Front Line
Gomeroi woman, Dolly Talbott, addresses a gathering in Gunnedah
Gomeroi woman Dolly Talbott addresses a gathering in Gunnedah on Friday 24 January, here is a transcript of her speech:
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Dolly Talbott. I’m a Gomeroi woman born and raised in Gunnedah. My family are here among you today. We go back ten generations, by European records. And my great, great, great Grandmother was born just down here on the Namoi, at a place now known as the Woolshed.
My grandfather Reg Talbott, his mother and his grandparents were all born just around the corner here in Rosemary Street, and most of you know my father Dick Talbott. He’s been up here a few today so I think you know him. He’s lived and worked here all his life, and in his words, ‘there is hardly a property around here that I or our mob haven’t worked on over the years’. And I must ask him if that includes the Lairds’.
My mother was also a proud Gomeroi woman, and again we go back nine generations, from Borah Crossing and Caroona. We know our ancestral lines and our ties to Gunnedah and its surrounding areas date back much further.
You’re probably wondering why I’m on about all this family history. Well I thought about getting up here and damning Whitehaven Coal to bits. But I want people to understand, this is not just about coal and money. For us, it’s also about family. It’s about our heritage, our culture, our ties to this country, that is what is being destroyed.
I along with many others who have been on country in the Leard Forest have been where Whitehaven Coal are putting the rail spur, and have seen why it needs to be protected. I have felt the spirit of our ancestors out there. I have felt their pain.
I have seen our sacred places and our burials and other sacred areas. I have sat and listened and seen the footprints that were left for us to follow.
One of the proudest and most powerful things I witnessed is the Elders, back walking on their country together. Remembering and sharing those memories with each other, with us, their children and grandchildren, beside them. Sometimes these memories were obviously but even with this, the contentment of being together, walking on our country and seeing that love of country in their eyes is something I will always remember.
This is our culture, the sharing and coming together of our mob, and that is what is being destroyed.
I am not ashamed that it upsets me, and I cried when I cried when I knew the bulldozers had gone in. I seen the photos of our country and the destruction of our sacred places. I felt the anger and frustration of not being able to stop them.
My family have a direct ancestor who lies in a traditional burial out there on Vellyama [farming property adjacent to Leard Forest, now part of Whitehaven’s Maules Creek coal project site]. Yet Whitehaven are not allowing us access to our sacred places. Our Elders have been denied access and threatened arrest and disrespected.
I am sad and disgusted that our own mob are allowing themselves to be manipulated and bought off by Whitehaven Coal. But then there are those of you who have stayed true to yourself, and not put a price on our culture, and shown our Elders and ancestors the respect they deserve. To those people, I am immensely proud of you all.
I want to thank also my brother Steve, and those others, for having the guts to walk off when they did, and I will stand beside them every step of the way, because I believe in what we are doing and I am deeply proud of Steve, as he has shouldered a huge burden in this process, as our spokesperson and standing up with us against Whitehaven Coal and their racist bully boy tactics.
There is another person who we value and respect, who has become a part of our mob, and has supported us unconditionally. You know who you are and your tireless efforts bound you to us, and our country, always.
The government departments of OEH, Department of Planning, and Environment, Minister Greg Hunt, have failed the Gomeroi people, the traditional owners of this country. None of you at a state or federal level have shown any respect or even taken seriously our complaints and concerns.
Ministers at a state and federal level are failing to implement their own Acts. Ministers have had our section 9 and 10 for 83 days and have not shown enough respect to even stop the bulldozers while they determine a result.
One would think it would be given some consideration, after all, we are the traditional people of this country and given what is happening, one would have to ask the question, what is going on between our governments and this mining company?
In Steve’s words, Whitehaven seem to be a protected species. They are certainly more protected than our sites. Government and its agencies have failed us, especially our Elders who are under great stress because of their actions. Whitehaven Coal is a foreign company but instead us blackfellas are being treated like the foreigners.
It is time for Tony Abbott to step up and ensure his ministers act accordingly, and back his words of wanting to be a prime minister for our people. A good starting point would be here in Gunnedah, stopping this destruction.
To Whitehaven Coal I say, we are not going away, and we won’t roll over and play dead while you destroy what is sacred to us. We will fight for our ancestors, our Elders and our families, and our country.
Just remember David and Goliath, also remember who came out on top.
Roselyn Druce, Maules Creek resident, writing in the Northern Daily Leader
“It’s about time people understand why all this ‘activist’ action has been taking place in and around the Leard State Forest.
