You can never have enough Nanna love and last night in Lismore it was a Nannafest of warm and fuzzies when the black and yellow warriors descended on the bowlo for Nonna’s fabulous homemade pasta extravaganza.
The event was a fund-raiser with money raised going towards the Knitting Nannas’ second Nannational Conference to be held in the Chinchilla gasfields region of Queensland from August 26 to 28.
Nannas from as far away as Western Australia and the Northern Territory will travel to Chinchilla for three days of speakers, workshops and gas-field tours to inspire their work against the spread of coal seam gas. The Nannas have been fundraising to help those from afar with travel expenses.
They keynote speaker is Sister Deirdre Gardiner, of the Sisters of Mercy. Sister Deirdre is a medical laboratory technologist, ethicist and mission director who works with the Toowoomba Diocese Social Justice Commission.
The commission has supported people living in coal seam gas affected areas around Chinchilla and Tara for many years. The Sisters of Mercy, Mercy International Association has special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Other speakers include Helen Bender, who has led her family’s resistance to CSG takeover of their land following the death of her father George Bender. Mr Bender was driven to suicide by ten years of harassment from CSG companies.
Helen will speak on landowners rights, air and water quality monitoring and the plight of the Condamine River.
JudyKaye Knox, who is an educator from the Gomaroi Nation of central southern Queensland and northern New South Wales will also address the conference – JudiKaye has worked in the field of trauma and trauma recovery for the past 15 years. Her work combines indigenous therapeutic practices and western psychology.
A special workshop for Queensland Nannas on the state’s protest laws will be lead by Jo-Anne Bragg, CEO of the Environmental Defenders Office, QLD. Jo has provided legal advice and education to individuals, community and environment groups.
Jo-Anne has made critical contributions to reforming Queensland’s environmental laws, particularly in successful advocacy for expanded third party enforcement rights. Jo has worked on many successful test cases concerning the Commonwealth and State environmental laws.
A day-long gasfield tour will be lead by Darling Downs residents Karen Auty and John Jenkyn. The tour will give Nannas the chance to meet affected families and see the industrialized landscape for themselves.
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