Knitting Nannas eat porridge with coal dust to prove Shenhua point

The Northern Rivers Knitting Nannas gained plenty of attention on Wednesday, as thousands of cars beeped and waved at the group they drove past on their way to AgQuip.

“Nannas have tried coal dust on their porridge this morning and have decided it tastes yucky,” the group's spokewomen Louise Somerville said. 

“Listen to your Nanna. Nanna knows best.”

In a show of unity, farmers from the Liverpool Plains joined the nannas outside the office, to protest the company's coal mine.

“I think the government needs to understand that if this mine gets the go ahead, there'll be a massive national protest - and could be international as well,” Breeza farmer Andrew Pursehouse said.

“If they think the Pilliga and Adani protest were bad, look out if they want to do the Liverpool Plains.”

Fellow farmer John Hamperson said being in the middle of a drought reaffirmed how important the local ground water resource was.

“Gunnedah has water while a lot of other towns are running out,” he said.

“We are so reliant on this ground water, we cannot afford to put a mine right in the middle of that whole system.

“It’s going to destroy the future of agriculture in this area, it will destroy the town's water security and this is something that is going to last forever.”

The government renewed Shenhua’s exploration licence in July.

Ms Somerville said the Knitting Nannas also raised $325 which was donated to the Namoi CWA.

“We hope it helps a little to ease the sadness in the North West,” she said.

“Climate change is very real and Real Action Is Needed (RAIN) on climate change, not political games.”