Driving down the road wondering 'What is this going to do?, 'What is actually happening?' and 'How will all this end up?' This is how I remember the first day of the Kerry Blockade.
We parked the cars, took the chairs out of the back and sat them down in front of the entrance gate to the drill rig, ready to blockade the workers' entry.
The workers turned up, rang the police and so it started.
Sometime earlier we had found out that an Arrow Energy exploration well was happening on the Nindooinbah Estate Road next to Kerry Creek.
There was unanimous support for CSG not to happen. Landholders were concerned about contaminants in water and water levels in ground water dropping if coal seam gas mining were allowed in the Kerry Valley.
As is being proven now on the Darling Downs, soil subsidence due to large volumes of water extraction was another reason not to have coal seam gas mining in Kerry or the Scenic Rim as a whole.
Each day on the blockade was different. It is all a bit of a blur and I don’t remember all the comings and goings. Politicians came and went, promising this and that. What I do remember was all the neighbours turning up, coming and going with food and chatting. I was heartened by the local support. Not everyone could be on the blockade all the time but they would drop in when they could and lend support.
We were lucky it was school holidays. It had rained so we didn’t have to irrigate and, despite it being summer, it wasn’t too hot. I do remember bringing home guests for a bed and shower after they got wet on a rainy day.
The day Bob Irwin turned up was an emotional time. I was moved that he would take his time to come and support us. I felt the meeting Bob joined us for in the demountable office with Arrow on site showed them our determination, that we were serious about protecting our Kerry Valley. I don’t know what it achieved but they left soon after!
I was dairying at the time and supplying Norco Co-operative. Norco was very supportive of what we were doing. So much so that Norco developed a policy on coal seam gas extraction.
I feel the blockade increased the knowledge base of the risks of CSG and the people of the Scenic Rim have given others a template on how to fight CSG.
Sally's story
The Kerry Blockade was a life-changing event. I am ever grateful for Heidi Ross and the role she played encouraging people like me who knew the dangers but were just too busy to act until it was too late!
I can remember slowly becoming aware of CSG, hearing of lack of due diligence and the lack of baseline data to prove the damage was done by fracking. I had a cousin whose place became difficult to work with a pipeline running through it. It was the little things that just kept filtering through.
As a dairy farmer who is responsible for quality assurance – the backbone of Australia’s food safety and quality records - this lack of accountability was making me feel uncomfortable.
Discovering that the Scenic Rim had petroleum exploration licences covering it was overwhelming at the time and, when combined with managing a family and busy dairy, I was tempted to ‘just accept what I can’t change’. A communicator and leader, it was Heidi’s indignant verbal throwing up of her arms to my negative thoughts that rerouted me away from my apathy. I decided to 'at least let others know about the exploration licences'.
Public meetings juggling computers and dongles for internet access followed. It was surprising how many people I knew and didn’t know came along to find out if their properties came under these exploration licences. Shockingly, most properties in the Scenic Rim were under one type of exploration licence or another.
The meetings were followed by a Protestors on Peaks national day of action. People from all over the Scenic Rim climbed to the top of mountains and unfurled home-made banners. We were personally involved in the banner on top of The Lost World (Mt Razorback) in the Lamington National Park – STOP CSG in the LOST WORLD VALLEY. Those who were unable to climb stretched out their own banners in the paddocks and cultivations.
It was with horror we then found a drill rig in our area at Kerry. With the relevant companies holding the licences unable to produce plans for thorough, relevant baseline testing before exploration, we wondered how we should approach this new situation.
After much deliberation and local consultation, Michael and I decided that we would support a coordinated resistance to the drilling. We weighed up all the facts. The resource company (Arrow at the time) was drilling with the intent of fracking without having done the science to prove it would not affect our limited underground water and without comprehensive relevant baseline testing. Without the baseline testing, we would be unable to prove their actions caused damage. ……. but wait ………..without the science to prove it wouldn't damage our water they shouldn’t even be starting it!
And so, the thought process went on……
We discussed it all with other locals. I can remember sitting in the office watching the emails and seeing a note come in from John Shirley. It had a simple message and I can’t remember the exact words but it was along the lines of 'if you blockade you can use our property beside it to camp on'. I printed it out and placed it under Michael’s eyes. He was sitting beside Heidi Ross, who had Innes Larkin by her side.
And so, the blockade began.
Early on the morning of 12 January 2012, locals gathered at our place, chairs at hand, twitching nervously and chattering quietly. Michael and the kids scooped up our chairs into the back of the ute and bravely drove off while I stayed home and milked.
To say we were out of our comfort zone would be a massive understatement. We were confident though, that we had the right to defend our land, our water and our right to produce clean, healthy food that would pass every quality assurance test. We were confident we had the right to say: “Do the science first! You don’t have the right to damage our ability to produce food or damage the world we live in irreversibly." We had the right to say that there was evidence from landholders that all has not gone to plan in western Queensland. We were confident we needed to demand comprehensive baseline testing, so in the event of problems it could be proven the damage had been caused by the resource company.
And so, our mantra – science first and comprehensive relevant baseline testing!
As the locals flowed in, Heidi and Innes carried the frontline supported by Cassie McMahon. People were arrested, meals were made, delivered and shared. Comfort zones were pushed and kids played while their parents chatted.
After a couple of days, ‘outsiders’ appeared. At first, they were treated with mistrust but, as we got to know each other, a lovely thing happened, realisation that we were all on the same side and that we could all work together – and work together we did. Locals came and went, providing food and facilities, while visitors camped (on John and Annette Shirley’s property) and kept vigil at night. An outsider climbed the rig in dramatic fashion and a local threw down his hat in the most moving of closing speeches.
That we managed to hold this blockade for 10 days and successfully disrupt the resource company’s drilling was not a miracle. It was the result of wonderful genuine leadership from Heidi, Innes and Michael combined with locals who were prepared to stand up for their basic rights supported by visitors who were prepared to put their money where their mouth was.
We still, to this day, do not have the science to prove that fracking won’t damage underground water. To my knowledge, there is not yet comprehensive and fully relevant baseline testing of every parameter that CSG extraction can affect.
While we may not have been able to convince the government or the resource industry of the need for due diligence, the incredible achievement of removing CSG exploration or extraction from not only Kerry but also the whole of the Scenic Rim is one we should all be proud of!
Congratulations to all the people who were part of this amazing piece of history!
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