i30 Owners Club

OFF TOPIC => WORLD NEWS => General => Topic started by: rustynutz on May 17, 2015, 09:10:35

Title: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: rustynutz on May 17, 2015, 09:10:35

FOR more than two decades Wittenoom in WA’s Pilbara region was a mining stronghold. 
 
The small country town which lies around 1400kms northeast of Perth was also, at one stage, the only place in Australia that produced blue asbestos.

But when demand for the deadly mineral began to wane and fears of serious health concerns began to emerge, the operation was shut down in 1966.

However it was another decade before authorities realised the blue dust that swept throughout the town was extremely hazardous.

And it was a further three before the WA Government officially declared Wittenoom a contaminated site.

Despite this, three residents remain, determined to keep living in a town that officially doesn’t exist.

Read more: :link: Wittenoom: The push to clean up asbestos contaminated town (http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/geotechnical-work-to-begin-in-wittenoom-to-determine-how-to-clean-up-the-contaminated-site/story-e6frflp0-1227357836076)

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: Dazzler on May 17, 2015, 09:24:23

Thanks Rusty, I'd heard of it but didn't know the full story..  :cool:

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: Doggie 1 on May 17, 2015, 09:33:32

I've been there in the days it was fully operational.
Sue and her siblings used to play in the asbestos dust tailings as kids.    :Shocked:

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: Dazzler on May 17, 2015, 09:36:26

Quote from: Doggie 1 on May 17, 2015, 09:33:32

I've been there in the days it was fully operational.
Sue and her siblings used to play in the asbestos dust tailings as kids.    :Shocked:

 :faint:

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: rustynutz on May 17, 2015, 10:05:25

 :whsaid:

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: Doggie 1 on May 17, 2015, 10:10:34

When she was young, Sue's dad was a policeman in Tom Price and they used to visit police friends in Wittenoom back in the day.
I remember back in 1979 being charged $25 for a puncture repair in my Falcon XC ute in Wittenoom, which was very expensive!
But I remember the garage owner saying to me, "Take it or leave it."
It was all gravel roads back then and hundreds of kilometres to the next place so I had to pay it.   :lol:

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: Dazzler on May 17, 2015, 10:18:22

Quote from: Doggie 1 on May 17, 2015, 10:10:34

When she was young, Sue's dad was a policeman in Tom Price and they used to visit police friends in Wittenoom back in the day.
I remember back in 1979 being charged $25 for a puncture repair in my Falcon XC ute in Wittenoom, which was very expensive!
But I remember the garage owner saying to me, "Take it or leave it."
It was all gravel roads back then and hundreds of kilometres to the next place so I had to pay it.   :lol:

He was probably saving up for his early retirement...  :whistler: :sweating:

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: Doggie 1 on May 17, 2015, 10:22:09

Quote from: Dazzler on May 17, 2015, 10:18:22

Quote from: Doggie 1 on May 17, 2015, 10:10:34

When she was young, Sue's dad was a policeman in Tom Price and they used to visit police friends in Wittenoom back in the day.
I remember back in 1979 being charged $25 for a puncture repair in my Falcon XC ute in Wittenoom, which was very expensive!
But I remember the garage owner saying to me, "Take it or leave it."
It was all gravel roads back then and hundreds of kilometres to the next place so I had to pay it.   :lol:

He was probably saving up for his early retirement...  :whistler: :sweating:

Or his medication.

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: Dazzler on May 18, 2015, 11:27:46

True! :undecided:

Title: Re: Wittenoom, the deadly town that doesn’t exist...
Post by: The Gonz on May 18, 2015, 15:28:53

 :whistler:

(click to show/hide)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCgP-6mzz00