THE LAUNNIE MAGAZINE / JUNE / JULY 2021: ISSUE 3
FREE
INDEPENDENT + LOCAL
STEPHANIE JACK ACTRESS, WRITER, MUSICIAN
WWW.THELAUNNIE.COM.AU
LAUNCESTON LOCAL NEWS PSYCHOLOGIST STEVE BIDDULPH ON BEING FULLY HUMAN DIP YOUR TOE INTO OCEAN SWIMMING
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Editorial Stephanie Williams (publisher) steph@propellermedia.com.au James Marten Contributors Beau Leighton, Sarah Aitken, Annia Baron, Hilary Schofield, Peter Carey Cover image Kishka Jensen Publisher Information: While all care has been taken, some information may have changed since publication. The Launnie Magazine regrets it can’t accept liabilities from errors or omissions contained in this magazine. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or amend all advertisements without explanation. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in articles and advertisements are not endorsed by the editor or publishers. We welcome any questions, feedback or submissions, email steph@propellermedia.com.au.
WELCOME TO
THE LAUNNIE MAGAZINE This issue seems to have naturally gravitated toward sporting endeavour. With the Tokyo Olympics approaching it felt like a good time to check in with firsttime Olympian, Dan Watkins. He’s in the running for a great competition in the kayaking. We also take a deep dive (pun intended!) into winter outdoor swimming, which is gaining popularity in Tassie right now. Steve Biddulph chats to us about his new book, Fully Human and triple threat performer Stephanie Jack graces our cover. We’re loving the letters, photos and stories that readers are sending in, so please keep it up! You can get in touch with us at steph@propellermedia.com.au. Cheers Steph, James and The Launnie Magazine crew.
Kayaking on Lake Burbury, by Ollie Khedun, Tourism Tasmania. 2
A less-than-spirited traveller Love your mag, keep the good work up. I enjoy my read every month. I’m a little miffed and I’m not sure if I should be or not! It happens every time I book the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to head over to the mainland during the school holidays. While I understand that the Spirit of Tasmania has dynamic pricing that kicks in during busy times and the price goes up, the government is a shareholder/ part owner/ financial contributor to the ferry crossing making it more affordable for people doing the crossing, whether they’re tourists or locals. What gets my goat up is, if the Spirit of Tasmania can find the money to be the main sponsor of the Jack Jumpers basketball team, I’m sure the majority of Tasmanians would rather that money be spent making the crossing cheaper for residents
of Tasmania. I mean, what a waste of Tasmanian tax payers money! I can’t be the only person that thinks this way? And this is on top of the government deciding to move the ferry terminal to Geelong. Who wants to get on and off in Geelong. Please!! Ms M Hall, Bellerive
Wicked Campers Still On The Nose Unfortunately not all Wicked Campers have listened to the
bad press. This was a most upsetting sight while driving in the city this week! Leslie Kilgour
Give the trees a break! Everywhere you turn these days someone is trying to cut the f$#kin trees down! After working hard for a number of years to promote Derby as an epic forest ride, and now it’s cranking, the loggers have their eyes on the surrounding forests. What’s more important - a loss-making industry that is (and should!) be dying, or a sustainable tourism industry that keeps more people in jobs? John F, West Hobart
Pic: Tourism Tasmania 3
BITS AND PIECES WANT TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR CAR? The Tasmanian government is offering $1000 incentives to locals who lend their car to tourists struggling to find a rental car. When borders closed for months last year, local hire car companies sold off about fifty per cent of their fleet. Now the tourists are back, but the cars are not. Premier Peter Gutwein said the $1million program would help car hire companies increase their fleet and also help private vehicle owners sign up through car-sharing platforms. GOT A SPARE CAR THAT DOESN’T ACTUALLY GO ANYMORE? You can donate it to the Tasmanian Fire Service for training exercises. TFS firefighters use real vehicles for road crash rescue training exercises. It’s super easy to donate - they will arrange the collection of your vehicle - contact your closest TFS regional office during business hours. The Southern branch can be reached on (03) 6166 5500. CHRONIC UNDERFUNDING IN HOBART SCHOOLS UNCOVERED During the recent election campaign the Australian Education Union released a detailed list of amounts of underfunding for every Tasmanian public school as a result of a Liberal state and federal government school funding agreement. The full table of funding shortfalls (you can punch in the details for your local school at www.vote4education.org.au) shows Launceston College in the north is the biggest loser with an $11.5 million shortfall over four years. Locally, some larger underfunding was found at Taroona High School - underfunded by $8.8 million, Sorell School by $6.3 million, Lauderdale Primary School by $5.35 million, Howrah by $5 million and Austins Ferry Primary school by $4 million. “Every school should be provided the resources it needs to ensure every child gets the 4
