Green Fire by Ian Cohen, portrays a series of stories as seen from the "front line" of nonviolent resistance to ecological and other destruction in Australia from 1979 to 1995. He paints an alternative picture to the conventional reporting of the events. The book is unusual, perhaps unique in its perspective from the "front line", as it vividly describes the intimate details of the protesters' activities and the relationships between the sixteen campaigns over the period of sixteen years.
Terania Creek is seen as the birthplace of significant nonviolent campaigning in Australia, laying a foundation for maturing and refining in the campaigns that followed. The campaigns included Middle Head Sandmining (New South Wales, 1980), Nightcap Rainforest Logging (New South Wales, 1982), Franklin Dam (Tasmania, 1982), Daintree rainforest road and logging (North Queensland, 1983),Errinundra rainforest logging (1984), Roxby Downs uranium mining (South Australia, 1984), BUGA UP (Australia, 1984+), Anti-Nuclear Warships (Australia, 1984+), elections (Australia, 1984+), South-East Forests woodchipping (New South Wales, 1989+), Chaelundi old growth Ffrest (New South Wales, 1990+), Killie Kranke old growth forest (New South Wales, 1992), Ducks and Bats (Queensland and New South Wales, 1987+), Emerald Beach Ocean Outfalls (New South Wales, 1991+), Parliament to Pacific (New South Wales, 1994+).
Ian personally entered the "front line" at Middle Head in 1980, where he had a very vivid recurring dream, a vision, that inspired his participation in the campaigns, which eventually led to his seat in the New South Wales State Parliament in 1995. The underlying theme of the book (clearly stated on page 30) is to argue that the strength of the social change movement is "in an anarchistic array of attacks (nonviolent) on a monolithic establishment", rather than in organisation. This surfaces frequently in the book with the author's opinion expressed in detail in the two appendices.
The book is informative, well written and filled with optimism, excitement, desperation, frustration, failure and success, humour and hope. It is a valuable and intimate expression of an important part of Australia's contemporary history and deserves reading, regardless of your position on the book's issues.
Mark Taylor