Damn the Dam (1990)

In 1990, the Gold Coast was in danger of running out of water. Thirty sites between Caboolture and Tweed were 'short-listed' for consideration of being dammed. One of those sites was the Austinville Valley, with surveying occurring in the area of the bridge just before the Austinville Road meets the Springbrook Road.

A notice was stuck up on the tree at the fork in the road: 'Damn the Dam!'

The people of the Valley and nearby came together to form an organisation 'MEPA', the Mudgeeraba Environmental Protection Association.

A committee was formed, with about ten members. Each was put in charge of organising one of a number of different areas: technical matters, media, letter-box dropping, telephone tree, lobbying politicians, etc.

A public meeting was held in the Mt Nimmel Hall, and people were encouraged to fill out forms, stating their phone number, email address (not many had them at that stage), address, and area of skills or interest. Every volunteer was assigned to the sub-committee that corresponded to their interests.

The telephone tree was organised as series of circles.

A phone call from one of the main committee to the person downstream, and another to a person on their sub-committee, would trigger a series of phone calls, each to the person next to them. If someone was out, the call would go to the next one. We could communicate with the whole valley in a few minutes, and the tree would work even if someone was away.

It was such an efficient exercise that Austinville was knocked off the short-list. Some great celebrations occurred, in the Hall and later at Staghorn Park.

A lo-res video with many limitations! :(

Fred Knack and Dave Straton playing with the Leaping Lizards.

   

Band at Staghorn Park celebration

Alex Lowe

Singer with 1990 mullet

John Rayner

Desley Rayner

Larry Kavanagh and Terry Schneid

After The Austinville Valley was removed from the short-list of dam sites, the list was reduced to eight. One of those was the Tallebudgera Valley. I was asked to speak to a public meeting there to help them fight the dam.