Media Release 26 March 2007 Stopping the cyanide: next time by stealth Contrary to other news reports, the small band of Cyanide Watch protesters did stop the Pacific National cyanide freighter on the rail south of Kyogle last Thursday evening. "But only briefly," reports Cyanide Watch campaigner and Peacebus.com captain, Graeme Dunstan. "Well warned by both the police and us, the loco driver approached the level crossing very cautiously, paused to make sure we we clear of the track and then came past slowly so that we were able to count the containers of Orica cyanide on board." "By lantern light, we counted eight 20 tonne containers," he reports. "Each of them with enough cyanide to poison every Australian man, women and child at least once over." "That's 160 tonne of secret cyanide on just one Pacific National freight train on just on one night of the year," said Dunstan. "Do the sums and be alarmed." The protest action attracted national and international media attention because it represented a new tactic in challenging the toxic practices of the multi national gold miners who are presently permanently poisoning Australian water on huge scale and who, greed enflamed by the record price of gold, aim to poison much more in the near future. "The action showed how vulnerable rail transport is to blockades," reports Dunstan. "This time we informed the police and the freight company of our intention and our location and attempted to negotiate a safe win-win for all parties," said Dunstan. "But once again the NSW police proved they can be trusted only to be untrustworthy." "At the last moment the Duty Officer, Inspector Scott Bingham, reneged on all agreements he had made, stopped talking to us and marched in a squad of Local Area Command of Operations Special Group police (anti-terror/riot busters), who muscled us and attempted to suppress the blockade," said Dunstan. "We held our peace but gave them a clear warning," he said. "Next time by stealth." Dunstan envisions blockades all along the toxic trail from Gladstone where Orica makes the poison down the line to Brisbane and Sydney, across Sydney and across the Blue Mountains and on the western line too. "I would like to see cyanide freight blockades become a sporting pass time for eco-warriors young and old and prizes offered for the most picturesque blockades." he said. "Imagine a freight train stalled on the Grafton Bridge or over the Hawkesbury or in the middle of the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park, source of most of Sydney's water: some thing utterly alarming and appalling." Our aim is to alert local people to the cyanide hazard and mobilise local grass roots resistance," he said. "We are determined to drag the NSW Government into accountability, ban the transport of bulk cyanide and the practice of cyanide leach gold mining for ever." Further information www.peacebus.com Graeme Dunstan 0407 951 688 A freshly painted Pacific National N29 locomotive. Pacific National is the sole carrier of Orica cyanide on the Brisbane-Sydney trunk line. Media Release 20 March 2007 Blockade to expose cyanide transport threat The blockade of a Pacific National cyanide freight train will take place Kyogle on United Nations World Day for Water, from 4 pm Thursday 22 March. The blockade has been planned by activists from Cyanide Watch to draw attention to the dangers of transporting the bulk cyanide used by the gold mining industry and particularly the threat posed to local water supplies. Greens candidate for Lismore, Andy Gough, said: "The cyanide spill north of Tennant Creek a few weeks back made plain the potential threat created by the transport of bulk cyanide used by the gold mining industry through the Richmond Valley." "We want to expose that threat to the public and get the NSW Labor government to come clean about the secret deals it has struck with cyanide maker, Orica, to ship thousands of tonnes of cyanide a year through the Richmond Valley." Pacific National is the sole carrier of Orica cyanide on the Brisbane-Sydney line and blockade organiser, Graeme Dunstan, intends to notify their Brisbane depot at Acacia Ridge on Thursday of the planned blockade to ensure the blockade happens safely for all involved. "Distress flares will be used to warn the train driver of the blockade from at least a kilometer up the line. Tied to bamboo sticks and held high they will illuminate the freight train and create a very dramatic image," Mr Dunstan said. The non-violent blockade will take the form of a lantern lit vigil by the track assembling from 4 pm and going on into the evening, with flags and banners, a camp fire, a talking circle, networking and movement building. A bus to transport protesters to the blockade has been organised from Nimbin and a party of students from South Cross University are also organising to be involved. Further information UN World Day for Water Andy Gough 0427 458 846 Graeme Dunstan 0407 951 688 www.peacebus.com/CyanideWatch See the report of the Kyogle Shire Environmental Services manager on cyanide transport through the Shire. Media Release 19 March 2007 UNESCO World Water Day celebrated with a cyanide freight blockade Northern Rivers environmental activists will be celebrating UNESCO World Day for Water locally by blockading a Pacific National freight train in or near Kyogle next Thursday 22 March. Pacific National is the sole carrier of the cyanide which Orica makes in Gladstone and freights to the far flung, foreign owned gold mines of Australia, where it is used to leach gold and permanently poison huge amounts of water. "The NSW Labor government have been reluctant to reveal how much