Forest fighters: Manyana activists lead the way on grassroots protest as Forestry fight looms

Activist group Manyana Matters have spearheaded a new type of civic protest in the face of bushfires and the Covid pandemic, as small, atomised groups throughout the state gear-up to fight to end native forest logging.

With roots in the anti-logging movement of the late-90s, a group of “accidental” South Coast activists are leading the way when it comes to modern, grassroots protest after fending off major redevelopments in their idyllic Shoalhaven town.

Founded around the time of the Black Summer bushfires, Manyana Matters has quickly become one of the state’s most successful community-led movements, having thrown into limbo large-scale residential developments, including Manyana Beach Estate.

Local residents, activists, and NSW Rural Fire Service firefighters joined forces in 2020 against the “zombie” development, with Mayana Matters taking developer OzyHomes to the federal court over what it said was an outdated environmental assessment, dating back to 2008.

All of this, president Bill Eger said, happened against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

“We had to get creative,” Mr Eger said.

“How do you run a protest with 100 or more people when there is social distancing?”

Manyana Matters president Bill Edgar, left, with activists Patti Barlett and Dr Lorraine Larry. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

After discussions with local police, the group launched large-scale, exercise-based protests, with yoga sessions being run by overseas Manyana expats and processions of protesters with placards, as well as joggers and sports gear.

Protests against the erection of a fence around the site also entailed creative solutions, with art installations being erected on and around the fencing. The protests, taking place while the matter was being heard in court, successfully delayed the full encirclement of the site.

In Manyana and the wider environmental activists community, Mr Eger said the protests were a “catalyst” for further change.

“The community action here became a historic action that many other environmental and community groups followed,” he said.

“They began basing their action on our model.”

For the local community still traumatised by the Black Summer fires – which reached within metres of the town – the protests, Manyana Matters activist Dr Loraine Larry said, were a chance for residents to vent their frustration at rampant redevelopment.

“A lot of people here are accidental activists, they mobilised because its their own town,” Dr Larry said.

“They say: ‘Not in my backyard, no way.’”

Dr Larry, like many members of Manyana Matters, moved to the region after owning a “weekender” there for many years.

A large swath of bushland on the edge of Manyana is earmarked for another new residential development being fought by local activists. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

She is currently completing her PHD research on community-led movements in the region, mostly moved by housewives and older women.

Like other towns throughout the South Coast, Manyana is in the grips of change

Home to little more than 500 people, developers are eyeing the seaside spot for future development amid the Shoalhaven region’s boom in popularity for permanent settlement following the Covid lockdowns in Sydney and Canberra.

That change has led to a paradigm shift, where new tech-savvy and passionate young residents are mingling with protest “lifers”.

Manyana Matters activist Patti Barlett counts herself as one of the dedicated, long-time activists.

She said the protests movement in Manyana has its roots in the anti-logging movements of the late-90s.

“The housewives of the area originally sat on the fence line on the edge of town to let people know about proposed logging,” Ms Barlett said.

“Then the 16-day blockade started. There were TV cameras, and everything. For 16 days they blocked that compartment from logging.”

More than two decades on, the fight continues across the state.

The Manyana Beach Estate was strongly opposed by activists at Manyana Matters, whose campaign against overdevelopment has only intensified since their early efforts. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

Manyana Matters was one of numerous grassroots organisations to lends its support to a petition to end native forest logging in NSW, which was due to be tabled in NSW parliament on September 15.

“State forests have been logged heavily over a long, long period of time,” Mr Egar said.

“The government should be looking for a way for logging workers to be re-employed.”

With many challenges still ahead, Mr Eger said it has taken its toll on locals.

“These small communities are funding the fight to preserve endangered species and their environment on their own,” he said.

“Legal help from the NSW Environment Defenders Organisation costs $300,000. How could a small community pay that?

“We shouldn’t have to stand up, these places should be protected by law.”

Currently, the organisation is continuing its fight against the Manyana Beach Estate, which while in limbo has not been scrapped.

Past projects have also found success, with a recent development still under construction within the town limits.

With the region still changing, Mr Eger said activists were not against change.

“We need sustainable development,” he said.

“That’s all we’re asking for. We're not anti-development, we just want it done in the right way.”

In response to queries from NewsLocal, the Forestry Corporation of NSW said native forest timber harvesting is heavily regulated to balance the community’s need for timber with protecting important environmental features on the forest landscape.

“Since the 2019-20 bushfires Forestry Corporation has adopted additional environmental safeguards above these requirements and these measures remain in place today,” a spokesperson said.