By Amelia Willmer
Greeting and guiding guests at the front door of an establishment is usually the job of the Concierge but last week, it became the job of Southern Downs Reginal Council CEO Dave Burges.
He came downstairs and out to the front door of the Warwick council building on Wednesday morning where a group of Cambanoora Gorge protestsers were gathered.
He advised the group that numbers were limited because of the size of the small council chamber and that only people who had submitted a request to attend would be allowed in.
Githabul Traditional owners Kerri and Nathan Charles had not submitted a written request and turned to leave.
Encouraged by fellow protesters, they changed their minds, and ignored the CEO’s directive.
They went in to the chamber to stand proudly behind their kinswoman Melissa Chalmers while she gave a passionate speech about the significance to her people of Cambanoora Gorge.
“We stood together beside the top table occupied by the Mayor and CEO and I spoke our truth,” Melissa said.
“This was a historic moment for us, to take our place on the stage of formal power, authority, and regulation – a space where our people, for so long, have been denied a place.
“Without Nathan and Kerri there, I would have felt very vulnerable.
“My sincere hope is that we have now turned a corner in the way this council communicates with us. I hope they now identify us as key stakeholders whenever it comes to public consultation and, that when they do consult us, they actually listen and don’t just tick a box to show token compliance.
“We will be devastated when the bulldozers move into action at the gorge.”
A similar sentiment was shared by Barbara George and the group of protestors who came to support her on Wednesday.
“I will be in tears when the bulldozers start tearing into the riverbed,” Barbara said.
“Like Melissa, I felt that addressing the council was probably an exercise in futility, but it was something we each felt compelled to do.
“There is no real dialogue in talking at people, and there was no debate following our speeches. None of the councilors engaged with us.
“Melissa was there to represent the Githabul People and I was there to represent the 3000 residents from all over the Southern Downs who signed our petitions against the concreting of the gorge riverbeds.”
More on the gorge issue, pages 12-13
