[gb_astro]

I am reposting this from a now closed closed thread.
Seems to need a bit more exposure...


I am really surprised anyone is recommending accessing the PC through the side gate.

As far as I know the PC does not have any right of way, right of access or even a verbal agreement with that adjacent land owner to use his driveway to enter the PC.
That side gate is a good 150 metres from the front street boundary so if you meet the owner coming the other way it might be a bit awkward saying you just pulled off the road to check your directions. The straight fact is that if you are on that adjacent land you are trespassing.

That members have been using it and no one has yet been challenged is just a matter of dumb luck.

That challenge almost happened to me a couple of months ago.
Myself and Joe, who also did not have a key, used the side gate to access the PC on a Friday night.
When we left about 1am we got lost trying to relocate gate.
We eventually found the it. Joe left first while I stayed to close the gate.
As I was doing that I could see the headlights of an approaching car coming up from somewhere far down the track.
Our five minutes of driving in circles around all those trees in the dark was apparently enough to arouse the suspicions of the neighbour.
Not feeling too brave by myself at that time of night I decided to just get out of there.

However a couple of kilometres down the road the guy was right behind me flashing his lights.
I pulled over expecting the worse. I think he was expecting the worse too so he approached pretty cautiously and said he just wanted to know what I was doing around there.
When I told him I had just been at the PC he calmed down and fell back on a story of how there had been a lot of burglaries around there lately and as he had seen lights in the trees around his place he had rushed out to investigate.
I am positive I got to the main road before he saw me so I assume he assumed I had left the PC via the PC main entrance.
If he had seen me on his property I think his attitude would of been a lot more hostile and I can completely understand why.

This was quite a scary incident especially when I consider the possible less favourable outcomes to the situation.
To prevent it happening to anyone else I strongly suggest we forget all about that side gate.

The only reason I decided to use the side gate in the first place was that I assumed that it must be close enough to the main road so that you could zip through it before anyone would notice.
At about 150 meters off the main road this is definitely not the case..

Greg.