Twenty years after the first memorable screenings of the Olegas Truchanas-Ralph Hope-Johnstone audio-visual on Lake Pedder, their creative vision has been reborn with the recreation of the original material, with its moving soundtrack and remarkable images.
A generous grant by Australian Geographic Pty Ltd enabled Pedder 2000 to purchase the projectors and sound equipment, and we thank Elspeth Vaughan, Melva Truchanas and Nic Sawyer (technician and projectionist) for their work.
Guest speaker at the dinner, which was held on January 20 at the Fern Tree Tavern, was Annabel Richards, Chairman of the Melbourne branch. Roddy and Kerry McLean of Inverness, Scotland were recording the story for the BBC, Frank Campbell of Geelong read an extract from Fiona McVilly's play 'Solitude, My Mother-A Glimpse of Olegas Truchanas', and numerous speakers updated us all on the campaign, Inquiry and Symposium.
Dr Kevin Kiernan, our distinguished consultant on geomorphology, was welcomed back from Nepal, and several branches were well represented. We thank Richard Perkinson, our official photograher-his pictures give an idea of the evening.
By Brian Dodd
Editor, Pedder Branches Newsletter
Happy New Year-and what a great way to start 1995, with our preparation of submissions to the Federal Government's Inquiry! This campaign has achieved so much in such a short time.
Let's flood the Inquiry with submissions. We need technical submissions to provide the economic, legal and environmental facts but we also need to show the depth of feeling that people have about healing the heart of the World Heritage Area.
We need submissions and letters to show what Pedder means and has meant to people, so that the Committee members who may never have seen it can gain some idea of what a holy and beautiful place it once was.
This understanding and these feelings are inside every person who saw the light and clouds change over the lake, and felt its power to enable people to be at peace with themselves while there. Just as these feelings are within, so is the feeling of personal loss and shame at the desecration of the dam. It's time to show how we feel, and encourage others to do so.
I hope that the will to heal, unlocked by this campaign, and at the moment focused on Pedder, will go beyond Pedder to all areas affected by thoughtless development. The legal precedent set by a Federal order to restore the lake will enable other areas, for example the Murray-Darling, to be similarly legislated for, irrespective of state and local boundaries. Our Constitution must allow environmental healing through legislation across state borders. This is a bigger issue than states' rights.
I hope that the will and energy of people manifested by this campaign will move on to places like the WA wheat belt, our river systems and our cities, and to all places adversely affected by thoughtless development. From the heart of Tasmania's south west, a changed attitude will flow to all parts of our country.
People must understand the mystical link between the individual and the environment that fuels the spirit, just as they must understand the practical link between the environment and the economy. Without a healthy environment there is no soul. How many times has this been demonstrated? We see it in the ghettos of large cities all over the planet. We see how badly people adapt to living in these places, and we see how their minds and actions are affected. We also see how economies are affected by environmental rape. We need look no further than the areas of salinated country on our doorstep, where the economies of those regions are dying.
This Inquiry is a step. The next step is a fully-funded study. The step after that is the restoration of Lake Pedder, and after that a joining with other groups, whether they be Landcare, farmers associations, conservation or progress associations.
It's time to heal. Pedder can be our symbol for this as we progress towards a more enlightened economic system in harmony with the environment in the next millennium. Nature doesn't care. She will find her own balance with us or without us. I hope it is with us.
Brian Dodd
Edward St John
(Pic of Mr St John)
Edward St John, who died late last year, was our national patron and a tireless fighter for just causes.
Admitted to the Bar in 1940, he served in the Army and rose to the rank of Captain,. He was appointed QC in 1956 and joined the Liberal Party at the age of 50.
He was elected Member for Warringah during the Holt-Gorton years and frequently embarrassed his own front bench with his statements supporting social justice and opposing hypocrisy.
His maiden speech to Parliament in 1967 resulted in the second Voyager Enquiry and ensured his future unpopularity with the then Prime Minister Harold Holt.
