Voices of the Valley
Various artists, produced by Geoff Francis
Available from Hobart Resistance Bookshop, the Wilderness Society Shop or order from <glazfolk@trump.net.au>.
REVIEW BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE
The Voices of the Valley CD — launched at the Cygnet Folk Festival on January 13 — is the latest weapon in the arsenal of the campaign to stop the Southwood woodchip mill in the Huon Valley, southern Tasmania. The CD was conceived by local songwriters Geoff Francis and Peter Hicks and brought to life by more than 50 musicians and artists from the Franklin Folk Club and environs.
Southwood is a Forestry Tasmania/state government plan to develop a wood-fired power station and woodchip mill in the southern forests.
"What binds us together is our love of this valley ... 90% of our old growth forests have already gone. Now they want to burn and woodchip what's left!", proclaims the album's notes. Francis told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that the number of people involved in the campaign in a community of around 5000 is testimony to the level of opposition that the Southwood project has generated.
The album features a wide variety of musical styles. Francis' and Hicks'"Mighty Huon Pine" sums up the sentiment of the album: "It seems there's something changing in our valley/ Where once there stood the mighty Huon pine/ Now it seems they want a woodchip mill in Judbury/ Just to make someone a dollar and a dime."
The rejection of profiteering returns a number of times throughout the album. Even more prominent though is the expression of love and respect for the forests and the environment.
While the glossy Southwood promotional material generally avoids using the word "woodchip", local activists have dubbed the project "woodchip wonderland" because its promoters present Southwood as a cure for all social and economic woes. The idea that tourists will be attracted to clear-felled forests and thundering log-trucks is ridiculous.
"Dopey Island Policy" questions the value of "burning waste to make a wasteland in name of clean, green energy" and links the thinking behind the project to international capitalist organisations like the World Trade Organisation.
Particularly moving is the song "Paradise" about a real town of that name in the US. The place was overtaken by a coal mine and was literally hauled away on coal trains.
Voices of the Valley has been selling quickly so you had better order a copy. At $15 it is certainly a bargain, especially since proceeds from the album go to the anti-Southwood campaign.