best education, regardless of their background or circumstances,” said Brian Wightman, AEU Tasmania State Manager and former principal. “This underfunding is a huge failure from the Tasmanian Liberal Government – they’ve failed to stand up for Tasmanian children at the federal level and they’ve failed to meet the shortfall so our kids are missing out. This is not about capital funding or oneoff expenditure, this is about every Tasmanian school and child missing out every year – on average, every school is missing out on $630,000 every year.” Let’s hope now the election is behind us that education and school underfunding is prioritised. HOUSE PRICES JUST KEEP RISING In great news for home-owners and likely terrible news for everyone else, Tasmania’s real estate market continues its ever-upward trajectory as it records its strongest growth since 2002. The Tasmanian Real Estate Institute’s latest report shows that Hobart’s median house price is up 8.5 per cent to $632,750 and Battery Point is still our most expensive suburb (with six properties going for more than $1.6 million). The North-West of the state is the real stand out in the report though - median prices there have shot up 28.5 per cent, with Devonport recording the most sales.
THUMBS UP Australia Post has listened to Tassie food producers and reversed their recent ban on posting perishables. Kudos to the unassuming Tawny Frogmouth - it’s been deemed the world’s most Instagrammable bird based on a study of likes on the app. While “love” shows like Married at First Sight are focused on tearing people apart, it’s refreshing to see the inclusiveness of The Bachelorette who cast Brooke Blurton as their first bisexual leading lady.
Brooke Blurton.
THUMBS DOWN Do you ever let your car idle to warm up the engine, or yourself? According to Surfers for Climate and ABC News, recent research found we’re likely to idle for 20% of our driving time. If we stop idling, it will be equivalent to taking 1.6 million cars off the road. Sick kids and carers at public parks. Keep the germs at home. City lifts are getting a bit angsty- we witnessed an older lady giving it to someone who dared hop in her lift. If you’re able, take the stairs.
BITS AND PIECES COVID-19 VACCINATIONS AVAILABLE NOW IN HOBART The Tasmanian and the Australian Governments are working together to give safe COVID-19 vaccinations to the community. Vaccines are being delivered in phases. All Tasmanians aged 16 and over will be able to get vaccinated for free. You can find out which phase you are in, how to book an appointment or have FAQ’s answered. If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccinations, please call the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 or head to www. coronavirus.tas.gov.au/vaccine for more information. HAPPY ENDINGS AT APPLE Author and psychologist, Steve Biddulph, who we have interviewed in this edition, recently reported on his Facebook page...”FACEPLANT! People buying my new book Fully Human on Apple iBooks downloads have instead been receiving a soft porn novella called Happy Endings by Bella Green (no I am not making this up!) and gradually (I hope) working out that this is not my book! Don’t buy the book from Apple iBooks until we know this is sorted. Unless you like that sort of thing LOL!”
and pastries (9%) (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health). “While the elimination strategy is common in diet programs and can reduce kilojoules the most, the interactive Junk Food Analyser lets users explore a combination of strategies to reduce discretionary food intake, without cutting their favourite foods altogether,” Dr Hendrie said. “That might include choosing to eliminate alcohol, take a break from cakes and biscuits and halve confectionery consumption,” Dr Hendrie said. To take the new Junk Food Analyser quiz, head to www.junkfoodanalyser.com COCK YOUR RIFLES Did you know that you can book tickets to hunt anterless deer at many conservation areas across Tasmania? DPIPWE run the public land hunting program and tickets can be booked through Eventbrite. Each ticket entitles the holder to one week hunting, with dates available from now until November. It covers up to four hunters and there’s a bunch of conditions that need to be met, including wearing hi-vis gear. Word is some people use the sessions as an opportunity to stock the freezer while assisting in managaing wild fallow deer populations.