He was an enemy of the extreme Right because he established the Southern African Defence Aid Fund to help victims of apartheid, and also an enemy of the extreme Left because of his anti-Communist stand.
This typified his belief in putting the truth as he saw it into action, and the overriding importance of personal principle. He was the author of two books: A Time To Speak, and the as yet unpublished Judgement at Hiroshima.
As a member of the 1974 Inquiry into Lake Pedder he was a fervent supporter of attempts to prevent the flooding of the lake, and of proposals to restore it.
He was a genuinely independent thinker who held principle to be the basis of decision. As such, his unpopularity with his own party was inevitable, and dated from his first speech to Parliament.
Ted St John devoted the last ten years of his life to research and writing for environmental causes, notably the campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons. He was active in the World Court project, a move to apply to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the legality of nuclear weapons.
Son of a country vicar and conservation-minded mother, he is survived by his second wife Valerie and five children.
For all of us who are working towards the restoration of Lake Pedder, these remain his most memorable words:
"What a wonderful thing it would be if this precious jewel, Lake Pedder, which should never have been lost, could be restored to the people of Tasmania and the world ... the day will come when our children will undo what we so foolishly have done."
(Suzuki Foundation logo and pic if possible)
Dear Hilary Edwards
The David Suzuki Foundation strongly supports the efforts and hopes to restore Lake Pedder. Given the sheer size of environmental degradation we now face, the Pedder 2000 campaign is a beacon of hope and inspiration throughout the world.
It is more than that. I believe that Pedder 2000 is ushering in a remarkable new era, where we seek not to simply maintain ecological systems in their current states, but to actually restore and heal systems that have been damaged by human activity. This represents an unprecedented shift in values, but with so much of the planet already degraded by human activity, this will have to be the major focus in the next century. It is to your nation's credit that Australia may lead the way with a Federal Inquiry to determine the benefits of restoring Lake Pedder.
Thank you for all you have done. I offer my heartiest wishes of success to you and all the others working on this incredible project.
Sincerely,
David Suzuki
(Reproduction of press ad)
The Federal Government's Standing Committee on Environment, Recreation and the Arts has called for written submissions to the official Inquiry into the Proposal to Restore Lake Pedder. Submissions must be received by 24 February 1995.
It is our advice that to be effective, submissions should be well-reasoned and well-presented. This Inquiry gives us the most valuable opportunity yet to present our point of view to the decision-makers. Let's make the most of it-please read these suggestions carefully, and use them as guidelines for your submissions.
SIX STEPS TO SUBMISSION SUCCESS
All $5 to cover photocopying. Bound copies $10.
We thank Harold Ogilvie of Victoria for his generosity and inspiration in offering a prize of $1000 for a poem on the subject of Lake Pedder. Capture Pedder's spirit in words-send your poems to 'Poetry Competition', Pedder 2000, Hobart. Entries should be received by June 30 1995. The judging panel will include eminent Australian poets as well as members of Pedder 2000.
"We are still learning just how important it is to preserve the places that can enrich our lives ... it is a major tragedy of our time that such places, with so much to teach us, are being lost worldwide at a rate commensurate with humanity's growing urbanisation and alienation from nature."
Ken Rodgers
Managing Editor
Kyoto Journal
"In the next millennium, I hope we human beings will work hard to restore the Planet Earth. Rebirth of Lake Pedder could be a beacon for our vision."
Nanao Sakaki
Japanese wandering poet
"How good it is to be with the positive side! How good it is to be with the future vision that will take us into the next millennium thinking positively, and returning a bit of hope to the young generation that has been deprived of it so much in this century. Join the Pedder 2000 campaign-and enjoy it over the next few years as we move towards this wonderful outcome."
Bob Brown
Speaking at the launch of Pedder 2000
"... it seems a small price to pay to show that our generation is not only capable of massively changing the environment when it needs to, but can also accept the challenge of restoring it to its former beauty. It also shows that our society can still give the thumbs up to those with great dreams."
