Bunnan
SAVE BUNNAN FROM COAL & CSG
18/8/2011 David & Paula Stevenson, Denis White & John Shewan donned No Gas T shirts to travel to the $900 a head Sofitel Wentworth NSW Government and Mining & Gas Industry Conference to demonstrate opposition to the industry in Bunnan & Wybong.
Graham Brown and Ted Finnie (MHEG) were amongst the group of 16 that crashed the conference room to the dislike of the Minister and Industry Leaders, some of whom attacked the group and scuffled with them, with Graham being arrested by thug police of the fascist state.
At the time of writing Graham had not yet arrived home. We pray for his release and acquittal for acting in the public interest.
MERRIWA SAYS NO TO COAL SEAM GAS & PIPELINE MERRIWA
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT GROUP president Graham Brown and secretary Ted Finnie (left) discuss coal seam gas with speakers Charmaine Cook and Tony Pickard, after the meeting.
At a public meeting in Merriwa on August 11th 2011, around 90 town and rural residents unanimously voiced their strong objection to the spread of coal seam gas (CSG) extraction and the encroachment of a gas pipeline, across their territory.
Many had come to the meeting hoping to find some way out of the CSG versus agriculture impasse.
However, after hearing guest speakers give their personal experiences of dealing with gas companies, they agreed there was only one choice: gas or farming. Co-existence was not an option.
Sheep farmer Tony Pickard, whose property fronts onto the Pilliga State Forest, gave graphic accounts of his five-year battle with a gas company operating an expanding gas field inside the forest.
Images of huge amounts of water used in the drilling process, then illegally ponded, formed part of his display. There were photos of large tracts of dying vegetation and samples of water laced with toxic levels of sodium bicarbonate and other chemicals.
Charmaine Cook, who operates a cropping and cattle property at Coolah with her husband Peter, gave a PowerPoint presentation of the massive erosion on the Cooks' land, caused by the installation of an underground gas pipeline.
Both speakers strongly recommended to their audience that, given the necessity, landowners should approach dealing with gas personnel with a great deal of caution.
They advised checking websites such as Lock The Gate, talking with friends and neighbours, contacting the family solicitor, or making a free call to the Environmental Defender's Office for legal options, as essential first steps.
"You need to know your rights and you can learn from our hindsight," Mr Pickard told the Merriwa gathering.
"Finding out straight facts is a real challenge - I've been put in the position of having to try and keep these people honest and I tell you it's pretty well a full-time job."
Gas company representatives have been approaching Merriwa district landholders, requesting access to properties. In some cases unwary landholders have signed agreements that they are now trying to rescind.
One company has just begun drilling an exploratory gas well on a local farm.
The final messages from the guest speakers were: local residents needed to stick together and "not let them [gas companies]get away with anything" and CSG was a finite resource that was neither clean nor green.
"Reliable facts about landholders' legal options and the gas industry in general are very hard to come by, that's what Merriwa Healthy Environment Group (MHEG) is working to improve,' chairman Graham Brown said. MHEG organised last night's public meeting.
"Last night's meeting was the third one we've held in Merriwa in four months and it was very well attended," he said. "They all have been.
"Local residents appreciate hearing real news first-hand: partly because they can relate to speakers who are in the same occupation, and partly because they distrust corporate and bureaucratic spin.
"They're being forced to defend their lives and livelihoods, with little or no support from Government - the same Government that has caused the problem, by selling the petroleum rights to this productive prime agricultural land without any appreciation of its vital importance.
"Food is going to be in short supply in the not too distant future.
"In Merriwa with our fantastic soil and underground water supplies we grow some of the best quality food in Australia - but we need to be left alone to get on with it."
The meeting was also told about progress on a move to provide Merriwa district with an air quality monitor that would be effective in measuring small as well as large particles of pollution.
MHEG member Ted Finnie said that Merriwa was now almost surrounded by coal mines and at sunset, curtains of dust to the west, north and east were clearly visible.
MORE INFORMATION: Graham Brown on (02) 6547 6048 or Ted Finnie on (02) 6548 5171
16/7/11 The Bunnan Community Protests Against CSG Exploration in their town. Shown above with Greens MLC Jeremy Buckingham. The Greens have shown they are prepared to meet with the community and hear their concerns whereas the traditional political parties are nowhere to be seen or heard on community concerns, avoiding or refusing to meet with concerned citizens.
Country People are beginning to consider the Greens as their closest ally and representative in lieu of Labor, Liberal and National who appear to blindly support the export rape of Our Nation, Australia.
29/6/11 Save Bunnan Committee Members have had a 10 minute meet with Ministers Hodgkinson and Harcther in Newcastle. David and Paula likely to attend Minerals Council Dialogue. New Alliance formed with Hunter Communities forming to deal with Hunter Coal & CSG issues.
Cr Bates and Santos have misjudged the situation and attempted to intimidate the Save Bunnan Committee and Bunnan residents to refrain from commenting on their secretive deal with Cr Bates. When invited to remake their complaints to the Police or face legal action both declined the opportunity.
Comment has it that a small grass fire in Bunnan was the work of the landowner himself.
