Bentley Battle Won

 Bentley at dawn .(Source Knitting Nannas against Gas Facebook)

 I have no photos from the day at the blockade camp yesterday.  I can't believe it.  I took plenty, but loading them tonight there was a funny google glitch and poof! all gone!

The camp was amazing.  Tents and camper vans everywhere.  People sleeping wherever they could squeeze into a small space.  It was all very well organised, with rosters for dish washing, toilet cleaning,  and serving meals.   There was a timetable of activities on offer throughout the day.....yoga and meditation,  information sessions for newbies at the camp, and workshops on non-violent action, and dealing with police presence. 

I met the Knitting Nannas, who've done some wonderful work with their peaceful knit-ins outside the local Member of Parliament's office, and keeping the task at hand in the public's face in a fun and non-threatening way.

Knitting nannas at the Nannadome - their slogan 'Knot the gate'(Source Knitting Nannas against Gas)

We were directed to join others at Gate A, to increase the public presence should the police turn up.  They didn't, but it felt good to be sitting in solidarity, all of us with a common purpose.

Gate A at dawn (Source Knitting Nannas against Gas)

The good news though is while we were quietly guarding the gates, talks were going on 1,000 kms away behind closed doors.  It was announced this morning that the mining company's licence to drill at the Rosella well at Bentley was suspended on the grounds that they didn't undertake effective and genuine consultation with the community as required.

 Source: Northern Star newspaper

The war isn't over, but we've had a great victory and have proved that non-violent, direct action, civil disobedience  and (in theory) democracy works.  Our victory sets a precedence for others in Australia and overseas fighting dodgy gas companies and hopefully will give them heart to not give up.

 
Source Northern Star newspaper

.......very satisfying



lock the gate>open the gate

Two very different outings on the weekend.  A friend and I packed up our placards and headed off to the local park for the rally against coal seam gas mining, organised by the Lock the Gate Alliance and Northern Rivers Guardians.  The mining companies use a process known as 'fracking' to release the gas from the coal seam, pumping toxic chemicals into the ground with water, causing the  rock to crack open.  Once the mining companies set foot on your land, they can start digging wells without your permission.....hence "Lock the Gate". 

Many of the unwanted hydrocarbons brought to the surface are carcinogenic, and the excess saline water taken from the coal seam poses serious threat to fresh water aquifers and there seems to be no safe or practical way to dispose of this waste water.  Clearing the land to set up the infrastructure and dig the wells destroys native habitats, and the dissolved salts ruin good farmland.  If you'd like to know more go here  

We don't want the mining companies in our back yards!

After listening to interesting and informative guest speakers, signing petitions and eating some seriously delicious food provided by the local Hare Krishna community, we headed 20 minutes up the road to Nunderi, where the gate to an open garden was wide open. 

It took us about an hour to wander through this colourful sub tropical rainforest, along paths that opened out unexpectedly onto views of the dam, secluded seating, and quirky garden decorations made from all sorts of recycled "rubbish".  The owners obviously have good imaginations. 

wide lawns to stroll across

a jazz band to enjoy

interesting patterns in the peeling bark of the paperbark tree



roots of an old Moreton Bay Fig tree

......and of course, at the end of all that exertion, a good pot of tea and cake in the shade.