Beyond Frontier - 10. BF Chapter 10

Mathew woke me up at 0800 hours, and informed me that we had a small boat approaching from Barrow Island. I jumped out of bed and quickly dressed, before making my way downstairs to the research office, where the letter from the government was kept, before heading to the aft, just as the boat arrived. “You are illegally trespassing, and not authorised to be in this area,” the man on the deck stated, as the boat came beside the vessel.

“That, sir, is an incorrect statement,” I replied as I reached over and handed the letter to the man.

“An identical letter is being presented to your head office in Perth this morning,” I added as I watched the man read the letter.

“Until I can verify this, you are to move away from the region,” the man commanded me, and I laughed.

“Sir, we have been in the area for the past three days, and we are staying put, and there is nothing you can do about it,” I replied to the man who was looking really pissed off. He screwed up the letter and threw it back to me. I caught the crumpled letter while the man stormed off, ordering their pilot to return to Barrow Island.

“Well, that went really well,” Simon said as he stepped up beside me.

“Really well I think,” I responded and we both laughed, as we headed back inside. I stepped into the research office, and straightened out the letter, before placing a heavy book on top of it, and then following Simon to the dining area for breakfast. As we entered everyone stood up, which caught me by surprise a little, and I saw Simon smile.

“As you were, thank-you,” I responded as I sat down at a separate table with Simon and Mathew. Finn delivered cups of tea to us.

“So, what do we do now that the letter has been delivered?” Mathew asked me.

“We continue as planned, with no delays,” I replied, as Anna and Paul sat down across from us.

“That is good to hear. We have done too much preparation to stop it now,” Paul said to me.

Once breakfast was completed, the research team headed to the research workshop, which now included Mathew as medic and mini-sub operator. We had the students split into three groups, with Paul, Anna and I each leading a group, as we set tasks for each group to collect samples from the island.

One group concentrated on taking air samples, another on taking water samples, and the last group on taking soil samples all of which were to be taken back to the vessel for analysing just before lunch time. Analysing happened once everyone had eaten. Both work rooms were in full operation as the students spent most of the afternoon recording results of tests on all of the samples.

After a short discussion, we decided to retire for the night and wait and see what happened in the morning. I headed down to the galley to check on the crew. “Hey skipper, Finn has retired for the night, I am staying up to provide drinks and snacks where required. I will head to bed at midnight,” Rebecca said to me when I appeared in the dining area.

“That is fine. I will see you in the morning,” I said with a smile, as I headed up to my cabin, where Mathew was waiting for me.

“I’ve been thinking. The bunk benches in the multi-use room are high enough to fit a couple of lounge suites, so we could turn it into a crew lounge. We could add a television and a games system to keep the crew entertained in their spare time,” I said to Mathew once I had entered the cabin and closed the door.

“That would be awesome. When can we do that?” Mathew asked me.

“As soon as we get back to Exmouth. There is a home furniture and goods store there,” I replied, as I prepared for bed.

The following morning after a quick shower and change into a fresh uniform, Mathew and I headed down to the dining area for breakfast, where just the crew were all present. Glancing at the wall clock, I saw it read 0652 hours, so I presumed that the guests were not up yet. When I heard an approaching vessel, Simon and I looked at each other, before jumping up and racing to the aft of the vessel, where one officer was on high alert. Glancing around, I eventually spotted the second officer on the mid-deck with a rifle in hand.

“Let’s wait and see what they want first, before we start a war, thankyou gentlemen,” I said loud enough for both of them to hear me. Seconds later the officer on the mid-deck was using his mobile to call someone, whom I presumed would be the Federal Minister, just as the smaller vessel slowed and came alongside the RV Beyond Frontier.

“Good morning, sir. What can I do for you today?” I said in a calm and polite manner to a man that I had not met before, and who looked important.

“Yes, you can clear off out of this region, and not come back,” the man said to me.

“And what gives you the authority to demand this?” I replied.

“He is on his way,” Simon whispered to me, and I nodded my head and smiled.

“I am the operations manager of this facility, and you have no authorisation to be here,” the man replied.

“Well I am sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I have a guest on board, who gives me the full authority to be here,” I replied.

“If you think that a letter from the state premier gives you permission, then you are wrong, this is …,” the man started to say. He stopped when he saw the Federal Minister appear from under the canopy.

“Mr Kingsley, do you know who I am?” the minister asked.

“No, but I am certain you may tell me,” the man replied feeling that he was going to win this argument, just as the AFP officer appeared from out of the shadows, with his hand sitting on the butt of his revolver.

“I suggest that you show some respect when you are addressing a federal minister of the crown,” the officer stated to the project manager.

“May I introduce the Honourable Federal Environment Minister, Mr Charles Denton, and WA State Minister of Environment, Mr Kyle Matheson. The two armed officers present are from the Australian Federal Police,” I announced with a big smile.

“Thank-you, Mr Hamilton. Now, Mr Kingsley, you are to escort us onto the island, where we will be doing a thorough tour, without any hindrance. Do I make myself very clear on this matter,” the federal minister stated to the shocked island project manager.

“Check Mate,” I heard Simon whisper beside me, and I saw the two ministers smile too, as they must have heard him.

“Y…yes, sir. Please step aboard,” the island manager replied.

I turned to Simon. “You have the bridge. See you later on,” I said to him, before following the two ministers, two officers, and Dr Carrington, who had just arrived in time. After a short trip to the main wharf of the island, we disembarked where two vehicles were waiting. Dr Carrington, the WA state minister and one officer took the first vehicle, while the federal minister, one officer and I took the second vehicle.