cyanide it has approved for freight through the Richmond Valley," said blockade organiser, Graeme Dunstan of Cyanide Watch. "Our intention is to stand truly together as activist Earth defenders and find out directly by stopping a freight train or three and asking the loco drivers directly," he said. "This we call taking local responsibility for the integrity of local water," he said. "Thousands of tonnes of secret cyanide going through our waters on decaying rail infrastructure is an accident waiting to happen." "If a derailment and cyanide spill such as that in Condobollin in 1992, or the road train roll north of Tennant Creek three weeks ago, happens on a rainy day in the Richmond Valley, it will mean poisoned water supplies and dead fish from Kyogle to Ballina." Cyanide Watch will announce the exact time and place of the blockade next Thursday. Further information UNESCO World day for Water http://www.unesco.org/water/water_celebrations/ Graeme Dunstan 0407 951 688 Media Release 9 February 2007 Call for Direct Action on Cyanide Transport "The cyanide that spilled on the Stuart highway 130km north of Tennant Creek on Wednesday, was manufactured in Orica's plant in Gladstone and was freighted through the Richmond Valley by rail," said Cyanide Watch spokesperson, Graeme Dunstan. "It was just 20 tonnes of an estimated 30,000 tonnes a year of secret cyanide approved by the NSW government for transport through NSW to the far flung gold mines of Australia." "The spill has demonstrated once again that the bulk transport of cyanide is intrinsically and inevitably hazardous," he said. "That spill could have happened anywhere along the line," he said. "And if had happened in the rain and in the Richmond Valley, it would be good bye fish and all other aquatic life in the Richmond River." "I am calling for Northern Rivers residents to join me in direct action to blockade a cyanide freight train," he said. "It will be at a place and a time of our choosing," he said "Our intention will be to let the cyanide makers, transporters and users know that we are serious when we say: stop the cyanide and indict the cyanide criminals." Further information Graeme Dunstan 0407 951 688 www.peacebus.com/CyanideWatch Letter to the Editor of the Northern Star 9 March 2007 Why stop a freight train? Answer: to stop the cyanide. Campaigning to close the Timbarra gold mine opened my eyes to the hazard created by the transport of bulk cyanide for the gold mining industry. The more I learned the more appalled I became by the lies, deceits and cover ups of the mining corporations and the courtier governments that do and permit what ever their whim. The scale of the toxicity of modern gold mining is so vast that it is difficult for first time hearers to grasp. Gold miners cart poisons, dig pits and poison water on huge scale. The foreign owned gold mine at Lake Cowal, for example, will consumes 6,090 tonnes of cyanide a year for the next 12 years and poison annually the equivalent of the domestic water use of Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay and districts. The NSW government granted Barrick licenses to pump this water, 10 megalitres a day for free from an aquifer known as the Bland Paleochannel, ancient and drinkable water which had previously been embargoed for further rural use. Turns out there was insufficient water there for the mine's needs and after six months operation the bore level dropped from 30 meters to 50 meters. To keep operating Barrick brought up irrigation licenses from district farmers and now they pump from the Lachlan River and permanently poison its waters. This is Murray Darling water. Where are you when we need you, Mr Turnbull? I say the gold miners, the people that supply them and the governments that support them are criminals. Cyanide criminals. And that their crimes are against the Earth and future generations. The cyanide for Lake Cowal and most of the other 50 odd gold mines in western NSW, SA, NT and WA, is made by the Orica corporation in Gladstone and passes through the Richmond valley by rail. Last year the Cyanide Watch campaign tried to get the NSW Government to reveal exactly how much cyanide it had approved for freight through NSW; just exactly how safe it was,and what emergency procedures were in place in the event of a spill. We also wanted to know exactly who amongst local people benefits from bearing this risk to the regions water ways. Cyanide spills. That cyanide which fell off a road train 130 km north of Tennant Creek a couple of weeks back had passed through Kyogle and Casino. The accident could have happened anywhere along the line. But whether or not it spills in transport, for certain it is bound to poison water. Maybe more than 30,000 tonnes a year is passing by on decaying rail infrastructure, an accident waiting to happen. So far the NSW Government has refused to reveal the deals done with the cyanide criminals. So the next step for Cyanide Watch is to notch up the pressure by finding out directly. We, who would indict the cyanide criminals, intend to start stopping the freight trains and demanding the information from the loco drivers. This is called taking local responsibility for local water and for future generations whose health will depend on it. Within the next fortnight. Watch the news. Now is the time for the eco-warriors. If you want to learn more go to www.peacbus.com/CyanideWatch If you want stand truly by us in the defence of this region's water, call me direct on 0407 951 688. For the Earth! Graeme Dunstan Cyanide Watch Graeme Dunstran, Peacebus.com captain and organiser of Cyanide Watch, on the rail at South Kyogle, 28 March 2007