Press Release 4 July 06
No Dam For Rathdowney
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES
It was with a sense of disbelief that Rathdowney residents heard the news that the Rathdowney
dam would not be built.
In the lead up to the decision, there was every indication that Rathdowney would be the government's
preferred dam option on the Logan River, and residents feared the worst. There was anger and tears outside the Beaudesert
Shire Council chambers this morning, while the gathered crowd waited for the announcement.
Six members of the No Dam For Rathdowney Action Group joined Beaudesert Shire Councillors, Beaudesert
and Boonah Shire Mayors and local member Kev Lingard inside the Council Chambers while the Premier outlined his decision.
The Premier then addressed the waiting crowd. There was stunned silence as the Premier
said Wyaralong, and not Rathdowney, was one of a number of new water initiatives. That was followed by smiles, hugs
and this time tears of joy.
There was no wild cheering, as Rathdowney's gain was Wyaralong's loss. Although smaller
in number, Wyaralong residents have experienced the same heartache and uncertainty for 15 years.
It was a bitter sweet moment for those that had fought so hard to save Rathdowney. Many
residents oppose the Rathdowney and Wyaralong dams, which are both on the ailing Logan River system. Now it seems that
Wyaralong must be built before the spectre of Rathdowney dam is fully laid to rest.
Both the government and the Department of Natural Resources Mines and Water have said that the
river system would only support one of the dams. Whether it can even do that, is still subject to speculation, given
the failure of local dams Maroon and Moogerah.
Sympathy is felt for the Wyaralong residents, as the dam decision was announced to Rathdowney
representatives before Wyaralong representatives were invited into the Council Chambers. Boonah Shire Mayor, John Brent,
was clearly agitated at the Premier's decision to build Wyaralong rather than Rathdowney.
How long until life in Rathdowney returns to normal remains unclear. Certainly not while
the fight to save the Mary River is on.
