Antinuclear

Aboriginal’s sacred land versus AREVA’s uranium

Jeffrey just wants to go fishing  Live, smile, and breathe  12 Jan 2010 The following article was first written by Lindsay Murdock on July 14, 2007.

Who wants to be a billionaire? I don’t JEFFREY Lee is not interested in the soaring price of uranium, which could make him one of the world’s richest men.”This is my country, look, it’s beautiful and I fear somebody will disturb it,” he said, waving his arm across rocky land surrounded by the Kakadu National Park, where the French mining giant Areva wants to extract 14,000 tonnes of uranium worth more than $5 billion.

Mr Lee, the shy, 36-year-old sole member of the Djok clan and senior custodian of the Koongarra uranium deposit, has decided never to allow the ecologically sensitive land to be mined.

“There are sacred sites, there are burial sites and there are other special places out there which are my responsibility to look after,” Mr Lee told The Age.

“I’m not interested in money. I’ve got a job. I can buy tucker. I can go fishing and hunting. That’s all that matters to me.”…………….

“My father and grandfather said they would agree to opening the land to mining but I have learnt as I have grown up that there’s poison in the ground,” he said.

“My father and grandfather were offered cars, houses … but nobody told them about uranium and what it can do………..

Under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory), Areva must get Mr Lee’s approval at a meeting called by the Northern Land Council before it can start extracting the uranium.

STROKE OF LIVING: Tuesday Toast – Jeffrey just wants to go fishing

January 13, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | aboriginal issues, ACT, uranium | aboriginal, antinuclear, AREVA, Australia, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium