GECO - 30 Years Fighting for Forests

Fiona is joined by two GECO campaigners, Anita and Kim, who will be remembering our “dead legends” of the forest campaign, in a memorial tribute we were planning for our 30th anniversary party. In paying tribute to these forest defenders, we also pay tribute to all the forests that we lost along the way - the two are intrinsically linked, and what we all shared is our love and connection to the forests of East Gippsland. We are remembering 33 forest defenders who have passed away. The episode contains some of their voices, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This special memorial episode coincides with the one year anniversary of the day Tortuguita, a forest defender, was killed by police at a forest blockade in Atlanta in the United States. The day, January 18, has now been declared the Day of the Forest Defender, in memory of Tortuguita, and all the fallen defenders of the Earth.  Memory is our weapon.  Rest in power and peace - our lost forests and our forest legends. Eulogy for Brendy Maggot, Robin Hobgoblin and Flynny written and read by Mo.Music by Madeline Hudson, Thugs and Terrorists, Mutiny, Dani and Elissa, John Fraser, and Jai Cooper.

In today’s final episode, we will hear about how in 2019 the Victorian Government finally announced an end to old growth logging, and the protection of 90000 hectares of forest, including Kuark in East Gippsland. Just four months later, catastrophic bushfires devastated eastern Australia, yet even this did not stop native forest logging. We will discuss the impact of that, working with traditional owners, and our last blockade at Errinundra, before the announcement only months ago of the end to native forest logging in Victoria, and then to the GECO 30 celebration.This episode features First nation Bidwell family members  – Bevan Harrison, Harry Terrick, Desley O’Dwyer, and Derek Hayes. You also heard from  Kim, Jo,  Quokka, Noonz, Rendzyl, Rena, Isaac, Owen, Darcy, Sarah Mac, Zian, Meg, Eve, Chris, Tuffy, Neatz, Janet Rice, and Danya Jacobs.Additional audio from 3CR’s Earth Matters and City Limits. Post production by 3CR’s Juliet Fox and music on today’s show was the Goolengook Song by John Fraser, Combat Wombat and the Bigots featuring Rena. To donate or subscribe to 3CR head to www.3cr.org.auTo keep up to date with GECO head to www.geco.org.au

We hear about how geco shifted focus from blockading to using citizen science as direct action, and how citizen scientists working with teams of lawyers led to forest protection through the courts.We will be listening to sounds and interviews recorded at one of GECO’s citizen science camps in 2019. Then we’ll hear from lawyer Danya Jacobs and one of GECO’s first paid campaigners, Ed Hill, talking about the Kuark forest campaign.Production for the citizen science camp segment by Mel Bakewell. Post production by Juliet Fox.

On todays show we will be hearing about the many ways GECO tried to mobilise people in the city to come to the forest. We will be hearing about the Cycle for Old Growth, the Walk Against Woodchips, and the Such is Life punk festival. Finally we will hear about the mobilisiation of hundreds of students during the 2005-6 state election campaign which breathed new life into GECO’s direct action at the time.Conversations between Fiona and Jo Edwards, Shelly Nundra, Sean Marler, Dave Quokka, Izzy Brown, Phil Bastard, Lisa Newton, Holly Creaunne, Julia Denm, and Fox. Post production by Juliet Fox. Music by the Bigots, Combat Wombat and Extinct Exist recorded live in Goongerah.

WARNING: Today’s episode contains graphic audio of a violent attack, including swearing, which will be upsetting for some listeners.We will be covering some of the darker moments of GECO’s history. This includes the violent attack by loggers on the Goolengook camp in February 2000, immediately after the first “no jurisdiction” action led by local Aboriginal leaders that you heard about in the last episode. We will also be hearing about some of the other memorable blockades after Goolengook, at the Eden Chipmill, Survey Road and Ferntree. We will touch on GECO as a share house, and all of the craziness that involved.

Conversations with forest activists about the establishment of the Goolengook blockade in 1997 and the subsequent long hard fight to protect this area of old growth forest. This was the start of Australia's longest running forest blockade, and we reflect on the wins, losses and lessons learnt from taking collective action to protect this iconic forest area.Fiona  speaks to Michelle van Gerrevink, Sophie Dunn, John Fraser, Ntennis Davi, Josh Willoughby, Madeline Hudson and Maree Grenfell.www.geco.org.au

GECO: Thirty years of fighting for forests, a series that looks back on the wins, losses and lessons of a thirty year campaign to protect the forests of East Gippsland, Victoria.Fiona first got involved in forest campaigning in 1993 when she was 20 years old. In this episode we'll hear conversations between Fiona and the early crew from 1993-1994, about how GECO first started in a paddock in Goongerah, the early forest blockades, the city campaigns and how and why they first got involved.