Menzies Walk Update Sunday 11 September

View the latest pictures from the Walk Away From Uranium Mining

http://www.flickr.com/photos/footprintsforpeace/sets/72157627542597859/

We had a fantastic farewell procession through Leonora, with our hosts coming to walk with us to the town limits early in the morning.

We have appreciated a Rest Day on the full moon, 3km North of Menzies in a(nother) bush camp with magnificent weather on this Sunday 11 September. Good time for catching up on sleep, washing, feet/blister care, massage and walk updates/ media outreach!

Since leaving the hospitality of our Leonora friends, the last five days saw us walk along the Goldfields Highway alongside roadtrains and heavy haulage vehicles. This creates a challenge in itself, but is rewarded with much encouragement from passing drivers.

Some of our walkers including International delegates have temporarily departed the walk to attend ANFA: Australian Nuclear Free Alliance gathering in Alice Springs at present. They have taken with them media presentations that has been put together by our expert team from Leonora
View video here: http://youtu.be/U5JIi61kFQk

We bade farewell to some of our walkers before leaving Leonora, and again we said goodbye to two at our Menzies camp, and our resident photographer has disappeared to seek camera repairs.

We’ve had the luxury of a food stockup provided from Kalgoorlie, as well as the arrival of a support person today who has brought with her more Organic provisions from our favourite foodies, The Organic Collective! The similar consistency of lentils, rice and porridge was wearing, so it’s been nice to “crunch” into some perishables again!

From Menzies tomorrow morning, we anticipate that we can circumnavigate the vehicular traffic on the Goldfields Highway by taking advantage of the parallel trainline into Kalgoorlie. Our current protocol of yelling “truck” or “car” up and down the walking group to advise each time one approaches will be simpler…”train”..!

In the forthcoming weeks’ walk to Kalgoorlie, we are looking forward to have more people join us to walk into Kalgoorlie for events and presentations there before we leave the goldfields, and are gearing up for a re-welcome of many return participants (repeat from the first week of the walk from Wiluna to Yeelirrie), coming out on the second bus trip to meet us at Kalgoorlie, as well as many new faces from Perth.

INFORMATION TO COME AND JOIN US ON THE WALK…

There are currently 40 people walking from Wiluna to Perth including special guests from France, the US and New Zealand and Traditional Owners. Please join them as they walk into Kalgoorlie in a few weeks. This is a great opportunity to meet Traditional Owners who are battling to save their country from a nuclear future, as well as amazing activists from around the globe with news about the nuclear industry globally. The weekend events will also include talks from Labor and Greens MPs who have been supporting the “Walk Away From Uranium Mining- Towards Aboriginal Sovereignty”

ANOTHER UPDATE BY KRISTI

Here are three photos that attempt, (the first 3 photo’s in the top link) in some way to sum up this life changing experience we are all sharing.

Firstly my name is Kristi and I have brought my four children on this trip while my husband works away. I am motivated by a deep knowing that we need to make way for social change and provide our children with community experiences. These days our children experience a wealth of choice and a poverty of family and connectedness with other people. Out here the community experience has been incredible for all of us.

The baby in the bucket tells that story and more. The children look out for each other and they want to help with the younger ones. They see the need to be careful with water and supplies. Apple cores get eaten out here. The baby has changed the most, extending his field of vision from his nuclear family to this every increasing group around him. He is thriving on this new found love everyone he sees has for him. Being in a community activates something deep inside us all. Living in a community that has a common goal has, for me, illuminated the failings of the nuclear family; that try as we do just can’ t meet all the needs of our children or ourselves.

The photo of the children by the sign is a symbol of the next generation on track together finding a new path by uniting indigenous intelligence with our modern mind.

The third photo is Nanna Gay and her daughter and grand-daughter and great grandson with a banner that says her grandparents stopped uranium mining forty years ago; leave it in the ground. For me the aunties and the elders represent a body of understanding that we find difficult to grasp because it transends logic. Aboriginal people for millinea have called uranium country, ‘sickness country’ and prohibited their people from going to these places. This photo represents thousands of generations of ancestors standing in the light of the truth.

Thank you to Marcus and K.A. for organising this amazing and throughway powerful trip. It has been incredible to just walk. Such a wonderful experience. I know my children and I are blessed to be here.

If any families out there have the slightest inclination to come then dispense with any doubt because the energy of the movement will carry you through.