23 January 2002 "Let's get it right" Title - Power - Residential Claims

Residential claim holders are far from happy with the suggestion that power may not eventuate with the provision of title.

Their response to our article has been overwhelming.

Patiently they have watched the progress which was initiated to sort out "the comedy of errors" that occurred on the fields over a long period.

Now it is the inconsistencies that trouble them,but overall they have a respect for the fact that they reside upon a mining field .Some on the claims have been fortunate to be supplied with power; these include businesses and claims for which there have been exceptions made for health reasons and, of course, there are suggestions of illegal connections.

Issues of safety and preserving the fields for mining have been raised and certainly not overlooked by rational campdwellers.

Solutions to these issues have been found in other opal mining communities and overlooked or gone without incident in the past on local fields.

Little wonder newcomers are confused with the issue.

Most are now vowing to make a concerted effort to lobby the powers that be on the issue. We tumbled upon an interesting statistic this week which was supplied by Walgett Shire Council. The Shire has 699 ratepaying residences and businesses in Lightning Ridge; 748 in Walgett; and 1,786 residential claims paying rates on the mining fields.

The mining sector includes Grawin-Glengarry - Sheepyards but certainly these figures fortify our readers' views of their worth to the local economy.

The "how comes" we have heard in the past week are endless. Little is achieved without some effort. This issue is no exception.

When campdwellers were challenged with the threat of bulldozers a number of years back a local businessman-miner took that challenge to the courts at his own expense and won.

Today ,with the mining sector outnumbering the combined ratepayers of Lightning Ridge and Walgett by over 300 it is time to ensure in this final stage that we sensibly "get it right".

As the mining fields extend further to the west the need to retain residential claimholders within the area is imperative ,as the preserved fields will be the only area offering newcomers their opportunity for field residency, to pursue a dream and to contribute to the viability of local businesses.