Help us save Lightning Ridge

UPDATE:

The Town meeting was a great success with over 800 people attending and vowing to speak with one voice until the goverment start listening and engaing again. The petition is looking great with over 1100 signatures as at 19 Feb. If you haven’t signed it – please do! Whether you are in Australia or somewhere else in the world your voice and opinion do count and we hear that the government is particularly surprised at the amount of people outside Australia who have signed the petition Keep going opal lovers!

Friday 15 February

Today I arrived in Lightning Ridge. The mood in town is sombre but still optimistic as we come together to talk about the future of opal and the town.

We want to see the opal industry be sustainable and continue so that we can all enjoy this most spectacular gemstone. So we are asking – no begging, that you sign the petition we are supporting on behalf of the miners and townspeople of Lightning Ridge.

You see the government has turned their backs on us and through a number of poor decisions, thew town is now stuck – between what is good for the district and the industry and a handful of graziers (livestock farmers). For years we all lived side by side reaping the bounty from and within the land but now it’s us against them and as we all know – that is never a good position to be in.

So, for now we would like the state government of New South Wales to make decisions based on the whole community – not just where they think the money is (big mining companies exploring for coal seam gas) but for the benefit of generations of families who call the area their home.

If you have any questions or comments, please ask and we will be happy to answer as best we can. We need the global community of opal lovers to make themselves heard and show government bureaucrats that the little guys and girls are standing up for them selves! And, if you are going to be in town tomorrow – please come along to the Town Meeting at the bowling Club at 2pm – I’ll be there and I’d love to see you there too.