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Kurri/Weston Independent, 15th October 2002
"Not in my backyard Syndrome" - Toby Thomas just doesn't get it. How could he? He has a vision for the Kurri area that can never be shared by the "Friends of Tumblebee". Maybe we've watched too many David Suzuki documentaries. We've seen what's happened in other parts of the world, and we can see what's happening here. To disturb 900 hectares of the Tomalpin Block for industrial land when so much of the Valley is already cleared seems immoral to people like us. Who would ever have thought that Spotted gum Woodland could become threatened in the Hunter Valley? Who would have predicted that birds like the Brown Treecreeper could become extinct in the Hunter? This bird's last refuge is on Crown Land within the HEZ. The Friends of Tumblebee are not against an industrial site per se. Just make it a lot smaller, 200 hectares, and put it on an already-degraded site. Common sense. There's a saying "If something seems too good to be true, then it probably is". The HEZ land is said to be "the cheapest in Asia" and "a quarter of Sydney prices". Of course its cheap. That's because it's home to 26 threatened or endangered species. It was never going to be easy to develop. No, we don't want to be known as The Town with the biggest Industrial Estate in NSW! And no, we don't like the HEZ being touted as the town's major attraction in a Visitor's Guide to the Area. Maybe Toby Thomas doesn't realise this, but most people don't feel any desire whatsoever to visit an industrial estate during their holidays. The Friends of Tumblebee are passionate about Mt Tumblebee and its 3000 hectares of forests and woodlands. We enjoy the bush walks, the mountain bike rides, the 150 species of birds, the 30 plus mammals, the reptiles and wildflowers of Tumblebee. Woodland like Tomalpin is already rare along the East Coast. We believe there is potential for ecologically-sustainable tourism industries based around our natural attractions. We want our young people to be proud of where they live. We want a National Park in our back yard - not the biggest industrial site in NSW! Irene Richardson, Kurri Kurri
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