Reply With QuoteNo doubt that DGSE will have a quick fix for this.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/...833772710.html
Sole survivor sitting on a $5b fortune
As the only member of his clan, Jeffrey Lee controls the fate of Koongarra, writes Lindsay Murdoch.
JEFFREY LEE is not interested in the soaring price of uranium, which could make him one of the world's richest men.
"This is my country. Look, it's beautiful and I fear somebody will disturb it," he says, waving his arm across a view of rocky land surrounded by Kakadu National Park, where the French energy giant Areva wants to extract 14,000 tonnes of uranium worth more than $5 billion.
Mr Lee, the shy 36-year-old sole member of the Djok clan and the senior custodian of the Koongarra uranium deposit, has decided never to allow the ecologically sensitive land to be mined.
"There are sacred sites, there are burial sites and there are other special places out there which are my responsibility to look after," Mr Lee told the Herald.
"I'm not interested in white people offering me this or that … it doesn't mean a thing.
"I'm not interested in money. I've got a job; I can buy tucker; I can go fishing and hunting. That's all that matters to me."
Mr Lee said he thought long and hard about speaking publicly for the first time about why he wants to see the land incorporated into the World Heritage-listed national park, where, he said, "it will be protected and safe forever".
The Koongarra deposit is only three kilometres from Nourlangie Rock, one of the most visited attractions in Kakadu.
"There's been a lot of pressure on me, and for a very long time I didn't want to talk or think about Koongarra," Mr Lee said.
"But now I want to talk about what I have decided to do because I fear for my country.
"I was taken all through here on the shoulder of my grandmother … I heard all the stories and learnt everything about this land, and I want to pass it all on to my kids."
This week Mr Lee took the Herald to a rocky outcrop overlooking the Koongarra deposit, a sacred place where, according to his clan's beliefs, a giant blue-tongue lizard still lurks and should not be disturbed.
Here it is, painted on a rock hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years ago, its jaw apparently bitten off in a mystical fight.
This is what Mr Lee calls a djang, or place of spiritual essence, which he has closed to the 230,000 tourists who visit Kakadu each year.
"My father and grandfather said they would agree to opening the land to mining, but I have learnt as I have grown up that there's poison in the ground," he said.
"My father and grandfather were offered cars, houses and many other things, but nobody told them about uranium and what it can do.
"It's my belief that if you disturb that land bad things will happen … there will be a big flood, there will be an earthquake and people will have a big accident."
Mr Lee said there were places on his land where the rainbow serpent had entered the ground that were so sacred, "I can't even go to them or talk about them.
"I can't allow people to go around disturbing everything."
Areva wants to extract the uranium on its 12.5 square kilometre mineral lease at Koongarra, as the price of the ore has soared as world demand has grown.
Mr Lee's declaration that he will never allow the mine to go ahead will put pressure on the Federal Government to formally incorporate the land into Kakadu National Park.
In August 2005 the Federal Government took control of uranium mining from the Northern Territory, declaring the territory open for new mines.
Ranger, a mine with a history of environmental leaks owned by Energy Resources of Australia, has been extracting uranium in Kakadu since 1981.
The Howard Government has always maintained that no new mine would be approved in the territory without the approval of the traditional owners.
The Government has told the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the body under which Kakadu is listed as a heritage site, that it would agree "in principle" for Koongarra to be incorporated into the park if the traditional owners requested it.
Mr Lee, who works as a ranger in Kakadu, said incorporating Koongarra into the park would allow him to see that the land was protected.
"Being part of the park will ensure that the traditional laws, customs, sites, bush tucker, trees, plants and water stay the same as when they were passed on to me by my father and great-grandfather," he said.
As the sole surviving member of the Djok clan Mr Lee does not have any children to pass the land on to.
"I'll have to see what I can do about that," he said.
Last edited by Sirotnikov; July 15, 2007 at 19:55.
No doubt that DGSE will have a quick fix for this.
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven Weinberg
Awesome
In keeping with W's pledge to become less reliant on fossil fuels for energy, I predict we will soon discover a link between Australia's aborigines and al-Qaeda.
1011 1100
He owns the land, but apparently he doesn't own the lease to what's below it. The lease undoubtedly has provisions about what are acceptable methods to extract the minerals.
Legally, Mr. Lee doesn't have a leg to stand on.
I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891
have anyone checked what number of stocks he has in oil companies or for that matter in wind mill ditto ?
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven Weinberg
He buried the weapons of mass destruction thereOriginally posted by Elok
In keeping with W's pledge to become less reliant on fossil fuels for energy, I predict we will soon discover a link between Australia's aborigines and al-Qaeda.
I need a foot massage
I think that he does own the land and what's beneath it. And even if not, there's no legal way that any third party can disturb the lands, as I see it.Originally posted by DanS
He owns the land, but apparently he doesn't own the lease to what's below it. The lease undoubtedly has provisions about what are acceptable methods to extract the minerals.
Legally, Mr. Lee doesn't have a leg to stand on.
As I read it, Areva holds the lease to the minerals -- i.e., they have express rights to disturb the land in the extraction of the minerals.
