MEDIA RELEASE: 29 October 2006  

Unfolding environmental catastrophe in the heart of the fragile Murray-Darling Basin.

Walkers for Lake Cowal arrive at the Barrick Gold mine site to highlight the foreign company's desecration of sacred ground and the unfolding environmental catastrophe in the heart of the fragile Murray-Darling Basin.

"The wind is so strong we can't put up the tents," reported Mia Pepper on the mobile at the mine gates. "The dust is blowing everywhere, I've sent a photo."   But it's not just dust or soil. The dust is also coming from ancient rock, which oxidizes in contact with air releasing arsenic, which is a cumulative poison that enters the food chain.

Winiata Puru, Gordon Duguid and 'Trapper' left Brisbane on 12 August 2006 to walk a large part of the way to Lake Cowal to draw attention to another toxin being added to the fragile Murray-Darling Basin - cyanide - at the rate of 6090 tonnes a year. They have arrived just in time to join the convergence this weekend.

"The walk from Brisbane to Lake Cowal has been an empowering experience for the communities we went to, each step forward was a step forward in our protest against the Lake Cowal Gold Project. Hopefully this has inspired people to wake up and stand up against the destruction of this country." Winiata Puru,

Their concerns have been verified by John Turvey, who was Barrick Gold's Chief Engineer for the lake Cowal goldmine. On 31 May 2006 in Barrick's Head Office in Perth he admitted to Kirsty Blood, who headed a delegation, that it is inevitable that cyanide used in the extraction process will leach into the clay layer at the bottom of the tailings ponds and into the surrounding environs at Lake Cowal.

"We've just had an earthquake near Cowra that was 4.5 on the Richter scale. An earthquake at Lake Cowal could empty the cyanide ponds into the ground in an instant," warns Neville 'Chappy' Williams, traditional owner. "The cyanide is transported by Orica from Gladstone in Queensland through 10 National Parks, over 20 rivers and through 200 towns. Condo already knows fear of cyanide from the cyanide train derailment in 1992. Wiradjuri have already experienced deliberate poisoning by strychnine in flour and in our waterholes during the killing times, now our lands, our waters and all of us are at risk again. The trauma continues through the generations."

Kamilaroi woman, Gowidula also joined the walk in solidarity and through her concern over the cyanide being transported through her own country, in Northern NSW. Another twenty walkers arrived at the gates to peacefully demonstrate to Barrick Gold that they are not welcome. Walkers crossed the fence symbolizing access to what is still a public right of way and Wiradjuri land since Wiradjuri have never ceded sovereignty.

"On behalf of all nations in this country we will do anything to stop the government and the companies that desecrate the earth, our Mother." Gowidula.

"We have been reduced from Sovereign leaders of our Nation, to the status of refugees. We are actually refugees in our own lands." states Neville 'Chappy' Williams. "We took our Sacred Fire to the main gate of the mine to oppose what this foreign company is doing to our traditional lands and waters, but the Lake Cowal gold project Emergency Services extinguished our Fire. There is now permission for 35 extra dewatering bores next to the south side of the opencut mine pit. This tells me Barrick is having to suck out more groundwater just to keep the pit dry. The groundwater has already dropped 50 metres in some areas and Barrick had now admitted liability by offering to buy water for at least 80 affected farmers. The sad part is, what we predicted is coming true."

Contact           
Neville 'Chappy' Williams: 0416316774 or 0427411856
Mia Pepper: 0415 380 808