Deidre Olofsson remembers when she could ride her horse across the New England Highway at Camberwell without a care in the world.
"There were hardly any cars and trucks, there were farms everywhere; it was the best place in the world," she said.
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This candid snapshot from her childhood is almost impossible to reconcile with the area she lives today.
Born in Singleton, Deidre grew up on a dairy farm near Jerrys Plains. Her family relocated to Camberwell, north of Singleton, in 1979.
Established in 1885, the village was among dozens of thriving communities that once dotted the valley.
"We went everywhere on horses, it was idyllic," Deidre said.
This was also a time of significant personal change for Deidre. She began an electrical fitting apprenticeship at the newly opened Liddell power station in 1982.
"They took on 80 apprentices and only a handful were women," she said.
She also met her husband Torbjorn, who she married in 1984.
The couple settled in Camberwell in 1986. They have three children: Nikita, Luke and Bjorn.
By the late 1990s the growth of the coal industry was starting to be felt across the Hunter and Camberwell was at the epicentre.
The tipping point came in 2010 when the former Labor state government resumed the 90-hectare Camberwell common, which had been controlled by a community trust since 1876, and transferred its control to Ashton Coal.
"It went from being a peaceful place to having neighbours pitted against each other over night," Deidre recalled of the time.
The ugly incident represented the start of a decade of work to highlight the impact of mining on the health of surrounding communities.
The battle saw her team-up with the Environmental Defenders Office, which assisted the community to fight the decision.
It's a relationship that continues to this day and has shone a light on mining approval processes and triggered an Ombudsman's investigation.
But the industry's expansion has continued unabated.
"I have seen Camberwell go from a couple of hundred people to a handful," Deidre said.
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While she has been a driving force for increased community awareness over the past decade, other groups now compliment Deidre's work.
"I really have nothing but admiration for women like Georgina Woods and Bev Smiles and what they have done," Deidre said.
"Personally I prefer to be involved in the research side of things and working with groups like the Environmental Defenders Office."
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
