Day 11   Big boost to morale last night and this morning as John Butler and Dan Sultan joined protesters at the Manari road blockade.   John expressed his support for all the people who have been staying strong to protect the Kimberley. “I feel passionate that this place should be preserved for generations to come and the pristine natural environment preserved.” “The resolve in the community from the indigenous and non-indigenous alike is growing stronger by the day and it’s very inspiring to see that three years in its only getting stronger, so it’s a great thing that’s going on here at the moment,” “Especially under the threat of compulsory acquisition, which Barnett has threatened, I think it’s more important than ever to make sure these very scary precedents are not set now.”   John told supporters and media that he has visited the Kimberley many times and will be back again. He is a long time friend of Traditional Law Boss and Custodian of the James Price Point area and of other members of the Goolarabooloo.   Mr Roe referred to his open letter to the browse joint venture and his approaches to the Department of Indigenous affairs outlining his concerns about damage to registered sacred sites and removal of artifacts.   The blockade holds strong and your support is needed. If you are interested in traveling to the Kimberley to help out look at http://kimberleydirectaction.wordpress.com/ Want to help Save The Kimberley? http://www.givenow.com.au/savethekimberley or look at what can I do to help and how to write a letter on this site.   Media: John Butler joins Kimberley gas protest – ABC Musicians join gas hub protesters – Sydney morning herald John Butler joins Broome gas hub protest – Perth Now John Butler joins Broome gas hub protest – Nine msn Butler lends voice to Kimberley protest – The West Australian   Photos: Video:     Media release: ROCKING THE PINDAN DAWN Media Alert from the community of Broome in The Kimberley, WA. 15 minutes drive north of Broome this morning Friday 17/06/11 THE KIMBERLEY THIS MORNING is the focus of a blockade swelling now with Broome residents and tourists to The Kimberley. Musician John Butler has swagged it overnight, spending a cold desert night, with a bright moon and John singing songs alongside protestors’. BACKGROUND Musician John Butler has flown from his home in Perth overnight to join the blockade preventing any clearing by Woodside of heritage sites and virgin bushland at the site north of Broome for a proposed gas hub. The campers have a blockade at the Manari road turnoff to James Price Point (Walmadan) off the Cape Leveque Road, north of Broome. They are into their 11th day successfully preventing works at the site of a controversial plan by the WA Premier, to build an onshore gas plant. They are calling on the Federal and State Governments to stop clearing works and to permit discussion and assessment of viable alternatives proposed by the business partners’ with leases to extract Browse Basin Gas ( including offshore LNG processing recently announced by SHELL and piping south to the Pilbara *see SHELL website). Several years ago John Butler met his wife, Mama Kin singer, Danielle Caruana, living at the controversial site and is this morning back there with his family friend, Joseph Roe, law boss for the Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr Country. They will be talking to everyone about Joseph’s open letter to Government and the joint venture partners Woodside, SHELL, BHP and Chevron. The letter asks why the works have commenced at least a year prior to any final investment decision to proceed with the gas refinery. It also challenges why the works are necessary before any environmental and other Government approvals. As recently as last month, the Heritage Council recommended listing of dinosaur trackways running along the entire coast at the site of the proposed gas hub and its associated jetty structures and plans for mass dredging. And the letter asks to have explained why it is appropriate and democratic given the WA Supreme Court has yet to decide a legal case arguing that the WA Governments notices to compulsorily acquire the land are invalid. In such circumstances, Mr Roe argues it is unnecessarily distressing for Woodside to pursue the works at this time, when there is still no deal or approvals for the gas plant and thus no certainty that the works are even necessary. Mr Roe is the aboriginal law boss for the area and says he has not been shown the correct permits usually registered under heritage act guidelines. Mr Roe has asked Federal Minister Burke to intervene and stop the works.