Adam Monk Photo Tours

The Cottesloe rally for the Kimberley was yesterday, and considering the heat (35 degrees…) it was a pretty good turn out, i’m not good at estimating numbers, but i would have said 300-400 people were there.

Most people opted for the shade around the edges

All the wilderness groups worked together to put on a well organised show of unity, it was just a shame the heat was so intense so early, i think that stopped a lot of people from showing up.  I know they were expecting much bigger numbers from the responses they had from facebook and other social network news, so if you were there, well done, if you were going to come but didn’t…  What happened?  Don’t you think saving the Kimberley from going the way of the Pilbara Coast is worth sweating a bit for?

A sweltering day… 35degrees at 11am

I really can’t stress this enough, unless they are forcibly stopped by overwhelming public opinion, the Barnett Government will ruin the Kimberley forever.  This is not what Colin Barnett claims is, “a pinprick on the landscape”  this is a giant, polluting, ecology destroying industrial zone that is going to cover more than 20 square kilometres and stretch 7km out to sea, right smack bang in the middle of one of the last pristine wilderness areas left on earth. That is just the beginning, there are at least 5 other projects in the pipeline that will piggy back off this one, moving right into the heart of the Kimberley.

We shouldn’t have to fight our own Government to get them to do the right thing, and raping the Kimberley is not the right thing for anybody except a few multinational corporations who will simply disappear when the minerals run out, leaving desolation and destruction in their wake.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we were remembered as the generation who saved the Kimberley from corporate greed rather than the one who let it be destroyed?

Don’t forget, the Kimberley Rally to show public opinion about the proposed  James Price Point Gas project is this Sunday, 28th November at 11am.  It is happening at the Cottesloe Civic Centre in Napier St, this is Colin Barnett’s own electorate so it will be interesting to see if he dares to show his face.  Tell everyone you know about it, lets get a bit of public opinion stirred up about this, before it’s too late!

If you care about the Kimberley, and you dont want your heritage destroyed by uncaring greedy fat bastards, you’ll be there.  The proposed Kimberley Gas Project will be an enormous loss for all of us, don’t let them get away with it.

If you’ve been keeping up with the James Price Point Debate, and you are feeling angry by whats going on but also frustrated because you don’t know what you can do… Try these links for a good starting point.

Save the Kimberley

The Wilderness Society

It’s only takes a few minutes, and it’s a numbers game.  If enough of us sign up for these the politicians will have to take notice.

Yesterday was a tragic day for Australia, yesterday Malcolm Douglas died. He will be sorely missed.

I grew up watching Malcolm Douglas films, i’m pretty sure i’ve seen all 50 odd of them, many times.  He was the initial inspiration for my love for the wild places of Australia,  the Kimberley in particular.

I remember seeing my first one of his films at a community hall someplace, i don’t remember where, being shown by Malcolm Douglas himself. I sat on the wooden floor of the hall, and saw images of places i had never even dreamed existed, fabulous exotic places, that i wanted to visit and wild adventures that i wanted to be a part of too.

That’s where it all began for me and many other Australians, Malcolm Douglas brought the outback into our living rooms and showed us how beautiful and important it is.

Malcolm Douglas was a bushman, a true ecologist and a statesman, he believed passionately in the sanctity of the Kimberley and fought most of his life for its preservation.  He was instrumental in setting up the Save the Kimberley Foundation, was very vocal about having the whole Kimberley coast World Heritage listed, and vigourously opposed the James Price Point gas development.  He was a caring compassionate man who believed in standing up for what’s important.

Now he is gone, and with so much left to do and so many things yet to be completed, its up to us to continue the fight.

Goodbye Malcolm, i’m proud to say i met you once, and i shook your hand.

For those who don’t know who Malcolm Douglas is…