“I’ve said it before - if a dozer comes near the three sacred trees, I’m quite willing to fight to the end.”

He made the claim following the second eviction of the tent embassy originally set up to protest the bypass along the lower slopes of the Alum Mountain to the north-east of town.

The embassy had already been forcibly moved once, in late September, to make way for the relocation of power lines.

The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) and Bulahdelah police moved in once again last Monday to move them on.

Bulahdelah man and long-time supporter of Worimi Dates Malcolm Carroll was served with an eviction notice at 8.15am at the Bulahdelah museum where he is a volunteer.

“They said we had to have everything out by 9am. It’s just ridiculous.”

Like Worimi he vows to continue to oppose the bypass route in one way or another although it’s uncertain if the tent embassy will be re-established.

“A number of campers have assured me they’re not going anywhere,” he said.

Worimi describes the area on the lower slopes of Alum Mountain as a ‘blackfella church’.

As he explains, there are two very significant trees at the site which represent the traditional belief of death followed by spiritual reincarnation.

The third is the guardian tree which looks over these two trees.

“It protects the mountain and our tribal law.”

Malcolm and Worimi believe that already the clearing work on the lower slopes has destroyed a healing stream.

One of their next hopes for stopping the progress of the dual lane bypass is an appeal in the Land and Environment Court in Sydney due to be heard this week.

Worimi’s legal representative Al Oshlack will argue against Karuah Aboriginal Land Council’s decision to sell two blocks of land further to the north along the proposed route, to the RTA.

Tenders with RTA for work on the bypass closed recently, with construction work due to start early in the new year.

Aboriginal community leader Robert Corowa travelled down from Lismore to conduct a smoking ceremony on land (non-RTA-owned) above the guardian tree on Saturday in order to cleanse negative energy and to help protestors move forward with their fight.