For three years the people of Tecoma and the Dandenong Ranges have been telling the McDonald’s Corporation that they are not welcome in our Community. McDonald’s has failed to listen to the voices of our community members, ignored the unanimous vote of our local council and used its monetary might to over rule our local council at VCAT.
After years of campaigning, many long months of community protest, costly delays in construction and legal action against community members the unwelcome outlet has finally opened it doors for business.
Mr. James Currie (Franchisee, Tecoma McDonald’s) and McDonald’s Australia here are some personal pledges from local community members to remind you that you will forever be unwelcome, unprofitable and unwise for pushing your way into our community:
I will probably die in the absolute misery McDonalds will inflict on my dear little home which is located by their car park on my visage. I have done everything I can to prevent this vile development, I am an elderly, disabled widow and if this goes ahead I will continue to fight till I do die. VCAT got it very wrong. Protect our Tecoma and our mountains. Traffic, litter, Drive in/drive out, hoons, illness, 24/7 in our village, 9/10 say NO.
I will never purchase McDonalds food. We live here to be part of a community and to support the community shop, cafe and restaurant owner.
I will fast forward my creative writing skills and my passion for No Maccas in the hills and post it on my blog – I will be recommending the local pizza shop to the teenagers at the school in which I work locally – I will continue to campaign in any way I can.
I will pick up your rubbish because you don’t, and dump it in your store. Mac Off!!!
I will continue to commit time and energy for however long it takes to stand up for the protection of the Dandenong Ranges from McDonalds extending its real estate empire into the hills.
I will never ever again go to McChucks ever . They will pay.
I will never support McDonalds, I moved to Tecoma to get away from fast food places like yours and enjoy the beautiful place Tecoma is. I will take my visitors to the local places here but not yours. I live one street back from the empty site and get your rubbish in my road now. I don’t want any more. Your drive through exit will be a danger to pedestrians young and old. Just look at the Bairnsdale drive-thru exit, the visibility of leaving in a car is so dangerous to pedestrians using the footpath. I believe yours will be the same. I have used that drive thru once and again as it is a hazard for drivers too.
I will return any McDonalds rubbish I find as I move around the Hills community.
I will collect all McDonalds rubbish that accumulates at the top of my street (ie Cnr Campbell St and McNichol Rd) and return it to its owner and perpetuator – you. I will upend a bagful of the rubbish all over the floor of your “restaurant’. I will notify the media first!
I will not purchase your products anywhere in Australia. I will encourage all my friends to boycott your corporation and all its entities. We will not be stopped. Our community will never accept your proposal. The community has spoken “No Maccas in Tecoma!”
I will discourage my 5 children from purchasing from your outlet and instead support our local take-aways. Work with our local businesses when asking for support for our sports clubs (and believe me – with 5 kids I am involved in a few) our local clubs will in turn support local business.
I will try to do whatever I can to prevent you from building in Tecoma as the property backs onto my unit in my peaceful Dandenongs.
I will never ever come to McDonalds in Tecoma. I have lived in Tecoma for 60 years and do not want it destroyed y the rubbish, traffic, destroying the view of the hills behind – I will do anything to stop the demolition of the old dairy and dairy house.
I will trash McDonalds name as much as I possibly can. I work for Government Departments and Legal Practitioners Victoria wide. I live one street from this nightmarish development.
I will never eat at Mc Donald’s again. Picket the Tecoma site. Continue to picket the Tecoma site. Take whatever means necessary to ensure your business fails.
I will never use it. Actively discourage people to use it. Do whatever I can to peacefully cause this to be a commercial failure.
I will do everything in my considerable power to locally, nationally and internationally shame and damage the McDonalds brand for considering the Tecoma development in the face of overwhelming community opposition. I will expose your bare-faced lies about “working with communities”. You are not welcome in Tecoma. Save any dignity you have and pull out now.
I will keep this alive and singing in the international community.
I will not purchase any food from there nor will any of my family or friends. Please stay out of the Hills. We prefer a quiet, calm, organic community and prefer all free range and organic products.
I will continue to eat and support local cafes and fast food and will no purchase fast food or any McDonalds products from McDonalds.
