It’s upsetting to read your article ‘Wallum developer welcomes arrest’ (June 19).
The majority of protectors in this lawful, non-violent protest to save the wallum heathland and wetland are over 55 years old.
I will be 70 myself next year and accusing us of ‘engaging in illegal and criminal activities’ is outrageous.
I have been part of the Save Wallum activities since February 2024 and participated in half-day trainings to learn the skills of non-violent direct action. They were run very professionally and comprehensively including legal advisers to prepare us in acting at all times respectfully within NSW legislation.
Aren’t we living in a democracy and non-violent protest is at the heart of it?
There are 24 threatened and endangered species of fauna and flora listed on the Brunswick Heads Wallum site, which we’re protecting from bulldozers. Australia is the country with the highest rate of extinction in the world!
Fact is that Clarence Properties is a $500m behemoth trying to destroy a last pocket of precious habitat in the Byron Shire adjoining Simpsons Creek and the Tyagarah nature reserve.
Companies of that size employ PR teams. It seems they have come up with a media strategy, that the best way to steamroll their way across our community is divide and conquer, that is, by demonising us protectors as criminals and shooting the messenger?
We had successful protests in the ’90s against Club Med and more recently the Byron Paterson Hill campaign and finally the Bentley blockade against coal seam gas.
I think it’s time to call out Clarence Properties’ media strategy for what it is: a smear campaign to discredit perfectly legal activities of mainly senior citizens.
This is not the way to win over the elders in our community. Mr Kennedy, if ever you thought to having a social licence.