There is no imperative whatsoever for the Wybong and its Catchment, Bunnan, Ridgelands and Wybong, to be sacrificed for coal or gas, only greed, expedience and corruption.
10/6/11 People at Bunnan have been actively pursuing their basic human right to clean air, clean water, clean land, clean food and clean industry. Having said NO to Santos they have taken the fight forward rapidly into the appropriate locations.
The existing legislation is getting a good look over - probably moreso than ever before - Bunnan people will likely be more familiar with Acts & Regulations and what can be done to lawfully prevent/avoid/negate & void access than most other groups.
As well there are people from all along Serrated Sandstone Escarpment that surrounds the Sydney Basin - From Gardens of Stone, through every place west of The Colo and The Hunter's River, Goulburn River Valley, Bylong, Willow Tree, Mururrundi, Merriwa, Sandy Hollow, Wybong, Kayuga, Doyles Creek, Jerrys Plains, Warkworth, Comleroi, Bulga, Branxton, Cessnock, Gloucester, Broke, Wollombi, Laguna, Marrays Run, Kulnura, Wyong, Central Coast, Campbelltown-Appin.... that all share common concerns - of coal and coal seam gas destruction.
Everyone knows that coal in all its forms is on its way out economically and ecologically and that no new extraction is required as the energy market share of coal declines over the next 20 - 30 years co-incident with demand for virgin steel. The currently approved expansions already accounts for interim demand growth.
When the largely renewable but hybrid technological mix appropriate to social, financial, distribution and human systems is finalised coal will have little value.
Congratulations to the Save Bunnan Committee and the people of Bunnan for what has been incredible effort and great achievement thus far.
Well done in Keeping Santos and Their friends Out.- JS
24/5/11 Gas Leak at Bunnan Ignites! Cowboys from Santos 'Run Out of Town'. In what was a sometimes rowdy meeting the brave cowboys from Santos briefed the communty about what Santos was going to do - whether the community liked it or not - and the anwer was 'not'. Santos came to town to convince the communty of Bunnan they only wanted to drill one hole, that would be cemented up, test and monitor every water bores within 2km of the hole for height, salinity, dissolved metals, ions etc on the strength of 1/ a promise 2/ geology 101 for the gullible 3/a make good offer if we destroy your water. A Joke.
The presentation had it all, the slick hour of - 'hi, I'm Juan Carlos and here are my sidekicks Ralph & Lorenzo' to almost - 'and have we got a deal for you!'
A Highlight of the evening was the appearance of what appeared to be a Stuffed Koala (of near Polar Bear proportions) hanging from a tree above a Santos Gunnedah workpsite. This was followed by a Call to the Community for an explanation of the Santos Indonesian Drilling Fiasco that obliterated an entire suburb under a volcano of mud. The final main entertainment was the Fawlty Towers episode where Manuel continually inquires of the General eh? but always has it wrong...
Throughout there were some wonderful interjections, swift reparte and almost reverent silences - short lived.
No one advertised the tea, coffee (Moccona) sugara and selection of top of the range brand name chocolate biscuits.
The motion passed unanimously by 53 of the Bunnan and Wybong Creek Catchment Residents in attendance called on Santos to make good their unqualified, publicly given, Commitment, of 28/4/11, to Withdraw from Drilling in Bunnan if Permission was Refused.
100% Refused. And Santos promised "We'll be back".
There is time for the people of Bunnan, having now repelled the invader, to prepare their defences and counter the attack that will surely come unless Cr Bates withdraws his previously secret consent to drilling.
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7/5/11 Save Bunnan Newsletter No. 1 The Save Bunnan Committee have been uba-active - Click here for details. Meeting 7pm at the Tennis Club prior to Santos at the hall.
2/5/11 Letter from Santos Next meeting Bunna 7:30pm Tues 24 May 2011
28/4/2011 Santos to meet Bunnan at the Hall 6:30pm to inform residents and landholders of their plans to rape the Wybong Valley at Bunnan.
Now Bunnan and the headwaters of the Wybong Creek are threatened by Coal Seam Gas Drilling. Help the Bunnan residents and productive landowners fight off this destruction of generations of family farming on the fertile basalt soils of Bunnan.
31/3/11 Gloucester Councillor Ian Shaw does Santos' bidding in address to UH Shire Council
Next time around UH Shire should invite Amanda Albury from Gloucester or Kim Hahn or John Thompson or Sean Gough from Wollombi to see how impressed they are from having real experience with these CSG snake oil peddlers.
31/3/11 Bunnan Residents and Landowners unite to fight Santos
31/3/11 Upper Hunter Shire Council Equivocates on CSG
Having secured the Shire against the Bickham Coal Mine proposal that was rejected by the NSW Government in 2010 Upper Hunter Shire appears to have lost its disdain for Coal related projects and has thus far failed to keep faith with the ratepaying landowners and residents of the rural Village of Bunnan. Lured by the coal dollar Upper Hunter Shire appears to be prepared to allow the Wybong Creek and Wybong Valley to become the Rix's Creek or Wollombi Brook (Cockfighter Creek) of the Upper Hunter.
