ALMOST 400 residents of the Camden Haven and beyond gathered at the Laurieton United Services Club for a public forum hosted by the Camden Haven Anti Fracking Group.
Group spokesman and chair for the event, Ian Oxenford, said the turnout was astounding with lots of positive feedback.
Comments such as "This was the best public meeting I have attended" and "There must have been free drinks on offer to get so many people" were a reward for the organising committee, who gave their heart and soul to the project over the past few weeks, Mr Oxenford said.
The audience listened intently to keynote speaker, Dr Marian Lloyd Smith, co-chair of the renowned international organisation IPEN (International Persistent Organic Pollutants Network) as she told of her experiences with the environmental and social trauma the coal seam gas (CSG) industry has wreaked on rural communities.
She commended the local group's early action based on various pieces of information leading to the conclusion that the Camden Haven Valley has CSG potential.
Both Steve Robinson of the Gloucester Barrington Stroud Preservation Society and Lansdowne farmer Deborah Willis (regional representative for NSW Farmers Association) spoke of the lack of transparency in the approval processes for CSG mining.
Mr Robinson, a retired psychiatrist, has first hand experience in dealing with the stress and depression of farmers and landholders whose lifestyles have been decimated by CSG in the Gloucester region.
"Unfortunately our political representatives were unable to attend due to parliaments being in session," Mr Oxenford said.
"They did send written statements which gave some comfort to the concerned audience that change may be in the wind as some of this lack of transparency may be cleared with legislation under consideration."
Hastings oyster farmer and NSW Farmers Association specialist, Mark Bulley, gave interesting insights into the dependence of the oyster on water purity, confirming the belief that CSG and the oyster industry simply cannot co-exist in the Camden Haven.
"More than $1000 in donations were contributed from the audience which, along with previous and promised donations, will go a long way to paying for the considerable expenses already outlaid by the group," Mr Oxenford said.
"More than 300 signed letters and petition signatures were received, encouraging our politicians to act in the interests of the public.
"Rural landholders in the Camden Haven were given a strong message to beware of strangers bearing cheque books and mysterious contracts, as CSG has some most unsavoury accompaniments."
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