“This will be the biggest forest rally for a number of years. People have been very fired up,” she said.

Massive !!  only 400 people attending…. trust the summons will be worth it.

Bravo!

Thanks Matt,

A weird day, eh?

A great spirit of bold but peaceful defiance of the “Exclusion Zone”, a peaceful gathering: it should have been a lovely day in a forest, except that we walked over the still green, freshly snapped foliage of sassafras, myrtle, celery top and gum. A dead zone.

Nice pics Matthew.

Wish I could have been there.
Thanks to all who went.
For love of forest and community.

A pro forest raping rally couldn’t find that many people even when they are all paid to attend.

I hate to be a wet blanket , but if more thought ,organisation. and a little “dinero” was spent on some media advertising , perhaps we could have had a crowd of a thousand or two.
    Now! that is what would would make them sit up and take notice !  as it is Ho,hum ! and “the greenies are losing interest” !

                    d.d.

Bryan - It may only have been 400 people who chose to cross into the exclusion zone, but at least twice that number were at the rally.

What a joke - couple of hundred rat bags. Obvious that many didnt have to work tomorrow.

Perhaps they should have had a tour of previous logging in the area when they took a break from ranting.

John McDonald

Bryan you’re forgetting something - they weren’t paid or transported there at the company’s expense.

There needs to be a rally in Hobart very soon. A crowd of 15 to 20000 is possible with feelings running high at the moment. The vision of a massive rally will be seen by purchasers of woodchips from Old Growth Forests. Politicians in the Liberal and Labor Parties will not protect these forests from clearfelling. Those buying the chips are the ones that can stop it.

Four hundred hard-working people willing to give up half of their weekend and face up to government, police and sledgehammer-wielding redneck thug intimidation. Pretty impressive actually.

If there ever was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at a large public gathering it was at the Upper Florentine yesterday. There was absolutely no storming (why such a headline, Mercury?) and absolutely no intimidation of any forest worker or police. On the contrary: There was even extended dialogue between forester Michael Phillips and a circle of “visitors” listening to him. Another forest worker approached a couple of teenage girls that he obviously knew: “How are you? Sorry to meet under these circumstance. This is not what I usually do” and then the conversation quickly moved to friendly chat about chook raising.

Vilification from all sides does not help. What has to be understood though is that the forestry methods of clearfelling, burning, poisoning, threatening water supplies to replant monoculture plantations of dubious return at public expense and at the cost of wide ranging ecological damage should stop now. This sort of policy and practice has been passé for decades and must be revised urgently. It is contrary to a wise forestry policy that sees forests as a highly valuable public asset with a broad range of public benefits including a thriving timber industry. A bit of fast tracking in this area would be in order.

I agree with Pensive.  There was no ‘storming’. It was peaceful, but powerful protest.
With the exclusion zone ribbon between and the smashed-through World Heritage-value forest before us, master photographer Rob Blakers and I had a chat with the man from Forestry, about carbon storage and old growth ... a subject on which he held an industry, rather than informed scientific view.  It was a polite exchange.  The female police officer was a lovely person, friendly in a very professional way, and hungry because those police officers weren’t getting a lunch break yesterday.  Just doing their job in the wrong place through no fault of their own.  A few young women from Still Wild, Still Threatened set about finding something for them to eat. A passer-by had given the protestors a big, fat trout caught earlier in the day up Pedder way… A local family of timber workers moseyed up to view the proceedings, then left without word or incident about ten minutes later.  Those who crossed the line separating the protest from their broken forest acted only out of love, for what is being lost.  There was no storming of anything in the Upper Florentine yesterday.

Don Davey, your absence from the Florentine was duly noted as it was from outside Jodi Campbell’s office the other day. A heartfelt thanks from all those who did attend the Florentine and especially from all the brave young people on the ground and those suspended 50 metres above the ground in giant trees, for the support and solidarity you continue to demonstrate in these columns. As the saying goes, with friends like you Don….....

(9)
    now David !  that’s the language i like to hear ! and it could be arranged if we could coax a couple of organisations to loosen their purse strings and take some media advertising !  that said , “they know who they are”
                d.d.