I will protest by wearing sandwich boards out the front of your store discouraging any one from entering.
I will boycott the biz and tell all my friends too as well
I will make sure my teenage internet savvy kids spread this further around the world, and work hard to bring attention to the evils of McDonalds sponsoring Hoop time in their friend’s schools.
I will boycott all McDonald’s restaurants. Teach my children to despise McDonalds. Talk to people about this inappropriate development. Go to all rallies against this development. May engage in non-violent direct actions.
I will always boycott McDonalds and encourage others to do the same.
I will contact my many friends worldwide and ask them to boycott McDonalds and encourage them to get involved and visit the www.burgeroff site often. And not to buy anything from you.
I will will never frequent your establishment or any other in your group.
I will lobby hard with all my Swinbourne Uni colleagues outside the Hawthorn branch.
I will as usual, never buy or eat your junk food.
I will never go to McDonalds. Will not stop until we save Tecoma. Will fight to save Tecoma. Never give up. This is our town community.
I will never, ever buy anything from McDonalds anywhere and nor will my family or relatives or friends.
I will never enter of buy products from Tecoma or other store. I will boycott and protest vehemently against this development. I will ensure via social media that the branding of McDonalds is wounded by encouraging thousands of others to protest with me.
I will never buy any products from McDonalds.
I will always encourage my children and many grandchildren to never purchase McDonalds products. I will as an educator always encourage fellow educators to inform our students and their parents to choose Stephanie Alexander healthy foods option and to condemn McDonalds products and their associated litter. I will also encourage professionals I associate with to condemn McDonalds and most of her fast foods for contributing to the obesity epidemic foisted upon Australian children.
I will never, never, never will my dogs eat soft serve ice cream again – and no more coffee for me.
I will continue my personal vow to never spend another cent as a McDonald’s restaurant anywhere in Australia and patronise your stores only for the restroom facilities (as that is what I compare your corporation to!!) I will encourage my friends and family to support local restaurants and cafes, rather than your unhealthy, terrible menu that you call “quality food”. I will personally hand deliver your rubbish that your customers will litter our streets with back into your store, where I will leave it on the floor. I will continue to lower your credibility as a community minded organisation by leaving scathing posts/recommendations/reviews on your Face book page, and I won’t back down until McDonalds Australia remove their application to the Shire of Yarra Ranges Council for a 24 hour convenience restaurant in Tecoma. I hope you sleep well, Mr Currie, Ms Oxenham, Ms Noble, etc. Knowing that you are ruining a community with your trash, a community that WILL NEVER give up the fight.
I will personally boycott all McDonald’s stores. Spread the word of the total arrogance of McDonalds.
I will never eat another thing from any of your stores again.
I will NEVER be a customer of this Mc store or any other McDonalds store if this development goes ahead. I will also continue to encourage my family and friends to boycott McDonalds as a protest against the complete disinterest in the community wishes.
I will never be a customer of any of your restaurants in Australia and worldwide. I will also encourage everyone in my family to do the same. McDonalds do not belong in the DANDENONG RANGES!!!
I will boycott it personally. Tell all my friends and family to boycott and WHY. Promote the cause on face book loudly and often.
I will never ever use the outlet or let any of my family use it. I will tell anyone I meet not to use it. I will protest at the store to let people know it’s not needed. It worked in Brighton so it will work here. Burger Off.
I will buy all my fast food requirements from Big Als. Encourage Mc users to stick their gum under your tables.
Do whatever it takes to make sure you’ll have to close within 12 months.
I will never ever be a customer at your McDonalds outlets and I will encourage everyone I know not to stop there either. I will continue to actively support all anti-McDonalds activities.
I will boycott your products perpetually. Encourage others to do the same. Help amplify the community protests till you leave!!!
I will encourage our community to unite in our stance against building a McDonalds in Tecoma. I will highlight at every McDonalds promotion how ironic it is that McDonalds is one of the main contributant to childhood obesity and diabetes and that with so many McDonalds stores how can there be only one hospital!! Clean up Australia cannot even get close to picking up all the McDonalds rubbish in Victoria.
