Meredith Stanton, David Mcrae and Jane St Vincent Welch faced Coffs Harbour Local Court on Monday, 17 February, to fight on-the-spot fines of $200 received while protesting on private land at an entrance to Clouds Creek State Forest, an area slated for logging by the NSW Forestry Corporation.

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The protesters obstructed Forestry Corporation vehicles entering the Horseshoe Fire Trail at Billys Creek in January 2024.

This location off the Armidale Road is the site of the ‘Glider Reviver’ vigil, where community members opposed to the logging of Clouds Creek have gathered every day for over a year to prevent the start of forestry operations.

The protest began on 8 January 2024, with a focus on the protection of koalas and greater gliders living inside the proposed Great Koala National Park.

Magistrate Julia Virgo upheld the police-issued fines and imposed criminal convictions on each defendant.

The trio maintain their actions were non-violent.

One of the codefendants, Jane St Vincent Welch, has just released a documentary on the Clouds Creek vigil, and was filming for the project when she received her fine.

“I accept my fine but not this criminal conviction as we are endeavouring to save and preserve rather than destroy this forest,” she said.

“I feel that it is unjust and out of proportion to our supposed ‘crime’.”

Another codefendant, Meredith Stanton, is the volunteer coordinator of the Blicks River Guardians and has led the campaign at Clouds Creek.

She was back protesting at Billys Creek a day after her conviction.

“We believe the magistrate has erred in her judgement in this case,” Ms Stanton said.

“Standing up for nature is not a crime.”

She said the trio plans to appeal the criminal convictions in the District Court.

“We feel our peaceful public protest is a democratic right in this country.

“It would have been simple to pay the $200 fine, avoiding a criminal record,” she said.

“But the issue of logging endangered species habitats is a matter of great public interest and defending our actions in a court of law, refusing to accept the destruction of local forests and standing up for nature against laws that criminalise public protest is a duty to our democratic society and all future generations.”