Hepburn wind farm: local doctor speaks out

By Brendan Gullifer
Updated November 2 2012 - 5:20pm, first published August 18 2011 - 9:56am
Hepburn wind farm: local doctor speaks out
Hepburn wind farm: local doctor speaks out

A LOCAL doctor has spoken out publicly for the first time after treating patients for symptoms associated with living near wind turbines.Dr Andja Mitric-Andjic, who practises in Daylesford, said she had treated at least two local patients for sleep deprivation, and spoken with others living near the Hepburn wind farm.Dr Mitric-Andjic, who lives at Korweinguboora, said she, her husband and14-year-old son had also suffered sleep interruption since the turbines began operating.Dr Mitric-Andjic said she decided to speak out because the problems being experienced by local residents could not be ignored.“Wind farm, what do you mean wind farm?” she said.“This is industrial. No one is against green energy. Everyone would say yes, of course, but put it out of residential areas.”Dr Mitric-Andjic, 49, practises at Springs Medical Centre. She and her husband bought land on the Ballan-Daylesford Road seven years ago and built a house there last year.She said patients had come to see her to complain about the noise from the two local turbines.“They can’t sleep and in the morning they wake up exhausted. They can’t function. They have poor concentration, probably because of poor sleeping.”Hepburn Wind chairman Simon Holmes a Court said any claims of adverse health effects would be taken “very seriously”.“As a community organisation, we’re very concerned about the well-being of our community,” Mr Homes a Court said.“If anyone is concerned that the turbines are harming them, we want to meet to understand their claims. Our project officer lives in Leonards Hill and is in frequent contact with the community around the wind farm.”Turbine landholder Ron Liversidge said any claims of noise problems were “completely false”.Mr Liversidge said he had been doing his own noise monitoring, by parking his car on the road and listening.“Anybody can come and listen for themselves,” he said. “I don’t believe there’s any problems whatsoever.”

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