It’s sad in this day and age that the people have to stand up and protect the environment simply because the government’s ministers and departments have neglected to take the facts into consideration as presented to them by numerous independently-qualified people, and instead take the word of a foreign-owned company.
The Maules Creek project should never have been approved…”
— Roselyn Druce, Maules Creek resident, writing in the Northern Daily Leader.
Fifth generation farming family side with traditional owners and environmentalists against miners
Out here at Maules Creek, we face a make-or-break fight to defend the core things we value: our forest, land, water and air, our community, and our ability to farm the land. Having exhausted all official avenues, we are rising up as a community this Australia Day weekend and putting ourselves on the line to blockade the mine site.
— Phil Laird, fifth generation Maules Creek farmer. Read more in The Guardian.
Authorities fail in attempt to evict Leard Forest protest camp
Narrabri Shire Council had been planning to evict the dozens of protesters from Crown land outside the forests about a week after Forestry Corporation of NSW […]
Bevan O’Regan, 80, who has served on the Narrabri Shire Council for 31 years, said he and two other councillors lodged a motion on Thursday blocking the council’s plan to force protesters to leave the road verges they were occupying outside the forests. […]
The council will meet on February 4 to vote on the suspension. The possibility of an appeal could delay an eviction for another 28 days, he said.”
— The Sydney Morning Herald reports on efforts by authorities to evict the Front Line Action on Coal camp from its spot on the edge of Leard State Forest, near Maules Creek in north west NSW. The camp has been in place for around 18 months, protecting the forest from open-cut coal mining. Learn more about the campaign here.
Gomeroi Elders and community to undertake public spiritual ceremony
This media statement comes from the Gomeroi who are the Traditional Owners of the country where Leard State Forest is:
Gomeroi Elders and community to undertake spiritual ceremony publically because of the desecration of burial sites and ceremonial and camping sites by Whitehaven Coal.
Gomeroi Elders and community have invited the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Community to a sacred ceremony, followed by a peaceful procession and sharing of concerns Friday 24 January at 11am at the Redchief Memorial Abbott Street Gunnedah, NSW.
Spiritual Elder Uncle Neville Sampson and son Brian will be undertaking “buwa buudhaawuyugil” which is not a ceremony often shared with the public. However, a public ceremony will be held in Gunnedah because this ceremony should be undertaken, despite repeated requests to access the sites.
This week our community have been shocked and angered that there have been threats of arrests of our Elders and Community by the NSW Police if we were to undertake ceremony outside the mine site; despite the road (Therribri Road) and access to the gate of the mine being located along a Public Road not owned nor leased by the mine. We have been told that the only way we can access the road is by permission and escort of Whitehaven staff.
Mr Brian Cole refused access telling respected Elder Uncle Dick Talbott last Monday that: “There is nothing there for him”.
The Gomeroi Elders and community believe this outrageous and abuse of Police powers on behalf of Whitehaven by the threat of arrests directed at our Elders have only just deepened the dispute and further eroded relationships between our community and Whitehaven Coal.
The Gomeroi Elders and community are outraged that Mr Cole, manager of Whitehaven Coal Maules Creek – a multinational company believes that he has the right to treat our elders in this was and deny the Traditional people of this Country our rights to religious and spiritual practices- even to areas outside of their government approved lease area where there is supposed to be public access.
The rights to religious practices are one of the few rights afforded to all Australia’s under the Constitution and with the ceremony of the cusp of the Australia Day weekend- the denial of access to our sacred sites is a retrograde step in reconciliation and example of the deep seeded disrespect, arrogance and hostility towards our culture and our people by Whitehaven Coal.
We believe the behaviour of Mr Cole is reprehensible. The pain and upset this is causing our Elders and community cuts deep into our community and brings back painful memories for many of our Elders of the behaviours of mission managers and overseers who historically inflicted so many indignities on our people. At least, despite the mining companies lobby group the Minerals Councils’ scathing comments, the support of local landholders such as Lock the Gate and the Leard State Forest Alliance provides us with examples and hope of greater steps towards reconciliation and respect and appreciation for our culture.
Our community challenged Whitehaven Coal’s CEO Mr Paul Flynn including Mr Vaile company Director and former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, and UniQuest archaeologists to a public debate in response to Whitehaven’s media statements “that their company acts in accordance with its approval conditions at all times and has worked successfully with a majority of Gomeroi traditional owners to salvage the burial and cultural sites in question.” However, yesterday Mr Paul Flynn wrote to our community and advised that they would not be available.
