"So rusted is the rail bridge over the Bellinger River at Repton that if it was a car, it would never pass rego!" reports Cyanide Watch campaigner, Graeme Dunstan.

Yet this bridge is carrying tens of thousands of tonnes of secret cyanide, more and more each year, to supply the toxic needs of the far-flung mines of the gold mining industry.

"Decaying rail infrastructure meets rising tonnage of cyanide; the scene is set for a derailment and a major cyanide spill. Just a matter of time," he predicts.

"If a cyanide spill happens in the rain in the Bellinger catchment, goodbye oysters, goodbye by fish, goodbye river life."

To drive home this message, local citizens will gather by the rail near Urunga. They plan to stop a cyanide freight train.

From 6pm, Thursday 24 May, 2007 at the Yellow Rock Road level crossing beside the Pacific Highway between the Bellingen and Urunga turn off, NSW

Locals will want to hear from the drivers how much sodium cyanide they are carrying. They will want to know exactly how much and how often the cyanide passes through the towns and waterways of the NSW north coast.

At this time neither the maker of the cyanide, Orica, the transporter, Pacific National, nor the approver of its transport as a Dangerous Good, the NSW Minister for Planning, are being forthcoming.

The reasons given are national security and commercial confidence. See
http://www.peacebus.com/CyanideWatch/070417ToxicEvasions.html

"Not good enough," says Dunstan. "How can local people plan for an emergency response if the magnitude of the hazard they face is kept secret?"

"We want the facts, so we intend to stop the freight trains and ask the drivers direct."

Cyanide is a deadly poison that is used in huge quantities by the gold mining industry. Most of the cyanide used in Australia is made by Orica Australia Ltd at its plant in Gladstone, Queensland, rail freighted to Sydney and then west to the far flung gold mines.

"Contrary to the claims of the gold miners, cyanide spills are common and often disastrous," said Mr Dunstan. "Local people and their waterways are effected by these spills and it is local people who are called upon to clean them up."

Dunstan said that because the freight time table is unknown, the Urunga cyanide blockade will take the form of a lantern lit vigil by the rail and a community meeting of people interested to defend local water ways from toxic spills.

"Bring lanterns, bring food and beverage to share,"