WHISKY OFFSPRING WINS INTERNATIONAL AWARD If Bill Lark is the whisky king of Tasmania, then his daughter Kristy Lark-Booth must be the whisky princess or, perhaps queen in the making. Kristy recently won the Australasian Whisky of The Year 2021 Award in the international The Wizards of Whisky awards. Killara is the first Australian distillery to be fully owned and operated by a second-generation distiller and a woman. Kristy started working in the distilling industry 20 years ago and started Killara Distillery in 2016. She is now establishing 26 acres in Richmond to grow barley for whisky, grapes for brandy and herbs, spices and fruits for gin and other liqueurs.
CSIRO JUNK FOOD ANALYSER Nearly four in five Australians overindulge in junk food every day - eating the equivalent of 20 chocolate Easter eggs in discretionary calories per day - according to new CSIRO research. They’ve launched a new free online tool - dubbed the Junk Food Analyser - to help us better understand our intake of extra kilojoules. CSIRO research scientist Dr Gilly Hendrie said new approaches were needed. “Discretionary or junk foods are the number one issue affecting Australian diets today, with excessive consumption resulting in poor nutrition, high rates of obesity and an even higher risk of lifestyle diseases.” In Australia we get our bonus calories from alcohol (21% of total discretionary food intake), followed by cakes and biscuits (19%), sugar sweetened beverages (12%) and savoury pies 5
NEWS FROM YOUR COMMUNITY
NOT SO NICE RICE A recent study by the Uni of Queensland found we may be consuming three to four milligrams of plastic through a single-serve, or 100 grams, of rice. In precooked or instant rice, it was four times higher than in uncooked rice, averaging 13 milligrams per serve. Washing rice before cooking reduced plastics contamination by 20 to 40 per cent.
company Facebook page, it’s not made in Tasmania and includes 99.9% non-Tasmanian ingredients. “Nestle still thinks it’s fine to leverage our Tasmanian brand on a
OVERLAND RUN FOR TASSIE CHOPPER FUNDRAISER Eight members of Tasmania’s Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew will run the Overland Track on May 28 to promote a fundraising campaign for vital equipment. They have set aside the month of May to raise $30,000 to buy life-saving equipment and pay for specialist training for crews. To raise awareness for the “30K for the Month of May” campaign, the crew members aim to run the entire 65-kilometre trail through the wilderness in just 14 hours. To donate, head to www. westpacrescuetas.com.au
NOT MADE IN TASMANIA Nick Haddow, of Bruny Island Cheese Co, recently called out the world’s largest food and beverage company - Nestle for piggy backing on the good name of Tasmanian fresh produce. Nestle released a new Tasmanian Mint dark chocolate Kit Kat, but as Nick pointed out on his
ARE YOU PUSHING YOUR LUCK RUNNING RED LIGHTS IN TASSIE? Back in 2002, two red light and speed cameras were installed in Hobart and Launceston but were switched off in 2004, citing technical issues at the time. There are currently 10 permanent speed cameras operating across the state, but with increasing accident and traffic woes, is it time to turn the red light cameras back on?
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$3 Kit Kat,” Nick said, before suggesting a list of local chocolatiers for consumers to choose to support instead.
been operating in Victoria since 1983, where there are 175 cameras in city and regional areas. Victoria Police share that the aim of speed and red light cameras is to change driver behavior. “Since being introduced, road safety cameras have contributed to a significant decrease in the number of fatal and serious injuries on Victoria’s roads,” according to their website.
In NSW for example there are 201 red light speed cameras in operation including in smaller regional cities. According to Transport for NSW, red-light speed cameras play a vital role in reducing road trauma. They share that speeding leads to an increased chance of a crash as well as increased risk of death or serious injury. Running red lights can lead to serious T-bone crashes or vehicles crashing into pedestrians. According to their website, reviews of the speed camera program in NSW consistently demonstrate a reduction in the number of crashes and injuries at intersections after the installation of red-light speed cameras.