David Mohr. post 9. Being successful in politics is entirely about numbers. You state a crowd of 15 to 20,000 may attend a rally in Hobart if it were held whilst feelings still run high. 15,000 to 20,000 does not come near to the combined total of votes the Greens received at the last election in the southern electorates of Franklin (12,420) and Denison (14,812)...total 27,232. On a statewide basis, the Greens received a total of 51,501 votes whilst those enrolled to vote numbered 341,481. As stated previously, politics is all about numbers and until forest protest rally numbers dramatically increase and reflect real voter pressure, the status quo will remain. The last election results indicate the Greens, for instance, would need to increase their total statewide vote by at least 100,000 to have any chance of being able to form majority government and rule in their own right. If a political party or independent candidate ran on a single policy platform of seeking a mandate from the voters of Tasmania to put an end to logging in Tasmania’s native forests, it is unlikely they would receive a quota to be elected.

(13)
    I won’t thank you for those words Bob McMahon ! , I expected better ! you are correct, I was not at Sunday’s rally,  illness prevented me ! however throw away statements like that coming from you who appears to be the elected T.A.P spokesman for the cause is exactly why I prefer to do my own thing, and is exactly why I do not attend T.A.P meetings, however I can be found most days   at my usual haunt spending most likely, more time that any two of you,  ask around!  unlike yourself ! I don’t seek personal gratification.
   
    Amazing how one gets so full of themselves with some media attention , tell me , is it true that you harbour political aspirations ?

                  d.d.

Page 95 of Forestry Tasmania’s own Annual Report for 2008 shows that less than 1% of the entire native forests logged by them are special species timbers used for processing into furniture and craft items.

It was therefore disconcerting, but entirely predictable, to hear craftsman George Harris aka Woodworker on ABC local radio this morning spuriously attempting to justify the aggregated retention (clear felling in all but name) logging of the Upper Florentine Valley on the basis that without access to all this timber (the vast majority of which will be woodchipped) he would be put out of business!

Interestingly, he revealed somewhat vaguely that he pays around $3,000 per tonne for a product which Gunns obtains on the ground at a loss making cost to the taxpayer of around $15 per tonne. Damningly, the actual amount is conveniently blacked out of the Wood Supply Agreements made available to the public.

Woodworker himself appears to be just one representative of a fully blown ALP endorsed misinformation and smear campaign whose brutal agenda seeks to tarnish all of us who pose a threat to their handle on power as being dangerous subversives.

However, their undoing is that they fail to recognise that the Tasmanian community is a lot smarter and more united than ever before in our resolve to protect our precious natural resources for the benefit of all of us and not the short term financial greed of a privileged few.

Editorial constraints seem to be the flavour of the Mercury coverage of the Florentine protest.
Having spoken at length with the reporter responsible for the article I was left in no doubt that she agreed that the whole action was peaceful and like a ‘sunday outing’.

Her interest in the dialogue between forestry personel and protesters was of surprise to the level of civility shown.

Forester Michael Phillips said openly that he felt no intimidation.  Why then, the media claim to the opposite?

And as for the selection of photos that accompanied the article, one can easily see that they were chosen to convey an image of radical activists. Compare the photos from the Mercury to those shown in Tas. Times and the bias is immediately clear.

Shame on the Mercury for such an unfair article. Truth has suffered and the myth perpetuated.

Dave (#15)the problem is that there is a big group in the middle of the debate who simply don’t care. There are others who do care about what happens in the forests and are concerned, mostly native born Tasmanians who say they care but are so worn down by the prevailing system in Tasmania that they vote Lab/Lib anyway. To have 18% or so of the population voting Green is huge compared to other states and shows there is a depth of feeling there. You are right however that percentage has to grow for policy to be changed. If you look at most environment groups in Tassie a large percentage weren’t born here. Many are aghast when they arrive here and see what’s going on. I must also point out that the pro mill rally (held on a work day with participants given the day off) attracted a smaller crowd than the major anti mill rallies in Launceston and Hobart.

So Cassy (#12), it sounds like you didn;t enter the exclusion zone but stayed for a chat with FT and Police ... If not, why not ?

It is a really crap article but I sort of felt “Forestry officer Michael Phillips on his stump” redeemed it somewhat!  The Mockery’s being deliberately provocative and Danielle McKay could do with a slap

John McDonald, 7.  I’m aware of a John McDonald heading up the legal office for Forestry Tasmania. If it sounds like one…it could certainly smell like one.

