The father and son were charged after locking themselves to Whitehaven Coal’s water pump facility in January, two days after Luke won three Golden Guitars.

Both faced charges of enter and remain on enclosed land with Luke receiving an extra charge of hinder work.

It was a busy day in Narrabri Court with 10 people on charges relating to actions at or near Maules Creek, and all having no convictions recorded.

The pump the O’Sheas locked themselves onto draws water from the Namoi River for Whitehaven Coal’s controversial Maules Creek project and is on the property that Rick grew up on near the Maules Creek mine.

Luke O’Shea said he found the magistrate inspiring as he quoted Bob Dylan and Don McLean and was interested in why the pair chose to take the action.

He said they wanted to make people aware of what was going on.

“We wanted to make people aware of the amount of water that is wasted,” Mr O’Shea said.

“They use 300 litres per tonne of coal. Our agricultural food bowls cannot sustain that.”

Mr O’Shea said neither he, nor his 71-year-old father, had done anything like this before and the court room was new territory for both of them.

“We were ready to take whatever the magistrate deemed appropriate and move on,” he said.

“He was very interested in why we took the stance, and how personal it was to us. As well as being an environmental and political statement in support of the farmers in the region, and those from every socioeconomic background who have also put their lives on hold to say no to a very, very controversial project, with Shenhua just around the corner. It’s not too late to make people aware they have the power to stop this sellout.”

Mr O’Shea said he was still concerned about mining close to or on black soil farmland of the Liverpool and Breeza Plains.

The O’Sheas were mentioned on ABC’s Q and A program on Monday night, with fellow country artist Troy Cassar-Daley supporting the pair.

“It really did inspire dad and I to realise that our voices were being heard and our actions weren’t for nought,” Luke O’Shea said.

“We thank Troy and the Q and A audience for their support. This exactly reflects how much of a national issue coal mine expansion and CSG has become. It’s unprecedented in our history this buy up and exploitation of our land.”

He said he was not anti-mining, but was against such expansion of coal and gas in key agricultural areas.

“We understand mining is important to the Australian economy but not in our agricultural food bowls and water catchments and not in areas of significant environment beauty such as Maules Creek and the Liverpool and the Breeza Plains and the Pilliga.”

Neither Whitehaven Coal nor the NSW Minerals Council would comment on the case.