Stone the Crows Festival - Wagga Wagga

This is the second time Sarah and I have been guests at this festival. When we were invited again, we didn't give it a thought - just 'yes'. The memory of this extraordinary event has stayed with us.

Stone the Crows is a gathering of mobile homes and caravans, a festival for the grey nomads. Rigs descend onto the site from the four corners of the continent. Participants enjoy workshops, entertainment and they catch up with each other over meals and games.

We took our two shows: The Amazing Case of Dr Ward and Tales from the Flyway and Sarah delivered two workshops: Learning the Violin and Using Libraries on the Road.

 And over four nights we told bedtime stories at the Cocoa Club.

I also had the pleasure of participating in the radio play: We Were There: the story of Galliopli. This is a piece written by Jim Haynes using only the words of people who were actually there, taken from diaries and letters; deeply moving and heart breaking.

The warmth, hospitality and good natured vibe of Stone the Crows is the work of Chrissy Eustace, Jim Haynes and Grant Luhrs and the team they assemble. What bowls us over is meeting so many people who are so switched on and engaged in life; while some of us grow less adventurous with age it seems that there are others who grow wings.

And some never lose their taste for ice cream!

Stories and music delivered to the Surf Coast

Birds, birds and more birds!

Sarah Depasquale and I were free and enthusiastic to support the Overwintering Project exhibition at the Surf Coast Arts Space.

We love working in art galleries, our performances always feel like a good fit. But then we do enjoy telling stories under the trees.

This is the third Overwintering Project for me and the second for Sarah. The exhibitions are always moving and thoughtful and a percentage of sales is donated for shorebird research. So far I've been to the launch of Hobart, Wyndham and Angelsea and we have Altona coming up.

The car was packed with clothes for all weather, sound system (if required) and we took The Flock OZ to pop-up outside the gallery and at The Willows Tea House at Aireys Inlet, where we also told stories and promoted the exhibition.

So good to feel useful and not merely decorative.

And huge thanks to Bron Ives and Nan McNab for their generous hospitality.

And big congratulatory HUG to Kate Gorringe-Smith for all she does for the birds. Its a joy to contribute to the cause in the best way we know how - with stories and music.

The next Overwintering Project is in Hobsons Bay and opening on May 11 as part of World Migratory Bird Day and yes .. we'll be there.

World Wetlands Day 2019

It looks like, where I live is going to get a dedicated building that will provide focus for our local environment: the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre.

I had a splendid day with my like-minded buddies participating in the inaugural event to raise awareness for this terrific project.

We created a pop-up flock of shore birds! My little video tells the story.


And Sarah Depasquale and I performed an edited version of Tales from the Flyway; perfect location and full house. This time we were on the back verandah of a cottage a couple of hundred metres from the sandy flats where shore birds gather to feed in Altona.

Many thanks to these wonderful people who contributed to the success of the day:
Kate Gorringe-Smith, print maker, educator and brilliant advocate for the shore birds.
Diver Matt, marine ecologist and one who never fails to get people excited about the wonders of Port Phillip Bay.
Loraine Callow, all round top person who knows a lot about paints and what to buy and lots of other things besides.

The Online Story Swap

Every year it seems there are more opportunities to connect with storytellers around the world and it doesn't always mean jumping on a plane and traveling thousands of miles.

The Federation of Asian Story Tellers is hosting regular online story swaps. These story swaps are FREE and you can either tell a story or tune in and listen.

I joined the November Story Swap and had a great time.

It's easy to participate. Once you've registered you're sent a link that asks you to download the ZOOM software which is simple to install and use. While being very enthusiastic about technology, I can be a bit phobic, so simple is good.

Roger Jenkins and Sheila Wee host the Story Swap from Singapore and you can see people popping up on the screen from around the world. Apart from the storyteller and Roger, participants are muted but they can still chat. I took a screen shot of Meenu Sivaramakrishnan in action. (Thank  you to Meenu for allowing me to use this image). This will give you a bit of an idea. You can see the dialogue box in the corner. The chat has options so you can share your comments publicly or message the tellers privately.

Its all excellent fun I have to say.

This is a You tube video of the first Swap held in September. Roger's introduction is enthusiastic and no wonder, over 50 people checked in! Have a look. Sometimes the audio struggles to stay in sync but if you move the cursor along, you'll get a good feel for what it's all about and the variety of stories and storytellers.

For more information visit FEAST's website. And maybe at the next Swap, I'll see you there.

Music, stories, art, movement and nature

Taking music and stories into 4 year old kindergarten with Sarah Depasquale. These children are part of the Bush Kinder program run by Hobsons Bay’s conservation rangers. Already switched onto the natural world, the children were engrossed by the story of our migratory shore birds. And how I wish the naysayers could see the response children have to Sarah’s playing. Music in schools ... pleeeease!!!!

Sharing the space: artists and scientists

I've just returned from Hobart where I had the opportunity to present and tell a story at the Australasian Shorebird Conference: Losing their habitats - conservation and management strategies for migratory and resident shorebirds - University of Tasmania Sandy Bay campus.

This was my first venture into the science space and when I tossed my hat into the ring and was accepted, I suffered a bout of imposter syndrome. However that was fleeting as I couldn't have been made to feel more welcome and relevant.

The conference was preceded with the opening of the Overwintering Project Exhibition at the Moonah Arts Centre (Tasmania). The Overwintering Project is an environmental art project designed to bring visibility to Australia's most endangered group of birds - migratory shorebirds.

The project is the brainchild of print maker and curator and now friend, Kate Gorringe-Smith.

These are some examples of Kate's beautiful work.

It was pure joy telling the story of the migration of the Red-necked stint at the opening to a room of birdos. Very vocal reactions from the crowd!

Kate also had a presentation accepted and the two of us were programmed on the first day. I was disappointed that Sarah couldn't make it to the conference as she is part of the team but she was with me in spirit.

 Kate and I felt well pleased with ourselves and our contribution. We learned a LOT and met extraordinary people and heard many inspiring stories. The overall impressions I was left with was the ability of scientists and citizen scientists to work together in a space of mutual respect and the role artists can play to support the environmental message.

Melton Botanic Gardens Celebrates 15 years

I have friends who tell me that they would rather chew off and eat their own leg than tell stories in environments where the setting and elements are out of their control. I might have thought the same once but over the years, I've embraced the challenge of taking work out side of performance venues and into all kinds of spaces. I think I've become hooked on the challenge.

The Melton Botanic Gardens is the perfect fit for our stories; it is a place that celebrates and provides habitat for birds, including the migratory Latham's snipe as well as many spectacular plants and remnant bush.

The big flowering West Australian eucalyptus flower this time of year and if you missed me and Sarah, you can still see these wondrous plants blooming.

Once the environment is embraced, the relationship between listeners is re-calibrated as well. We love the informality and fun we have with the people who come to hear our stories. 

 Thank you Melton for inviting us to part of your celebrations. We had a top time!