On Monday morning, Forestry Corporation temporarily suspended logging work at Wild Cattle Creek, located on the central coast of NSW Australia, because of the efforts of the Gumbaynggirr Conservation Group.
As a form of protest, two people locked themselves onto the machinery on site — a Wangan, Jagalingou and Ngamba man, named Wilkarr Kurikuta, as well as a local person, who wishes to remain anonymous.
Eight hours later, they were cut free from the machinery by a police and charged.
This comes after Forestry Corporation removed their logging equipment from the Nambucca State Forest last Wednesday, following protests surrounding the destruction of important cultural sites.
Sandy Greenwood, a Gumbaynggirr custodian and spokesperson, is in the process of taking Forestry Corporation to court. Her statement about the events reads:
“We have given our notice of Trespass to the Forestry Corporation and demanded they stop the logging of all Gumbaynggirr Country for lack of jurisdiction and no conciliation or consent. The NSW Government and Forestry Corp are breaching international and domestic law under the international declaration of Indigenous Peoples' rights.
"We are the Gumbaynggirr people, sovereign custodians of Gumbaynggirr Country, land and waters and we demand an end to logging in these irreplaceable and incredibly ancient publicly-owned forests. Logging must be stopped immediately and they must be conserved for all beings to enjoy.”