So why don’t we have them? A State Growth department spokesperson shared that they are “always open to the use of technology when it is clear that would make a real difference and reduce serious injuries and deaths on Tasmanian roads. There are no plans to introduce red light cameras at this time and any change would need to be irmly backed up with evidence that it would be effective for Tasmania’s road network and traffic. While enforcement is an important tool used to address high-risk driving behaviour, it is up to every road user to take responsibility for their own actions and to keep themselves, their passengers and others on the road safe.”
In Victoria, their traffic slogan is “cameras save lives”. Red light cameras have
Knowing it’s unlikely to get busted, do you sneak through?While most people
do the right thing, some don’t which puts innocent road users at risk. A simple deterrent like a decent fine generated by an automatic system surely would stop a few extra accidents and traumas from occurring, contributing to less traffic woes and lower emergency room waits. Is it time?
Do you fang through the lights?
COMMUNITY
streams - we’re dealing with people who are already suffering the effects of not having appropriate literacy and communication skills and then we’re working with the education department in trying to stop that stuff before it starts.
Tasmania has the lowest literacy rate in Australia, which presents a range of social issues. Emma Sells is an accountant in Hobart and volunteers with Connect 42, an organisation helping to increase literacy levels among Tasmania’s prison population and disadvantaged communities. She’s the treasurer on the board, as well as an active volunteer in our prisons. What is Connect 42 and what are your goals? Connect 42 is a literacy charity and we work on building connection through communication. Our aim is improving literacy. We’ve got this situation in Tasmania of having the lowest levels of literacy in the country. We know only 48 percent of Tasmanians have functional literacy, at a 12 year old level. We had a symposium in 2018 and out of that came a goal of 100 percent literacy. One hundred percent literacy doesn’t mean that everybody can read and write because that’s probably not possible. But it means everybody is as literate as they can be. We’re building and growing, running programs in the prison and through child-parent attachment. What are the programs? The program with the inmates is called Just Time. We’ve been doing that for a number of years, and we have been promised funding for the next three years in the recent election campaign. Last year we received funding for the next step, Just Moving On, which is working with the prisoners and their children outside the prison. That’s the ultimate goal because that’s how we’re going to see intergenerational change. We’re working with Bethlehem House and running a program on teaching homeless and disadvantaged men how to read and that’s been really successful. Then we’re also working with the education department. There are two
How did Connect 42 start? Rosalie Martin, a speech pathologist, founded Connect 42, originally as Chatter Matters. She contacted the prison offering to run a literacy program. And they said yes. She ran the first one and it was very successful and grew from there. She was doing reading programs with men in the prison, two of whom were really severely low in literacy, and within about three to four months they had attained quite good literacy. The prison was stunned by that. This was an opportunity. Rosie won the Tasmanian Australian of the Year Award in 2017, based on that work at the prison. How do low literacy levels play out in the community? Literacy is very much based on communication - particularly parents communicating with children, because that’s where it starts. If people can’t speak out, they act out. If you don’t have literacy, it can be frustrating. A lot of people who have low literacy levels feel as if they’re dumb. And they’re not. It’s an unconscious learning. Most of us learn to read and write without any pain whatsoever. It was just something we did, some slower than others, but we did it. We don’t realise how lucky we were, because for those who don’t have that, it can be seven years of hell going through school. It’s setting you up for a lifetime of hell because you feel like you’re not good enough. It’s not just a practical thing. It’s an emotional thing. Then you’re more likely to be led down the path of criminality or to have low employment opportunities, which means it lowers your income. The other thing, and this is a bit sad, is sometimes people who are illiterate don’t want their children to be smarter than them. Why does it matter to you? How did you become involved? I’m an absolutely avid reader. I’m passionate about it because accountants aren’t probably known for being the best communicators!
