A film about Australia’s first environmental confrontation, which occured at Terania Creek near Nimbin, will screen on Friday, 22 March from 7pm at Brunswick Picture House as a fundraiser for the Save Wallum campaign.
With approval from the state government and Council, Clarence Property are expected to roll their bulldozers into endangered flora and fauna in Bayside, Bruns, for urban development. A well-organised blockade group is on standby to defend Wallum, and are trained in non-violent direct action (NVDA).
Give Trees a Chance: The Story of Terania Creek was released in 1980, and follows the first day of the logging operations at Terania Creek in 1979.
Organisers say, ‘300 people came to protest to try and save one of the few remaining remnants of what was once called “The Big Scrub”. The protesters thought they would be home the first night – but were still there a month later’.
‘Its ripples are still being felt today. It became an inspiration in that ordinary people can be effective in change, and that non-violent action can draw help to bring about meaningful change’.
Lisa Sandstrom told The Echo how the film night came about.
She says, ‘A few weeks ago, I met a beautiful elderly woman who was visiting the Tree Of Life Vigil Tent for Wallum’.
First in tree sitting
‘She was visiting with the Knitting Nanas.
‘Her name is Deanne King and she is/was the world’s first female tree sitter. The tree Deanne sat in was at Terania Creek.
‘At Wallum, we call our tree sitters our possums. ‘Deanne lives locally, and we talked about her experience and I told her of the amazing young women we had living in the scribbly gums at Wallum.
‘Deanne told me about her friends from the Terania blockade, and our film night was born. Save Wallum gets to pay respect to our Terania Creek elders, whose non-violent-direct-action practices are being used in the Wallum blockade today.
‘This event is a fundraiser for Save Wallum with all proceeds from this screening going directly to the daily cost of the Save Wallum Campaign.
‘In gratitude to our Terania Creek elders, the event will host a Q&A with Terania Creek royalty along with some of our favourite Save Wallum activists, including the famous “human possums”.’
For more info, visit www.brunswickpicturehouse.com/give-trees-chance-story-terania-creek-22-may.
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