Graves washing away
May 29, 2008
Section: News
There are fears that the chemical spraying of Bitou Bush at East Corrimal Beach could wash away thousands of years of local Aboriginal history.
Protesters gathered at the beach on Tuesday morning, with critics of the aerial spraying claiming that the eradication of Bitou Bush would destabilise sand dunes, washing away Aboriginal graves.
Other concerned residents claim that the health effects of the chemicals used have not been rigorously tested – with a number of international medical journals citing birth defects and the risk of cancer as side effects of human exposure.
The main concern uniting all the protesters however, is a perceived lack of community consultation prior to the spraying, which was scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to delays with the contractor.
Chief Weeds Officer with the Illawarra Noxious Weeds Authority, David Pomery, said he has consulted with Chris Illert from the Northern Illawarra Aboriginal Collective Inc. regarding the planned spraying.
Mr Pomery said an agreement had been reached with Mr Illert to leave a 40-50 metre buffer zone around the significant Aboriginal site when spraying, and that he had also informed the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council about the plans, but had not received a response.
Mr Illert said he was opposed to the spraying, labeling Mr Pomery an ‘eco-nazi’.
Retired academic Professor Stephen Hill, who has previously worked for the United Nations as a Regional Director for Science in the Asia-Pacific region, said the planned buffer zone would be ineffective because the spray does not stay exactly where it is supposed to, particularly in windy conditions.
“I believe it is impossible to be precise especially given that they are spraying right up to the beach and the main problem is the drift of spray into the areas that were not the target zone,” he said.
Local Aboriginal leader and Wadi Wadi elder Allan Carriage said the actions of Wollongong City Council and the Illawarra Noxious Weeds Authority were “wiping out Aboriginal history on the land.”