A HOME-MADE hangman on the Lagoon Road is drawing plenty of attention to the Macquarie River’s cause.
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Former Durham Street butcher Edwin Ryan, who runs a few poll Hereford cattle on a small block of land on the Lagoon Road in his retirement, is responsible for the dummy hanging from a noose.
While he doesn’t purport to being a greenie, he is concerned that Bathurst Regional Council is considering selling its treated effluent to a mining company.
Regis Resources wants to buy the waste water – which would otherwise go down the Macquarie River – for its proposed gold mine at Kings Plains, near Blayney.
The man hanging from a noose is mounted at the top of the loading ramp on Mr Ryan’s cattle yards.
A large sign nearby makes the point, saying: “Save the Macquarie River.”
“I thought it was a good way of letting everyone who drives past know that council shouldn’t be selling the water,” he said.
“What about all the people who need it downstream of Bathurst? There’s a lot, you know – going all the way out to the Macquarie Marshes.”
Mr Ryan said his efforts had been noticed.
“A few people driving past have seen me in the paddock, slowed right down and tooted their horns at me,” he said.
“A lot of people will see it, though, because we’re on the road leading out to Ben Chifley Dam where the water originally comes from.
“I’ve even written a letter to the mayor [Gary Rush] putting my view against selling the water. It’s just too valuable a resource to let go like this.”
Mr Ryan also wrote to the Western Advocate last week, emphasising the importance of the water going down the Macquarie River from Bathurst for other users downstream.
“Water is the life blood of our nation. It should not be sold for the sake of a short-term monetary gain,” his letter concluded.
Bathurst Regional Council is expected to consider a report on the sale of the waste water to Regis at its next meeting on February 17.