When I was in Canada back in 1955 the largest oilfield in North America and possibly the world at the time was 'discovered', the Drayton Valley Field It lay in a particularly poor part of western Alberta, an area that was covered in scrub spruce trees with poor soils, inhabited by poor homesteaders who scratched a living out of small holdings hacked from the surrounding scrub.

The oil companies had surveyed it seismologically a few years earlier and reported it to be of no value but then somebody in an oil company head office mixed up the plans and while trying to sort them out suddenly realised that it represented a dome so huge that it covered three prospects. The law in Canada gave any landowner the rights to all mineral wealth below his property unlike S.A. where all mineral rights are vested in the government. The oil companies accordingly set about buying up the mineral rights and made the various landowners measly offerings " just in case something turns up one day." The cash strapped homesteaders were only too pleased to get a small windfall for something they had been told did not exist and happily handed over their mineral rights.

This was carried out as a low key operation over a number of years but the moment all the mineral rights had been snapped up the rigs moved in and drilling for oil started in no time at all. Drayton Valley consisted of a store cum garage, a post office and about four houses but when I arrived there were some 5000 men living there and buildings were going up as fast as material could be obtained. A book could easily be written about all the goings on in the wild west boom town that was developing and the things that took place, they don't call oil field workers "rough necks' for nothing ?

So what does all this have to do with South Africa and specially Underberg ? To put it simply we could well be in the same position ourselves if we are not careful? It has been reported in the papers that the government has reneged on its commitment not to allow fracking until more is known about the consequences thereof and the go ahead has been given for it to commence in the Karoo despite a strong opposition from many different quarters. Nobody really knows what the implications will be and it is causing a real uproar in Texas where it is being carried out at the moment.

The pro fracking lobby maintain that conservation issues must take second place to the financial benefits but if it creates untold harm to water production as has been suggested amongst other problems this may prove to be a very short term advantage and when we talk of conservation we are not confining this to wild game etc. but to every landowner and all livestock too. I have heard on the grapevine that the government has issued a prospecting permit for an area starting at Harrismith and extending way south west of Underberg. Wherever there is money to be made greed will raise its ugly head and the oil companies aided and abetted by politicians are amongst the greediest of the lot as may be seen whenever you have to fill up you motorcar.

So don't feel complacent because it is on hold for now, you may well wake up one morning and find that your very livelihood is at stake which will also reflect on every other activity in the area. Let us all be aware and not let complacency destroy our lives and our beautiful area from under our very feet!

M. Clark