Gilly Flower

So much has happened since my last contribution to this blog I hardly know where to begin. Already this week feels more like a year, and I am totally meetinged-out with all the de-briefing that has been deemed necessary post Peter Garrett's 5th Jan decision on the outstanding permits for environmental modules relating to the pulp mill.

All of which is probably as understandable as ancient Greek to anyone reading this - with the possible exception of any Aussies of course.

I'll backtrack a little, which may also help to explain why I've been quiet on the blogging front for the past couple of months, both as a writer and a reader.

Towards the end of September I was approached by the community group Tasmanians Against the Pulp Mill (TAP) and asked if I would be able to assist the fellow who was currently managing both the website, and all the written communications for the group. Stuff like media releases, mailouts, flyers, etc. The workload had grown to such an extent he could no longer cope. And nor did he want to, given all the work is done on a voluntary basis.

With some hesitation I agreed. Not because I didn't want to do it, but because my time is already so stretched with the paid workload, and the pulp mill work I do on behalf of the Greens, I didn't want to commit to something I wouldn't be able to sustain. So, on the understandng there would be times I may not be able to help with TAP stuff, I'm now part of TAP's Co-ordinating Committee, and of course therefore privy to a good deal more information re mill than I was before.

All good, but it is time-consuming, and the email traffic has escalated to unprecedented heights. Which takes up even more time.

As we neared the end of term, and the school year, life on the paid work front stepped up a few paces, so by the time I finally collapsed in a pre-Christmas heap, having worked a week beyond the official end of term to transfer catalogue records for approximately 1800 books from the junior library to the new middle school campus, (don't ask!) the last thing I wanted to look at when I got home in the evening was a computer screen.

December too, is when our sneaky state and federal governments think they can slide important legislation into law without us noticing, so there was in fact a need to face the computer screen in order to write a couple of submissions. I really wanted to do three but ran out of time.

With Christmas and New Year over all attention in the Tamar Valley was on PG's pivotal decision. On Jan 2nd we held a mini rally outside Bass MP Jodie Campbell's office, just to remind all the pollies (and the media) we were still here, and what they could expect if Peter did as we expected and ticked all the boxes.

But he didn't. More about what he has managed to do tomorrow. At least that's the intention . . .

In the meantime, check out this website. Launched just before Christmas it's the webiste that showcases Richard Butler's photographic portraits of people opposed to the pulp mill, as described in an earlier blog entry. Yes, I'm there. And a clue to finding me is to look under the 'A's. If you click on the woman wearing a green teeshirt & white jeans, that's me!

http://www.stopthemillintasmania.com/index.html