Updated on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 08:34AM by stevem

Updated on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 11:36AM by stevem

MARY Valley Inc is drawing on its well-referenced strategic plan to help the valley find its feet after the Traveston Crossing Dam was quashed. Members this week brainstormed a vision statement with the Save the Mary River Coordinating Group as they aligned their strategies in a post-dam era. MVI is moving to engage with other community stakeholders and has already met with a Gympie councillor to develop a social recovery plan for the embattled valley. Mary Valley Inc president Roger Hogg said now more than ever the valley needed the State Government’s support.

Click to read more ...

Father Mark from the Noosa Catholic Parish has been so moved regarding the plight of the people in The Mary Valley after the State government decision to build the Traveston Dam, he offered St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Pomona for an ecumenical service. Several Mary Valley residents attended Mass in Pomona and the community is well aware of the heartbreak many have suffered since the dam announcement in 2006. The community has struggled with accepting a dam that will only be a few metres deep, will have high evaporation and seepage loss due to alluvial plains, and further endanger many species and put the Great Sandy Strait at risk. Over 160 people packed the small country church and took part in a service that moved many. Dr Eve Fesl, aboriginal elder whose mother was born on the banks of the Mary River, gave a traditional welcome to country, and began the service with song. The congregation then joined in singing ‘The Great Southland’.

Click to read more ...

Updated on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 08:28AM by stevem

The Beattie announcement in 2006 was a call to arms that united people who previously had not known each other and unleashed a powerful defence that was ultimately to prevail. None of the key group held enormous hope that Garrett would decide against the dam. Remarkably, they all believed that a “yes” from the federal minister, rather than being the death knell of their campaign, would simply provide focus to what they saw as an inevitable court challenge. By that stage campaigners had endured two elections and weekly twists and turns that had lifted and dampened spirits. They are now battle hardened, have a clear vision for the sustainable future they want for their community and will be ready to fight hard if, after pulling apart the economy and social fabric of the valley, the state government just walks away.

Click to read more ...

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 09:12AM by stevem

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 09:17AM by stevem

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 09:19AM by stevem

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 09:25AM by stevem

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 09:32AM by stevem

TRAVESTON is likely to become a word synonymous with government ineptitude and poor planning in Queensland. In terms of best practice when it comes to delivering the infrastructure needs of a large and rapidly growing state, Traveston is a place name that is not far removed from another word, travesty. For the Traveston dam project was born in a climate of panic and political desperation. It was a rushed decision taken by the then Beattie government in a climate in which southeast Queensland faced the very real prospect of running out of potable water. Years of inertia by successive governments had left our water supply perilously vulnerable to the inevitable drought that arrived with severe and unforgiving persistence. Traveston has also left the Beattie and Bligh governments exposed to allegations of gross mismanagement when it came to tackling the crisis, let alone prudently planning for such eventualities.

Click to read more ...

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 08:10AM by stevem

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 08:44AM by stevem

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 08:47AM by stevem

Updated on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 08:55AM by stevem

“REMEMBRANCE Day 2009 will be remembered for a long long time.” With those words, Alex Somlyay, whose Fairfax federal electorate once included Gympie, promised he would remember forever the integrity and moral courage of his political foe, Labor Environment Minister Peter Garrett. While Queensland Premier Anna Bligh remained a major exception, Mr Somlyay and Queensland Senator Barnaby Joyce were among the first to respond to Mr Garrett’s “No Dam” announcement, expressing within minutes their open admiration for Mr Garrett. Sen Joyce went further, saying Ms Bligh now has no choice but to step down as Premier and explain “why she pursued with such venom something so destructive and which would not have worked at all.”

Click to read more ...

THE Save the Mary River Co-ordinating Group has marked the recent National Water Week with a campaign to take its fight against the dam to Canberra. THE Save the Mary River Co-ordinating Group says it has marked the recent National Water Week with a campaign to take its fight against the dam to Canberra. “The campaign to save the Mary River and Great Sandy Strait will expose the Premier’s cover-up of the facts regarding the proposed Traveston Crossing dam to key politicians in Parliament House in Canberra this week,” group president Glenda Pickersgill said. She said she had aimed to meet politicians and explain “the key flaws in the proposal to a conference organized by the peak body of environmental practitioners, the Environmental Institute of Australian and New Zealand. “This was a great opportunity for environmental assessors from all over the country, including some who might be involved in the decision, to hear the true facts behind this proposal,” she said.

Click to read more ...

Father Mark Franklin has been so moved by the social injustice that has occurred to the people of the Mary Valley over the proposed dam, that he has offered his church for an ecumenical prayer service dedicated to the Mary River and its communities. The service has been planned especially to pray for the Federal politicians who are making an imminent decision about whether the State government’s proposed Mary River dam will have approval or not. Reverend Iain Watt from the Uniting Church at Imbil will speak in an ecumenical liturgy which will include an Indigenous ceremony as well.”In the face of injustice and displacement we need to continue to stand together against this outrageous treatment of people, as well as the proposed damage to the Mary River environment,” said Rev Watt. The local service will be held at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Church Street, in Pomona on Sunday 8th November at 3 pm, followed by a sausage sizzle hosted by the Noosa Catholic Parish.

Click to read more ...

More than 1,000 freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction, reflecting the strain on global water resources, an updated global “Red List” of endangered species showed Tuesday. The list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the most respected inventory of biodiversity covering more than 47,000 of the world’s species. Scientists looked at 3,120 freshwater fish this year, 510 more than a year ago. They found that 1,147, or a third, are now threatened with extinction. “Creatures living in freshwater have long been neglected,” said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of species programme at the IUCN. “This year we have again added a large number of them to the IUCN Red List and are confirming the high levels of threat to many freshwater animals and plants. “This reflects the state of our previous water resources. There is now an urgency to pursue our effort but more importantly, to start using this information to move towards a wise use of water resources.”

Click to read more ...

Updated on Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 09:26AM by stevem

Check out these little sweeteners from the Mary Valley… unlike the dam proposal, they don’t leave a bad taste in your mouth! Suck ‘em & see.

Click to read more ...

Environmental crusader Bob Irwin has accused the State Government of “environmental vandalism’’ and “blatant lies’’ over its Traveston Crossing Dam. The veteran conservationist and father of late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin hit out at the “bloody-minded’’ Bligh Government for “refusing to listen’’ to the massive outcry. “Mate, as far as I am concerned if this dam goes ahead then it’s environmental vandalism,’’ Mr Irwin told The Noosa Journal. He said the Mary River turtle, ancient lungfish and frog species would be just the beginning of huge environmental devastation. Development and disease-ravaged koala populations would be wiped out by supporting infrastructure such as roads and pipelines. “I lay blame solely at Anna Bligh’s feet,’’ Mr Irwin said. “They’ve had years to get this right with regard to koalas and they’ve introduced stupid policies that haven’t worked and are not likely to work in future. While she sits on her hands we have lost 50 per cent of the state’s koalas.

Click to read more ...