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Banksy mural on the side of dilapidated farmhouse destroyed

<p dir="ltr">A dilapidated farmhouse, with a Banksy mural on its side, has been demolished in the seaside town of Herne Bay in Kent, England.</p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork, called <em>Morning is Broken</em>, features a young boy with a cat at his side opening corrugated iron curtains and staring at the world outside. </p> <p dir="ltr">The farmhouse was built in 1529, and was approved for demolition in late 2022, before anyone realised the importance of the mural. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We had no idea it was a Banksy. It made me feel sick realising it was a Banksy—we were gutted,” contractor George Caudwell told <em><a href="https://www.kentonline.co.uk/herne-bay/news/banksy-confirms-new-artwork-but-its-already-been-torn-dow-283771/">KentOnline</a></em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We started demolishing it yesterday. The landowner watched us do it and didn’t know either.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Banksy shared news of the demolition on his Instagram with a series of pictures, posting a photo of the destruction, simply writing over the image, “Morning is broken.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpzwGpPM56f/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">One person who has a personal connection with the farmhouse left a comment for the elusive street artist, writing, “This was my grandma's farm house before it was left to ruins, I spent so many happy hours in the house and at the farm, this was even done on the room I used to sleep in with the farm cat.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you so much for this Mr Banksy, my grandparents would have been very proud ❤️”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The demolition comes just weeks after another Banksy artwork in the UK town of Margate was destroyed. </p> <p dir="ltr">The artist took up the theme of domestic violence against women in a piece titled <em>Valentine’s Day Mascara</em>, depicting a 1950s housewife with a missing tooth and a black eye as she packs a male body into a real-life freezer chest.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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"How can they do this?" Iconic house of Kath and Kim demolished

<p dir="ltr">The iconic house used in the popular Australian TV series that gave us foxy ladies <em>Kath and Kim</em> has been demolished.</p> <p dir="ltr">Demolition works began on Monday on the property known as "Chateau Kath" in the fictional “effluent” suburb of Fountain Lakes.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pete Rowsthorn, who played Brett in the series, said the house contained a lot of memories but it's time to move on.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a weird house, if I bought it I'd probably pull it down too," he told ABC Melbourne radio.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It had really quite small rooms … the squeaky back door, that was all natural sound. There was no foley man putting that on top.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I played cricket in the backyard with Shane Warne, I danced in the garage with Kylie Minogue, I sat and had dinner with Barry Humphries dressed up as a monk.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The home, actually located in the Melbourne suburb of Patterson Lakes, was last sold for $1.485 million in 2016.</p> <p dir="ltr">Owner Joanne Kelly said it was time for a change as works begin to build a two-storey property for her family.</p> <p dir="ltr">She held an open house in 2019 to raise money for cancer, which gave fans from all over the country to see the estate in person. </p> <p dir="ltr">ABC rented the home from 2002 to 2007 for the filming of the series which has a large following.</p> <p dir="ltr">It follows the story of a dysfunctional mother and daughter created and played by Jane Turner and Gina Riley.</p> <p dir="ltr">Fans in the Facebook group “Da Kath & Kim appreciation society”, which has more than 114,500 followers have been left devastated at the home’s demolition. </p> <p dir="ltr">Many questioned why the house would be purchased and renovated given its significance to fans all over.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Why would you buy a perfectly good house.. and one that has (dare I say) cultural significance to a great number of people, and then destroy it? It makes no sense,” someone asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I only had two reasons for wanting to visit Australia - to see the Kath & Kim house and visit Ramsay Street. Nothing goes right. Guess I’ll stay at home in the UK and drown my sorrows,” another said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Amazing how the demolition of the fake Kath and Kim house pulls on your heart strings. RIP to memories,” someone else commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“How is the house not ERITAGE listed!? Well, if it's not, it bloody well should be. The house is turn of the century, an Edwardian dream... BLOODY HOWARD,” another commented with references to the show. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Bunch of crims, tearing this effluent home down. Should be heritage listed,” someone else commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Why on earth are they doing this?? Is the new owner tired of fans stopping by?? This is honestly so awful of them,” someone asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“How can they do this!? This house is an important part of Australian culture!” another stated.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

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Calls for urgent changes in building regulations as family home demolished

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mother of a disabled woman is calling for urgent changes to be made to building regulations in Australia following the demolition of their brand-new, purpose-built home. 24-year-old Paige was left with severe brain damage as a child after a hospital mistake, and was awarded $5.5 million in compensation from Queensland Health four years ago. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 280px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844345/screen-shot-2021-09-23-at-35143-pm.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2850aa7004940eea0c1eefa38f90da4" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Part of that money was used to build a home that would meet all of her needs, but after less than a year of living in their new Redcliffe home, the house had such a severe mould problem that it was decided it had to be demolished.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Paige’s mum, Linda Hartman, told </span><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/new-development-severely-disabled-queensland-womans-toxic-house-demolished/765a998a-a0d2-40ef-a74d-feb6d86e58e1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affair</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">that the situation has caused her and Paige severe stress, but the minister responsible, Mick de Brenni, won’t agree to meet with them to discuss the issue.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affair </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">initially met the family when they were attempting to dry the moisture in order to keep the mould at bay, but those attempts failed, and the only remaining solution was demolition.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Hartman told reporters she was relieved that the entire building, including the concrete slab, had to go, as it meant she wouldn’t have to deal with the builder anymore. "I'm quite relieved because now I don't have to deal with the builder because dealing with the builder it was just horrific.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 277.86624203821657px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844346/screen-shot-2021-09-23-at-35148-pm.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/c63309e684504d57b3425856725c68ab" /></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The builder in question was PJ Burns – the director Rick Burns admitted to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ACA </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">that there were problems at the property and that he was “going to fix them”. In early March, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) identified the cause of the mould as "rising damp through the slab due to faulty installation of the damp proof membrane" and found that Burns had failed to rectify structural defects, ultimately deciding that the "demolition and rebuilding of the dwelling" was "reasonable and necessary". </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">QBCC approved a claim of $200,000 under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, which was less than a third of the actual cost. The trustee of Paige’s settlement money has now commenced legal proceedings against PJ Burns, as well as finding a new builder, with the hope of having a new home ready for the family by Christmas 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 284.5786963434022px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844347/screen-shot-2021-09-23-at-35210-pm.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/194a66899a64440b95b790b9dada2ea6" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The builder has to be held accountable for what he has done to us and I don't want this to happen to anybody else," Ms Hartman told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ACA.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Ms Hartman believes that QBCC’s lack of action “ruins people’s lives”. She believes PJ Burns’ work is so bad that it should be listed as Tier 1 defective work, which would result in an automatic three-year ban. Ms Hartman feels like the QBCC is “protecting the builder”, while the QBCC claims it is “empathetic to [her] situation” and that its officers have “worked continuously to keep her updated and informed during her case.” A spokesperson for the regulator said, "This builder has been subject to regulatory action and may be subject to further regulatory action in the future.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr de Brenni said in a statement that the QBCC had been in regular contact with Ms Hartman, and his recommendation is that homeowners check the QBCC website before hiring a builder.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: A Current Affair</span></em></p>

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