Homeowner spray paints desperate plea to tradies before family house is demolished
A homeowner's desperate plea to tradies scrawled on the side of her garage has been praised by Aussies who say they admire her passion and dedication.
The woman has lived on the family property in NSW's Sutherland Shire for the past 10 years, and over that time became friends with a blue-tongue lizard who moved in under her backyard patio, and occasionally emerged to bask in the sun.
However, after selling the lot to a developer, she began to fret about the welfare of her mate and called local snake wrangler Tyler Gibbons to relocate the reptile earlier this month.
'We went over probably three or four times to try and work out how to get it out,' Gibbons, who also works for WIRES, told Yahoo News. 'We did everything we possibly could. We put food out. We put some water underneath the slab, trying to get it to pop out… but no chance.'
When the woman contacted Gibbons, she told him the lizard hadn't visited in about a week — likely due to the cold weather.
'She had seen it probably for a couple of days before she first called me, but subsequently from then, she hadn't actually seen it and she was really worried about it getting crushed when they actually pulled down the house,' he said.
The snake catcher was planning on giving the rescue another shot when he learned the homeowner's settlement had been brought forward, prompting her to take drastic measures to alert the incoming construction workers.
'I couldn't make it out because they called it early. And then she said 'I'm going to spray paint the garage to make sure that they check before they actually pull apart the slab',' Gibbons told Yahoo.
A photo posted online shows bright read spray paint plastered across the side of the woman's garage reading 'lizard under slab' and an arrow pointing to where the blue-tongue would likely be found. At the bottom, she included Gibbons' phone number.
📸 Key detail caught on front yard security footage sparks alarm
🐍 Tradies stop work to capture incredible battle at construction site
🏊 Warning behind 'adorable' image of blue-tongue lizard swimming in pool
Touched — and entertained — by the woman's effort, Gibbons went back to the property again this week to check in with the tradies on-site, but they hadn't had any luck locating the lizard either.
'They were a little bit cautious when they pulled that slab up and broke it up, just to see if it was there or not. They didn't notice it but that's probably a good thing,' he said. 'Hopefully, it had moved on because of all the vibration with the excavators. So you never know. Fingers crossed.'
Gibbons said blue-tongue lizards are quite common in the Sutherland Shire, and residents often keep an eye out for them.
'You'd be surprised how many people are fairly passionate about their reptiles and what lives in their backyard. It's almost like another pet that someone lives with on their property.'
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Homeowner spray paints desperate plea to tradies before family house is demolished
A homeowner's desperate plea to tradies scrawled on the side of her garage has been praised by Aussies who say they admire her passion and dedication. The woman has lived on the family property in NSW's Sutherland Shire for the past 10 years, and over that time became friends with a blue-tongue lizard who moved in under her backyard patio, and occasionally emerged to bask in the sun. However, after selling the lot to a developer, she began to fret about the welfare of her mate and called local snake wrangler Tyler Gibbons to relocate the reptile earlier this month. 'We went over probably three or four times to try and work out how to get it out,' Gibbons, who also works for WIRES, told Yahoo News. 'We did everything we possibly could. We put food out. We put some water underneath the slab, trying to get it to pop out… but no chance.' When the woman contacted Gibbons, she told him the lizard hadn't visited in about a week — likely due to the cold weather. 'She had seen it probably for a couple of days before she first called me, but subsequently from then, she hadn't actually seen it and she was really worried about it getting crushed when they actually pulled down the house,' he said. The snake catcher was planning on giving the rescue another shot when he learned the homeowner's settlement had been brought forward, prompting her to take drastic measures to alert the incoming construction workers. 'I couldn't make it out because they called it early. And then she said 'I'm going to spray paint the garage to make sure that they check before they actually pull apart the slab',' Gibbons told Yahoo. A photo posted online shows bright read spray paint plastered across the side of the woman's garage reading 'lizard under slab' and an arrow pointing to where the blue-tongue would likely be found. At the bottom, she included Gibbons' phone number. 📸 Key detail caught on front yard security footage sparks alarm 🐍 Tradies stop work to capture incredible battle at construction site 🏊 Warning behind 'adorable' image of blue-tongue lizard swimming in pool Touched — and entertained — by the woman's effort, Gibbons went back to the property again this week to check in with the tradies on-site, but they hadn't had any luck locating the lizard either. 'They were a little bit cautious when they pulled that slab up and broke it up, just to see if it was there or not. They didn't notice it but that's probably a good thing,' he said. 'Hopefully, it had moved on because of all the vibration with the excavators. So you never know. Fingers crossed.' Gibbons said blue-tongue lizards are quite common in the Sutherland Shire, and residents often keep an eye out for them. 'You'd be surprised how many people are fairly passionate about their reptiles and what lives in their backyard. It's almost like another pet that someone lives with on their property.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aussie council's $220k move after chaotic beach scenes anger locals
