Friends accused of bad intentions
THEY call themselves the Friends of Mt Archer - a group formed to encourage greater use and better care of Rockhampton's most iconic natural feature.
But Anne O'connor believes they aren't friends but foes of the mountain and she's started a petition calling for the group to be suspended.
The Rockhampton resident says she believes the group wants to commercialise the national park and run events that will disturb wildlife and spoil the mountain's tranquillity.
She attended the inaugural meeting of the group and was appalled at ideas being suggested such as fun runs, king of mountain, turkey runs and abseiling.
"These things would bring hundreds of people to the mountain, where would they park?
"We have no toilets or facilities for such events.
"I cannot image the effect these events would have on the mountain," she said.
Ms O'connor's petition calls for Rockhampton Regional Council to withdraw support for the group and withhold any funding until it could be proved that it had community support.
"The mountain is not a vacant space waiting for commercial activity to give it purpose.
"It has a purpose in its own right; it is a national park area for native fauna and flora," she said.
The group was formed by volunteers and includes enthusiastic walkers, cyclists and environmentalists.
Although The Morning Bulletin could not contact anyone from the Friends yesterday to comment on the petition, it had previously stated a desire to work with the council to beautify the mountain and improve facilities for those who visit the park.
Cr Graeme Brady, who played a role in encouraging people to join the Friends, said the idea was to help keep the area clean and beautiful by taking ownership of the public areas to assist the council to maintain it to the highest standards.
One long-term aim is to extend the Frenchville walking path to the summit.
