NSW town fights McD's/Worldwide anti-McDonald's Day, Wednesday 16 October

[Guest guest]

Date 20:42 Oct 13

Subject LIBERATE: Worldwide anti-McDonald's Day, Wednesday 16 October

 

An email to rs of the Animal Liberation NSW mailing list

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MOUNTAINS AGAINST McDONALD'S BEGINS - SOS TO THE WORLD!

 

Hundreds of concerned residents took part in a community photo last Sunday

at the proposed site for a drive-through McDonald's, in the heart of

Katoomba's local cafe culture. They represent a cross-section of the

community who believe the Upper Blue Mountains is special and should be a

" Mac-free Zone " .

 

Over the last few years there have been several attempts by McDonald's to

gain a foothold in the World Heritage-listed Upper Blue Mountains.

An active

community and a certain degree of good luck have kept them at bay.

The scale of this current proposal (which has yet to go before BMCC as a

Development

 

Application) means we must DRAW ON THE WORLD COMMUNITY FOR SUPPORT.

 

" We chose to move our young family to Katoomba away from Sydney because we

loved the fact that Katoomba village still had character. It will certainly

lose all its uniqueness and join the ranks of the ugly, with McDonald's

at its centre " said Katie Noakes, a South Katoomba resident and community

photo participant.

 

Participants were also asked to fax/write to McDonald's headquarters in

Australia on Worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day, on Wednesday 16 October.

 

THEY ARE ALSO ASKING THE WORLD COMMUNITY TO SEND A FAX to McDonald's

Headquarters in Sydney Australia by dialling (your country's prefix + 2

+98756565) or writing to: McDonald's Australia, Administration Office,

21-29 Central Avenue, THORNLEIGH 2120 , SYDNEY AUSTRALIA.

 

The proposed McDonald'9s juggernaut threatens Katoomba's unique sense of

place, as McDonald's may acquire not only a petrol station, but possibly

a streetscape, on Waratah Street to develop a drive-through facility and car

park, at THE MOST DIFFICULT TO NEGOTIATE AND CONGESTED INTERSECTION IN

Katoomba.

 

The negative impact on Katoomba's numerous cafes and restaurants would be

profound. There's only so much money circulating in a community. Any doll

are spent at McDonald's would be money taken away from small business and

out

of the community.

 

As McDonald's derive much of their sales from drive-through, with this

facility comes the risk of enormous amounts of ADDITIONAL litter generated

from the site travelling far and wide throughout the World Heritage

National Park. And any litter that is collected will most likely end up in

Katoomba's landfill, which currently only has a life-expectancy

of 5-10 years -- a lose-lose situation.

 

There are few unique places where multi-national fast food chains have yet

to proliferate. The Upper Blue Mountains is one such place. Mountains

Against McDonald's would like to suggest to McDonald's Corporation that

they adopt a policy to leave places like Byron Bay, Port Douglas and

Katoomba etc as SANCTUARIES from their quest for market saturation.

 

" Vocal and vigilant communities in Byron Bay and Port Douglas have kept the

golden arches and their kind at bay. In Katoomba we can do the same.

However, as we are also a World Heritage area, in ensuing months

MAM will be calling on the world community for support " , said James Waugh,

a MAM spokesperson.

 

Any enquiries about MAM's work can be directed to: MAM

 

 

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