5; Unfortunate that illness prevented you from attending Don. Pity though that you couldn’t be a bit supportive of those who managed to make the effort…

Original reports had a couple of hundred attending Florentine ,and it was gratifying to find that it was quite possibly twice that number, well done to those who were able to attend ,however I can’t help wondering just what would result in a well advertised rally over say a month or so, as a crowd of a few thousand would ,without doubt put the frighteners on the proponents in my opinion, however the advertising would require the use of the newspapers which the larger organisations such as T.A.P refuse to acknowledge .
      As was said to me and stated at meetings i attended , F—-k the Exaggerator , we won’t give them a penny !  which smacks of shitting in one’s own nest as far as I am concerned,  as although newspaper sales are declining , they STILL are the best way of reaching the MOST people
but those who pull the strings refuse to acknowledge the fact.

                  d.d.

Don #16 - Now, now, now - that’s a bit uncalled for!
I’m beginning to think that Kevin Bonham was absolutely right about you - you are pretty clueless. I have jumped to your defense on occasion, because I thought the good doctor was unduly targetting you, but you really DO have no idea! You base your knowledge on what TAP does on attendance at what - one meeting? Or was it two?

Bob McMahon is known to me personally and I can assure you he harbours no political ambition whatsoever, he does not do what he does for ‘personal gratification’ as you put it, and is not ‘full of himself’ as you imply. Bob would like nothing more than for this fight to be finished so he can get on with his own life - put very much on hold while he deals with the Gunns crap. He can certainly do without likes of YOU undermining at every turn (not that anyone really takes much notice of you). He would hand the TAP spokesman role over in a heartbeat, if there was anyone else capable of doing it as well as he does. But - funny thing - no-one else seems to want to be woken by media calls at 6.30 am and still be taking them at 10 pm at night.

If you are so #1 on the anti-mill ticket, how come YOU don’t get invited to write for national newspapers; how come the media don’t phone YOU up for your pearls of wisdom? Don’t answer that, Don, everyone who reads what you write knows the answer to that one!

I think it would be in order for you to retract what you said and apologize to Bob McMahon, because you couldn’t be more wrong, and what you have written is bordering on defamatory.

For goodness sake, Don, get with the agenda or stop spouting crap!

Oh! P.S. I assume that ‘usual haunt’ you refer to is your own fundamental orifice.

Poor old Mercury stuck in a time warp, its winged feet snagged by the old paradigm pushed by the extremists and carbon terrorists who wish to threaten all life for the almighty dollar and whose views it represents.

I wish to trespass in the Southern Forests and therefore admit my criminal desire. It is only constrained by time. May I also be charged.

There may not be 51,500 seeking a criminal record, or indeed an addition to their existing one, but could the state cope with tens of thousands of transgressors clogging the courts.

They would become as cost ineffective as FT.

Sigh !
      I was waiting for it ! and I also knew it would be from one of the female persuasion ! and guess what ! I took a bet that it would be you ! “Annie”
       
    You have told me before this place that I should mix with a better class of protester!  however I never was into class consciousness , much prefer equality in all things !  as for Bob McMahon ! he’s big enough and ugly enough to take care of himself without twittering little admirers like you embarrassingly talking up his defence.

                  Heh,Heh !

                    d.d.

(25)

    As an addendum i never usually attack anyone unless provoked,  I criticise ! the way things are done, which is anyone ‘s right in the hope that it can be shown to done better ! however there are those that believe that no one else but themselves are capable of formulating an idea , so you may attack me all you wish, I’m too bloody old and cranky to be “concerned in any way” and suggest that you save your vitriol for some letter’s to the newspapers which would be far more productive.
    Just an idea mind you !   
             
                    d.d.

Hilarious that the Mercury is vilified by the very people it strives to support. Perhaps the reporting for a change was coming closer to the truth, rather than the ‘forestry is evil’ usual stance. Perhaps the readers are demanding less biased articles, or maybe the activists are becoming too bold and fully demonstrating their non-lawful, non-legal, non-peaceful protesting methods.

