DESECRATION OF SACRED SITE - LAKE COWAL : Melbourne Indymedia

Last week Aunty Ellie Gilbert, Jane Morrison and myself took a flight over Barrick's gold mine on the edge of Lake Cowal.

arial photos of the mine:
http://www.peacebus.com/LakeCowal/060309MinePics.html

Looking down on the mine with its open-cut pit, which is still only at about 7% of its total depth, and the cryptic markings of the unlined tailings dams, I reflected on a famous quote by Mark Twain:

What's a definition of a gold mine?
A hole in the ground owned by a liar.

These modern midas men continue worldwide to desecrate and devastate sacred lands. With estimates that 50% of gold produced in the next 20 years will come from indigenous peoples lands, Barricks imposition on this culturally and environmentally significant wetland is yet another example of corporate greed and environmental racism gone mad. We should be mining the bank vaults not the land! Up to 35,000 tons of gold lies in the vaults of central reserve banks, at places like Fort Knox.

Lake Cowal is 'the Sacred Heartland of the Wiradjuri Nation' and is a wetland of national and international significance. Home to precious birds and other species, Lake Cowal is listed on the Register of the National Estate and the Directory of Important Wetlands.

Since 1997 the campaign to stop the gold mine at Lake Cowal has focused on the cultural and ecological significance of the area. The mine is due to be fully operational by 27 March 2006 despite opposition from traditional owners within the Wiradjuri Nation and many environmental and human rights groups.
?There are still pending court cases regarding the legitimacy of the gold mine and clear breaches in environmental safety standards. Last week Greens MP Lee Rhiannon put questions to the Upper House about the Lake Cowal Goldmine Cyanide Transportation Route. Her questions, yet again, fell on deaf ears as the Government is still unwilling to release this information. Over 6000 tonnes of cyanide will be transported from Gladstone in Queensland through communities and waterways to Lake Cowal. See questions at:
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20060308028

We need to educate ourselves and our friends about this industry, and organize to change it. Ordinary citizens working with indigenous people and environmental groups in places like Montana, USA have stopped the use of cyanide in gold and silver mining. The campaign to Protect Lake Cowal can reach that goal with your continuing support.

Come to Corroboree at Lake Cowal and make a stand with Traditional Owners.
Easter Weekend
14-17 April 2006
for more info: http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/gold/corr_06.html

or write a letter: http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/gold/lakec.html

Arial photos of the mine:
http://www.peacebus.com/LakeCowal/060309MinePics.html
(special thanks to Graeme Dunstan, Peacebus.com, for getting my arial pics up onto his site!)

Cyanide ban in Montana, USA
http://www.alphacdc.com/treaty/cyanide.html

For more info on the Lake Cowal campaign:
For more information keep watching:
http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au
http://www.savelakecowal.org
http://www.peacebus.com