THE Deparment of Mineral Resoruces (DMR) yesterday gave assurances that noodlers on the first private waste dump in the Grawin Glengarry opal fields would not threaten the continued operation of the opal fields.
However the department was anxious to find a solution which would remove the safety risk posed by noodlers looking for opal while dump trucks were delivering their loads.
It would be urging Police to pursue and prosecute noodlers found on the dump  rather than leave the GGSMA to undertake  civil action.
The departrment’s backdown comes after an announcement by the Grawin Glengarry Sheepyards Miners Association (GGSMA) to relinquish the mining title it holds to the dump site.
The GGSMA claims the DMR has said “all claimholders will be directed to cease mining on the Mulga and Wee Warra fields unless some compromise or solution can be found to address the safety issues.”
But a spokeswoman for the DMR said  that while “one available option to effectively stop noodling is to bring opal mining to a halt in that area, but that is clearly not an acceptable option to the Lightning Ridge community which depended on a healthy mining industry.”
At last month’s mining board meeting attended by police, the department understood they would be happy to prosecute, the spokeswoman said.
The GGSMA had not cancelled their lease although the department had received an application for cancellation, she said.
It was being held over until after the public meeting on November 28, which would be attended by police and departmental officers.
“The main option we are looking at is for miners to take control over the safe disposal of mullock,” she said.

Noodlers vow to stay put

Noodlers pack up after a day in the lunar landscape of the GGSMA dump.
They work in 40 degree temperatures to earn what they say could only amount to “maybe $200”..
This  group of noodlers said they were on the dumps to stay, and would continue to  ignoring a GGSMA notice threatening them with prosecution.
“There’s been three years of drought,” one said.
“There’s  no jobs. There’s Christmas coming up and this is the difference between Christmas and no Christms for the kids.
“If they’re going to cracking down on noodlers why don’t they be fair dinkum and go after miners with driving around in unregistered trucks.”