COMMENT: Grim Reaper on Douglas Shire doorstep

THE FUTURE

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How would the Douglas Shire be without the mill? Picture: Supplied

Comment - Lawrence Mason

2024 sees decades of inaction, poor planning, malicious intent and at times downright stupidity coming together to rip our beautiful Shire to bits. I truly fear we will end this year a ragged shadow of our former selves. A ragged uneconomic shadow at that. The Grim Reaper is coming. Community destroying ‘Save the Daintree’ charities are either side of the Reaper licking their lips.

The mill is the beast that feeds Mossman and a third of Mossman’s employees could lose their job and the economy collapse. So why have we not been able to make the mill economic and what truth in stories about the Black Sauce plant? Which of my opening labels apply here?

When the mill fails will there be enough business for two tyre shops? Several cafes? The same hospital services? Council services? How many will lose jobs? Tourism is Mossman’s saviour? Let’s think for a bit? Please.

The water supply won’t be up to the job. DSC has not put enough into water; the old two week buffer that staff had up their sleeve is now a couple of days. Water storage has not kept up with development. The knowledgeable staff left. I don’t think guests doing their morning constitutional in a porta loo will stay long enough to save Mossman.

But let’s say they have a bucket bath in the pool, brave the porta loo and drive past the closed cafés in Mossman (no water), and decide to visit the magical Daintree Rainforest.

Independent water supplies, crystal clear creeks and generator power. After queuing at the ferry with the rest of the unwashed, they drive off the ferry to join the Alexandra Range queue.

Eventually they cross the range and decide to skip the Discovery Centre because it is so late and the queue reaches the main road anyway. 

They grab a bottle of water and an ice-cream and head north into a setting sun. A late flood in March has finally ruined Noah Bridge, and DSC lost the funds to build the new one, so they are faced with a tidal water crossing forbidden by their car hire company. In any case DSC is still using the ‘Hahne method’ on the landslide and Noah range is shut.

So they turn around and decide to do a little walk. The only guided walks are booked days ahead and so they go to Jindalba. After queueing for 30 minutes just to get to the turnoff, they find it has been closed for a year, with a sign advising a reopening in 2025.

The Discovery centre carpark goes for miles and people are lined up because everyone is there or at Cooper Creek Wilderness trying desperately to see the forest. 

They return to the queue, wait, then drive directly to Cairns airport and fly home, disgusted.

No Mill. Rampant unemployment. Bridges rotting and funds lost because DSC lacks the skill to build them. Woke charities buying up each Cape Tribulation business and removing development rights as they go broke one by one. Tourists pooing in porta loos.

National Parks facilities falling apart and closed. Landslides being assessed by Guinness Book for longest to move.

Punitive service reductions from Hospitals, Schools, and Council. Unless all levels of government take this clear and present danger seriously, the Grim Reaper will tear the whole shire apart. And it will be years before we recover. If we ever do.