The daughter of the last resident of Wittenoom, the site of a former blue asbestos mine, says she hopes other families don’t have to go through the stress caused by her 80-year-old mother’s eviction.
Key Points:
- Aileen Thomas says Lands Minister John Carey had no compassion in evicting her mother of 40 from her home.
- The WA Government is demolishing every building in the city to protect people from asbestos
- A state government spokesman has described the eviction of Wittenoom’s last resident as ‘voluntary’
Aileen Thomas said authorities arrived at her door in Port Hedland on Thursday to inform her that her mother Lorraine was being removed from her home that day.
“She was driven by someone she didn’t know and was confused and bewildered about what was happening in her home,” he said.
The WA Government has been acquiring the last properties in the defunct Pilbara town since March, with plans to demolish all remaining structures under the Wittenoom Closure Act.
Mrs Thomas and her mother, Lorraine, had started moving their belongings out of the house and said they only needed a couple more days to prepare to leave and say goodbye.
“We would have left home on Monday,” Mrs Thomas said.
Lorraine Thomas was taken to Port Hedland by the authorities. (Supplied)
She was disappointed with how the State Lands Minister, John Carey, handled her mother’s eviction.
“I just hope that he doesn’t have anybody that cares about him, if he ever gets to that position, where he has to do something like that,” she said.
“I thought a little more compassion would have gone a long way.”
Masked strangers took out Lorraine
Megan Woolford was passing through Wittenoom on Thursday during Lorraine’s eviction.
Officers asked her to stay away from the 80-year-old’s property and she parked down the road from Lorraine’s home.
He said he saw at least eight people there to remove the resident, with others at a decontamination site outside the city.
Megan Woolford says the people who evicted Lorraine were wearing full body protective gear, similar to this one. (Supplied: Jake Hamilton/File Photo)
“There was a white van full of people parked right in front of his house, there was also an ambulance two, maybe three, houses away,” he said.
“They must have been worried about how an 80-year-old woman would react to what was happening.
“They were wearing protective gear, their heads were covered, their faces were completely covered.”
Mrs Woolford believed the sudden arrival of masked strangers would have been very distressing for Mrs Thomas.
“There were two men in their full protective gear, one went to one side of the property and the other went around the other side of the property,” he said.
“I don’t think I would want my grandmother or a family member to be treated this way.”
State government says eviction was ‘voluntary’
Lands Minister John Carey has previously described tourists visiting the area as “idiots”. (ABC News: James Carmody)
During the passing of the Wittenoom Closure Act, Lands Minister John Carey said the demolition of the town was key to protecting people from asbestos.
Carey was not available for comment on Lorraine Thomas’ eviction. Instead, the ABC received a statement from a State Government spokesman, in which she described Ms Thomas as “voluntarily” vacated from the premises.
“There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, which is why the state government passed the Wittenoom Closure Act 2022, with the intention of removing the remaining structures on the town site, ensuring that there will be nothing to visit in Wittenoom. Asbestos Management Area,” they said.
“The remaining resident was given an extension from June 17, 2022 to August 31, 2022 to vacate.
“Subsequently, the neighborhood received an eviction notice on September 8 and voluntarily left the premises.”
But daughter Aileen said her mother was bewildered and confused by her eviction.
In his opinion, the removal of his mother was unnecessary.
“I still don’t see the point,” he said.
“Regardless of anyone living there, there will still be people going through the city, or the city site, or the area.”