That's the way these things work. Leases are bought and sold just like other property. Inasmuch as Mr. Lee doesn't want to see his land disturbed, he'll have to buy back the lease from Areva.
I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891
I doubt the lease considers such things like disturbing graves and holy sites.
I think the lease probably refers to a much larger area than his own park.
But I could be mistaken
We need to keep nuclear materials away from the dead lest they bring it with them to Heaven. If we learned nothing else from "The Stand," God would not hesistate to use nuclear weapons.
“As a lifelong member of the Columbia Business School community, I adhere to the principles of truth, integrity, and respect. I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
"Capitalism ho!"
So, no link?
With such viral bias, you're opinion is thus rendered useless. -Shrapnel12, on my "bias" against the SS.
I've never understood how God could expect his creatures to pick the one true religion by faith — it strikes me as a sloppy way to run a universe.
The Federal government has stated it will respect traditional ownership rights.Originally posted by DanS
He owns the land, but apparently he doesn't own the lease to what's below it. The lease undoubtedly has provisions about what are acceptable methods to extract the minerals.
Legally, Mr. Lee doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Your whitey laws don't take precedence here, sonny.
Only feebs vote.
Sitting on a massive stockpile of Uranium! Sounds suspicious to me!Originally posted by Barnabas
He buried the weapons of mass destruction there
Stupid superstitions:
Nothing to see here, move along: http://selzlab.blogspot.com
The attempt to produce Heaven on Earth often produces Hell. -Karl Popper
Progress
Progress is so XIXth century
bleh
.
Last edited by AAHZ; January 2, 2011 at 20:48.
Your anium. Hehehe.
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I don't see what the problem is.
The Federal government has expressed its willingness to make this land part of Kakadu National Park (or whatever it is called). This man seems amenable to the suggestion. I think it is the best solution.
How would Americans feel if miners blew up Half Dome, or gutted Yellowstone for Uranium? Kakadu and this area is at least as beautiful as those.
Only feebs vote.
Jeffrey Lee
Captain of Team Apolyton - ISDG 2012
When I was younger I thought curfews were silly, but now as the daughter of a young woman, I appreciate them. - Rah
I'd be down with that. Nuclear things are cool.Originally posted by Agathon
How would Americans feel if miners blew up Half Dome, or gutted Yellowstone for Uranium? Kakadu and this area is at least as beautiful as those.
"I'm not interested in white people offering me this or that … it doesn't mean a thing.
Racist bigot.
The article doesn't seem to give a lot of detail, but the fact that a company has a "mineral lease" probably means that the individual here either never owned the minerals or if they did, they leaseed them out (more likely the former from the context)
In Canada,in the oil and gas context a surface owner cannot simply prevent a party with mineral rights from accessing their minerals. WE actually have legislated processes to allow development and compensation for the surface owner. BUT a mine can be much more intrusive than a mine
However, there are two complexities here:
1. Aboriginal rights/ lands-- the rules on these often are confusing or simply do not exist
2. It seems this is a park area or wilderness area-- that can change everything
I wondered if there are possible compromises. If the mine concept is "open pit", probably not but if it is a deeper deposit, it may be possible to locate the mine entrance and the associated facilities and trucking a few more kilometres away from any sensitive areas. Whether this is possible depends on how large and how sensitive the areas that people wish to protect are
You don't get to 300 losses without being a pretty exceptional goaltender.-- Ben Kenobi speaking of Roberto Luongo
oops DP
Last edited by Flubber; July 16, 2007 at 12:26.
You don't get to 300 losses without being a pretty exceptional goaltender.-- Ben Kenobi speaking of Roberto Luongo
A couple of other comments
1.Industry can sometimes try to avoid sensitive areas. OIl companies frequently use directional drilling when accessing petroleum under sensitive lands or townsites or any otehr areas where surface access is problematic.
2. Since the guy apparently has no heirs, he is probably smart to try to get the land into a park. I know even here in Calgary, people with an environmental purpose donated their riverfront woodlands to a foundation to try to ensure it would not be developped and 'could be enjoyed by all Calgarians". IT is not hard to find people that would share his purpose to protect some lands and he probably could get a fair bit of support for an anti-mining stance.
You don't get to 300 losses without being a pretty exceptional goaltender.-- Ben Kenobi speaking of Roberto Luongo
Aren't you guys forgetting something? There are spirits and as if that were not enough, a blue tounged lizard that must not be disturbed.
We've been warned! We dare not cross these ancient taboos. Nuf said.
I'm with Lancer on this one.Originally posted by Lancer
Aren't you guys forgetting something? There are spirits and as if that were not enough, a blue tounged lizard that must not be disturbed.
We've been warned! We dare not cross these ancient taboos. Nuf said.
Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
And notifying the next of kin
Once again...
Then the federal government needs to declare eminent domain on the lease and compensate the French company fairly for the rights.Originally posted by Agathon
The Federal government has stated it will respect traditional ownership rights.
Your whitey laws don't take precedence here, sonny.
I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891
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