I will continue to protest peacefully at your Boronia store and the Tecoma site. Deliver back any rubbish your store generates. Participate in any further peaceful action I can.
I will be travelling through Europe in summer with gNOmes opposing McDonalds and planting in each McDonald’s locations. Prior to which I will boycott all McPukes in the Ranges with gNOmes. Take it as a given – I do not buy McPukes and never will!!!
I will film a time-lapse video of the site circa school beginning and finishing peak hour. This video can be put on YouTube as a “before” shot. If McDonalds choose to build – an “after” shot can be provided. SIDRA (Traffic Modelling Co) may not like this…
I will buy all family’s fast food from Tecoma’s chicken shop.
I will never bring, my kids (3) to your fast food restaurant. Stay out of the beautiful hills!!!
I will not take my 3 and 5 year old to your Tecoma store or any other Maccas Assoc with you they will never attend Maccas parties and I will educate them what Maccas and you stand for Anti Community.
I will continue to raise my voice in public via media letter and comments against the development. And should it proceed, I will continue to record how the negative impacts predicted have indeed been realised – eg. Litter in the streets, traffic chaos, etc. – and make it public.
I will picket and non-violently resist the demolition of the Hazel vale Dairy and construction of McDonalds. Boycott all McDonald’s stores. Name, sham and boycott any companies/contractors involved in the demolition/construction. Nonviolently disrupt the smooth running of the business if the franchise goes ahead. Continue to spread information about this campaign online globally (face book, GNN, Twitter, The Age, News Limited, change.org, etc.)… EXPECT US!!!!!
Never ever give up the protest. This is my home James Currie, not your bank.
I will not Patronise McDonalds. Persuade all I can not to visit McDonalds. Vote against any councillor or politician who supports Vcat. Democracy should be respected, not money or big business.
Never eat at McDonalds ad I will be ensuring all the kids and adults from Tecoma will not.
I will give full support to continue the campaign.
I will boycott this McDonalds and all other McDonalds. Peacefully resist and picket the demolition of Saffron Cottage and the Hazel vale dairy buildings and the construction of any McDonalds in Tecoma or the Dandenong Ranges. Used social media to spread the news that McDonalds does not listen to the community.
I will never buy McDonalds again. I will continue to protest.
I will never buy any McDonalds products aver! Ask all my employees to never eat McDonalds during the hours they are employed by me (they have agreed). I will continue to mention to anybody eating a McDonald’s product that they are not welcome in the Dandenong’s. Continue to send emails and join in any further protests. Continue to tell young people (customers) to stop eating McDonalds.
I will always buy fast food in Tecoma but never ever from McDonalds.
I will never ever go to the Maccas, nor will my children of their friends.
I will never ever support Tecoma McDonalds. Educate my children consistently on the lack of ethics your corporation displays. Continue to support local business In Tecoma.
I will continue to instil an interest in health and current affairs in the children I teach, so that they can make critical, educated decisions.
I will boycott all McDonalds Stores. Buy all my fast food in Tecoma from local fast food outlets. Actively picket the Boronia store. Lobby McDonalds and the Government.
I will never support you proposed store in Tecoma or any other premise in the Hills. I will make a complaint whenever litter is found in my street, noise, pollution.
I will never purchase anything from your store – and neither will my family. I will actively alert all I know via all mediums available to me of any negative McDonald’s stories/news. I will call council any time any customer of yours parks illegally, litters or even jay walks. I will highlight the consequences of eating Maccas – including effects on body and environment.
I live in McNicol Road. This is a disaster for this Road and other surrounding roads. Not be a customer. I will not visit other McDonald’s restaurants within the Dandenong Ranges. My family will not visit your restaurants in any areas within or outside of the Dandenong Ranges.
I will tell everybody I know of your underhanded bully tactics. Our community will drive you out – it takes word of mouth to survive in the hills – something you don’t have!!!
I will buy all my ice creams from BonTon.
I will continue to protest and give support to remove any Maccas from the Dandenong Ranges.
