They Still Won't Shop There!
By Leigh Robshaw

The UpFront Club had one of its most successful evenings on record recently with the Woolies commemoration night, held on Thursday 12 April. It marked the three-year anniversary of the day the Deen Brothers barged into town and went wild with their chainsaws to make way for the Woolworths supermarket.
The Club was filled to capacity, proving it is indeed possible to coax people out of the woodwork mid-week for some cultural entertainment and a worthy cause.
The Woolies night was a reunion of sorts: hugs and kisses flowed like wine, and all eyes were on the slide show, which was accompanied by live music and poetry.
Lexie Strathie kicked off the music, followed by Murray Wall, Noel Gardner and Alex Bridge. Steve Langton of Hubbub with fellow musos, Steve McLeish and Fatima, got the vibe going out on the street. There were poetry performances to make us laugh and cry, and everyone sang along to Robin Clayfield's "Seeds of Change".
The MC for the evening, Platypus Action Group leader, Jon Woodlands, commented: "At the time I think many of us felt we had lost the protest on that day [when the trees on the Bunya Street site were destroyed]. But we had to regroup and realise it was still worth saving the site; we could plant more trees. After the events of 14 April 2004, what we endured really empowered us to fight on. We were inspired by the brave commitment of Daniel Jones, camping in the bunya pine for two months - that inspired the whole community. Through the protest we came to value what we really have."
Some punters wore the next generation of anti-Woolies T-shirts, with the slogan: "I Still Won't Shop There", giving those who support local, sustainable business and community consultation processes, a reminder to stick to their guns and steer clear of Woolies.
Said local teacher and musician, Lisa McDonald: "I think its very important to note there's still so much more to be done. The point is, we've still got to keep pulling together and not shopping at Woolies. The people have the power."
To keep the 'people power' spirit alive, a group of campaigners opened the kiosk in Maple Street on Saturday 14 April, complete with T-shirts, flyers, stickers and even chocolate-coated platypus bikkies
The community response was very positive, apart from one irate shop owner, who called for the campaigners to "give it a rest". To that, Jon Woodlands responded: "I think the message is still very important. Certainly, we don't want to go overboard, but the issues around the way Woolworths operate, the way they treat farmers in this country, the way they treat communities, and also the issues around that particular development, are huge. These types of developments must not be allowed to go ahead, and Council should not really be allowed to get away with outmoded thinking."
Protest organisers said they hoped to re-open the kiosk regularly, so newcomers to Maleny would be informed about the issue and consider joining the boycott.

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", June/July 2007; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au, website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]