Residents and landowners of the rich productive basalt soils of the Wybong upstream of Cuan Cau Creek and the residents and landowners of the Wybong below Cuan Cua (Reedy Valley, Manobalai, Ridgelands, Wybong and Reedy Creek) must unite to defeat both Santos (Coal Seam Gas Extraction) and Xstrata (Open Cut Coal Extraction) from destroying the hundred+ kilometres of the Wybong Valley from Kars Springs to the Goulburn River.
Divisions over the Wybong Creek Water Sharing Plan have been largely put aside as residents of all areas turn to face the new threat which plans to rape the entire valley for the glory of coal.
4th Generation Producer Don Eather of Bunnan has joined with neighbours and residents of Bunnan and Brawboy and with Graham Brown and Peter Kennedy to form the SAVE BUNNAN COMMITTEE and have gained the support of Wybong Action Group and residents from Reedy Valley, Manobalai, Ridgelands, Wybong and Reedy Creek in the battle which must now be fought to SAVE BUNNAN and The Wybong.
Not one more zone of The Wybong Creek can be sacrificed to King Coal if we are to retain agriculture, grazing and horticulture in the Wybong District and additionally secure the future of the Greater Eastern Ranges Initiative in the Upper Hunter.
Comments (2)
Posted: 14-May-11 13:00 by Denis White Permalink
Hi Guys
Santos have called another metting for Tues 24/5 7.30pm at Bunnan Hall. I will send copy of letter by e-mail. Do you have any suggestions on how we handle metting (attend, set up protest outside or other).
Look forward to your input.
Regards
Denis White
SAVE BUNNAN INC.
Posted: 15-Jun-11 00:56 by SPARKS Permalink
The location of Bunnan which stangely appears at first glance to be an isolated Gas assault similar to that at Gloucester to me is a well planned & hostile chess move. Why target & establish gas wells so far from the predicted routes of the bulk pipelines you may question. The logic is clear and simple, get approval to establish a gas field as far from, but still within pratical access to the trans Hunter Pipeline AND YOU HAVE AN EXCUSE TO RUN YOUR OWN FEEDER PIPELINES THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE IN BETWEEN!!.
People who currently don't see themselves at threat of Gas wells or pipelines should have a close look at how they intend on getting the Bunnan Gas to the Pipeline. Will they demand access through the Whole Wybong Valley to Denman or will they lay their pipes back to Merriwa OR will they push back over the Cedar Brush to Willowtree and the Liverpool plains or all the above. Bunnan is in the stategic "MIDDLE". As night follows day it can also be predicted that they will be pushing for Gas well fields all along these pipelines. Anyone that thinks that the little cash bonus' up for grabs for having a harmless pipline throught their property will never have to deal with gas wells is living in the little dream world of the half truths peddled by the GAS flimflam men.
Ask yourself how would you go about getting the largest possible access to country for drilling Gas wells. Wouldn't you first quietly go about getting the main pipelines in place while avoiding the nasty subject of gas well fields? YES - underway.
Then you wouldn't set up wells right next to it as you know that the property value losses,the gas leaks & pollution along with the invaisive infrastructure will surely stir the natives and make it difficult to push further afield. So you do what is actually happening START FURTHER AFIELD at Bunnan & Gloucester, start at the outer limits & work in.
I can see the Spin now "We already have pipelines through blah blah blah for our Bunnan/Gloucester gas fields to feed onto the Mains Pipe so it is ONLY LOGICAL that the Government allow us to set up gas well fields along them" Blah Blah Blah.
Get ready the plan will unfold over the coming months & years, [1] Main Hunter Pipe. [2] Gas fields at the outer limmits of the valley. [3] Gas fields along the multiple feeder pipes back the the main pipe.
TIME WILL TELL IF I'M RIGHT.
Note: the Hunter River bridge at Denman currently undergoing expensive $1.65Mil upgrade to increase capacity by a MASSIVE 5.5tns is being smoke screened in media releases by the State Gov. as a boost to traffic capacity, BUT I expect that is what a 450mm HP Gas pipe would weigh when bolted to the underside of the bridge. I can't be to far from the truth when the Gas Company is looking to run a pipeline throught properties either side of the Bridge so it has to cross somewhere.
This isn't just save Bunnan it is clearly SAVE THE WHOLE UPPER HUNTER.
It must be considered as an intentional strategy by the Gas companies to setup gas fields so far from the main gas lines and also an intentional purpose to impose and effect the largest area of land possible by the interlocking feeder pipes. this itself is reason enough to be stopped to prevent innocent land holders from being forced into having gas pipelines through their properties for the purpose of serving artificial act of Gas company strategic plotting.
THIS CHESS GAME MUST STOP UNTILL THE WHOLE UNDISCLOSED PLAN IS ON THE TABLE AND AVAILABLE FOR ALL TO UNDERSTAND THE LONG TERM IMPACTS OF THIS GAME THEY HAVE UNLEASHED ON OUR LANDSCAPE BEFORE THEY GET THEIR SECRET CLOAK & DAGGAR CHECK-MATE.