Interesting also given that the “majority” of people are against forestry that only 400-odd people bothered to take a drive not far from Hobart on a beautiful Sunday. Surely if the “majority” of Tasmanians felt strongly about this issue, then many more would have made the effort. Also interesting that most of the names I read of people charged are from Queensland, NSW, Vic etc. Ask them who paid for them to be here! The answer is not really going to be a surprise.

Because Bryan, I could lose my seat if I get arrested/charged/convicted with trespass.  I’m more useful to the forests un-arrested at this stage ...

(17) There is a new specialty timber report floating around that Forestry commissioned, which woodworker (helped)  put together.

However it did not align with FT’s preconceived notions. It has yet to be released because the wording and figures (aren’t) enough in Forestry’s favour yet.

Interestingly enough apparently a number of the specialty timber crafts people did not want to take part. Apparently they did not trust Forestry and many others did not want their identity linked with FT.  But that is understandable.

If David Bartlett is so ‘deadly serious’ about freedom of information, ‘committed to improving the process’, then of course the original and illegitimate edited version of the specialty timber report should be released.

>I’m aware of a John McDonald
>heading up the legal office
>for Forestry Tasmania.

not any longer Rod, FT’s John Mac retired a week or two ago

Funny Charles and Claire question why a number of speciality timber workers did not want to take part - perhaps related to the vilification of ‘woodworker’ that you follow on with - geez could that be the reason?

I am not a ‘twittering’ acolyte of Bob McMahon’s as you seem to suggest, Don. I merely dislike it intensely when people spread lies and innuendo about people, as you have about Bob, based on absolutely NOTHING except your rather silly opinion. You probably won’t get any response from Bob for your stupid, ill thought out comments in # 16 above - he’s actually got better things to do with his time, like fight a pulp mill.

There is no fool like an old fool, as the saying goes - you just stick to your delusion that you are making a big difference by writing the odd letter to the local rag, and chewing the fat with a few old farts in whatever your ‘usual haunt’ is, and leave the real work to people who know what they are doing
. Incidentally, try checking your facts before you engage the typing finger, please! (Oh yes, while you are at it, why don’t you learn how to appropriately use apostrophes, exclamation marks, capitals etc etc - it might make your posts a little more readable)

Correct Cassy (#31).... it always was an unlawful activity…. and the Greens should be announcing the same to the other protesters….. but to stand by and watch children enter the area, how could you be associated with such activity.

Neither brave, nor a hero….Mr McKim won’t be happy with you.

Heh,Heh,
          always did fancy a woman with a bit fire but in your case Annie ,I make an exception.

          Now! you just grab a tea towel and pop back to the kitchen ! that’s a good girl.

                    d.d.

(34) Dear oh dear francis, IF you knew anything about anything you would know we personally know woodworker, he gave us a Christmas present and it is a very good piece of woodworking material. I actually have it in pride of place and no doubt I would expect him to have done the same with ours. BUT according to the person who supplied us the information and was employed by FT, the people were NOT prepared to be USED by FT …unlike YOU. And with decades of forest experience … ahhh …come on then … throw us what you’ve got!

Funny how the truth always inspires the likes of people like you to TRY and defend the indefensible.  Maybe you should get the courage to sit way up in a tree and see the world from a different perspective, that’s if you can’t read ‘honest’ reports! Or maybe you and your lot should create your own little world, and see how you would survive without nature. Now that would be interesting. But then again, one only has to look at the new UN reports to know, natures the go! it’s real, it makes us live, survive, grow, and we should protect it … funny that … isn’t it!

George (woodworker) and I can talk amongst ourselves, unless of course he’s now been put on ‘hold’?, we don’t need you francis. But hey francis, if you want, we’ll talk about you for a little while - Who are you, what is your experience, where do you come from, and what is your game?

Could people PLEASE stop filling this space with personal mud slinging. Use the personal email for this sort of discourse. You are undermining the integrity and quality of TT.

We do have to change outdate policies across the board and that takes stamina and a clear head at any any level of engagement. There are entrenched beliefs and huge networks of nepotism to overcome. Please focus, folks.

Bryan (#36 etc), Nick will be happy that Tim Morris and I were among the hundreds who stood up for the Florentine simply by being there on Sunday.

