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Quinninup Community Association opposes silica exploration

Ben LoughranManjimup-Bridgetown Times
Around 50 people turned out for the Quinninup Community Association meeting.
Camera IconAround 50 people turned out for the Quinninup Community Association meeting. Credit: Ben Loughran/Manjimup Bridgetown Times

About 50 members from the Qunninup area turned out at a Quinninup Community Association meeting to voice opposition to potential mining exploration.

Packed into a small classroom at the Quinninup Primary School on January 13, the concerned residents discussed ideas about how to demonstrate their discontent with the incursion of Allup Silica into their area.

Allup Silica is a silica sand exploration company which identifies areas potentially rich with the mineral as viable candidates for further mining operations, with two of the company’s projects being within the Manjimup Shire.

QCA president Noel Litingying said the turnout was incredible and showed how passionate the local residents were about this topic.

“This time we filled the school hall and there were people standing around in the kitchen so that was a really huge turnout,” he said.

“The first meeting we held (regarding Allup Silica) we more than doubled and that is just local interest and they managed to get the word out to their neighbours, so it is really by word-of-mouth that this occurred.

“After the meeting I got to find out there were lots of people who moved themselves from Perth, Northcliffe, Denmark just to come up for the meeting.”

At the QCA meeting the group discussed approaching the mining exploration company, local government councillors and State Government representatives to express their concern.

“The majority (of those at the meeting) want this to be in the air and public knowledge to just make people aware that this is happening,” he said.

“(The QCA members) understand quite clearly that Allup Silica is not going to be their problem, so they do not have something against Allup Silica.

“But they have something against the fact that mining has been selected for this area.”

Mr Litingying said it was very important to make the QCA stance against potential mining clear as both the Unicup and Antwalker prospecting operations moved ahead.

The next meeting of the QCA is on Thursday at the Quinninup Primary School.

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