181 Gomeroi Elders and Gomeroi and Aboriginal community members lodged a further stop works application under section 18 ATSIHP Act emergency 48 hours stay of works application with Federal Minister Hunt two days ago in a desperate effort to stop the bulldozers from destroying the sites while the Minister considers the Gomeroi Traditional Custodians and Aboriginal communities urgent s9 and s10 ATSIHP Act protection application-now 82 days filed without a decision by the Minister.
Uncle Dick Talbott on behalf of the Gomeroi Elders sends a message to all communities in mining and gas company proposed areas – “If this can happen to our community……… this can happen to yours.”
This special day marks the commitment by Gomeroi Elders and community to continue our campaign to protect our culture and heritage.
Mine construction interrupted by Leard Forest blockade
BREAKING: Construction work on Whitehaven’s controversial Maules Creek coal mine in north west NSW has again been halted as the ongoing conflict over the mine reaches its eleventh day.
A bulldozer that had been pushing the first cutting into Leard State Forest for a new road to make way for the coal mine has been halted by a young man who is attached to it and refusing to leave.
A blockade was established on Monday last week to stop construction of the mine and prevent the clearing of thousands of hectares of critically endangered woodland in the Leard State Forest to make way for it.
The blockade is expected to swell in the coming days, as people travel to the area from around the country to join local farmers, Traditional Owners and environmentalists who have been protesting at the site and calling for a stop work order from Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt.
These actions come after many years of campaigning by the local community, Traditional Owners, and environmentalists to protect Leard State Forest and the nearby farming community of Maules Creek from open-cut coal mining.
AFTERNOON UPDATE: Lock-on was removed and young man taken to police station, after halting the bulldozer clearing for the day.
PHOTOS:
Check out more photos of actions to protect Leard State Forest here.
Namoi River may be threatened by Whitehaven mining
This is the Namoi River. It runs through farming land, and is a short distance from the Leard State Forest where Whitehaven and Idemitsu plan to fell more than half of the trees to construct a series of open-cut coal mines.
Learn more about Leard State Forest and the coal mines that threaten it here.
Minister’s indecision causes trauma for Gomeroi Elders and community
Gomeroi Elders and community are today demanding that Environment Minister Greg Hunt urgently invoke a 48 hour stay of works order under Section 18 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act in a desperate attempt to save burials sites and sacred places from Whitehaven Coal’s bulldozers.
Gomeroi people are distraught that Whitehaven Coal Maules Creek have carte blanche approval to destroy sacred sites and family burials important to Gomeroi Elders and Gomeroi knowledge holders while the Abbott government bungles protection of culture and heritage.
Elders and community say, “Minister Hunt has had our urgent Section 9 temporary and Section 10 permanent application under the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Impact Heritage Protection Act (ATSIHP Act) to save sacred sites and ancestral burials for 79 days but has failed to make a decision. The excuse of tossing the application between Minister Hunt’s office and Senator Scullion’s office like a hot potato over this time is beyond belief”.
“We simply cannot understand why it takes 79 days to declare a stay of works. We have still had no response from the Minister Hunt’s office regarding our application, and have had to find out what the Minister is doing via the media. The Minister knows the bulldozers have been destroying our culture and heritage all day, every day including the weekend, for over a fortnight now.
Our Elders ask, “What’s the point in having culture and heritage protection legislation if the Abbott Government cannot even provide a temporary protection to put a halt to works while Minister Hunt considers our more permanent protection application?
A spokesman for Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, told ABC radio on Friday 17 January that the “Minister will look at the claims made by the Gomeroi traditional owners very carefully to ensure Whitehaven works respectfully and constructively with the local community and traditional owners to avoid unnecessary disputes.”
Gomeroi Elders say, “This does not stop Whitehaven from just ripping the guts out of our sacred sites right now. We fear that by the time Minister Hunt finally decides he has finished looking at our application carefully, it will be too late.”
Gomeroi Elders and community members have issued a further statement today (attached) again imploring Federal Environment Minister Hunt to please take urgent and immediate action to protect their ancestor’s graves and sacred sites at the Maules Creek mine operated by Whitehaven in regional NSW.
“We will be having a series of spiritual ceremonies and rolling range of protests which is building momentum until this matter is addressed. Our message is simple: we will not be going away and we will not be silenced.”
EVENT: A community ceremony and protest in Gunnedah has been called by Gomeroi Elders for January 24 to voice these demands. Further details to be announced.
Read moreAn Extraordinary Meeting of Narrabri Shire Council today voted to commence action to issue fines and/or give notice to protesters to cease camping activities on road reserves without the appropriate approvals.