I pride myself on being a good communicator. I grew up in the country and have worked mainly in regional areas where, once upon a time, people who had low literacy still had pathways. They could work. I’m sure I’ve worked with people who had very low literacy in the past, in particular in farming and rural. Nowadays with technology and with the workplace health and safety requirements, they can’t hide. This is a really sad thing because we’ve actually got this real skill set - I mean, ask them to build something and they can build it for you in a moment, or grow something and they can grow it. These people would take home the forms and get someone else to fill it out and then bring it back. And now you go sit down on the computer and do it now. I volunteered at the women’s prison because that’s what I am also very passionate about - supporting women. I mean greater than 50 percent of accountants are women but 17 percent of partners, business owners and C-suite are women. You don’t feel like you’re threatened by it when you’re at the prison. I didn’t feel like I was in a room full of hardened criminals - I felt like I was in a room full of people who’ve been the victims of choices of others, and their own choices. And it can happen to any of us. What can parents and carers do to help their own children’s literacy? Working with the children and the schools and also advocating for getting more assistance in the schools. Because we can’t just go, ‘this is a teacher’s problem’, because it’s not. It takes a village to raise a child, that is so true, and it takes a lot to teach as well. This is a no-brainer and the public health benefit to increasing literacy is huge. You don’t need nearly as many prisons. How can readers help Connect 42? We’re currently running a Just 42 fundraising campaign to encourage people to donate $42 a month, on a regular basis. If you can’t afford $42, just $4,20, or $10 makes a difference. It’s not the size that matters. Find out more at www. connect42.org 7
BOOKS
PSYCHOLOGIST STEVE BIDDULPH: A NEW WAY OF USING YOUR MIND Interview: Stephanie Williams Tasmanian author and psychologist Steve Biddulph has sold over three million books and is now celebrating the release of his latest book, Fully Human, a distillation of his 40 years as a therapist. You’ve had great success with Raising Boys and Raising Girls. What can readers expect from Fully Human? People tell me that my books are very clear and easy to read. And they have stories that sneak up on you and make you cry. This one has more personal stories as I wanted people to know that suffering is part of everyone’s life and it’s okay and we can still laugh and love and be joyful. There are two big ideas in the book. The first is “supersense” which is the wild animal part of us that helps us know if we are safe, and making the right choices, and helps us read and connect with the other lives around us. It is part of our brain that only talks to us through our gut - literally gut feelings. We can sense in our bodies when something is right or wrong, and the big breakthrough is this part is talking to us all the time. The book teaches you to listen to it every minute you are alive. Your life changes the second you realise this, you have a compass. It’s not always right, but it’s always got something to tell you. The second is that we can move through our own mind more freely if we know the architecture of the mind - that it’s like a four storey mansion. Many people only live on one floor! They think the accommodation is crap! So we teach you to move up and down constantly - through body, emotion, thought, and the rooftop garden of your mansion which is out of your own skin - the sense of spirit. 8
Who is this book aiming to help? This was a book I always wanted to write because I had worked with people in some of the worst situations in the world - who had somehow travelled to not just a normal life, but to something even better. They were remarkable and special, they had learned “to open their hearts in hell”. Andie, the young mum at the start of the book, who was a part time GP, survived trauma and it made her a really remarkable practitioner whose patients just loved her. And many others had this too - post traumatic growth, which broke them open so they could help others. I was worried that still today millions of parents around the world struggle, and yet our kids depend on us being reasonably happy and calm and steady. So the mental health of adults really matters. Yet almost everyone has trauma and damage from their childhood. I wanted to help grown ups to use their minds better so they could feel really well and alive. The ideas can be taught to a five year old, but can help the most damaged adult. I know because I have done both. How long have you been working on Fully Human? What was the catalyst? I think for the forty years since I first sat down with someone in trouble in a counselling room, this book was writing itself. But the Covid crisis gave me the time and freedom to get it all down! And a canoeing accident that I write about in the book made me realise I was getting old and had better not waste time.
