Brrrrr....... It's cold out there...

[BillTheCat]

Hello all (slapping hands together by the fire...). I am indeed the ghost of Opus past and have re-signed as BillTheCat. Please note that I have honoured the wishes of the forum and remained banned until the recent posting by Chewy as a forum administrator, which I took to be an invite back to the forum. If I have mis-read this post then please by all means feel free to ban this account. Until this post was made I would have regarded it to be unethical and belligerent on part to do such a thing.

Now that I'm here, I would like to take the opportunity to set a few things straight, which I was not afforded the opportunity to do at the time of the ban. I will try to make these points as clear and unambiguaous (and un-emotive) as possible. Forgive me if it turns into a long post...

If at the end of this post you are aggrieved by my presence then by all means feel free to banish me again and I will never darken your doors again, not even as a public lurker!

On the topic of 'skepticism':
- I am a skeptic.
- I have never, will never disavow the possibility that yowies exist!!! I simply haven't been privy to adequate proof (apologies if that's repetitive but I want it to be clear). IT IS a 'possibility' that they exist.
- I do not 'hate' believers and I AM NOT your enemy!!!
- I am a skeptic. I have a right to be a skeptic until convinced otherwise. You have the right to be a believer and I support and defend your right to believe in yowies, ufo's, ghosts, whatever...
- I am not telling you what or how to think!!!! That's your own responsibility.... I am telling you what I think and asking questions from my perspective. I apologise if some of the questions make it awkward for you.
- Just like you; I am seeking the truth regarding the intriguing mystery of the yowie. I happen to be coming at it from the other side of the fence. Hopefully one day we'll meet in the middle and prove the existence of the hairy bloke.
- I would be overjoyed if the yowie were to be proved true. What a magnificent find that would be. I would be doubly happy if DH were to be the 'prover'. It would vindicate his position and give him the credibility that is deserving of for his not insignificant efforts.
- I do not, will not and cannot apologise for any of the posts I have made on this forum under the name of Opus. (More on this point later).

On the topic of my banishment:
- I do not bear any grudges or animosity regarding the act of banning me from the forum. I respect the right of AYR to ban anybody they like for whatever reason they deem. It is their site!!!
- I believe I have honoured the ban honourably and I am making this post for the reason that I believe Chewy's post was an invitation for me to come back.
- I very much appreciate the posts of support for myself and Marius and given that I will do my utmost, if allowed to remain on the forum, to honour your faith in my motives for being here.
- On a slightly sour note, whilst I do not bear any grudges, I am bound by my own code of ethics (in being honest to all) to explain that I have lost a great deal of respect for Mike Williams. Not because he banned me (that is his right and privilege, which I support and assert). The reason is because he banned us at no notice, with no explanation and then proceeded to post a number flagrant character assassinations that were wholly untrue, to which we were unable to respond.
- To Mike Williams: I do hope that over the course of time that I (and yourself) can find a mutual means of finding some sort of friendship. Right now, I do not like you at all. I have however pushed that grudge aside, chewed it up and spat it out. If you're prepared to bury the hatchet then so am I.
- To be fair to Mike (according to my ethics), I did make a disparaging remark in a private message to Marius (in between my IP Address and My account being banned) that was probably out of order. For that I am prepared to apologise.

On the topic of 'trolling':
- Wikipedia defines trolling as "An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion."
- I have NEVER made a post on this forum with the intention to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion!!
- I do not believe that I have made controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages! In deference though I probably should have shifted some comment to another thread in this 'Off The Topic' forum.
- I accept that my post regarding Dean being 'childish and melodramatic' would fit the definition of 'trolling'; however, so would Dean's post. I hindsight, I should not have made this post because: 1) I rose to the bait of Dean's post; and 2) My post didn't actually add any value to the thread, therefore I'm disappointed in myself for having made it.
- I do not resile from any of my other posts however!
- I AM NOT trolling. I am trying to get to the bottom of an intriguing mystery that I have been following for over 30 years...

On the topic of my anonymity:
- I do not post my face or discrete identifying information about myself because I am employed by a government agency that prevents me from doing this. It is simply a condition of my employment.
- There is no conspiracy and I am not watching you and taking names or trying to throw spanners into the works. I am a private citizen with a constraint on my identity due to my employment.
- I have however, published more hints to my identity than most on this forum.
- If you want to meet me or see what I look like then email me before you come to Canberra and I'll buy you a beer if that's possible.

