Kingston, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Kingston is a suburb of Logan City
, Queensland
, Australia
. Kingston is a predominantly residential suburb, with a low mix of commercial and retail areas. It is the home of the Kingston Butter Factory. Kingston was also the site of an environmental disaster similar to Love Canal
in Niagara Falls
in the USA.
provides access to regular Citytrain
services to Brisbane and Beenleigh
.
The predominantly low-socio-economic population of Kingston is a mix of Polynesian
, New Zealander and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds. Since the South East Queensland housing boom of 2003, Kingston has been revitalised somewhat, with the rate of owner-occupied residents steadily increasing, resulting in a slight increase in socio-economic status.
Disaster, the Kingston toxic waste story began in 1931 when cyanide
and other toxins such as acid waste used in the Mount Taylor gold refining process were disposed of around the mine site.
When the mine closed in 1954, the Albert Shire Council started to allow used recycled oil processing wastes to be dumped into a sludge pit on the site; this practice continued until 1967. From 1968 to 1973 the main open-cut pit was used as a domestic and industrial waste tip.
In 1968 the council required the sludge pit to be filled as a condition of the land being divided for a residential subdivision. Workers simply moved the displaced sludge and re-dumped it into the open-cut pit.
In September 1986 residents, in the Diamond street area of Kingston, started to notice black sludge beginning to ooze from the ground and seep into their gardens and began to complain of health problems to the Logan Council. (p4) By April 1987 the council was warning people to avoid the sludge. Surrounding soils and ground-water were also found to be contaminated.
In May 1987, frustrated with the council inaction, the residents of Kingston formed an organisation called RATS (Residents Against Toxic Substances). Because of increased leukaemia and other diseases in Kingston, they condemned the council and demanded action. Kingston residents could not afford a costly civil action so the went to the media and began a self-funded civic action.
government would rehabilitate the site and pay for families to be moved away.
Eventually the state government resumed 46 properties and rehabilitated the area completing 1991, which is known as Kingston Park. (p4) The people of Kingston were moved on, Mount Taylor was sealed and landscaped, but no compensation came for residents reported illnesses and deaths (Some place the figure at six deaths due to leukemia). The final medical report found no evidence of "a major toxic hazard" in Kingston but recognised the "stress on a number of residents because of the uncertainty". Kingston residents finally could not prove that dumped toxic chemicals caused leukaemia or any other disease.
The total cost of this operation to date, including relocating infrastructure, the engineering required to seal the site and on-going monitoring, is approximately $8 million. (pg6)
Logan City, Queensland
Logan City is a Local Government Area in South East Queensland, Australia. The city is situated between the City of Brisbane to the north and Gold Coast to the south. The city also borders the Scenic Rim, the City of Ipswich and Redland City....
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Kingston is a predominantly residential suburb, with a low mix of commercial and retail areas. It is the home of the Kingston Butter Factory. Kingston was also the site of an environmental disaster similar to Love Canal
Love Canal
Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, located in the white collar LaSalle section of the city. It officially covers 36 square blocks in the far southeastern corner of the city, along 99th Street and Read Avenue...
in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
in the USA.
Transport
Kingston railway stationKingston railway station, Brisbane
Kingston is a railway station on the Beenleigh Line of Brisbane, Australia. It is part of the Queensland Rail City network. It is in a transition precinct between Zone 5 and Zone 6 of the TransLink integrated public transport system.-Service:...
provides access to regular Citytrain
CityTrain
Citytrain is the brand name of urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. Its network, centering in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is approximately in route length...
services to Brisbane and Beenleigh
Beenleigh, Queensland
Beenleigh is a suburb in the Logan City area of Queensland, Australia. Beenleigh and adjoining suburbs are located near the confluence of the Logan and Albert rivers...
.
