Solid Energy mine access is ‘all over’
About 100 people gathered legally on the Pike River mine access road yesterday, vowing to stymie Solid Energy’s attempts to seal the ‘‘crime scene’’.
Supporters of the blockade, who have been gifted the road, planned to work in shifts to issue trespass orders to anyone attempting to use Logburn Rd without permission.
Some family members of the 29 men killed at Pike River in 2010, along with their supporters, have been protesting at the access road since November 12.
They want to stop mine owners Solid Energy permanently sealing it with concrete before the drift – a tunnel leading into the mine – is explored.
Bernie Monk, who lost his son Michael in the disaster, said the families had been gifted legal control of the access road by landowner Colin van der Geest.
Speaking yesterday, Monk said the families and supporters were going to stay on the road in shifts.
‘‘We’ll have someone governing this gate all the time. There’ll be certain people that will be allowed through like the farmer who needs access to his farm, but as far as Solid Energy is concerned she’s all over rover.’’
He said no heavy machinery would be allowed through the gate.
‘‘Solid Energy will have to come to us to ask permission to go over this private piece of land now.
‘‘A similar way to the way they’ve treated us for the last five years. We’ve always had to ask permission to go up to the mine,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m over Solid Energy. They’ve said this mine is going to be sealed and that’s the end of story. I’m over them. It’s back on the Government now.
‘‘Whether they want to see us or not it remains to be seen. At least we’re going out of our way to meet them halfway.’’
Monk presented paperwork and shook hands with a police officer who showed up about 7am. Previously, the police had attended every morning to ask protesters to move aside so Solid Energy vehicles could get past.
Rick ‘‘Rowdy’’ Durbridge, whose son Daniel Herk was killed in the mine, said he was ‘‘over the moon’’ that the families had been able to take control of the access road.
‘‘Whether it be for a week, a month or 10 minutes we’ve got possession of it and it’s a good thing. The idea is to stop all work on the sealing until such a time as the Government and Solid Energy have listened to us.’’
He believed the possibility of bodies being in the drift was high as it was near the end of their shift.
‘‘Along with a son I have 28 work colleagues. Quite a few of them were more than just work colleagues – we used to barbeque together, drink together, argue together, fight together, laugh and play together – and they’re still there.
‘‘And I know for a fact that none of them would want to be there today,’’ he said.
* Letter: ‘‘Why the haste?’’ A8
"A similar way to the way they've treated us for the last five years. We've always had to ask permission to go up to the mine.'' Bernie Monk