Coal & Allied's meeting with the community
Coal and Allied, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and the communities of Catherine Hill Bay and its neighbour, Nords Wharf , met in somewhat strained circumstances on Friday 17 November 2006. Coal and Allied plodded through its story at an Information Session, but when the people had heard enough they voted against the company's proposed development and most walked out. Not a good beginning, and indicative of the community's deep anger at the deal between Mr Sartor and Coal & Allied and RoseCorp to facilitate development on land zoned for environmental protection. The Progress Association is hopeful of a constructive relationship with Coal and Allied in the mid-term, similar to that created with Stockland and its predecessor at North Wallarah.
One gentleman summed up the situation up beautifully in the meeting ... "Why? Why are we here....? After 150 years from your own admission extracting wealth from underneath this soil. And I'm sure that this land here owes Coal & Allied or Rio Tinto NOTHING. So why are we going through all this drama here now unless there is the big word in the middle which says GREED. How would it be if they (Coal & Allied) said we had carried our remedial work on all of our properties and we are now going to hand them over 100%, not 92, but 100% to the State of New South Wales." See the video attached (4MB)
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Protest Rally |
Protest Rally |
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Protest Rally |
Coal & Allied meeting |
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Coal & Allied meeting |
Coal & Allied meeting |
Photo sources: CHB Progress Association.