Rising Tide Australia

Near the proposed site of the Anvil Hill mine, at Wybong near Denman in the Upper Hunter Valley.

Anvil Hill Direct Action Camp
4-8 October, 2006
http://anvilhillactioncamp.blogspot.com/

The port of Newcastle is already the world's largest coal exporter. The proposed new coal mine at Anvil Hill will add another 9 million tonnes of coal each year - driving the world ever closer to catastrophic climate change. It is time to draw a line in the sand. This camp is being organised for and by people who care deeply about our future, and who want to take effective action to prevent dangerous climate change.

WHAT?

Five days of training and skill-sharing for people taking action against climate change!

Wednesday 4th – Friday 6th:Three days direct action workshops, skill shares, practical sessions & action!

Saturday 7th – Sunday 8th: Tour of Anvil Hill, workshops, discussions about the campaign, media & strategy training – and a good old BBQ & bushwalk.

Come for the whole 5 days or just for the weekend.

WHERE?
In the Hunter Valley near Anvil Hill and the town of Denman (3 hours
drive north of Sydney, 2 hours west of Newcastle). Directions will be sent out when you register
 
WHY?
Because climate change is the biggest threat to our future…because coal fuels climate change
…because Newcastle is the largest coal exporter in the world…because the proposed new coal mine at Anvil Hill will produce 9 million tonnes of coal each year and will drive the expansion of Newcastle's coal export infrastructure
…because the mine will have massive local environmental and social impacts… because we need to act urgently to prevent dangerous climate change…because it is time to draw a line in the sand and say NO to the mine at Anvil Hill.

The proposed mine is rapidly becoming the focus of a campaign by a broad coalition of groups concerned about it’s impact on the local environment and the global climate. Anvil Hill is the largest intact stand of remnant vegetation on the Central Hunter Valley floor, and, at a time when global greenhouse pollution needs to be cut swiftly and radically, consumption of fossil fuels like coal needs to be phased out as fast as possible.

Throughout history, non-violent civil disobedience has been used again and again to triumph over injustice. From the anti-slavery movement, through the women’s and civil rights movements, non-violent direct action has been a potent tool – and it is a tool that we need more than ever in the fight against climate change.

This camp is about sharing skills and stories. It’s a camp for people of all ages and from all walks of life. It’s about creating a strong, diverse community of people who are confident and inspired to take power into their own hands, in their own communities to take effective action to stop climate change and the proposed Anvil Hill coal mine.

 
PROVISIONAL WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

• Wednesday:
  10am-5pm: Overview of the global movement to prevent climate change,
  theories of social change, non-violent direct action workshops;

• Thursday:
  9am-5pm: Planning effective actions, blockading techniques, legal
  issues for activists, climate change, coal & clean energy
  alternatives;

• Friday:
  9am-5pm: Political strategy & lobbying, overview of hunter coal
  chain, campaign strategy, planning effective actions, blockading
  skills;

• Saturday:10am-5pm:Traditional
  owners welcome to country at Anvil Hill, overview of Anvil Hill
  campaign, bushwalk near proposed mine sitel, BBQ and social
  gathering;

• Sunday:
  9am:5pm: Workshops – using the media for effective campaigning
  + campaign strategy, civil disobedience as a tool for social change,
  where to from here for the Anvil Hill campaign.

Note:    
There will be open space sessions every day with lots of opportunity
for skillsharing and spontaneous discussions & workshops. If you
have workshops you’d like to offer, please e-mail us at:
anvilhillaction@riseup.net

COST
Costs include all meals, tea and coffee
etc.
Waged:    $15 per day
Unwaged:   
$10 per day

Note: If you can’t manage this cost, please
contact us to see if we can sort out some kind of exchange so that
no-one is excluded from participating.

FOOD, 
ACCOMMODATION & OTHER CAMP INFO

• Accommodation
  will be camping. So you will need to bring your own tent and
  sleeping gear;

• In
  order to keep costs low, a communal kitchen will be set up, with
  rosters for cooking and washing up etc. We’ll be sourcing food
  from organic and local farms where possible;

• Children
  are welcome to attend but will need to be supervised;

• Sorry
  but you can not bring dogs;

• Transport
  will be available from Muswellbrook & Newcastle stations and
  minibuses from Sydney & Melbourne. Please see details on the
  website closer to the event.

• Please
  note: the camp will be a drug and alcohol free event.

GET
INVOLVED
The camp cooking, housekeeping and decisions will
have input form all the participants. Have a workshop or skill to
share? Want to help get the camp together? Want to help with the Kids
area? or facilitation?  Want to come early and help set up &
get to know the amazing bush surrounding the proposed mine site?
Please email the organising collective.
anvilhillaction@riseup.net

HOW
TO REGISTER
You can download a registration form from
http://anvilhillactioncamp.blogspot.com/ 
Please send in this registration form to: anvilhillaction@riseup.net 
Or mail to: Anvil Hill Action Camp, PO Box 290 Newcastle, NSW 2300.
For questions, please call Sophie on 0438 273 765. For transport
related questions, please call Rob on 0428 541 046.

Please
register by Friday 23rd of September so we can plan food &
transport.

For more information please visit:
http://anvilhillactioncamp.blogspot.com/

Come for the 5 days... or just for the  weekend.
Families are welcome.  Look forward to seeing you there!