Lake Pedder Action Committee
Encyclopedia
The Lake Pedder Action Committee (also known as the Lake Pedder Action Group) was a Tasmanian environmental group that in the early 1970s unsuccessfully fought the state government of Tasmania
led by Eric Reece
and its powerful and influential energy agency the Hydro-Electric Commissionto prevent the flooding of Lake Pedder
in South West Tasmania
. One member was Brenda Hean
who died mysteriously in 1972 whilst being flown to Canberra in a light plane to stage a protest event.
Although the campaign to save Lake Pedder failed, it dramatically increased environmental awareness in Tasmania and Australia. A successor movement, the Tasmanian Wilderness Society was instrumental in the successful challenge to the Franklin Dam
proposal in the early 1980s.
Since the early 1990s, the Lake Pedder Restoration Committee (LPRC) has continued to press for the restoration of Lake Pedder to its original form. Many of the senior members of the LPRC had also been active in the Lake Pedder Action Committee.
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
led by Eric Reece
Eric Reece
Eric Elliott Reece, AC was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975.-Biography:...
and its powerful and influential energy agency the Hydro-Electric Commissionto prevent the flooding of Lake Pedder
Lake Pedder
Lake Pedder was once a natural lake, located in the southwest of Tasmania, Australia but the name is now used in an official sense to refer to the much larger artificial impoundment and diversion lake formed when the original lake was expanded by damming in 1972 by the Hydro Electric Commission of...
in South West Tasmania
South West Tasmania
South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evolved over the fifty years between its consideration as a potential resource for development to its consideration as World Heritage wilderness...
. One member was Brenda Hean
Brenda Hean
Brenda Hean 1910-1972. Was a member of the Lake Pedder Action Committee and resident of Hobart, Tasmania at the time of the flooding of Lake Pedder- Background :...
who died mysteriously in 1972 whilst being flown to Canberra in a light plane to stage a protest event.
Although the campaign to save Lake Pedder failed, it dramatically increased environmental awareness in Tasmania and Australia. A successor movement, the Tasmanian Wilderness Society was instrumental in the successful challenge to the Franklin Dam
Franklin Dam
The Franklin Dam or Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.The dam was...
proposal in the early 1980s.
Since the early 1990s, the Lake Pedder Restoration Committee (LPRC) has continued to press for the restoration of Lake Pedder to its original form. Many of the senior members of the LPRC had also been active in the Lake Pedder Action Committee.
Further reading
- Millwood, Scott Whatever happened to Brenda Hean? Crows Nest, NSW ISBN 978-1-74175-611-1