Thursday’s coverage of VNI West invasions in Marnoo District – 30/4/2026

Today Billboard Battalion returned to the Marnoo area of the Victorian Wimmera to continue supporting the Farmers being invaded by the Victorian Government officers from the VNI West Transmission Line project.

At 8:30am, I attended the farm of the Baldwin family at Gre Gre, where VNI West Authorised Officers arrived, turned around and drove straight away, without attempting to talk to the landowners, as seems to be their current tactic over the last few days. Well over 100 people turned up at the Baldwin family property to support them.

After the officers left, the crowd moved into another paddock and formed their vehicles into the word HELP, and drone footage was taken of this.

I then interviewed 6th Generation Farmer Billy Baldwin, who has been one of the leaders of the opposition to this project.

After this, I caught up with Frank and Chris Burchell and Peter Byrne who took me to Frank and Chris’s property for lunch, before taking me on a tour around the area of the Donald Mineral Sands mine, which is going to take up several thousand acres of land directly next to their farms. They are under pressure from DMS to sell up, however they are fighting back, refusing to allow their properties to be ruined for the purpose of mining minerals.

I then interviewed Peter as he gave us some interesting history about the Laen Gun Club, of which he now owns the land, which is directly adjacent to the DMS mine site.

After this, we went to Peter’s house and I interviewed Peter and his wife Marie about their property, their fight to protect it, and the state of Australia.

After this, we went back to Marnoo East and attended the property of Keith McPherson, as VNI West officers came along to do their Ecological Survey, which once again, was done in record time while they turned their car around and drove off.