Richard Gage, AIA, and Dr. Steven Jones bring truth to Australia and New Zealand

An intrepid team of North American 9/11 luminaries led by AE911Truth founder Richard Gage, AIA, and Scholars for 9/11 Truth founder and co-editor of theJournal of 9/11 Studies, physicist Dr. Steven Jones, joined with their counterparts in Australia and New Zealand to present a highly successful series of full-day conferences, the Hard Evidence Tour Down Under 2009, in November. Nearly 1400 residents of the Land Down Under came to listen, learn, and question, and many thousands more learned about the need for a new investigation through media interviews, pamphlets, and rallies.

The 2-1/2 week-long Hard Evidence tour brought the latest 9/11 research to six cities in Australia and New Zealand, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland. The last two cities were added after a capacity-level crowd of 620 was exceeded by over one hundred in Wellington, the first New Zealand venue, and people had to be turned away.

This first leg of a journey that also takes Mr. Gage to seven cities in Japan in December — by far the most extensive speaking tour in AE911Truth's history — was made possible through the hard work and organizational talents of John Bursill, a licensed aircraft mechanic in Sydney and one of the most prominent 9/11 spokespersons in Australia today. The 9/11 Truth community owes an immense debt of gratitude to John and his group of dedicated volunteers, as well as to the Australian sponsors who helped make Gage's participation possible, 9/11 activists Naomi Breeze and Dr. David Leifer.

9/11 Truth advocates need frequent renewal and inspiration, and none more so than those on the "front lines." Mr. Gage took the opportunity presented by his 14-hour flight across the Pacific to be inspired by David Ray Griffin's newest 9/11 book, The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Why the Final Official Report is Unscientific and False. He enthusiastically recommends this "must read" to everyone in the 9/11 Truth community — technical professionals and lay public alike — for Griffin's engaging presentation and thorough treatment of current research.

On those first balmy spring days in Sydney, amid the breathtaking scenery of the Australian coast, Gage was able to enjoy some sightseeing crammed in between one promotional event after another. A friendly November 11 radio interview on the community program "Skid Row" was followed by an interview by Sophie Schroder, a journalist at the widely read arts and entertainment newspaper Capital Times. This interview resulted in a full-page article called "Did Bush Knock Down the Towers?," which went out to a readership of 62,000 Sydney residents. Gage then joined a local group of 9/11 Truth activists in their monthly "11th Day" rally to promote 9/11 awareness, stimulate media response, and advocate for a real investigation. While handing out thousands of flyers, Gage received a similar range of responses to those he's encountered in North America — from refusal to consider evidence that challenges the official conspiracy theory (OCT) or mild but uniformed curiosity on one end of the scale, to those who question the official conspiracy theory or who have taken opportunities to become informed on the other end.

Upon Dr. Steven Jones' arrival in Sydney on November 13, Mr. Gage took him on a double-decker bus tour of the city and was updated on the latest results of Jones' ongoing research — that nanothermite can be ignited with a 12-volt current as well as by a 430º C or hotter heat source. Dr. Jones' tireless commitment to scientific rigor has produced yet another momentous contribution!

Together, Jones and Gage toured the world-renowned architectural marvel, the Sydney Opera House, and were inspired by the decades of struggle that have gone into the realization of architect Jorn Utzon's vision — of pouring a foundation before knowing how the design could be realized, of political strife resulting in a partially realized plan, and of five decades of work toward fulfillment of the original vision for acoustic quality and interior design. (Utzon's son Jan signed the AE911Truth petition and was attacked for it by the Sydney Morning Herald. –Ed.)

Having been inspired by the calm, clear and logical writing of David Ray Griffin, the enthusiasm and dedication of hosts, volunteers and activists, the thorough research efforts of Dr. Steven Jones, and the persistence of those who have helped to guide the Sydney Opera House's construction and remodeling projects toward a realization of the architect's vision, it was time to once again carry the vision of 9/11 Truth forward and be a source of inspiration for nearly 1,400 residents of Australia and New Zealand, in the Hard Evidence Tour Down Under.

The months of planning and effort that went into the Hard Evidence conference was evident from the outset. As Richard noted in his blog, "Australians don't take the need for 9/11 truth lightly." On Saturday, November 14, after a welcome and introductions by Janice Matthews, the director of 911Truth.org, Mr. Gage and Dr. Jones each had two hours of prime presentation time before and after lunch to address 210 enthusiastic attendees. In the afternoon, six internationally known leaders in the 9/11 Truth movement — Hereward Fenton, a senior computer programmer, 9/11 researcher, webmaster and radio host in Australia (911Oz.com), Janice Matthews of 911Truth.org; Dr. Frank Legge, an Australian chemist who co-authored the peer-reviewed article published this year in theOpen Chemical Physics Journal, Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe, James O'Neill, a practicing Queensland barrister; Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChangeNYC; and Sydney architect Dr. David Leifer – joined Gage and Jones for a lively question and answer session moderated by John Bursill. The conference day ended with a screening of Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup, Dylan Avery's newest offering in the popular Loose Change series.

