Caroona coal mine victory made possible by community groups

“Here we are, this little group of girls, and we’re going to raise money from cakes to fight BHP, this million dollar company,” Ms Willis said, laughing.

From fighting BHP one cake at a time, the group grew into a force of nature.

Alongside a number of community groups, such as Caroona Coal Action Group and Liverpool Plains Youth, it raised the issue into the national spotlight.

Farmer Derek Blomfield said after nearly 11 years of fighting the mine, the grit of the local farmers was nothing short of astounding.

“If that community resistances didn’t happen, there would be a mine under our feet right now,” Mr Blomfield told The Leader, standing on the black soil near Caroona.

Mr Blomfield said the strength of the Caroona locals the gave other communities around the state the courage to also say ‘no’.

“It replicated everywhere – Darling Downs, North Coast, Gloucester, Southern Highlands – it’s all come from this model,” he said.

“That’s the beauty here, it became so much bigger than just the locals, so many people came in. We had a blockade for over 600 days and they weren’t just Caroona people. There was a roster of people turning up week after week from all over.

“We see that around the country now, people drawing strength from that – and it makes you feel proud all these people are prepared to say ‘no’.”

Mr Blomfield said Caroona’s people power victory will have a huge knock on effect to other communities.