RESIDENTS from Pomona, Kin Kin and the surrounding district, came out in force at the end of June to campaign against what they describe as Kin Kin’s mega quarry. A gathering of several hundred protesters at Pomona Markets made a loud and colourful impact and raised the profile of the ongoing protest.
Bands who wrote protest songs included Linsey Pollak, Pomona Choir, Lisa Stevens and The Convertibles who drove up from Brisbane – the Australian Icon rockabilly band. Protest organisers say that Councillor Lew Brennan and Mayor Bob Abbot approved the MEGA quarry without any community consultation. The communities of Pomona, Cooran, Cootharaba, Boreen Point and Kin Kin are angry that double bogey trucks come through their towns and are ruining the environment.
They claim that one truck every five minutes or 100 trucks a day pass through Pomona, carrying a million tonnes of rock. They say that this activity is not only trashing the real estate values of the area but is threatening the economic value of tourism of the region.
A recent accident in which an 18-wheel truck slipped down an embankment on Pomona Kin Kin Rd has confirmed the fears of Pomona and Kin Kin residents about the dangers and disruption being caused by the quarry. Up to 40 trucks a day would use the narrow and winding mountain road. The Neilson Group, which is developing the Kin Kin quarry, plans to have it operating this year.
July 11th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
The claim of several hundred people protesting is highly misleading, the number of people actually protesting was, by all accounts, fewer than 40 people.
Secondly, the constant reference to a MEGA quarry, the expanded site will actually be SMALLER than ALL of the other quarries on the sunshine coast.
The quarry is not currently in operation at all, so the claim that ‘The communities…are angry that double bogey trucks come through their towns and are ruining the environment’ is simply false. What is also false is the claim that there will be 100 (or as some have claimed, up to 240), the EPA has only given the site approval to extract up to 1 million tonnes of rock/year (which is a maximum of 80 trucks/day) and the quarry operators have made it clear the absolute maximum number would be 40/day (less than 500,000 tonnes/year, and fewer than 4 trucks/hour, a far cry from one every 5 minutes) and that they expect no more than 10/day for many years.
The most recent petition against the quarry attracted only 100 signatures, less than 1.6% of locals!
The silent majority of locals support the quarry (but are too afraid to speak out after several locals have received death threats) and the jobs it is already providing, and improvements to local roads which we have already seen since the expansion was announced.
Neilsen’s have offerred to both Main Roads and SCRC to provide any quarry material for road improvements at cost, and will be paying for half the cost of upgrading Shepperson’s Lane.
The truck accident referred to was caused by oncoming cars being allegedly on the wrong side of the road and forcing the truck driver to the side of the road which gave way as it was waterlogged due to the extraordinary amount of rain the area has received over summer.
I have lived in Kin Kin all my life and cycle over the range almost daily, i would not do so if i felt unsafe.
The noisy minority who oppose the quarry have already spent a fortune on a court case that was dismissed, it is time for them to accept the reality, the quarry is going ahead and it will be a boon for our community.
July 12th, 2011 at 1:36 am
80 trucks a day is 80 too many. The Kin KIn range road will not handle it evidenced by the truck slipping off the road which is often waterlogged. Hairpin bends and large trucks do not mix.
Also the peace, safety and beauty of Pomona will be ruined not to mention the landscape of Kin Kin and related waterways.
July 12th, 2011 at 9:44 am
http://youtu.be/2Bh89k_isg0 Please follow this link to see the noisy minority at our successful protest at Pomona Markets. Also please check out the noisy minorities facebook page “No MEGA quarry in the Noosa Hinterland” (851 people). Our touristy destination will be saved. In regards to trucks simple maths, Neilsens stated in several press releases there will be an average 1-2 blasts per month for life of quarry. Chairman of Neilsens stated on oath in P & E court that blasts produce up to 50,000 tonnes per blast. Take a v…ery conservative 18 blasts per year at 25,000 tonnes per blast and you still get 450,000 tonnes pa. That’s going to take at least 45 truck and dog combinations each way per day to shift. Neilsens have EPA approval for up to 1 million tonnes pa. Two blasts of 50,000 tonnes per month would exceed that. Neilsens CEO invited us to do the maths. We did, and we decided we could not trust his statement that there will be 30-40 trucks each way per day. Thanks from Anita
July 12th, 2011 at 9:46 am
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/405203040080?id=10150319639770081¬if_t=like Facebook page link.