Though the crowd consisted mostly of enthusiastic supporters of 9/11 Truth, the six attendees who said they believed the OCT at the beginning of Gage's presentation supported a new investigation at its end. Of the 24 who were unsure what they believed at the beginning, only 6 remained unsure afterwards.

On Sunday, a follow-up conference, Truth in Action, afforded attendees a full day of excellent one-hour presentations by Matthews, Rudkowski, "Cosmos" (the California artist and musician who founded the "11th Day of Every Month" campaign), Ken Jenkins (a pioneering activist and 9/11 video producer), Fenton, and Legge.

At the next stop, Melbourne, another enthusiastic crowd of 183 was treated to a unique presentation, a collaboration between Mr. Gage, Dr. Legge, and a Melbourne structural engineer, Paul Mason. Dr. Legge shared his knowledge about nanothermite, and Mr. Mason contributed expertise on the physics of building demolitions. The two attendees who arrived convinced of the truth of the OCT were successfully dissuaded, and of the 28 who were unsure, 22 left convinced of the need for a new investigation.

In Brisbane, only four of the 173 attendees admitted to believing the OCT before the presentation, and 29 were unsure. The four believers all succumbed to the weight of the evidence, and only two people remained unsure by the end. Hopefully, all of the 1400+ Hard Evidence tour attendees will have gained the courage of their conviction and will share the known facts of 9/11 with one or two others. As the high conversion rate at each of Gage's presentations demonstrates, this evidence is compelling!

On the morning of his arrival in Wellington, New Zealand, November 21, Mr. Gage was interviewed by local radio personality Kim Hill of Radio NZ. Though she was clearly uninterested in hearing scientific evidence supporting conclusions she didn't wish to entertain, the often-heated exchange piqued the interest of the Wellington population, and they came out in droves to see if there may be some substance to these startlingly different views. Mr. Gage and Dr. Jones found themselves addressing a capacity crowd — the largest in AE911Truth's history — and turning away more than one hundred for lack of seating.

This was a much less homogenous group than the previous ones Gage and Jones had addressed. Fifty-nine initially believed the OCT of jet impact and fire bringing down the buildings, and 84 had never heard of Building 7. About half (307) claimed to be unsure whether the official story was true or untrue. By the conclusion of the presentation, all but three of the 59 OCT adherents (95%) had abandoned the OCT. Those in the "unsure" category were a little more reluctant to move off the "fence," but by the end nearly 1/3 (92) of them had done so.

The popularity of the Wellington event attracted the attention of New Zealand's mainstream media, and representatives of their "Close Up" television program, NZ's version of "60 Minutes," arranged for an interview at the Hard Evidence tour's next stop, the South Island community of Christchurch. The interview was conducted by one of the show's hosts, Mike Hosking, and was done in a much more professional and even-handed manner than the Kim Hill interview. Gage was able to present much information regarding Building 7 as well as address issues related to the destruction of WTC 1 & 2. This highly successful interview was widely hailed by Australia and New Zealand's 9/11 activists as a break-through media event. It is hoped that they will make further inroads into a world of mainstream radio, TV and newspaper that has, until now, largely ignored their message.

The organizers of the last-minute Christchurch venue had only three days to put their event together, but they still managed to fill a small room with 19 eager members of the "choir", three who believed the OCT and 13 who were unsure (35 total). At the end of the presentation, one stubborn adherent to the OCT remained, and only two of the initial 13 still weren't sure.

On the final stop of this six-city tour, Auckland, New Zealand, the hall was filled to capacity — with 114 people who disbelieved the OCT, 11 who did believe it, and 18 who were unsure and questioning (143 total). Though there appeared to be some hardcore 9/11 debunkers in the crowd, only one still claimed to adhere to the OCT at the end. One was overheard saying, as he left, "I have a lot to think about now."

Mr. Gage will now be continuing the vital work of building 9/11 awareness and solidarity around the world, as he travels to Japan and prepares for a seven-city tour that will include Yokohama, Tokyo, Nagoya, Shiga, Osaka, Kobe, and Okinawa. Beyond the obvious value of educating and empowering the public, international awareness can also serve to increase political pressure on the U.S. government to undertake a real investigation. At this time, a potential Japanese ally in such an effort already exists. Councilor Yukihisa Fujita, a member of Japan's Diet (their parliament) is a vocal advocate for 9/11 Truth, and Mr. Gage will be meeting with him in the coming days.

Please help support Mr. Gage's vital work. Though this tour has been highly successful, it has been also very expensive, and ticket prices were kept low so the presentations could be accessible to all who wished to attend. We look forward to an equally successful tour in Japan!