I object to the proposed Bowdens Silver mining on the grounds that 1. It will not bring significant employment to the surrounding community. 2. It is not inline with the identity of the surrounding community. This is a quiet rural setting with agriculture being the main source of income. The land in our community is best suited to growing crops and live stock. The richness of the surrounding soil needs to be enhanced not depleted. 2. Local small business will be negatively impacted. The surrounding small business rely heavily on passing traffic and holidaymakers as a source of income. Travellers primarily come to our region to relax in our natural surroundings, escape the industry of the city and give a little back to their rural communities. A mine in our area/industy will make the option of visiting our community less appealing to holiday makers. 3. I came to this community from Sydney because of health reasons. I was diagnosed with a life threatening illness and after receiving life saving treatment decided to continue my healing process in nature. I believe my illness was not helped by the secondary pollutants created by the industry I was surrounded by. Toxicity from runoff in the waterways, air pollution, micro toxins in the food I consumed are example of pollution from industry that over extended periods of time has been proven to impact negatively on the health of not only adults but children and babies (transferred through breast milk). I do not want this for myself or for my surrounding community. 4. The size and the scale of this proposed project is too big for the infrastructure of the small rural communities to take on. I do not want to expand to meet the needs of this proposed mine. I do not want major roads designed and created to 'allow' trucks, carrying unknown materials, to snake around our small villages, even if it is at times considered acceptable. This will alter significantly the character and ethos of our town. I do not want the land, rich in minerals and life, to be depleted and the produce shipped overseas for the benefit of countries outside of my own. I do not want the habitat within this large body of land to be strategically removed. I do not believe, when they have finished removing the silver and lead they are mining, that the by product they then use as land fill, and scattering of local fauna, will return this large expanse of land back to it's original level of abundance. 5. The level of toxic by product is not acceptable to me. Silver mining is one of the most expensive and invasive forms of mining. I know that a by product of this process is Lead. It is firmly established that Lead is a highly toxic metal and even when all measures are taken there are no guarantees of zero contamination. Any level of Lead contamination is not acceptable due to it's highly toxic nature. 6. It is a very rare thing to be surrounded primarily only by the sounds of nature. I value this and object to the proposed mine because the removal of nature from such a large area to house the mine AND the sound generated by the function of the mine itself, not to mention the earth movement and vibration, may be kept at a very minimum, but is just not wanted at any level. Thank you for considering my objections to this proposed mine.

We are very against Bowdens silver mine going ahead. We have a young family & we brought Our property in the hopes it would be our forever home 9years ago. We already hear noises from this mine during the day when machines are in use & we also see dust coming out from that area. We love the tranquility & beautiful country that is lue so for this mine to go ahead would be so devastating for us & the lue community. The harmful effects of the amount of lead that we will be exposed to is terrifying for our little family. We are less then 2kms from the mine sight & there’s no way we will be able to stay on our property if this mine goes ahead.

To Whom It May Concern,

As a Director of the Trustee for Caerleon Mudgee Trust, the landowner of Caerleon Estate in Mudgee, I can confirm that we are proud supporters of the town of Mudgee and its future growth, driven primarily by the construction and growth of nearby mines. The opportunity to continue this growth through the approval of the Bowdens Silver Project, with the support of the town’s local council, Mid-Western Regional Council, is a huge boost for the area and something many country towns can only dream of as they face declining populations, increasing unemployment and rising socio-economic problems.

Personally, Mudgee has been a big part of my family since the early 2000’s. Over the years my brother has been married in Mudgee, my family has spent many weekends in and around the town and made many trips to the incredible wineries around the area and in 2011 we started the process of identifying and then securing a large parcel of land within Mudgee which we have since rezoned to allow for the future housing supply of the town. In fact, over the next decade we hope to deliver over 2000 new homes – from standard residential houses through to rural-residential homesteads – within our Estate.

The existing mines located 25 to 45 minutes from Mudgee have proven over the years to work hand in glove with the town and its community. The mines have been successful in providing a large number of jobs to the local workforce, increasing the population by bringing outside workers and their families to the town and giving back to the community with grants and sponsorship. The opportunity to have another mine operating in the Mudgee area is something that should be embraced with both hands by the town. It will create further employment opportunities, increase the town’s population which in turn will create further employment opportunities, and increase the economic standing of the town immeasurably.

While it is obvious that a new mine will help with the continued success of Caerleon Estate as more people to the town will mean more houses are needed, the multiplier effect of an increased population with more jobs will have a huge benefit to the town as a whole. As regional areas and country towns around NSW and in fact, all of Australia, face economic hardship as populations decline, young people move away and socio-economic problems start to rise, not decline, Mudgee has an incredible opportunity to buck the trend with the approval of the Bowdens Silver Project. This new mine presents the town with the chance to continue to grow and get stronger – creating more jobs for the current population plus the future residents that are attracted to the Mudgee area. Based on research that says one mining job creates 2 or more new jobs in sub/supporting industries, the approval of this mine stands to benefit even those that don’t work in the mining industry within the township. More people in town means you will see more people employed at places like restaurants and cafes, more retail shops, more cars sold and more people in general shopping and being employed by local businesses to keep up with the increase in demand a growing population creates. All these things are a huge boost for the local economy and an incredible opportunity for the town of Mudgee and its people.

It is for this reason I am formally writing to you to support the Bowdens Silver Project on behalf of Caerleon Mudgee Pty Ltd ATF Caerleon Mudgee Trust.

Yours sincerely,
Nathan Davis
Director – Caerleon Mudgee Pty Ltd

See Attached

See uploaded files for Ku-ring-gai Council's submission