MOVING MOUNTAINS cassie mcmahon's story

Supporting communities battling the Goliath

My concern about the coal industry started at a young age. I grew up in a coal mining town. We lived across the road from a coal-fired generator, and I watched my mother suffer severe asthma attacks.

I have dear friends from Kiribati. They told me how the graves of their elders were being consumed by the sea, and that food farming was increasingly difficult due to the rising sea level. Scientists have stated that rising sea levels are a result of climate change.

Concerned about climate change, I learned that burning coal is one of the biggest contributors, and that unconventional gas was a new industry that created even greater greenhouse gas emissions than coal.

My mother, who grew up in the Galilee Basin, educated me about the important resource of the Great Artesian Basin, aquifers and groundwater. Scientists were raising concerns about how the unconventional gas would impact this precious resource. What? Contaminate groundwater, dewater aquifers, damage the Great Artesian Basin? CRAZY!

My David and Goliath campaigns started in the early noughties. I had been volunteering for 6 Degrees, a collective of Friends of the Earth Brisbane. We had been working with coal and gas-affected communities. Friends of the Earth established an office in Warra, on the Western Downs, to connect with communities in that area. This is how the Queensland component of Lock the Gate Alliance was born.

I had met members of KTSRS at a retreat at Mt Barney Lodge for the coal and gas-affected communities in Southern Queensland.

One of the outcomes was a co-ordinated massive banner drop at Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Brisbane. The 10 to 15m banners had messages from coal and gas-affected communities in Southern Queensland.

I was asked if I could come to Kerry Valley to support farmers at the Kerry Blockade. My role included supporting the locals to organise a blockade, to help liaise with the police, and support locals during 'cop shop pickups' and when attending court.

I still remember how all the Kerry folk were out of their comfort zone but determined to make a stand. Each day of the blockade, people became more confident to stand up to the industry in their unique ways.

Over the years I have supported various other communities in the the Moreton/Clarence, Surat and Galilee Basins.

I’ve had the opportunity to organise some significant events such as Walk against Warming marches in Brisbane, the first Climate Camp, the first Rock the Gate Festival, the Big Day Out at Jondaryan, the first Beyond Coal and Gas Forum, and a Food Security Forum at the Brisbane Convention Centre. Many town hall meetings, movie screenings and cups of teas in homesteads also occurred.

I have been involved in various court proceedings to prevent the development of Coal mines. These have included cases against Xstrata (now Glencore), GVK Hancock, and Adani (now Bravus).

After experiencing what I term ‘climate despair’, I now work in disaster management. Climate change is going to cause more frequent and intense natural disasters, so I assist communities to become prepared and resilient.

In my spare time, I enjoy singing, riding my bike, and travelling in my campervan.