)

[taminga16]

"If he is there, your "posse" should demand IMMEDIATE surrender of said mount to them, whilst they supervise".

Sorry LewisM, It's just not how it read for me.
Greg.

[Larryp]

Got to agree with you, Lewis. If someone lives reasonably close to him and could pay a visit to see if he is ok, that would be sensible. After all, the guy is well known to many people on this forum, and I gather his recent actions are quite out of character.

[multiweb]

UNI kids are back soon so he should resurface for the next term if he's still enrolled. That should clear things out hopefuly.

[LewisM]

If Graham has ANY paperwork about it being sent to him, and correspondence regarding it being for repair/overhaul, then Brendan withholding it - ASSUMING HE HAS BEEN PAID FOR ANY WORK RENDERED - is a criminal act. If Brendan has done nothing to the mount, and no payment has been made, grounds exist to still reclaim the mount, giving Graham's written approval on a statutory declaration (the stat dec will be needed to reclaim the mount in all circumstances by a third party).

Lots of ifs, and we have only heard Graham's side to the story, but seriously, SOMETHING needs to be done ASAP. 8 months with no correspondence is wrong (personal circumstance permitting).

Graham, get a legal stat dec made now regarding reclamation of your property. I would have ALL paperwork/emails/faxes/letters/dockets/cheque stubs etc READY.

Is it worth it for a $1900 mount? Yes it is. Put yourself in Graham's shoes.

[issdaol]

Hi last post on his website mentions a trip to Karijini National Park which is the top end of West Australia.

If he has not been heard from since this and went alone I would be very concerned for his well being and call authorities to investigate as soon as possible!!

[LewisM]

Grasping straws, and the name is probably a coincidence, but Brendan Mitchell comes up in WA roads to do with the Kwinana freeway - the page updated this year. Might be worth contacting WA Roads to see maybe?

http://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BUILDINGROADS/PROJECTS/URBANPROJECTS/Pages/Kwinana.aspx

[gregbradley]

Brendan posted here quite a lot. Gee I am bit surprised by the anger and hate. Cool it off guys. He came across as a very cool guy. I know the lack of communication makes it easy to dream up all sorts of bad actions by him but judging by his posts and actions I very much doubt he is a bad person and capable of running a scam. And no offence, but I can't see someone boarding a plane to Rio because they got someone else's EQ6??!!

So until you have proof he has done bad lets lay off the call the cops, harrass him type posts eh?

Its innocent until proven guilty right?

What's the bet he's been on an overseas trip and he forgot to handle a few things properly before he went?? Or he's been working in some remote mine onsite for some much needed funds - he's a student right?

So if it turns out to be an innocent lack of organisation or illness or accident then perhaps there can be just as many posts apologising for the hot headness.

Greg.

[LewisM]

I apologise in advance if it all turns out innocent. BUT, and a BIG but, Graham has to look aftr his own interests too.

Put yourself in Graham's situation Greg. Granted, he should not have let it progress this far (or possibly nothing could have been done anyway), but what is done is done - for good or bad.

No one is denigrating or slandering Brendan's character - it's more suggestion of what Graham needs to TRY to get done before things only progress further. Information seeking is the key here.

[RobF]

I've had a couple of good dealings with Brendan in the past, however I know as a student he gets caught up in studies and hols a lot. Its no excuse for not responding for 8 months suspect its likely he's been devoting his energies to hols and other projects (new girl? ;))
Total speculation on my part.

FWIW I've sent a text to what was his mobile number in case helps.

[gregbradley]

Information seeking is the key here.[/QUOTE]

I agree. He has been a long standing member here with many helpful posts so it would seem a huge and very unlikely change for him to do a criminal act. My experience is criminal types flag their behaviour well in advance and you only get stung if you missed their clear attempts to flag themselves.

I hope he is OK.

Greg.

[leinad]

OICURMT appears to know where he works very nearby; there's a first close assistance call?