I don’t seek hero status; just doing the job I’ve been honoured to take on as a Green MP.  The heroes of this saga are those activists who’ve been out there in the Upper Florentine, day and night, enduring the extremes ... of both weather, and, as the world has seen on YouTube, fear and intimidation. 

The diehards from Still Wild, Still Threatened have my deep respect.  They are brave and true to values you, Bryan, seem content to ignore.  They are prepared to put their lives on hold to defend our natural heritage.  For Tasmania’s children, I am grateful.

As for me, the public record over the past five years or so shows I’m brave enough, as is any Tasmanian prepared to speak up and act against environmental destruction and bad governance in the current climate.

What was your full name again, Bryan? I didn’t catch it the first time you omitted to identify yourself ...

Yes, sorry, Pensive. You are so right - it is a waste of effort engaging with mindless fools - it just gets up my nose when people spread innuendo or tell big, fat porkies about others and sometimes I can’t help myself…....I will try more restraint in future…..consider me chastened.
Now where the hell did I put that bloody tea-towel?

Why the obsession with knowing *who* someone is? So they can be personally attacked too?? I have no desire to be personally attacked, get nuisance calls etc. For those who wish to identify themselves - good on you. For the record though, like most on this site I am noone of consequence, a Tasmanian with a positive opinion on forestry in this state. A different opinion to many here, but a valid opinion all the same.

Good onya Francis…. some people just like being patted on the back by like minded people… A reality check is warranted. Keep it up.

(42)
    Why the obsession with knowing *who* someone is?
     
quite simple ” Francis “@” Bryan” whom one suspects are just more forestry stooge’s ! it,s about decency and having the intestinal fortitude to stand by your words, to do otherwise is plain cowardly as said comments contain no substance whatsoever.

                    d.d.

Well “Don” I do have the intestinal fortitude to stand by my words. I also am able to produce the published facts to support what I am saying. The fact that I don’t want my full name published on a public website does not invalidate my opinion. I am noones stooge, my opinion is mine and mine alone, but believe what you will.

(45)

    If you are the real deal “Francis”, put your money where your mouth is, or grab a tea towel and join"Annie"in the kitchen, because to decent folk your words mean zilch !

                d.d.

Those who can be bothered reading my stuff will remember my plea for long forgotten roads to be opened up ,in the name of further tourist attraction and yesterday Tues.27 the Examiner published one in full ! I am happy to say.
 
    One of these roads was the one out through White Hills and on to St Helens , which i thought was out the Mt Barrow rd.

    Today a gent rang me saying that he has been going to St Helens that way for many years,  and although a gravel road, it used to be a magnificent drive with untold wildlife etc.

    He also said that the drive is now little better than a bombed out war zone ,with hills sliding into valleys for lack of vegetation ! little wonder the Govt don’t want these roads to be used as it shows the devastation that has taken place.
 
  When i am able, i intend to take a drive through there and photograph what has taken place.

   
  Bloody criminal bastards ! is all they are. 
     

                  d.d.

This thread reminds me of all the times various interests have asked for the names of members who belong to the Wilderness Society or other such organisations. I remember several years ago asking for a member list of the Tasmanian Timber Community organisation to enable overt support, or otherwise, of member businesses. As they say, “Silence is golden.”

47; Don, the road in question is called Ben Ridge Road. You can follow it through to Mathinna Plains Road where you turn left (north). You then take the road past Ralphs Falls through to Pyengana and on to St Helens.
The gentleman who rang you is indeed quite correct. Like so many of these back routes, war zone is the description that springs to mind. Mind you, some of the views are better as there’s no pesky trees interrupting them!

Well Mark !
          you appear to have emerged from nowhere !  having not earlier added to this debate ,perhaps you can be enticed to elaborate on your call.
              d.d.

Hi Don, a few years back Barry Chipman made a public spectacle of himself in the Merc by demanding the names of WS members. I simply returned serve for TCT membership and I could have sworn I heard a pin drop. You see, people should be very careful about placing standards on others if they don’t intend to place those same standards on themselves. Barry’s intent was obviously intimidation but was too easily recognised for his shallowness.

#44, for me, its about being judged by my words, not my name, and hence, who I work for, vote for, etcetera - Tas is a small place…  Ada Sprouts is not me, but someone i like better than myself, who lends me her name.  This is afterall an on-line forum, cyber, people can be however the hell they want.