July 12th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Anita but you need to replace your calculator, 450,000 tonnes per year is actually 36 trucks/day.
In relation to numbers on the no quarry page, 346 of those (or more than 40%!) are NOT locals, even without disregarding those, 854 is LESS than 7.4% of local residents, that is a small minority.
And in relation to ‘ruining local waterways’, tests of water samples taken from Wahpungah Creek downstream from the quarry site after heavy rain at the start of the year showed the level of Total Disolved Solids to be LESS than that found in Noosa tap water! In addition, water samples taken from the quarry’s sendiment containment dams at the same time by DERM found LOWER sediment levels than in Wahpungah creek.
July 12th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Hey Lachlan,
Just because someone’s facebook profile doesn’t state that they live in Kin Kin doesn’t mean that they haven’t lived in Kin Kin previously or that they don’t have strong ties to the area – or that they’ve visited Kin Kin as a tourist. For example, my friend Jessica Witt is a member of the Supporters of the Kin Kin Quarry group like you are, but she doesn’t actually live in Kin Kin anymore – that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be part of the group.
July 12th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Also, not everyone who is against the quarry (or for the quarry for that matter) has access to the internet (Kin Kin is notoriously bad for internet in some spots!) or knows about the anti quarry facebook group. Would you like to go door to door with me to ask people and tally up the numbers? I know that you believe that the quarry is a good thing for Kin Kin and some of the reasoning you’ve given are things I can agree with or agree with to an extent (for me they are mitigated by other factors) – but this claim of a majority of support seems ridiculous. If you’re certain that you have support in numbers, please join me for a trip around Kin Kin where we go door to door to ask and tally. I’m not inflamatory and I’ve always had really civil conversations with you. If you’re right and the majority of people want the quarry expansion I’ll be more than happy to say so (and eat my hat!) and if you’re wrong I’m sure you’d say so too.
July 12th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Adding all of your Facebook friends to a ‘Group’ on Facebook or being added yourself to a ‘Group’ is a lot different than actually choosing to click and ‘Like’ a Page on Facebook.
“No Mega Quarry in the Noosa Hinterland” on Facebook is a ‘Group’.
“Supporters of the Kin Kin Quarry” on Facebook is a ‘Page’.
July 12th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Also, the “petition” that you’re talking about only being signed by a hundred people – that wasn’t a petition, it was a letter signed by people who attended a meeting a few months ago. The physical petition has far more signatures than that.
July 12th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Thank you for raising that point Kim, precisely what i was going to mention.
Thank you for clarifying that for me Shannon, i checked the relevant Noosa News article and it confirmed what you said, a pity that an anti-quarry activist had widely promoted it as a ‘petition’.
Is the petition you refer to the one on ipetitions.com which currently has 443 signatures, approximately 2 dozen of which are ‘anonymous’ and invalid?
As for the facebook profiles, i would have thought you knew my methodology better, i only included on the list of ‘non-locals’ those who i could confirm had never lived here. I hardly think a landcare group in Perth, or a hostel in Byron Bay, count as locals.
The future of a community should be decided by those within that community, or a representative elected by the majority of that community. This is commonly referred to as ‘democracy’.
While the door knocking has it’s merits, in the current environment where locals are too afraid to speak up in support of the quarry after several locals have received death threats for doing so, the intimidation many may feel at having someone on their doorstep would likely result in inaccurate results.
In addition, with 11,620 residents in what the anti-quarry movement describe as ‘the affected area’ (between Kin Kin and Cooroy), door knocking would take an inordinate amount of time.