As we began our tour, I looked at the speedometer, which read 65 km’s per hour, which I thought was a little too fast. When we narrowly missed a wallaby that crossed the road I asked the driver,“What is the allowable speed for vehicles on this island?”

“There is no set speed, but it is recommended that we go no higher than 65, sir,” the driver replied. Over the next three hours, we travelled all over the island, some of it on sealed roads, the rest on gravel. We stopped at the different locations throughout the island where the company was operational.

Once we had finished the tour, we returned to the wharf, where the gas project vessel took us back to the RV Beyond Frontier. It was only when the vessel was out of hearing range, that the ministers said anything since leaving the island. “I do not know what the Premier at the time was thinking, but he was a bloody idiot. I need to have a look at the Barrow Island Act of 2003, to remind me what it contains,” the state environment minister said as we went inside.

Once we were seated in the dining area, Finn delivered plenty of ice cold drinks, and sandwiches, as most of us had missed breakfast. “Simon, can you ensure that we have total privacy for the next hour or so. No interruptions unless the vessel is sinking,” I said to my best friend. On hearing this Finn and Lisa followed Simon and the two officers out of the room, so there was just the two ministers, Dr Carrington and myself.

“Mr Hamilton, I have been informed that you are a zoologist and marine scientist, and that as well as providing the vessel, you were involved in gathering all of the data that Dr Carrington showed us in Perth. Is that correct?” the federal minister asked me.

“That is correct, sir. I also have a Master’s degree in environmental science,” I replied.

“That is good. Now tell me, what are your views on what we saw on the island this morning?” the federal minister asked me.

“Well, sir, just between us, I agree on your statement about the minister at the time who drew up this agreement. I cannot fathom what he was thinking to allow gas mining and production onto the island. I also think there are a number of concerns. Firstly, when Mathew, that is my mini-sub driver, did that sweep up the west coast of the island, there are clear signs of coral bleaching, and damage to the sea grasses, and also a significant reduction on numbers of marine life in that area.

The water tests we did also show high amounts of carbon dioxide in the water, which could be the reason for my earlier statement. In addition, vehicle movements on the island are at an unacceptably high speed, which we saw nearly killed a wallaby, and lastly, I am not sure what amount of land they are permitted to use, but I will bet they are using a lot more than was originally set in the agreement,” I stated.

“I would like to agree on all of those points. This company has got away with blue murder as far as I am concerned, and they need to be pulled into line,” Dr Carrington stated.

“Well, under the original petroleum act of 1936, which is a federal bill, I too have a say in this, even though it is the WA Barrow Island act of 2003 that covers the current operations on the island. If I recall, the act was amended twice. The first was in 2015 to extend their area from 300 hectares to 332 hectares. So, what we really need to do is get an aerial survey done of the island to work out exactly how much area they are using.

Regarding the speed of vehicles, I agree with you Mr Hamilton, and I would like to recommend to my WA colleague here, not only to put a reduced speed limit on the sealed roads, but to stop all vehicle movements on non-sealed roads all together, plus a no go zone for all vehicles and personnel, in a straight line east west from 50 metres above the wharf to the northern tip of the island, and 2.5 kilometres of the western side of the island from that line, down to the bay at the bottom of the island,” the federal minister stated.

I saw the WA minister smile and nod his head in agreement, “That may have to be made as an amendment to the Barrow Island act, but in the meantime, I can put a temporary ban in place until we get it passed in parliament,” the state minister announced.

“Can I suggest that we go to the research office, where there are computers, so you may look up the Barrow Island act, and we can also use Google maps to work out the exact restrictions that we want to put into place,” I suggested.

A few minutes later we each were in front of a computer, with a separate task in hand, and within a few minutes I had a Google map of the island. I highlighted the area mentioned for a no go zone, and included all gravel roads. Once this was done I printed out an A3 size copy, and placed it on the central work table.

“Ok, under the Federal - Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, I have some say on this matter, as the Montebello Marine Park runs along the west coast of the island, which is where you did that mini-sub survey,” the federal minister announced.

“Under the WA State Marine Management Area of Barrow Island, I can take action. I have found on a quick search that two breeds of turtle nest on Barrow Islands beaches, and according the Atlas of Living Australia, there are hundreds of other animals and birds on the island,” the state environment minister stated. Seeing my printout, they studied it carefully.

“This is perfect. Well done, Mr Hamilton,” the federal minister said to me.

“Well, I think we are just about done here. How about we head back to Exmouth, and we can get back to Perth,” Dr Carrington stated, and the two ministers agreed.

“Very well, gentlemen, we will be back on the mainland in about four hours’ time,” I announced and I headed out of the room, and made my way to the bridge, where Simon and Mathew were chatting. It was when I looked at Mathew closer, that I realised that something was wrong.

“Mathew had a call from his mother in Perth. Apparently his father is very ill,” Simon explained to me.

“Well, in that case, can you set sail for Exmouth? Our guests have concluded their tour of the region. I will ask if they can have an extra passenger on their jet back to Perth,” I said as I stepped up to Mathew and wrapped him up in a tight hug. He burst into tears.

I knew that Mathew and his parents had not got on very well, since they learnt of our relationship. We had talked about visiting them to try and patch up the relationship between them, but we had become so busy, that it was put off to a later time. I led Mathew back to our cabin, and had him lie down. I stayed with him till he eventually fell asleep, before I went to look for the two ministers. I found them in the dining area, enjoying a cup of tea.