With hundreds of riot police expected to confront thousands of protectors on site at the Bentley blockade, west of Lismore, it was a great relief to many when the NSW government suspended Metgasco’s Petroleum Exploration Licence on 15 May 2014, effectively handing a historic win to the community.
The blockade was the culmination of years of organised community opposition to invasive gasfields across the Northern Rivers.
This came to a head with blockades at Glenugie, south of Grafton, and Doubtful Creek, before the biggest one of all, at rural Bentley, with multiple gatherings at dawn and impromptu rock concerts made possible by the large ongoing camp at the neighbouring property.
Reunion
Next week, on the tenth anniversary of Victory Day, there will be an informal reunion of those who made history, at the nearby Bentley Rail Trail car park, not far from the Naughtons Gap junction with Kyogle Road.
People are asked to BYO food and water, and possibly a chair or foldup table in case of large numbers. There are toilets on site.
You can find out more at the Facebook event page set up by organiser Anne Thompson.
Later this year, when the Lismore Workers Club auditorium reopens, there will be the premiere of the cinematic version of Cloudcatcher Media’s film covering the Northern Rivers’ fight against unconventional gas, Confusing Them With Our Joy, which was delayed by COVID and then the catastrophic 2022 floods.
You can find out more about the film and get updates here.
Here’s a recent short bonus clip from Confusing Them With Our Joy to remind everyone of those heady days:
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