All of the above is of course, purely academic, the ludicrously expensive court case brought by the Kin Kin ‘Community’ Group (an organisation of 113 members and an average attendance at their meetings of only 18) was dismissed, and the quarry is going ahead. Misinformation such as Anita Poteri’s ludicrous claim that there will be ‘up to 240 trucks/day’ still needs to be corrected.
July 12th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
I would love to participate in that door knock if you need volunteers!!!!…I find Lachlans claim that the SILENT majority have received death threats to be a joke. The NOISY MAJORITY that protest against this Quarry are peaceful people that want our community kept just that PEACEFUL!!! It is obvious to me that the silent MINORITY are feeling powerless & realise they will loose this fight as they have resorted to Vandalism (such as slashing signs etc). The death threats that have been given were handed to us Directly from Lew Brennan, Bob Abbott & Neilsons. Every Life in these communities will be at risk if we are expected to travel these thin, hinterland roads and face the Quarry Trucks. Shouldnt the lives of our children be put before Money? Sure makes you wonder which hands have been greased to let this happen without community consultation. Power to the NOISY MAJORITY!! I would love to see this put to the vote!!
July 12th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
@tracy, I am one of those who have received death threats. The owner of the land on which the quarry is situated has received quite a few, just one of which was mentioned in this article in the gympie times http://www.gympietimes.com.au/story/2011/01/29/death-threat-posted-to-quarry-property-owner/.
July 13th, 2011 at 7:44 am
Hi Lachlan,
I think if you and I went around town together anyone who supported the quarry would feel okay about answering. We could choose a street at random to gain an idea of percentage (draw a name out of a hat?) It would be an anonymous poll we could simply ask one non inflamatory question that would determine either support or opposition and since i’ve lived here all my life (except for uni) and three generations of my family have lived here too I hope that anyone who is a local would know I’m not the sort of person to send death threats?! I’m not remotely scary. I’m 5′3 and you would be there to ensure I wasn’t speaking out of turn or frightening people
There is a physical petition as well. It is directed to main roads asking them to upgrade the roads before the quarry operations begin – some of the pro quarry folk have signed it because they are worried about what will happen with the roads. Personally and in this I am ONLY speaking for myself – I believe the quarry will go ahead but I want to minimise any dangers and maximise any benefits to the town. For instance, I know employment is something you’ve mentioned many times – how many jobs will the quarry actually provide to locals? will the jobs be full time or casual etc?
I don’t know how many people have signed the physical petition now, when I saw it there were 150 but that was right at the start. I agree that no one should be lying about what is happening or beating up there facts. There are enough valid reasons for and against the quarry on both sides.
I totally agree that “The future of a community should be decided by those within that community,” so let’s do the poll. That way we’ll know.
July 13th, 2011 at 7:45 am
I meant “their” not there! whoops.
July 13th, 2011 at 8:11 am
I’m concerned as I’m sure you are about how the quarry is going to impact on the lives of people who live close the quarry – You and I are lucky enough to live on the other side of town but not everyone is so fortunate. Some of the people who will feel the most impact from the quarry expansion have lived in Kin Kin for generations – long before the original quarry. How can we minimise the impact on their ways of life and their property values? do you believe these people can be compensated in anyway?
August 10th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
80 trucks per day is 80 too many. Testking 70-646 The road from Kin Kin range will not manage it appears in the truck slid off the road, which is often waterlogged. Testking 70-647Hairpin turns and large trucks do not mix. Pomona is also the peace, security and beauty will be destroyed, not to mention the Testking 642-447 landscape of Kin Kin and related waterways.
September 5th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
As a curious browser I find this topic very interesting. But let me ask you all this blue steel, the material mined from the quarry is an essential conponent in making concrete and roads. So if you all wish to continue living in houses and driving on roads, sacrifices have to be made.
September 22nd, 2011 at 6:06 am
Is that really all there is to it because that’d be flabbegrasitng.
October 6th, 2011 at 9:52 am
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