After the incident with the police, I was left in a bit of a quandary … what to do with THE DRAGON? After all it was getting rather large at this point.
Enter Cityrail Transit Authority…
Their suggestion was a simple one, stick it up on the tunnels wall (Something the police had floated as a suggestion). Which I did after determine the best tape to use without damaging the wall, along with numerous A3 laminated pictures to better promote myself. This worked well and was a welcome sight to many who expressed their appreciation verbally. Of course, with the nature of Transit Officers, I was to be told off after a few weeks by officers I had never met.
Explaining to them that I had been told by transit previously to do so was met with dubious looks, but they let me off with an understanding I would go to the Station Masters Office.
No problem at all…
The next day I would see the attending officer on duty in the Station Masters Office to verify I was ok to proceed…
Permission was not provided as…and I quote…
“The tunnel is Cityrail property, but as it is leased to council it is not Cityrails concern.”
As far as he was concerned, cityrail cleaned the tunnel and went so far as to maintain a presence, but what goes on in the tunnel is a council issue (council says the opposite … in short, the tunnel is a grey zone which is why buskers are allowed in there in the first place). Providing me a number for officers to call should I have any further issues, he sent me on my way.
A month later I would be up near the top end of the tunnel in the process of taking down THE DRAGON when I would have three transit officers back up and tell me off.
Again these three were new and dubious…
Again I went to the Station Masters Office, this time was told I should probably listen to transit…
And so no more dragon on the wall.
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A week or so later, one of the many police officers who had talked to me over this time would wander by and enquire ad to where THE DRAGON was and upon being informed of the situation…told me to just put it back up as…
“Transit has no idea what they are talking about. It is not malicious damage (as was insinuated by the transit officers) and no charges for such would be laid as I always removed what I put up and ensured the area was not harmed in the process”
…my response that transit could probably kick me out though was met with thoughtful agreement that they could indeed do that.
So began my thoughts on what next to do up by way of a “crowd pleaser” (tiny hint … the panoramics)
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Side note: One particular part of this story is that the head honcho in charge of cityrail would apparently walk through the tunnel on a regular basis, even going so far as to hire the occasional busker to perform at a gig or two he would run.
Based on the above, if he had a problem with what I did, I was certainly never made aware of it (and I have a sneaking suspicion I might have even spoken to him a couple of times)
As the famous saying goes…
“Such is life”
James Kite's Blog 