On the topic of participation in field trips:
- I do not currently wish to particpate in field trips. This may change in the future...
- I am not a coward or any of the other implications made in some posts. Being scared and being a coward are two entirely different things. I am simply unable to take the sort of risk that comes with a field trip at this time.
- I have in the past spent plenty of nights 'in the deep bush' (see my Kempsey camping trip post).
- I still currently venture into the bush during the day/evening in my 4wd. Back of the Brindabellas, Yaouk Valley, Kangaroo Valley, Bateman's Bay... all of which are documented yowie haunts.
- I have spent many a night in the past few years on the banks of Lake Eucumbene fishing. In pitch black with either my wife and 2 sons or 2 of my mates. Let me tell you, Lake Euc' at midnight is an extremely creepy place...

So in summing up...
- Thanks for reading this post.
- I you are still bothered by my participation then ban me with my blessings...
- Do not regard skeptics as enemies. We are not!!!
- Do not even think for a moment that skeptics 'hate' you or even 'ridicule' you. We don't!!! I don't believe that Marius does either. It's simply not true.
- Skeptics are not trying to change your mind or tell you 'how to think'. That is NOT true!!! Skeptics simply ask questions. Sometimes we get get repetitive and boring. So be it. So do yowie encounter stories that end up with inconclusive outcomes (although they are still very, very entertaining).


Best wishes to all. Collectively, the forum is a strange and eclectic group of people and opinions. Where else would you want to be.

To Mike W: I'm serious... I'll be nice to you if you're nice to me, otherwise the gloves are off and you can ban me again...

Happy trails.

BillTheCat (formerly Opus).

[iwanttobelieve]

Hey Bill.

Good to have you back.

Cheers.

[Marivs]

Minor spelling variations aside, I am still the same.
Billthecat has it covered.
Thanks Muppets, and everyone else for the words of support.
And Mike Williams,..... well, not much really. He has his agendas, same as all of us. He exercises it as he feels the need.

At least we have some insight into the characters who inhabit this forum. We have all learned something, and everyday you learns something is a good one.
Let us not dwell on unpleasant memories, and forge on ahead like the adults we all are, as best as I can tell.

[stickyfingers]

...hey Bill... welcome back... well sort of!... I liked the name "Opus" ... seeing that I 've used it albeit on many... many occasions within the last few days ... (I won't go into that now as you would probably understand)... thanks for your posting here... I have been quite curious on how you and Marius have been reacting to the bans... now I have some perspective on just that... again... welcome back my friend... I hope that it is for a longer stay than your last one!!! ...cheers... Stickyfingers.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

EDIT:... whoa!... you posted while I was writing this post!!!... well hi Marivs!!!... as above my friend... welcome back... well sort of James Randi... oopsies!... I mean Marivs!!!... **Sticky blushes... I'm sure that you know what I'm talking about eh?** ... ...(mental note to oneself... SELF! ...do a final recheck on the information before you post Sticky... do a final recheck the information before you post!!!)... again ... welcome back and I hope that your stay is a longer one too my friend... cheers... Stickyfingers.

[AussieTrev]

Gday BillTheCat, I am glad to see that you were able to rejoin and explain on your behalf what happened.
I hope that your next stay is a little longer and that you learned from whatever you did to get banned in the first place.

- I very much appreciate the posts of support for myself and Marius and given that I will do my utmost, if allowed to remain on the forum, to honour your faith in my motives for being here.

I enjoyed your input to our discussions here on the forums and I am looking forward to more of it in the future.
Trev

[AussieTrev]

Congratulations for getting your licence back as well Marius. I hope you drive safely throughout these forums.
I would also like to thank Chewy for inviting these two back to the forums. I hope that they can keep themselves out of trouble this time. Trev

[Shazzoir]

Marivus and BilltheCat, it is truly good to have you back on the forums.

I suspect all parties have learned a lot in the last two weeks, and I'm sure most folks are willing to start over with a clean slate. Remember, you can't see where your're going if you're always looking behind you.

It is also gratifying to see the AYR Admins extending the olive branch, and that it was accepted. Thanks, everyone who was involved. I think even more highly of you now that I did before.

The most important thing is that Marivus and BilltheCat are obviously extremely interested in finding out some more about the existence (or not) of Yowies, otherwise they wouldn't be here.

I think we all have a better understanding of where we are coming from now, so this whole incident hasn't been fruitless.

Now, let the discussions continue as we turn over a new leaf.

Kind regards,
Shazz

[Marivs]

________________________________________________________________________________________________

EDIT:... whoa!... you posted while I was writing this post!!!... well hi Marivs!!!... as above my friend... welcome back... well sort of James Randi... oopsies!... I mean Marivs!!!... **Sticky blushes... I'm sure that you know what I'm talking about eh?** ... ...(mental note to oneself... SELF! ...do a final recheck on the information before you post Sticky... do a final recheck the information before you post!!!)... again ... welcome back and I hope that your stay is a longer one too my friend... cheers... Stickyfingers.

[/quote]

Randi? I would like his wisdom, but he can keep his years!

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our Skeptic dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the Yowie.

Apologies to the bard.