The Lake Pedder Action Committee (also known as the Lake Pedder Action Group) was a

Tasmanian Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th ...

environmental group.

1967

An earlier format was the ''Save Lake Pedder National Park Committee'' in 1967. In the early 1970s the state government of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, led by

Eric Reece Eric Elliott Reece, AC (6 July 190923 October 1999) was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975. His 13 years as premier remains the second longest in Tasmania's history, se ...

and its energy agency the

Hydro-Electric Commission Hydro Tasmania, formerly the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC), is a Tasmanian Government Government-owned corporation, business enterprise which is the main electricity generator in Tasmania, Australia. Originally oriented towards hydro-electric ...

, planned to dam the upper

Gordon River The Gordon River is a major perennial river located in the central highlands, south-west, and western regions of Tasmania, Australia. Course and features The Gordon River rises below Mount Hobhouse in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers Nation ...

and subsequently flood and enlarge

Lake Pedder Lake Pedder, once a glacial outwash lake, is a man-made impoundment and diversion lake located in South West Tasmania, Australia. In addition to its natural catchment from the Frankland Range, the lake is formed by the 1972 damming of the ...

South West Tasmania South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evoked curiosity and wonder during the period of European presence on the island. Initially relatively unexplored by Europeans, in the mid-twentieth century the area was considered for its ...

. The committee was active in publications arguing for the preservation of Lake Pedder

1971

The Pedder Pilgrimage committee began in 1971.

The LPAC was formed after a public meeting which was called by the
Hobart Walking Club Hobart Walking Club is a recreational walking club based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. History The Hobart Walking Club was started in 1929 by Jack Thwaites and Evelyn Temple Emmett. It has celebrated stages of its history in a number of comm ...
following the first weekend in March 1971 when approximately one thousand or more people visited Lake Pedder. This became known as the ''Pedder Pilgrimage''.

The origins of the

United Tasmania Group The United Tasmania Group (UTG) was an Australian political party based in the state of Tasmania, which is generally acknowledged as the world's first green party to contest elections. The party was formed on 23 March 1972, during a meeting o ...

were from a LPAC meeting, and from the ''South West Tasmania Action Committee'', also known as the ''South West Tasmania Action Group''.

1972

There were a number of notable Tasmanians who objected to the flooding, including

Brenda Hean Brenda Hean (1910-1972) was a member of the Lake Pedder Action Committee (LPAC) and a resident of Hobart, Tasmania who disappeared at the time of the flooding of Lake Pedder. Background Brenda Hean, born in the UK, was a concert pianist, churc ...

who died mysteriously in 1972 while being flown to Canberra in a light plane to stage a protest event. In 1972, the organisation collaborated with mainland state branches to argue against the damming. Activists also conducted vigils at the lake site and other locations in relation to the flooding of the original Lake Pedder

1976

In 1976, the people and organisations that made up the

South West Tasmania Action Committee South West Tasmania Action Committee was a group started after the flooding of the lake in South West Tasmania known as Lake Pedder to create the Gordon Dam catchment. It developed into an Australia wide organisation. In 1976 it evolved into th ...

evolved into what became the

Tasmanian Wilderness Society The Tasmanian Wilderness Society was a Tasmanian environmental group that started in 1976 in response to a proposal by the state's Hydro Electric Commission to construct a dam on the Gordon River, downstream from the Franklin River, that led to t ...

. It was instrumental in the successful challenge to the

Franklin Dam The Gordon-below-Franklin Dam (or simply Franklin Dam) project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of the most sign ...

proposal in the early 1980s. Since the early 1990s, the ''Lake Pedder Restoration Committee (LPRC)'' has continued to press for the restoration of Lake Pedder to its original form. Many of the senior members of the LPRC had also been active in the Lake Pedder Action Committee. Since the mid-1990s, various books and documentaries have revisited the flooding of Lake Pedder, and people involved in the arguments for and against the flooding.

Records

A significant number of individuals have left archives and resources that include information about the LPAC and its activities: * * * * *

References