Australian Pesticides Map

1974 October: ‘As I drove my children to school the spray plane emptied out a load of spray in the area along the Albert River and the road and there was a fine white mist all over my car and windscreen and I had to use washers and windscreen wipers so as to see where I was driving. Aerial contractors came into Hiawatha area on October 18, 1974 looking for aerial spraying contracts and on October 21st 1974 I wrote to them and told them that I strongly resented any aerial spraying of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T near our property but on October 28th 1974 at 4:30 pm they started aerial spraying on property lower down the Madalya Road approx. 2 or 3 miles away and sprayed for one a a half hours. Almost immediately we got the drift as there was a south-east breeze blowing directly from the sprayed area towards ours and Miss Woollard’s properties.

1974 October: Plantation Spraying Strzelecki Ranges: Pesticides: 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D.

,

“SUBMISSION PESTICIDES IN SOUTH GIPPSLAND  4 OCTOBER 1985

P14 “ . . . The following is an extract from a submission by *** *** documenting her case history linked to spray drift.

‘As I drove my children to school the spray plane emptied out a load of spray in the area along the Albert River and the road and there was a fine white mist all over my car and windscreen and I had to use washers and windscreen wipers so as to see where I was driving. Aerial contractors came into Hiawatha area on October 18, 1974 looking for aerial spraying contracts and on October 21st 1974 I wrote to them and told them that I strongly resented any aerial spraying of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T near our property but on October 28th 1974 at 4:30 pm they started aerial spraying on property lower down the Madalya Road approx. 2 or 3 miles away and sprayed for one a a half hours. Almost immediately we got the drift as there was a south-east breeze blowing directly from the sprayed area towards ours and Miss Woollard’s properties.

Once again I’d replanted my garden and just got tomatoes etc. and spring flowers growing well. While the aerial spraying was being carried out I spent all the time in the garden watering down shrubs and plants hoping to save them. What I didn’t realize at the time was just what the spray could do to me.

Three days later I had to go to Dr. Martin in Yarram with a severe rash. My face burnt and stung like a severe sunburn and looked like a dried up paper bag with a rash. Twice now since that time I have had to have pre-cancerous cells burnt from my face and neck. This, I might add, means each time a month of most shocking pain and discmfort plus not being able to go out in public.”

https://hancockwatch.nfshost.com/docs/yarramabnormalities.htm#southgippsland