This poem by Jean Daglish was inspired by the sight of big machines going in and pushing down huge, beautiful trees which were homes for wildlife including koalas.

Just A Rhyme?

057 Koala ESW north of Oyster Pt Cleveland 24 January 2015 comp
 “There used to be koalas here,”

My grandma said to me,

“They used to look so beautiful

As they lazed around the trees.

 
Koala climbing 11 November 231
“The night would sing out noisily

As the male would seek his mate.

It was a regular happening,

But we left it all too late.

 

“The word was out, their habitat

Was disappearing fast,

But as usual their plight ignored

As has happened in the past.

 Willy wagtail HZP Cleveland 3 January 2015 257 comp

“We knew that we could hear the birds

And still enjoy their song,

But wildlife pocket, then the next,

Was going, going, gone.

 

“It didn’t really happen slow –

Machines just ripping in.

We seemed to just be standing there

Yet missing everything.

 Swamp wallaby HZP Cleveland 10 November 2014 099 comp

“We used to see the wallabies

With their endearing stance,

But their sad plight was much the same.

They didn’t have a chance.

 

“For houses and more houses

Standing in a row,

Our greed was taking all their land

And they had nowhere to go.

 Kingfisher HZP Cleveland 1 October 2014 054 edited

“Wallabies, koalas,

Not the only ones you’d see

Our wildlife was abundant

But we didn’t heed the plea

 

I wonder how this rhyme will end,

We really have a choice.

Will we stand up and be counted

And be the wildlife’s voice?

 Young koala 19 October 2014 039

Will we try to change their future?

Will we stop and find the time?

Will we show the changes needed,

And make this just a rhyme?

 

By Jean Daglish

Luke and Jean Daglish have campaigned against quarry development in the Mt Cotton area for many years. Here is their  submission to the Senate inquiry into certain aspects of Queensland Government administration.

Junita Grosvenor, Feb 17, 2015

The Barro Group were gifted a 60 year lease BY THE PREVIOUS LNP QLD STATE GOVT , on the Mt Cotton Superquarry , in the last pristine biodiverse area in the Redlands . We will be losing the last remnant of true rainforest there as well . Mt Cotton was once covered in rainforest . The Redlands City Council has missed a viable opportunity for eco – tourism here , by not purchasing this land , as apart from rare rainforest and endangered animals , this place also boasts the most amazing views down to the Gold Coast . A skywalk , such as they have in Coffs Harbour & Dorrigo , high above their bush & rainforests , would have attracted so many PAYING tourists to the Redlands…think of the economic domino affect from this . All of this beautiful & rare environment will be blasted to oblivion now and become an ugly 170 acre , kilometre deep gravel quarry , with 80,000 more truck movements on our local roads per year , for the next 60 years . Increased air pollution , reduced road safety , and more damage to our roads that the Redlands ratepayers will have to pay for , as the Barro Group only had to pay a ONE OFF PAYMENT OF $400,000 TOWARDS ROAD MAINTENANCE TO THE PREVIOUS LNP QLD STATE GOVT . THERE REALLY NEEDS TO BE AN INQUIRY BY THE NOW CURRENT LABOR PARTY RIGHT NOW AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED , AND WHO IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH OBVIOUSLY CORRUPT DECISIONS .