History
Dairying grew in importance in the area from the 1890s and in 1906 a meeting was held in Beenleigh to form a co-operative butter factory locally. The Southern Queensland Co-operative Dairy Company opened its factory in Kingston in June 1907. A piggery was established nearby in 1926 and pigs were fed on the buttermilk from the factory. The Butter Factory was enlarged in 1932 and operated successfully until after the war, when the dairying industry was being rationalised by the government. Peters bought the factory in 1958 and it ceased production in 1983. It now operates as a community arts centre and houses a theatre, arts and crafts stall and museum.Kingston Gold Mine
The other major industrial activity of the area was the Kingston gold mine at Mount Taylor. Although gold was discovered in 1885, a geological survey was not undertaken until 1913 and underground mining began. In 1932, the Kingston Gold Mining Company began an open cut operation and mining continued until 1954. The area became an unofficial waste dump. It was eventually backfilled and subdivided into a housing estate in the late 1960s. (page57)The predominantly low-socio-economic population of Kingston is a mix of Polynesian
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
, New Zealander and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds. Since the South East Queensland housing boom of 2003, Kingston has been revitalised somewhat, with the rate of owner-occupied residents steadily increasing, resulting in a slight increase in socio-economic status.
The beginning
In a tale startlingly similar to the Love CanalLove Canal
Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, located in the white collar LaSalle section of the city. It officially covers 36 square blocks in the far southeastern corner of the city, along 99th Street and Read Avenue...
Disaster, the Kingston toxic waste story began in 1931 when cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
and other toxins such as acid waste used in the Mount Taylor gold refining process were disposed of around the mine site.
When the mine closed in 1954, the Albert Shire Council started to allow used recycled oil processing wastes to be dumped into a sludge pit on the site; this practice continued until 1967. From 1968 to 1973 the main open-cut pit was used as a domestic and industrial waste tip.
In 1968 the council required the sludge pit to be filled as a condition of the land being divided for a residential subdivision. Workers simply moved the displaced sludge and re-dumped it into the open-cut pit.
The problems start
In 1982, after the Logan Council took over the area, it discovered high levels of acid in the soil.In September 1986 residents, in the Diamond street area of Kingston, started to notice black sludge beginning to ooze from the ground and seep into their gardens and began to complain of health problems to the Logan Council. (p4) By April 1987 the council was warning people to avoid the sludge. Surrounding soils and ground-water were also found to be contaminated.
In May 1987, frustrated with the council inaction, the residents of Kingston formed an organisation called RATS (Residents Against Toxic Substances). Because of increased leukaemia and other diseases in Kingston, they condemned the council and demanded action. Kingston residents could not afford a costly civil action so the went to the media and began a self-funded civic action.
The fight and the result
It took 4 years of fighting the council and local governments for the residents of Kingston to be vindicated when the Minister for Emergency Services, Terry Mackenroth, ordered a review of all scientific and medical evidence, offered full health tests for residents and announced the Wayne GossWayne Goss
Wayne Keith Goss was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996.-Early life:He was born at Mundubbera, Queensland and educated at Inala High School and the University of Queensland...
government would rehabilitate the site and pay for families to be moved away.
Eventually the state government resumed 46 properties and rehabilitated the area completing 1991, which is known as Kingston Park. (p4) The people of Kingston were moved on, Mount Taylor was sealed and landscaped, but no compensation came for residents reported illnesses and deaths (Some place the figure at six deaths due to leukemia). The final medical report found no evidence of "a major toxic hazard" in Kingston but recognised the "stress on a number of residents because of the uncertainty". Kingston residents finally could not prove that dumped toxic chemicals caused leukaemia or any other disease.
The total cost of this operation to date, including relocating infrastructure, the engineering required to seal the site and on-going monitoring, is approximately $8 million. (pg6)
The end?
Although the Mount Taylor site was capped, sealed and vented in 1991, no toxic waste was removed. Some former residents believe there is still a major toxic hazard that lies buried and waiting under the ground at Kingston.External links
- University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Kingston
- A brief history of Logan http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/about-logan/history/a-brief-history-of-logan
- A history of Mining in Logan http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/7329/richinhistory-mining.pdf
- Logan City map
- Pictures of the Kingston mine circa 1960s http://www.treasureenterprises.com/Gold%20Prospecting%20Information/gold_prospecting_locations_Queensland.htm#KINGSTON%20GOLD%20MINE