Midway through last year KTSRS became aware that Arrow Energy had quietly renewed its CSG leases in the Kerry Valley in 2018, and feared the fight may have to begin again. Read more about that here.
But on 24 June 2022 Arrow Energy finally withdrew its lease tenements over the Scenic Rim, and after ten long years of uncertainty our community could finally celebrate a coal and gas free region into the future. Read more about that here.
The anniversary of that announcement approaches, and by way of celebration, and after recognising the need to record the significant history surrounding the actions of our community, we have partnered with Scenic Rim Regional Council (SRRC) to be part of this year’s cultural program, by producing an exhibition to be launched 17 June and run until 3 September at The Centre Beaudesert.
The Moving Mountains exhibition will showcase various community actions to not only record the history, but to highlight the fact that those actions have now resulted in the success of the Scenic Rim being recognized on the world stage, the creation of thriving agricultural and tourism industries, and retention of clean air and water that had been under threat from coal and gas industries.
Had community not made a stand we could now be living with an open cut coal mine beside Boonah, with a grid of coal seam gas wells crossing our prime agricultural land, a gas pipeline stretching from Casino, across the border ranges and over farmland all the way to Brisbane, and the subsequent potential contamination of our precious underground water.
The many thriving businesses that have emerged in recent years, the Lonely Planet top ten listing, the farm gate trails, festivals and environmental events we now enjoy, exist only through the determined efforts of KTSRS and community protecting the region for over a decade.
Many long term locals will remember such actions as Protestors on Peaks in 2011 where 1000 people climbed mountains, dropped banners, spelled out messages in paddocks and sent a clear message to the world about community feelings about the threat of coal and gas in the Scenic Rim.
The Kerry Blockade in January 2012 was a landmark event - ten days of vigilant protest, nine arrests, and blockading by local farmers, business owners, and community that ended with the iconic ‘Hats Down’ action which saw Arrow Energy’s drill rig drive over farmers’ hats much as they had ridden roughshod over our community from the beginning of their interactions.
But many of those new to living in the region since these events, new business owners, and our many visitors who enjoy the benefits of the Scenic Rim as it is now, may be completely unaware of this nationally significant history. Stories about our small community standing shoulder to shoulder with other similarly threatened communities to fight off a large multi-national corporation, and against all odds, to ultimately win !!
The Moving Mountains exhibition will tell that story and more, through art, digital display, audio visual, photographic and written storylines and a program of associated events such as film screenings, workshops and school holiday programs.
And so, we’re calling for help from the community.
Were you involved in these actions? What are your memories and stories? Do you still have the hat you wore and threw down to be driven over by the drill rig that fateful day they ended the Kerry Blockade? Signs? Was poetry or art created from those memories? Remember yellow triangle signs were everywhere – ‘No Pipeline’ bumper stickers on cars, shared bus trips with Ned driving us to other protests, - the memories of our community actions are vast.
In short we want to gather this previously unrecorded history together from community memory, so it’s recorded and before it is lost. And we want to celebrate those shared memories.
So, Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic would love to know about your memories, your memorabilia, your gate signs, any art you may have created during those days as a response to that massive threat to our collective way of life.
We can’t promise to fit everything into the exhibition space but are planning an online exhibition presence with potential for more stories and photos etc to be included online.
It’s a tight time frame but we’re asking for notification of your items, photos, stories etc by Friday 3 March in order to collate lists to plan the layout of the exhibition. With a time frame of just four months until exhibition launch we need a relatively quick response from community.
NB. Theres no need to deliver the physical items until a later date.
Another call for assistance is financial. Exhibitions on this scale cost money. Artists and tech experts need to be paid for their services. So we are also seeking community support financially…. through a planned crowd funding campaign with some exhibition perks/prizes available. Details coming soon on this.
As well as the financial contribution from BOSS, we have to date gathered support from SRRC and BADCAP (Beaudesert and District Community Arts Project) for certain elements of the exhibition expenses, and Mt Barney Lodge is our first local business to jump on board with financial help.
But we’re seeking further financial support from other businesses who now benefit from our coal and gas free status. All business donations will be named and recognized as sponsors within the exhibition proper. There’s potential for a future documentary to be made around this story and foundation sponsors with a tiered support level will also be recognised in those future credits. It’s a win win opportunity for businesses to be recognised for supporting their community stories.
Updates on the exhibition and associated events will be released very soon by the SRRC Cultural team.
For further information on how to register your memorabilia items and/or stories, or for how to assist in fundraising please contact
Erica Bates by phone or message on 0417 720 352 or via email.
