Chaelundi Nonviolent Action?

The following events took place around the 12th and 13th of March 1990.

Chaelundi is a 30,000 hectare state forest 70 km south west of Grafton on the
N.S.W. north coast.  The N.S.W. Forestry Commission (F.C.) had just started
logging at the edge of an 8,000 hectare section that had never seen a chainsaw
and was planning to carve an eight kilometre logging road through its heart.

Recent studies have shown this forest to contain the highest population and
most varied array of arboreal mammals in S.E. Australia.  The Environmental
Planning and Assessments Act requires by law that the F.C. do an Environmental
Impact Study (E.I.S.)  before any significant damage is  done to sensitive
forests.  The F.C. yet again neglected to fulfill this requirement and was
therefore operating illegally.

The North East Forest Alliance (N.E.F.A.) with the election looming  decided
on a blockade of Chaelundi State forest. N.E.F.A. had  not adopted all the
principles of nonviolent action, such as openness and non secrecy.  After much
discussion on the pros and cons it was decided to be open and a press release
was circulated identifying the time, place and reasons for our actions.  This
gave us some important first favorable reporting of the issue.

Rain stopped logging on the first day which allowed for much valuable dialogue
with the F.C. and the contractors.  The F.C. then decided to close the forests
to everyone including the media and wait it out till Monday.  The blockade
continued.  We told the police and F.C. we were committed to  a nonviolent
blockade of the access road while we waited  for an injunction to  be heard in
Sydney in the next couple of days.

Monday's action went smoothly and as planned.  Ten people calling themselves
the Earth Police tried to make a citizens' arrest on the head forester,
claiming that the operation was illegal.  Police dragged cars off the road and
peacefully arrested nine people for sitting and singing on a blockade of logs.
Two others were arrested after chaining themselves to cars.

Positive peaceful images and stories were sent to  all local media and  Sydney
TV stations.  The message of illegal logging in Chaelundi soon became common
knowledge.

The next day didn't go quite so smoothly. There seemed to be a distinct lack
of enthusiasm in the air to organise a circle and plan an appropriate action
for the day.  What followed was a  spontaneous and secretive direct action
with the expected result.  While I was organising my camera a logging truck
approached.  Someone yelled out "Let's blockade it".  Spontaneously people
wandered on to the road and a coupleof brave wimmin crawled under the
stationary truck and chained their necks to the front axle.  About
tencontractors came bolting towards the truck  thinking that the protesters
may have been about to damage the truck.  People were very nearly bashed and
necks stretched as tempers flared.  There were no police present, yet luckily
for us we had a few cameras which probably stopped blood flowing that day. 
After that dust had settled some others attempted another spontaneous blockade
of some macho contractors.  Six people were nearly run over as the contractor
ploughed through.  The message that went out on the news that night was,
"Violence in the Forests", and just showed an angry confrontation between two
divided groups of people.

Rather than have the earth irreparably damaged in ten years I would like to
see a society which found it totally  unacceptable for any consumer item or
industry to be in any way involved in damaging our environment.  To achieve
this goal we must convince people that the earth is threatened and inspire
them to get involved.  N.V.A. is a complete strategy to help bring about this
green revolution.

John Lennon says there are no problems only solutions.  N.V.A. says that there
are no enemies only future converts.
For the Future, Dean Jefferys, 
C/ Bowraville P.O., 2449.

Postscript: Forestry refused to give me and other media a permit to enter the
closed forest; despite my video footage being seen both days on National T.V.
I was arrested and fined $500.  The attempts to suppress  important actions
and information continues; thereby supporting the need to keep alternative
media and organisations alive and expanding.

Presently I am making a documentary on N.V.A. which will be available for
global distribution by the end of 1990.