By Bonny Burrows
Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight has donated his skills to the upcoming Bunyip North quarry protest walk.
To voice his support for the community members fighting against the 34-hectare granite quarry, proposed for a site about 500 metres from local icon Mount Cannibal, the artist has created a cartoon outlining his personal concerns.
The image features native wildlife clad in Stop the Quarry T-shirts walking in protest, as residents will do on 12 November.
At the rally, participants will wear dust masks to symbolise the risks the quarry poses to local health and the Mt Cannibal Flora and Fauna Reserve.
The Tonimbuk resident said he believed the proposal, which would see developer Hanson Constructions extract an estimated 70 to 100 million tonnes of granite from the site over a period of about 80 to 120 years, threatened the area’s tourist appeal.
“I believe people should get behind the walk to support this area as Mt Cannibal is an environmental tourism area which brings benefits to the whole community rather than just stakeholders in a quarry,” Mr Knight said.
“The West Gippsland area around Mt Cannibal is seeing the development of Gumbuya Park, wineries, restaurants and local produce which boosts the local economy. Another quarry and all that goes with it will endanger these beneficial projects.”
Mt Cannibal and District Preservation Group is hosting the protest walk on Sunday 12 November from 10.30am to 1pm at the Mt Cannibal Reserve, 2.4km from the Princes Highway, Garfield North Road, Garfield North.
