Antinuclear

Tiny attendance at Dr Helen Caldicott’s Roxby Down talk, as BHP Billiton films the meeting

BHPB felt the meeting enough of a threat they sent their own film crew -57 Films- to record the full event. Somewhat sheepish when Helen challenged them as to why working for BHPB. 

Dr Caldicott was outraged at what she saw with the heavy hand of the SA cops, demanding full names and addresses from protestors leaving the camp, not only the driver. Data base for ‘troublemakers’ into the future for the cops? 

David Bradbury 24 July 12, If you look at the numbers you’d be very disappointed with the fruits of our labour and cost in taking Dr Helen Caldicott to Roxby. But some things are not messured by numbers alone. The seeds must be sown and you never know when the harvest will come. Or that you will be rewarded to see the harvest on yr time. You can only do yr bit with the best intregrity and listen to the voice of guidance that comes from Spirit.

Maximum number of miners and wives there:15. Three bubs.
At face value all the letterboxing with DVDs of When the Dust Settles and Helen’s personal invitation placed inside DVD sleeve hardly worth it, given there is over 1200 letterboxes in Roxby..and Ros Elliott, Iris Nunn and a crew of about four others did the whole town of 4000. Given that most parents love their kids and only want the best for them you’d think they would beat a path to the door of the Roxby Motor Inn, seating capacity 140. And according to Murdochs own rag the Adelaide Advertiser, Roxby has the highest per capita number of babies and toddlers I’m SA- youngsters being most vulnerable to genetic mutation causing cancer and childhood leukemias. But the lure of jet skis, flash cars, electronic gadgets and big mortgages can provide ample reasons to believe the Company is right in assuring miners they have their health and safety well in hand. There is no danger to them or their kids. Or the children and grandchildren who come from their wombs and loins. Let’s not even mention the moral responsibility of digging up the poison that helped create Fukushima or untold deaths and birth defects, heartache in the souls of mothers and fathers who give birth to a blob of humanity caused by depleted uranium munitions from our uranium.

The DVD of ‘Dust’was definitely being watched behind closed doors and commented upon as we hoped by the women of Roxby. We got repeated feedback on that. We knew not many dads would come from previous experience a few years ago when we were told the company put word around they would note who attended my free film screening and they would compromise their job chances and promotion if the company note takers who came along recorded their presence. ( you have to experience Roxby and the stranglehold the company has over a non unionised workforce here. Add to that the clique of South African white executives who live in Roxby and run it so tightly for fellow South African Marius Koeppers CEO of BHPB …and you know a little of what it might hsve been like to be a black South African miner working for Billiton back in the days of apartheid. Anyone who chalkenges the company line or plays up is escorted to the airport and put on the plane out of there with s one way ticket. People keep their head down, work their shifts, get the good money ( tho’ I’m told, yet to confirm, it is the lowest paid mine in Oz). A number of black faces appearing in the street of Roxby Ive never seen there before. I met and spoke to a black South African engineer who has an indefinite visa to stay here. And two resettled refugees from southern Sudan and their families.

BHPB felt the meeting enough of a threat they sent their own film crew -57 Films- to record the full event. Somewhat sheepish when Helen challenged them as to why working for BHPB. Same fiesty spirit which saw Helen taking on the cops two hours later at the roadblock to Protestors Camp. She was outraged at what she saw with the heavy hand of the SA cops, demanding full names and addresses from protestors leaving the camp, not only the driver. Data base for ‘troublemakers’ into the future for the cops? Defecting vehicles leaving for good as they’d done on the way in.

“This is disgusting! This is MY Australia! How dare you treat people like this!” Helen yelled dressed in dark blue woollen coat and flaming orange red scarf. When one daring cop told her to move on, the 74 yr old grandmother and Grand Dame of the anti nuclear movement demanded of him, “Arrest me then! Go on!”

I thought she was gone. She regretted later she did not push it further because that would have made ‘news’. Her talk was attended by the Advertiser and tv news crews but there was no argy bargy from disgruntled miners or anything ‘newsworthy’ in Helen’s talk (vital unknown info about the new toxic ‘asbestos’ that particularly affects kids and is passed on for many generations thru the sperm is not ‘vital’ to the straight media. Or ‘new’. Even when it comes from one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject).
Helen was given a right royal welcome at the Protest Camp. Uncle Kev looked as proud and pleased as a cat with its head in cream as the two long time elders of ‘our tribe’ sat in the late afternoon sunshine and talked to an enthralled new generation (mostly) and older experienced anti nuke campaigners. Helen vowed to come back again as we all did in our hearts that day to “Shut Roxby Down”!

July 24, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, South Australia