Luke., Feb 15, 2015

In reply to Big Boy. The then EPA, in 2006 were against the quarry and even said, ” If the Barro Superquarry goes ahead Koalas will Die”. A senior EPA officer Geoff Clair said this, “Being that we are trying to save the Koala, is there a need for this site”. If the whole object of these Key Resource Area’s (KRAs) as the government said at the time, was to only identify quarry resources, why then did the government remove the Koala conservation overlay and then order the Redland Shire Council to do the same on their own Redlands Planning Policy, and replace it with an extractive industries overlay?. The answer was powerfull lobbying by the Concrete and Aggregates Association,The Quarry institute and a hell of a lot of help from the then Queensland Mines Dept.. In our first court case The Barro Group told the Judge that they had planted 15,000 Koala Trees on the site, what do you think happened to them? they all died. In their second application they plan to plant 70,000 and I can tell you now they to will die. The reason why is that he will never have enough water. In a drought he will never be able to keep the deadly Silica dust down and water 70,000 trees. The Barro Group Pty Ltd are not a company you would want to work for, Fined $650,000 for unsafe work practices, $124,000 for toxic dumping and $618,000 royalties for stealing resources from our Nature Trail in Mt Cotton. One has to ask why Jeff Seeney who knew all this, called it in and let this company destroy Redlands,thats why we ask the Redland City Council and for the rest of us, to call for a Full and open inquiry into this application.

madzgr8, Feb 14, 2015

With all the building happening from Thornlands south through Redland Bay, the super quarry will push for extracting and destroying even more land. I wish they were stoppable but paradise is certainly being destroyed as more and more people move from large densely populated cities to our area.

Jan, Feb 14, 2015

We can start the Superquarry fight again but I doubt that the current decisions council are making would ensure their co-operation in taking it forward.

Luke, Feb 13, 2015

Toni,
This from the “The Reporter Newspaper” 5th July 2006, by General Manager of the Barro Group Ian Ridoutt I Quote, “An Environmental Survey showed the land was home to 28 Koalas as well as other species including rare Echidnas” In the same article he claims that they can control a ‘1 in100 year’ rain fall event, yet just a few days before going to council for approval, Barro emails the EPA and pleads to change the CAR because he can not control a ‘1 in100’ rain fall event. In his second appliction the Minister of Infrastructure allows the Barro Group a ‘1 in 5’ rainfall event, now I ask you, this would have to be the lowest rainfall event in mining history, ‘1 in 5’ is generally for house blocks. This and other things we have is why we need a FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO THE BARRO CALL IN.

Toni, Feb 13, 2015

Luke just confirm with me, that the quarry owner found 13 koalas on this block, now this amazing block is approved by the LNP for a super quarry.
Sadly Gary Hargraves director of Fox and Bell and Chairman of the Redlands Chamber of Commerce , Mr Vink and Bronwyn Hope’s husband Mr Hope purchased this land through a company and resold it to Barro for a Super Quarry. What a terrible shame, a book “Our Mt Cotton” full of beautiful photo of the wildlife and magnificent plants and designed and photographed by local Mt Cotton people is for sale to raise money for the campaign . If anyone is keen to purchased a book let me know.

Linda Walding, Feb 13, 2015

Toni: Perhaps you could put details about the way to purchase this book on Facebook?

Luke, Feb 13, 2015

We will not give up the fight to stop the “Barro Superquarry Group” destroying our Beautiful Mt Cotton and its precious fauna and flora. We will be asking the new government for a full public inquiry into Jeff Seeney,s call in. We will be asking you the public to back us on this and we need to push the Redland City Council to ask for the same thing. The thirty Koalas on the Barro site need to be saved, it is one of their last free-range areas left in the Redlands that is a safe haven for them. Barro must not be allowed to start their destruction. Barro can not comply with the conditions in his application, therefore he must not be allowed to start.

Linda Walding, Feb 13, 2015

It would be wonderful if the new government could turn around this devastating plan. I’m sure all the people who have protested and written about this ghastly development will be ready to fight on.

Big Boy, Feb 14, 2015

“Barro can not comply with the conditions in his application, therefore he must not be allowed to start.”
Luke, you raise an important point. So many things are approved today with the compliance ticked, without proof or guarantee that environmental requirements will be met. Can you elaborate a bit further on how the koalas will not be saved under the environmental approval for the Barro quarry? These things have to be spelt out otherwise it will be a case of the so-called off-setting on the wrong soil type like Ormiston where it will never replace the loss of existing habitat.

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