A Kingdom of Your Own

I read your article and write this little poem:
Well it is a fine story of The Great Lord Caserly.
One that would inspire all to live to ones ideals.
It is about time now that a difference must be made,
when on stake is our right.
And for our freedom we must fight!

But the fact is that to me,more than anything else,what comes out from this story is `The fairness and efficiency of the Judicial system of Australia`. The fact that he was willing to be a martyr to his cause and also that Justice was delivered well within his life time,speaks volumes for the judiciary. Anyone trying a similar adventure,here in India would have had to endorse the same commitment to his Grand Children to keep up the struggle....

Good stuff Niaz, thanks for sharing it with all of us!

I am now very keen to liberate some parts of India too, and would suggest we start with Free School Street, what do you say?

Keep writing here Sirjee, and tell us more about your travels . . . your photographs add to it!!

Re: # 6Subroto.. i get your drift but in this world of negativity there are positives.. just a reminder, that Hutt river is Legal, endorsed by the Govt of Oz and the commonwealth, There will always others who will follow in his footsteps, for all their shonky reasons ... but this guy is the real`Mc coy... and let me tell you that his Kingdom, country province call it what you may, has been there since 1970..... no one can legally challeng his legal right.... the Law protects him..... to do the sceptics justice check out the web site it is ...www.huttriver.net this man is not a fruitcake but a highly intelegent person who at the time of making his move dotted all his ``I```s and crossed all his ``T```s, other wise he would have been locked away a long time ago

Interesting. As a part of a radio show that I do, I had used the story of the Rigoli family in Victoria. While the radio script had a bit more, um, dramatisation - here are the bare details:


A SELF-proclaimed prince who declared his family farm an independent kingdom wrote a letter to a ``devil`` in the tax office, arguing he and his sons did not have to pay tax, a Melbourne court was told today.

The Rigoli family – father Virgilio, 67, and sons Philip, 36, and Little Joe, 25 – named their property near Shepparton in Victoria`s north the Principality of Ponderosa, arguing it was not part of Australia.
Virgilio and Little Joe were charged with defrauding the Commonwealth in June 2001 after police raided the family`s Swainston Rd property, while Philip was charged three years later.

The trio was convicted of fraud earlier this month, while Virgilio – the self-proclaimed prince of Ponderosa – was also found guilty of obtaining an invalid pension.

During a pre-sentencing hearing today, Victorian County Court judge Tim Wood heard the trio earned $6.9 million between 1991 and 2000 through its polystyrene box manufacturing firm.

``The accused had decided that they were not going to pay taxation to the Commonwealth of Australia and had gone to the trouble of setting up an independent municipality ... to distance themselves from the laws of Australia,`` crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert told the court.

He said Virgilio wrote a letter to an employee at the Australian Tax Office (ATO), addressing it ``to the devil possessed,`` and Little Joe wrote another letter explaining why he refused to pay tax.

``I do not recognise nor will I ever recognise the government of Australia, signed His Royal Highness, Little Joseph Rigoli,`` Mr Silbert said the letter read.

He said fences were erected around their 24 hectare property, which issued its own Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1994.

The farm was surrounded by a moat and people required passports to enter and leave.

Defence counsel for Virgilio, Nathan Crafti, said Ponderosa was a manifestation of his client`s ``resentment`` towards the Department of Agriculture, which bulldozed his fruit crop after it became infested with a pest.

``That was what caused him to set up the principality – it had nothing to do with the ATO,`` he said.

Mr Crafti said the ATO had already received $80,000 from the Rigoli`s bank accounts, plus a further $35,000 from a fuel diesel rebate which was frozen.

Meanwhile, Philip Rigoli`s lawyer, Shane Kennedy, argued his client underwent a ``stunning`` transformation after he left the ``strange and toxic conditions`` of Ponderosa in 1997.

``Once away from the Ponderosa his true colours manifested themselves,`` Mr Kennedy said.

He said the amount of money his client withheld from the ATO was about one-tenth of that his father and brother withheld.

The hearing continues tomorrow.

First areply for beejay, the world is full of believers and non belivers , If Prince Leonard believes he is a prince, well... im quite happy to agree with him,there will always be those who knock Success... his is ma story of sucess, dont forget that he is and always has been a farmer. but he Leagelly fought the system, and noew comming to ``Hush`s`` comments... the answer is Leagelly yes he is welcomed in the Australian Parliment, and wines and dines with all the Polies, ....and Beejay its not a flash property, like the Maharajha`s have but hey... its his kingdom and he is the Ruler as he puts... how would you be feel if you were leagelly the Maharaj of ``dhobighatisthan`` who cares your still a Maharaj, and for ``Miriamk``... im glad you enjoyed that... a special place is what you make it to be, if you ever get there im sure you will enjoy the experience... and take care
Niaz

niaz ji:

this was a lovely telling of your trip, which sounds like quite an adventure. i really enjoyed this read. your story has inspired me to visit kalbarri and hutt river and experience for myself….they sound like such special places.

miriam

nice inspirational story..but HOW did he claim the land as his state???
I mean legally..technically..how??

#1 (Clarification)

[And they say that you can’t even fight the city hall!]
I meant “you” generically – as in “they say that ONE can’t even fight the city hall!”

(One might think that such a clarification is totally unnecessary – since it’s so obvious – but with the Chowk crowds – one never knows). Also, for all this interactor knows, you (Niaz Ali) may be fully capable of fighting the city hall – perhaps a formidable force in 4 by 4 – all gung-ho and ready for action – scaring the daylights out of those city hall folks – or anyone else who dares to get in front of that 4 by 4!)

And they say that you can’t even fight the city hall! Interesting.

When everything else fails, one can always escape into a “world of one’s own making.” Sometimes, I feel that Chowk is one such world – for many people.

However, to put it in a little bit of perspective; here is what a website on Kalbarri, WA says:

“…The road between Kalbarri and Port Gregory, while not being a major highway, is quite adequate. The early section through the National Park may be a little rough in places but once out of the park it is a dirt road which is nearly as good as a sealed road.

The entrance to Hutt River Province

If you continue on (do not take the turn to Port Gregory) you come to the infamous Hutt River Province, the unassuming home of Prince Leonard and Princess Shirley of Hutt. This amusing episode in Australian eccentricity resulted when Prince Leonard renamed his wheat farm the Hutt River Province, declared himself a prince and his wife a princess, seceded from Australia and Western Australia and, as a nice little earner, started printing his own stamps. Of course none of his grandiose ambitions had any validity but he did attract an inordinate amount of publicity. There is some doubt about the Prince and Princess`s enthusiasm for visitors. There is no welcoming sign at the gate - which boasts a rather faded replica of the province`s coat of arms.

Interestingly Prince Leonard is not alone in his regal aspirations. In Strahan in Tasmania there was a self-proclaimed Lord who ran his own Ba-k (he was legally not allowed to call it a bank). He was closed down a few years ago and the ba-k is now a gift shop.”