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=924540&postcount=12

[Visionoz]

OICURMT had lunch with him - see last post here: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=100201 - and he is probably alive and well and uni finals and work were stated to have exhausted the poor bugger!! Yet having heard from OICURMT the last time a message from graham.hobart it is indeed the lack of even making an attempt to return the call (especially after having taken possession of someone else's property) certainly raises a lot of doubt (justifiably so) about BM's integrity

I too, like many others here, had gone to astro-camps and imaging sessions with him and despite our "supposed" friendship with him has been ignored too!

So hopefully graham.hobart would seek the right avenue open to him to get his gear back again

HTH
Cheers
Bill

[GrahamL]

I'm really sorry to hear of your situation graham,aside illness and you hope thats not the case , holidays study or a new girlfriend are no excuses for such poor behaviour over such a long timeframe.

I wouldn't feel uncomfortable in your position calling in the police
to look into things when they have time, at the very least they might shed some light on his health and your property.

[AstralTraveller]

One possibility is depression or some other mental illness. It can make people do out-of-character things, including cutting off communication. If he has been that ill for 8 months the situation is quite serious. Never the less he may present OK at times (eg if someone knocks on the door) but not be able to maintain that mood. So to the cops, or whoever, he may seem OK and have no excuse for his actions (or inactions) but once he is alone he could fall back into the hole. I know that when I've been unwell it is easy to put off something that is (or appears to be) a hassle and then getting it done gets even harder, so it gets put off and gets even harder again. I don't know who he has around him but if he is isolated I would be concerned for his well-being.

[Jezza94]

It wasn't sent voluntarily, if you read the original post, he sent it for a tune up. If you have a look at Brendan's website, he offers a mount tune-up service. The original poster should be able to contact consumer affairs (I think that is the division that handles this kind of stuff).

But on the other hand, lets hope Brendan is okay.

Jeremy

[Stardrifter_WA]

My point was that he made the decision to send it, thus he sent in voluntarily. If BM was soliciting business and had no intention of returning it, then it would be fraud. Either way, it is a matter for Consumer Protection -Department of Commerce to investigate whether it is a criminal matter or just poor service.

I don't know BM but I too hope he is ok and that this matter gets resolved.

Cheers Peter :)

[Stardrifter_WA]

One thing is for sure, do any wrong in the astro community, which is a small community, and everyone is going to know about it. :)

[brian nordstrom]

:shrug: Here , here .
Brian.

[Cumbrian]

I'd be fairly upset if I was the original poster.

I had a similar problem when I applied for my Australian residency. I heard nothing from the department of Imimigration, in Adelaide, also for around eight months. I was ringing them every day, after four months, and the recorded message just said "we're busy try ringing some other time", before hanging up on me! It turned out they'd lost my application. And that's a Government department never mind a student!

Is it possible that he's gone abroad on a year long working holiday or similar?

Or maybe, as a student, he's on an eight month drink, drugs and sex bender - in which case his lack of communication would be thoroughly justified.

Seriously though, I hope you get your gear back soon, as you certainly have done nothing wrong.

[PCH]

@Cumbrian,

"thoroughly justified" - after an 8 month sex, drink and drugs bender.

I'm sure you're right about the OP being a tad upset - after comments like yours, I'd say it's a dead set guarantee.

Are you for real, or is it a wind up?

On which planet would that be "thoroughly justified" - duh !:screwy:

[MrB]

Cumbrian's very next line says "Seriously though..."
So yes, it was a 'wind up'

[astroron]

Paul, I think the above quote was a tongue in cheek aside,and not a serious statement.:rolleyes:

[PCH]

Hi Ron and MrB,

well, I'm glad to hear it. I did see the final line for sure, and kind of thought it may be a wind up, that's why I mentioned that as an option.

OK, - I give in, - in which case Cumbrian's comment might even be mildly amusing ;)

[iceman]

Enough has been said and I think there's been more than enough suggestions for the original poster to follow up on if he so wishes.

I don't want this to become a witch hunt.

I hope the OP can contact Brendan (directly or indirectly) to sort this out.