I will communicate to as many persons as possible the bully boy tactics of McDonalds in riding roughshod over the wishes and concerns of tithe local community. I will take whatever action is needed to hinder the construction of the Tecoma Store. If the store manages to be built, picket and demonstrate at the opening of the store. I will continue the fight once the store is open; convince my friends to boycott all McDonald’s stores.
I will actively promote avoidance of your unhealthy fast food, support the protest movement, write editorials in newspapers, denigrate the entire McDonalds brand, discourage sports associations from accepting McDonalds advertising, help Tecoma Primary School promote healthy food and avoid McDonalds.
I will be available for protest whenever possible – My family and I will not ever use you McDonalds. I will let every friend I talk to know about the way this community is being treated.
I will never eat in your store.
I will continue to protest.
I will never enter the Tecoma store, nor will my 4 children and friends and I will never enter any store you are in charge of.
I will tell all my friends to stay away. I will also visit your drive thru on regular occasions to block the entrance while I ask your staff for ‘Burger Off from Tecoma” please.
I will make sure my family and friends never go to McDonalds again.
I will tell friends not to patronise it.
I will stand out the front of your store as often as possible.
I will return all your inevitable rubbish which will end up in our streets and bush, and dump it in your store, and invoice you at an hourly rate for the time I spend doing your job.
I will pledge to never eat at McDonalds again until the Tecoma store is closed. Pledge to boycott the Tecoma store.
I will pledge to boycott the Tecoma store. Pledge to boycott all McDonald’s stores until you leave.
I will never enter any McDonalds store anywhere again with anyone anytime.
I will never set foot in your franchise nor will any person that I know who lives locally or visits me in my community. We do not want you here! You are not listening to our community. You will never have a profitable business here. We will never give up the peaceful fight to keep you out. Go away Maccas and leave Tecoma alone!
I will deliver all of your hurtful rubbish back to you should you build in Tecoma. I am a 15 year old teenager.
I will block by car access to your Boronia outlet every time I drive home from work. I will also bump Maccas rubbish back in your shop personally.
I will continue to participate in all actions suggested by the “No Maccas in the Hills” campaign. I will actively protest peacefully to ensure that tourists will be fully aware that your business is against the wishes of the residents. If needs be I will devote my time standing in front of your Tecoma outlet encouraging tourists to “Keep driving”. Your Boronia store and new Wantirna venture will also receive plenty of my attention and I will encourage others to join me.
I will continue to fight for my community’s right to JUST SAY NO to inappropriate development. For my children’s right to JUST SAY NO to the targeted advertising and positioning of a fast food corporation putting profits before people.
I will picket the front of the store daily, confront all customers attempting to purchase from there.
I will never ever eat at your or any other McDonalds for that matter ever again. Stay out of the Dandenong Ranges.
I will picket outside Tecoma McDonalds every day. I will work with my neighbours to prevent McDonalds from becoming involved in my community and sporting groups. Never eat McDonalds.
I will continue to never purchase. Encourage all friends not to. Be involved in protest events including at the demolition of the Saffron Cottage building site.
I will never take my children to Tecoma McDonalds.
I will never eat at the McDonalds in Tecoma and any other McDonalds in the world. And will encourage my family and friends to do the same.
I will attend actions and rallies when needed. I will boycott McDonalds. I will teach my kids to never eat McDonalds.
I will not be buying anything from McDonalds nor will my family. I will support Local Business. While playing and pretending to buy an icy pole my 4 year old daughter said “And it’s not from McDonalds it’s from the health food shop”. A beautiful statement that shows it is not just the adults that do not want this.
I will continue to share all negative PR about McDonalds to my friends. I will never eat, drink or party within your franchises, nor will my children.
Currie will get some curry from this community. Back off!!
I will continue to be actively involved in the campaign. Never buy McDonalds at this or any other store. Promote healthy eating to my unborn child and never take them to McDonalds.
I will never ever eat Maccas again! Maccas is a terrible place, why do people like it?
I will spread the word about how devastating this development is to our lifestyle. Never eat at any of you outlets. Picket out the front of your outlets.
