Seaway protest

[gif]

Hello Save Our Spit Volunteers

On Sunday 5th February Save Our Spit Alliance is inviting enthusiasts to join a land and sea rally in the Broadwater and Seaway. Please see www.saveourspit.com homepage top right for information and the poster we are distributing.

Boats and other forms of sea craft can gather at the proposed swing basin site and in front of Wavebreak Island and the public and surfing community can gather at the proposed terminal site to line the seawall along to Seaway Beach to send a message to our government that we do not want a cruise ship terminal in the Broadwater and we value our public open space and want to keep it.

We are calling on volunteers who have expressed their wish to help Save Our Spit with the following:
In the weeks leading up to the rally we need SOSA volunteers to be at The Spit to get signatures on our petition and to let people know about the rally. Major dates to cover will be:
Sat 21st January
Sun 22nd January
Sat 28th January
Sun 29th January
and a big effort on Sat 4th Feb the day before the rally.

If you can give a few hours to these dates please let me know at this email address and I will do my best to pair you up with an SOS Alliance member. If you have done it before and feel you don't need a buddy, great, please let me know and I will pass important information on to you. If you can only make weekdays please also let me know.

We are in need of flags and banners and are having a workshop this Saturday morning 21st Jan at Main Beach. We are sourcing single / double / queen size bed sheets, or other suitable materials, in white or yellow to make flags and banners with. If you have some expertise in making banners and flags or can just give us some time to paint slogans on the materials we have, please write back to me at this email address and I will contact you with more information.

On the day of the rally, Sunday 5th February, we will need organisers to help direct people into position and to distribute banners and flags. Please let me know if you are able to help in this area.
I have taken over the volunteer roster from our very hard-working previous co-ordinator Rita Mahon. Please direct any enquiries to me.

To make this rally a great success we need helping hands. We have received outstanding support from volunteers for our campaign and SOSA appreciates and thanks you for your wonderful efforts.

Jan Guest
Save Our Spit Alliance
www.saveourspit.com

[DaneCross]

Bump. This Sunday. Hoping to get there.

[stevedemon]

Hi all
as it has been stated from the flathead classic it is a breeding ground but not just for flathead we have Bream, Talior, Jew fish, it has taken 20yrs for these stock tto start there come back after dregging in 1985. More to the point people are we going to let the same action happen as to what is going on in Sydney Habour with the dioxion and pollutions down there.
The Government has know about this for longer than the 4 yrs stated and it has not just come from the Factory's it has also come from the shipping teminals.
People remember that years ago with the Shipping lines bringing in the crown of thorn star fish along with many other outcast of species that have destroy the habits up north, do we really what this to happen to the coast or the pin.
Do we want to be stopped from fishing some of the best spots in the broad water, but more to the point we have to think about whether we want to be able to see clean water ways with lively hoods protected E.G Charter boats, Tralwers (not fishing the broad water) no restrictions as to where we go.
If we do not pull together on issues concerning fishing then we only have our selves to blame.
If this terminal goes ahead we can say goodbye to fishing in the broad water, as the fish and the environment well be destroyed for years to come, our way of life being able to camp on or off Wave Break is, camping the lower reaches of Sth Stradbroke or just taking the kids and Family for a pinic at the old Fish and chip on the Broad water park will be gone the Council has already tried to closed the fish and chip place once but lost in court.
the Breeding grounds of yabbies on the back of wave break is, as for the whiting, Flathead along this stretch will be gone.
for those who fish it on a regular base you will have notice that squire, sweetlip, parrot are starting to come in to the Broad water in the mouth of the seaway we have Mackeral, Jew, Gt's and a wide variety sarting to show up again, this will be gone.

So for all those that wish to protect our environment, way of life don't just sit there and think she'll be right mate get your friends, Families and neigbours together for this, we can not afford to sit back and take that some one else will do it because the more there is the stronger the voice.

Lets tell the Government what and how we feel as well to let them know that they have a cruise shipping terminal being built in the Brisbane river, this is ample as for the amount of vessels that will used the terminal is about 10 - 12 per years. To make it viable they will need to have it being used 2 - 3 times per/wk 52 weeks of the years. If this is the case, we will be blocked fishing and charters will have problems coming and going along with the entertainment cruises in the Broad water.

Once again i ask that she'll be right want be right lets pull together as people
Remember people are individuals
individuals make a Community
and we
should never forget where
come from

We need to protect our environment and way of life or lose it forever

So if you can be there and show strength in numbers

Cheers
Steve

P.S sorry Kev had to borrow the stops and comers

[matt20]

Ill be there in my boat on sunday. - Maybe make up a quick SOS flag
Many others planning to show up in there boat?

[keen_as_mustard]

JT and I will be there in a boat - plenty of surfing mates planning to go too!

[fish2eat]

Looked for the article in todays Courier Mail......56 words on page 4

not even the media are onside

[Derek_Bullock]

Last Update: Monday, February 6, 2006. 10:38am (AEDT)

Protest over proposed cruise ship terminal

Organisers of a protest against a proposed cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast say the State Government has misled and betrayed local residents.

More than 3,000 people attended a protest at the Southport Spit yesterday.

Steve Gration from the Save Our Spit Alliance says he hopes an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will save the spit from development.

"People are passionate about this, but they're logical too. They've looked at the facts now," he said.

"The [Queensland] Government has finally put out information about what they're intending with the dredging, refuelling and waste management, giving away Gold Coast water and military docking.

"People are furious and they feel that they've been betrayed and misled up until now."

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says he expects the cruise ship terminal to go ahead.

"Well, that's our plan. But it's got to go through an EIS. I mean, if it doesn't pass [the] Environmental Impact Statement, then it won't," he said.

"But it's got to go through that, and if it does, then it will go ahead."

However, Mr Gration believes the terminal will be more trouble than it is worth.

"The State Government claims that we'll get $4.6 million a year from cruise ship visits. That's less than 0.5 per cent of the annual tourist income for the Gold Coast," he said.

"It doesn't make sense economically, socially or environmentally and mostly, it's morally wrong to give away public open space and waterways for private commercial development."