Newsletter - 4 August 2011
G'day Rogainers,
Just a reminder that entries Close for the Lake Macquarie Rogaine this Sunday 7th August. Please get your entry in soon, link below;
Lake Macquarie 6 & 12 Hour (13 August 2011)
*Entries close this Sunday!*
The Lake Macquarie Rogaine will once again be held in the western area of Lake Macquarie in the Watagan Mountains. The location for this year’s event is in the Heaton and Awaba State Forest Areas with the hash house at Freemans Waterhole and only 70 minutes north of Hornsby.
Open cut coal mining threat to Ben Bullen State Forest
NSWRA members may not be aware that a beautiful area of bush near Lithgow, Ben Bullen State Forest, has been proposed as a site for open-cut and highwall coal mining. You may remember going to several Paddy Pallin rogaines in this area in recent years and it is an area that we would like to return to. The proposal, by the Queensland-based company Coalpac Pty Ltd, to extend operations at Cullen Valley and Invincible mines will result in the destruction of over 1000 hectares of old forest growth, will severely impact the rare fauna and flora of the immediate area (5 of the 30 listed species are endangered), and will have a much broader impact on surrounding areas including the potential contamination of water supplies. This forest adjoins the Gardens of Stone national park with its spectacular pagoda rock formations.
This area is currently public land held for a variety of purposes including sports events such as rogaining, walking, horse-riding, mountain-biking, tree growing etc - none of which are compatible with open cut mining. The proposal, if successful, sets a worrying precedent for the reallocation of public land to private companies
Members of the NSWRA committee encourage NSWRA members to oppose the mine and the destruction of forest land owned by the public, which you can do by writing to your local member, the Ministers for Sport (Graham Annelsey) or the Environment (Robyn Parker) and/or the Premier (Barry O'Farrell), and/or by taking part in anti-mine campaigns and protests that align with your personal views. It is worth noting that in general, an individual letter from you carries more weight than adding a signature to an existing petition. Some suitable internet search terms for more information/anti mining campaigns are "Coalpac" "Ben Bullen State Forest" "Gardens of Stone" "open cut mine".
To find details of state parliamentarians see: http://tinyurl.com/4knpv9 and some tips on writing letters http://tinyurl.com/44lpj93
Volunteering
Finally, Rogaining is a volunteer-run sport. So if you have been enjoying the sport, think about helping out at an upcoming event.
Visit the volunteer page and/or contact our volunteer co-coordinator Ian Dempsey ( volunteer@nswrogaining.org ) to find something that suits you. Volunteers who make a major contribution to an event are rewarded by free entry (!) to a NSWRA organised Rogaine, or a contribution to a recognised training course (such as first aid or event management training).
Jason Tsui
for NSW Rogaining Association committee
publicity@nswrogaining.org