I will attend all lawful meetings, marches and protests. Boycott all McDonald’s stores and teach my child the same. Wear a ‘No Maccas’ pin at work so that the 100’s of residents who attend our clinic will see that I am opposed to the development.
I will ensure that in every conversation I take part in, in both my professional and personal lives, I raise the bullying approach taken by business man James Currie and corporate giant McDonalds in endeavouring to force McDonalds into the Hills Township and Community of Tecoma. I hope to inflict Brand damage on McDonalds and expose Mr Currie’s uncaring approach as a business man.
I will never eat at a Maccas again… ever. I will personally collect rubbish and “return” it to your store. I will participate in peaceful, lawful actions to ensure your business is disruptive and ensuring there us a presence of the community hindering you at every turn.
I will block the drive through. Clog the drive way. Oppose all your development through council.
I will make sure I am available to whenever I am able to take part in actions that make the business unprofitable.
I will never eat at your store, teach my students at the local school about how McDonalds are corporate bullies and what they tried to do to Tecoma. I will picket any attempt to demolish or build in Tecoma. And if you build I will promote a boycott of your store.
I will never purchase ever anything from Maccas.
I will as a resident of Tecoma for 22 years who lives just near Tecoma township make all possible creative and public steps to ensure our communities best outcome is reached for the community.
Never buy anything there. Urge other people to boycott it. Write letters to newspapers. Participate in protest actions.
I will not give up in spreading the word through paid advertisements targeting the McDonalds brand that fast food outlets ave 2 – 2 and a half times the number of physical assaults and armed robberies that sit-down restaurants. I am not frightened of what you may think you can do to me.
I will never frequent your premises with my family and actively work to debunk any myths that exist in my community (and indeed the world) that McDonalds is a community minded organisation. We know your corporate greed. Burger off!!!
I will picket the front of your store once a week and encourage everyone else in my community to do the same. I will not stop until your business fails and the doors close forever.
I will create visual media in opposition to McDonalds and distribute it via my social media networks.
I will do whatever is legal.
My children and their friends have stopped eating Maccas. They won’t eat it again until Maccas agrees to back out of the hills.
I will personally boycott this development. Encourage everyone to boycott “McDonalds”.
I will only venture into your McDonalds to use the toilet – especially if I’m Ill.
I will continue to boycott your outlets including Tecoma and raise awareness of the hurt your corporation causes to individuals communities and the environment.
I promise never to enter your premises and vow never to purchase any McDonalds “food” at any of your “restaurants”. I also promise to be at the picketing line to oppose you building in Tecoma until your establishment is stopped!!!
I will continue picketing every day!!! I will not eat McDonalds until you back down!!!
I will continue to fight this appalling proposal to that I protect our beautiful town.
My family and I have already started a complete and total boycott of all McDonald’s restaurants. We are even considering boycotting all fast-food outlets. Please consider our traffic issues, our right to preserve the way we live in our precious hills. Something must be sacred!!!
I will picket any demolition and building activities associated with building McDonalds in the Dandenong Ranges. I pledge never to buy McDonalds products.
I will continue to campaign and to never buy McDonalds products.
I will boycott all McDonalds and actively encourage other to do the same. Engage all social media in same.
I will continue to utilise social media to inform everyone I know globally of McDonalds appalling lack of concern for community, their values and wishes.
As a teen I will not work at your store and will discourage my friends and everyone else. I will also protest and discourage people from going to not just your McDonalds but all McDonalds all over the world. I will spread the word that you are killing our hills!!! So Back Off!!!
I will propose Hurstbridge style rezoning for Yarra Ranges.
I will constantly inform everyone I meet that McDonalds is not acting responsibly in Tecoma. I circulate in a business environment here the reputation of McDonalds can be discussed. Consideration of community preference is essential.
I will only eat at shops that are local businesses. My Family will not eat or buy at McDonalds in Tecoma and will continue to spread the word to our friends outside of our community about this campaign.
I will boycott all McDonald’s stores and tell everyone else about the disgrace this is for the Dandenong Ranges.
I will never eat in your restaurant and encourage all my friends not to eat McDonalds.
I will strongly encourage everyone to support local takeaways and not McDonalds. I will keep actively campaigning until your outlet will close down.