A city council has vowed to drastically ramp up efforts to contain crowds that flock to the beach to party on Christmas Day, after years of numbers swelling into the high thousands and numerous complaints from fed-up locals. Bronte Park, at Bronte Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs, attracts several thousand revellers each year on Christmas Day, who flock to the popular seaside spot to celebrate in the sun. While the partygoers can hardly be blamed for wanting to enjoy such a pristine location, it's come at the ire of locals, who argue crowds become rowdy, leave behind mountains of rubbish, and prevent residents from enjoying their suburb. In recent years, locals said numbers had swollen to their "worst ever" rates, with 2025's event also renewing concerns. Bronte residents said they're sick of being forced to pitch in to clean up the filthy waste annually, including broken glass and even vomit, which is routinely left behind by the throng — largely made up of travellers. Now, after a string of complaints to Waverley Council, it has vowed to act. Speaking to Yahoo News, a council spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that it had decided on how best to manage revellers in 2025, following a meeting on Tuesday night. At the meeting, four proposals were put forward. Option 1 was to take no action, with no additional services provided. Option 2 proposed keeping the same crowd and waste management systems as in 2024. Option 3, which received the most community support, involved enhanced management, more cleaning, security, toilets, police presence, and a communications campaign to discourage attendance, costing around $220,000. Option 4 suggested fencing off the entire park and beach for a fully ticketed, alcohol-free event, but this was deemed costly (minimum $360,000) and logistically risky, potentially pushing unruly partygoers to other beaches. After significant community consultation, "councillors endorsed the recommendation outlined in the report — known as 'option 3'," the Waverley spokesperson said. This plan proposes a more robust and proactive strategy than what was implemented previously, with a strong emphasis on safety, cleanliness, and crowd control, without physically fencing the park or requiring ticketed entry. 🚮 Aussie councils warn crowds after 'disgusting' scenes 🧑🎄 'Disgusting' scenes as thousands hit famous Aussie beach for Christmas 🏝️ 'Worst ever': Outrage as iconic beach trashed At a minimum cost of $220,000 to Council (including staff time), the scheme will provide expanded service provision across key areas. These include: Increased cleaning and waste management to handle large volumes of rubbish. Improved toilet facilities to meet heightened demand. Enhanced security and a visible police presence to deter antisocial behaviour. New or strengthened alcohol bans or checkpoints to curb public drinking. A key feature of this option is a comprehensive public communications campaign to discourage attendance at Bronte on Christmas Day and to set clear expectations around acceptable behaviour. The plan also includes greater collaboration with rideshare operators, emergency services, and traffic control to manage congestion and safety risks in the surrounding area. Enforcement will be tightened, with council rangers empowered to issue fines for littering or misuse of public space. Although this option does not attempt to fully prevent visitation, it is designed to mitigate negative impacts while maintaining public access and avoiding the significant financial and logistical challenges of a full park enclosure. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aussies urged to check their own backyards as popular plant 'infests' major city
Aussies have been urged to inspect their own backyards as an escaped garden plant continues to wreak havoc in a major city. Spanish Moss, a hanging plant that thrives in warm, humid environments, is exploding in Sydney after months of heavy rainfall, prompting a warning to residents from local councils and landcare groups. The ornamental, which is native to tropical and subtropical America, is a common addition for those with a green thumb, but there are concerns gardeners are unaware of just how quickly it can spread and overwhelm larger trees. 'Bush regenerators are raising the alarm as Spanish moss spreads more widely,' Dr Carol Booth, the Invasive Species Council's policy director, told Yahoo News. 'It's an epiphyte — a plant that grows on other plants — and it can infest dozens of native tree species. We've seen turpentines, brush boxes, lilly pillies and cheese trees all severely impacted. It can grow thickly, smothering trees, blocking sunlight, breaking branches and sometimes killing the host by preventing photosynthesis.' Recently, Willoughby City Council in the city's lower north shore urged residents to keep an eye out for the plant, noting it is 'becoming a problem'. 'Please remove it if you can, don't purchase or share the plant. Help protect our trees!' it said online. Nearby Lane Cove Council has issued a similar warning stating Spanish Moss 'is becoming increasingly common in the Sydney region' and 'threatens the local critically endangered Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest and Blue Gum High Forest communities'. 'If you have Spanish Moss growing in your garden, it is recommended that you remove it and dispose of it in your green waste,' the council said. The plant is increasingly being recognised as an environmental weed — particularly in the Sydney region — but it's not currently declared under any laws, Dr Booth said. It has established in the wild in parts of Queensland and NSW, including the Lismore area and Lord Howe Island. 'It spreads readily through fluffy wind-borne seeds or fragments carried by birds, wind or human movement. That makes it particularly hard to contain once it's in the landscape,' Dr Booth told Yahoo. 'Despite the risks, it remains a popular ornamental plant that can be legally sold across the country.' And it's far from the only one, with experts sounding the alarm over another nasty weed — gazania — earlier this month. Despite the South African native flower emerging as a serious invasive threat to native grasslands and grain-growing regions, it's still being sold at nurseries. Escaped garden plants are the primary source of new weeds in Australia, with a whopping three-quarters of all environmental weeds starting out as ornamentals. This has prompted the Invasive Species Council to campaign for stricter regulations on the nursery industry to stop the selling and spreading of such plants, which contribute to over $5 billion in losses each year. 'More than 30,000 plant species have been imported into Australia for gardening, but fewer than a quarter have been assessed nationally for their weed risk,' Dr Booth said. 'Some of our worst invasives — like lantana and blackberry — were once common garden plants. 'Unless governments act, we'll keep selling the next potentially disastrous plant, putting our bushland and protected areas at risk.' 🌼 Imported flower escalating $5 billion threat in Australia 🌳 Woman's 'incredible' 500-year-old discovery hidden behind invasive weed 🌸 Desperate plea over invasive plant threatening 'beauty' of Australia Anyone who finds Spanish moss in their garden is encouraged to remove it, even if they don't live near bushland. 'It can be removed by hand, though this can be difficult on tall trees,' Dr Booth said. 'Herbicides may also work, but there's a risk they could harm the tree it's growing on — so mechanical removal is the safer option where possible.' Residents who are unable to extract the plant themselves can contact their local council for advice. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
