Soapbox time again!

Submitted: Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 08:12
ThreadID: 41722 Views:2541 Replies:2 FollowUps:3
This Thread has been Archived
Hi all.... the Annual Clean-up Fraser Island Weekend has ended for another year. We left last Wednesday morning (0230 hrs) and made a long, long weekend of it. I noticed that this year there seemed a lot more litter, luckily 4WD Qld organizes this event or the Island would probably sink under the rubbish!

But here is my real gripe..... everywhere we looked, there was toilet paper! And some of it was...... err.. shall we say "fresh"? I heard a club mate say that he found a fresh "dump" not buried at all? What is it with people? We carry a chemical toilet, this trip only my SWMBO used it, us boys (Me, two sons and eldest sons friend) used the public toilets for "number two's" and tree's for "number ones". The toilets at both Happy Valley and Eurong were a mess most of the weekend 'cos people can't manage to get their toilet paper IN THE DAMN BOWL!!!!!
And before ANYONE dare says that "There are people employed to clean up the toilets"...... who should EVER have to pick up someone else's toilet paper????????
I picked up lots of rubbish, our club gathered more than 160 bags of rubbish off the beach between Eurong and Poyungan Rocks, it's bad enough picking up empty bottles, plastic, ciggy butts etc......... but toilet paper is the worst. Also spotted a "feminine hygiene product"....... the mind boggles.

So.... (big deep breath) if you are out in the bush and use the "proper" bush toileting procedure, and also take out rubbish that you take in.... then good on ya!!!! Give yourself a big pat on the back! And keep doing it.....

BUT!

If you're one of the people who have NO respect for the environment, and leave your CRAP laying around for someone else to clean up..... then shame on you! Why not stay at home and litter your lounge room?

End of Soapbox Bit

On a lighter note, it was a great weekend, almost 1000 men women and children attended the clean up this year and everyone did a great job!!

Good on ya people!!!

Cheers

Brian

Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: DIO - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 09:51

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 09:51
Great effort. All that has to be done now is get rid of the cursed cigarette butt (and probably the people that deposit them). At least crap is a naturally occurring by-product (although unpleasant if stepped in), not something that is damaging to the environment and wildlife because of the cellulose and poisonous chemicals contained there in.
AnswerID: 218316

Follow Up By: Member - Brian (Gold Coast) - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:03

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:03
y'know DIO, I have a theory based on my own smoking years (Long gone now thankfully) that MOST (Not ALL) smokers don't care that they are damaging themselves with ciggies, so therefore the environment falls way down the priorities list. There was a survey last year that stated only 25% of Qlders still smoke..... I know stats can lie but I think it is getting that way.... we had 35 cars in our camp on the weekeend and only 4 or 5 people smoked!

Crap, as you put it, is a natural substance. But toilet paper and other hygiene products aren't and they are a blight on the bush IMO. And simply put, the people who deposit it this way obviously don't care about the environment at all. With the information readily available, it is easy as to access better methods of disposal.

Thanks for your comment DIO... Have a good day mate!

Cheers

Brian
0
FollowupID: 478709

Reply By: Member - Barry M (NSW) - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 11:15

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 11:15
Well done Brian, without your efforts & those of your supporters the place will turn
into a garbage dump. We first went to Fraser in late 80s & you would not find a struck match, very clean everywhere. Our last trip in 99 saw us spend 2 hrs cleaning up our selected camp site of every pollutant imagineable, & that was 3 days before Easter. 3 days later thousands descended on Fraser, not enough camp
sites for everyone,people camped on the beachfront. We had to defend our small
site from those who tried to erect their tents amongst our belongings. Forced to
park 4by on track into site to keep possession. During the night a rent a troopy load
of British backpackers parked below us on the beach & partyed all night with lights
blazing & music blaring. Next morning, you guessed it, troopy has no tricity.
Representative of group comes into camp demanding "joomper leds", no please,
only "Hoory oop" we in a hoory. So Sorry,we have none, so sad. Troopy was connected to next 20 cars that had leads but did not start until towed for about
10 k by good samaritan. Troopy flies back to camp, loads rest of bodies & departs
leaving all rubbish including piles of sh*t within 2 metres of where they sat.
So we cleaned it all up, remained quietly in our camp area, hunted away several
groups of ferals that came into our camp from the rear, apparently intent on theft,
as their vehicles would slowly drive along the beach parralell to the walkers.
Easter over, the hoons, thieves ,idiots, roared off, some doing over 100kph, & we were left with all the rubbish. We spent the next day cleaning up until the big
skip on the beach was full, packed up & vowed never to return.
Wrote "Not happy pam" letters to QLD police & National Parks, received usual
response...nothing.. & havent been back since.
We hope this isnt the norm for most visitors as the place is a paradise or should
be, & we would wecome advice that things are now better, or are they?
...oldbaz.
AnswerID: 218337

Follow Up By: madfisher - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 22:48

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 22:48
Mate its a bloody disgrace the way some ferals carry on. We now only ever go to a farmstay or a private property that controls nos on Easter weekends. Its makes me think how idilic the seventies were. Dunns Swamp has gone the same way. Last weekend there must have been 500 people crammed in their and they think they are camping? Looked more like a 3rd world country
Cheers Mate
0
FollowupID: 478925

Follow Up By: Redback - Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007 at 08:20

Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007 at 08:20
"Looked more like a 3rd world country"

That's funny, true unfortunately, but still funny.

We remote camp, as far as we can from the Norms of this world and drongos who have their kids riding around the campsite on the minibkes and quads, bloody inconsiderate bastards.

Baz.
0
FollowupID: 478958

Sponsored Links