By Patrice Fidgeon
Pictures: Ross Coffey
Rebecca, her husband Richard and their son Zac are willing to fight to save the piece of paradise they call home in Tasmania…
When Packed To The Rafters star Rebecca Gibney moved to Tasmania six-and-a-half years ago, she hoped she would find a haven in which to relax. Little did she realise her idyllic dream home was under threat from an environmentally unfriendly eyesore set to be built in the beautiful river valley which the family call home.
Since then, Rebecca and her husband Richard Bell, along with countless thousands of pulp mill opponents, have campaigned for close to four years against the establishment of a pulp mill in the rolling green hills of the Tamar valley in which their mesmerisingly beautiful property sits.
Opponents of the proposal to build one of the world’s largest chlorine bleaching pulp mills, claim that not only would it spoil the area’s natural beauty, it would add to pollution, consume native forest and use billions of litres of precious water each year. It would also pollute the waters of Bass Strait and the Tamar River, and in doing so, affect tourism.
Passionate about their local environment, Rebecca, Richard and their peers have devoted hours to lobbying, on rare occasions being intimidated and abused by a small but angry pro-mill minority. Now, however, the family and their local community appear to be coming close to winning the fight. But it has come at a cost.
“Whenever you voice your opinion on something, you always know you’ll come up against people who look to discredit you. And that’s fine. But it got a bit personal. I was vilified in the press because I’d taken a stand,” Rebecca tells Woman’s Day exclusively.
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