Dick Smith
Founder
Australian Geographic Society
"Draining Lake Pedder is the best possible start to preventing a Welcome Reef Dam, the raising of Warragamba Dam, the ecological disaster of the Tully Millstream project in Queensland and the Maruia Dam in New Zealand. The Sir Allan Knights of this world are still hard at work."
Milo Dunphy
Director of Total Environment Centre
"When you study the issue from the point of view of economic rationalism, please consider that whilst the cost of restroation can be estimated accurately, the benefits will remain subject to diverse hypothesis. I believe that restoration would help put Tasmania on the world's map, and therefore stimulate tourism."
Claudio Alcorso (From a letter to the House of Representative Standing Committee on Environment, Education and the Arts)
"The restoration of Lake Pedder is a multi-faceted international issue, however two points lie central to the importance of taking steps now.
* One thousand delegates to the 1994 IUCN (World Conservation Body) conference in Buenos Aires called on the Australian Government to restore Lake Pedder.
* Most Tasmanian politicians have little understanding of the significance of Tasmania's World Heritage Area.
Dr Bob Brown
Professor David Bellamy
(From a letter to members of the Caucus Environment Committee)
Membership of the Canberra Branch of Pedder 2000 has quickly grown from the initial membership of 50 concerned people.
Speaking at the launch of the branch in October last year, coordinator Kerry Tucker applauded the Caucus Environment Committee's call for an Inquiry, saying that Australians have a moral duty to revisit this mistake of the Seventies.
"Our proposal makes both environmental and economic sense," she said. "This essential act of restoration of the integrity of a World Heritage Area is a duty we owe to the world as well as to our children."
Helen Gee
Coordinator
Pedder 2000, Hobart
(Use Helen's piece in full)
The Kiernan Reports in summary
(Use media release in full)
While support in person-hours, memberships and donations has been steady, to run a continuing campaign, we need more funds-disseminating information, postage and printing, commissioning surveys and studies all cost money.
We ask you to help the campaign to restore Lake Pedder by completing the attached form-we will be unable to continue to mail Reflections without your renewal, so please, as a minimum, stay up to date as a member of Pedder 2000, and if you can, add a donation to further the work.
(Use existing coupon)
The Hobart Branch of Pedder 2000 meets every first and third Monday at Goodness Gracious (now the Greedy Grub) 39 Barrack Street, from 7pm. All members and friends are welcome-join us for a cuppa or a meal. For more details, call (002) 240235. The Melbourne Branch meets every third Thursday at ACF (phone 03 8362670 (H) for details).
News of Pedder 2000 has reached the Scottish highlands-ex-Tasmanian Roddy McLean, a Gaelic radio journalist from Inverness, visited in January and recorded interviews for a BBC program on Pedder.
On 7-8 April a scientific symposium at the University of Tasmania will present a current synthesis of available information on the physical, biological and cultural values and nature of Lake Pedder and its environs prior to the flooding. This synthesis is essential to provide baseline data against which to measure the feasibility and success of the restoration process. The symposium will also identify potential problems involved in restoration, and where possible, identify solutions and prioritise research requirements.
Dates: 7April: Optional field trip and evening public presentation
8 April: Symposium
Presented by: Centre of Environmental Studies, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania
Venue: Burbury Centre, University of Tasmania
To register, please contact Pedder 2000, (002) 240235
Dear Editor
(USE BLAKERS LETTER IN FULL)
Dear Editor
We recently read in the last issue of World Rivers Review about the plans to restore Lake Pedder. Here in France after a 5 year occupation of the Seve de la Fare dam site on the upper Loire River we have managed to have two big dams (out of four originally planned) totally or partially abandoned. Alternatives for flood management will be implemented and two old smaller dams will be removed in order to help salmon migration.
SOS Loire Vivante is now working, with the help of International Rivers Network, to build a European Rivers Network as a natural extension of our 6 year-long fight.
Best wishes for your campaign,
Martin Arnould
SOS Loire Vivante
Le Puy en Velay
France
(List branch addresses)