Woman threatened for dam views

Efforts to save the Mary River from flooding turned ugly when a woman shopper displaying a pro-dam sticker on her vehicle was threatened by an aggressive male opposed to the Traveston Crossing project.

Maree James had just dropped her two children off at school and was shopping at the Cooroy IGA when she was confronted by a man who thrust a phone camera in her face and took a photograph.

The agitated dam opponent had been waiting outside after spotting a sticker that read Dam Jobs Now.

“It was a pretty terrible thing to go through – I kept telling myself don’t make eye contact and don’t say anything,” Maree said. “I don’t know for sure, but I felt if he threw one punch he would not stop.”

The dam rager accused her of being “scum” for putting “s... like that on her car”.

As Maree was accosted, the man said he would have done her over if she had been a man.

And then he threatened to do exactly that if he saw her again with that sticker on her car.

Maree said she had forgotten her husband’s car had the sticker on it.

They were living in the Mary Valley and were bought out by the state government to make way for the dam.

“My husband went to the first dam rally and came home and said ‘I think this is going to happen’.”

So they decided that they would sell up early and get on with their lives.

Maree said she had taken the stance that if the dam went ahead, the surrounding communities might as well get something out of it.

“I’d like to see locals getting dam jobs. There are opportunities here for unemployed people to register and learn new skills like fencing.”

Maree said she had been unsettled by the abusive encounter.

Maree said she went to a local hotel on Tuesday to watch the Melbourne Cup and was fairly nervous at first.

Family friend John Ansell was livid that a woman should be treated like that for just holding a certain view.

“It was a very frightening experience for her and she is appalled that she would be threatened in such a way for quietly expressing an opinion,” Mr Ansell said.

“It would appear that it is okay for dam protesters to have an opinion, but that it is not okay for those who agree with the proposal to express an opinion.”

The sticker is part of a pro-dam lobby behind the www.Traveston JobsNow.com.au website.

Mr Ansell said the website was sponsored by local business people who believed there would be economic benefits to flow from a federal government approval of the divisive dam.

He said the confrontation was witnessed by two other people and the matter had been reported to police.

“The man is of thin build, is in his 30s or 40s and has sandy, almost reddish coloured hair,” Mr Ansell said.

Sgt Mal Scott, of Cooroy Police, said Maree was visibly shaken after the incident. He said that such threatening behaviour was an offence.

“I know that people’s feelings are running pretty high out here at the moment, but there is no excuse for this sort of behaviour,” Sgt Scott said.