I will boycott you McDonalds. I support local community food outlets.
I will continue to band together with my community to boycott McDonalds Australia. Avoid any support of the corporation and do my duty as a community member to take Maccas on!!
I will make sure my grandchildren will never go into your store.
I will boycott the Tecoma Store. Let everyone know that the food is better everywhere else (not just the burgers). Write to the papers.
I will do nothing more than what I am currently doing. The fact is, this store will lose money. We are an organised and committed community. You are not silly. You are a business man. This store makes no business sense. Save face, save money and man up. Call it off, Mr. Currie.
I will never go there. I will also stop patronising the Ferntree Gully, Boronia and other McDonald’s restaurants as well.
I will never ever go into any McDonalds store anywhere again, if McDonalds goes ahead in Tecoma. I have emailed Catriona Noble also with my promise, she ignored it, at your peril.
I will buy food from local retailers, sit outside your doors and eat it. Telling anyone who asks there the food came from and how delicious it is.!!!
I will ensure that I educate all my present and future students in regards to the unethical behaviour of the McDonalds Corporation to the Tecoma and Dandenong Ranges Community.
I will never buy McDonalds and will never take my children there. I will support Tecoma.
I will continue to share all posts on the Burger Off and No McDonalds in the Dandenong Ranges face book pages to all my friends. I will continue to share this information verbally with everyone I know.
I will continue to boycott all of your stores. Encourage friends and family to do the same. Show my ongoing support to the NMITH campaign. Picket your site until you leave my town.
I will promote your poor food practices to customers and make them ‘turned off’ at eating your foods.
I will peacefully demonstrate outside your food-like outlets every workday on my way back from the station. Wear my McDiabetes Badge everyday on the train.
I will never buy anything at the proposed McDonalds store. Will be asking all my friends and family not to buy the proposed McDonalds store. Will continue to oppose a store should it be built at Tecoma.
I will peacefully block access for the development and spread the story of the Tecoma community’s battle with corporate bullying.
I will do everything I can to show the people of Yarra Ranges how the system is rigged to ensure the voice of the people is not heard.
I will eat at every other food venue in the hills except Maccas, and will never visit a McD anywhere. I will also get all my visitors to do the same.
I will return all the McDonalds rubbish that I find in our creeks and forests back to the McDonalds in Tecoma. There is a bit already. Imagine how much worse it will be with a Maccas in the Hills.
I will not be purchasing anything from Tecoma McDonalds nor any other McDonalds in the country. I will be encouraging friends and family to do the same. I will be returning any rubbish found in the hills to the Tecoma store.
I will work to get my child’s school to drop involvement with Hoop time basketball.
I will boycott McDonalds in Tecoma.
I will never visit any McDonald’s stores anywhere in the world ever. And encourage everyone else to do the same.
I will collect all McDonalds Rubbish that I find to your premises with the same disabandon that your customers use.
I will encourage all my friends to boycott all McDonalds.
I will never ever patronise your store or and other McDonalds outlet ever!
I will tell everyone I know ‘Maccas make me sick’. No McDonalds in Tecoma!!!
I will advocate to others who visit the hills the damage you cause. I will Boycott all McDonald’s stores.
I will collect all the rubbish thrown from cars in our beautiful forest and ‘Dump It’ at the Tecoma store. Never buy anything from Tecoma or your other store and make sure I pass my disgust at your greed to all family and friends.
I will never enter a McDonalds and I will tell all my friends to avoid your food.
I will collect all McDonalds litter I find and will dump it in and on your McMansion. Your rubbish in my town will become your rubbish in your home.
I will personally Boycott all McDonalds outlets!!
I will continue to educate the community why they should boycott all McDonalds. To spread the message far and wide for the rest of my life. I will never set foot in a McDonalds, and will spend my $$$ at Tecoma bakery, Chicken shop, Bonsai Bali, Saffron Cottage and NEVER at a MACCAS!!!
I will continue to voice my disappointment in the failure if democracy!! Continue to support local/collective action. Personally promise and encourage others to boycott McDonalds.