In the book you discuss your Asperger’s diagnosis. How has that affected your life and work? How old were you when you made the discovery? Nobody knew about ”the spectrum” in my young life. I was diagnosed at about age 55! A bit late really! I was a lost teenager and was rescued by youth workers. They steered me towards psychology. I have always had to explain things before I could function around people. But in the end that makes you very good at it. Marrying my wife Shaaron was the best help ever, she is very, very emotionally aware. I am still nervous and shy by nature, though on a stage the inner performer comes alive. I have been a “stand-up psychologist” for many years. You can do group therapy with 500 people at a time, crying and laughing at the same time. We Aspies tend to act on things. I built the SIEVX Memorial in Canberra, involving over 1,000 young artists, to remember the lost refugees on that boat. It felt like there was no choice. Like Greta Thunberg, I get activated about the big things. I’d be interested to know where you feel psychology and mental health support is in Tasmania right now? Could the Tasmanian government be doing more? Could they be doing LESS? I am not the best person to ask, but you only have to read the newspapers. I tend to see the burnt out and despairing practitioners who started out caring and ended up barely surviving. Look after the health staff better and let them do their jobs.
Right: Steve’s late sister Christine, seen with her husband on Tidal River Beach, is pivotal to the message of the book. “There are many ways to be fully human”. Below: Steve at the Wilmot Community Centre, Western Sydney. Left: Steve by a lovely river.
can handle the intensity of our pain, whose care and love matches the intensity we were harmed with. Is the success of your previous books daunting when you release a new book into the world? Nah! You just hope you can be of more help. It’s not about you, after all. What do you do after you release a book? Lots of interviews! Ha Ha! What does your day to day life look like? What do you enjoy doing? I love being out under big skies, and being with family. And anything involving water.
You have incredible Australians such as Rosie Batty saying this book is enormously helpful - how does that make you feel? The fact that Rosie, after all she has come through and has given to others, found the book a help, was the best news I have had this year. There’s a section in the book that discusses “messed up men”. The anecdote you use about a fellow student is particularly strong. My friend taking his life was, and remains, a mystery. But it set me on a course of finding out how to keep men alive. The importance of touch and gentleness is one missing piece. Being able to go to the second floor, and feel. You discuss how common trauma is and the effect it has on long term health. How can we better understand trauma in our lives? Every event we go through generates emotions which are meant to help us through. If things happen too fast, we end up storing emotions for later. If we were raised not to understand or “ride along” through our emotions, we might just gather more and more. But our body is designed to let feelings through and let them go. Sometimes that needs someone on the outside who
What do you enjoy doing in Hobart? I love to swim in Frederick Henry Bay, or kayak when it’s cold. It’s very quiet usually and you can feel it’s the edge of the wild. Sometimes there are dolphins. I also love going out on the Lady Nelson whose crew are friends. When you start to feel overwhelmed or anxious, what are your personal strategies? I feel this way about 20 times a day. I follow what is in the book. I go down into my body and “ask” it what it’s experiencing. Sometimes it gives a little shudder, or a deep sigh, or seems to want me to sit still a bit. It seems to sort itself out and then I can go on. Take care of the wild creature inside you, it knows more than you do, about what you need. You’ll find Steve’s book at all good bookstores. Published by Macmillan.
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BOOK REVIEW
BAD SALMON Words: Sarah Aitken
Richard Flanagan is angry. He’s angry and he’s sad, and that anger and sadness emanates from every single page of his latest release, Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry. Written quickly (his previous novel only came out in September), Toxic is a passionate call to arms for citizens to fight back against a litany of abuses Flanagan says the salmon farming corporations have inflicted upon not just the marine ecosystems of Tasmania but also against locals, the larger environment and villages half way across the world. And then there’s the fish. The Tasmanian farmed salmon industry is worth approximately $796 million (more than our dairy and beef industries combined) and has grown exponentially over the past three decades. Over that time Flanagan has watched the “slow destruction” of the waters near his Bruny Island property. The pristine water turned murky, fish and plant species disappeared and a sliminess and algal growth visibly increased. “I thought I would write something about this, just a short article, and 10
then I started talking to scientists, to people in other communities and I discovered one story of horror after another, after another,” he recently told the ABC. “I realised that Tasmanian Atlantic salmon is just one big lie. It’s not clean, it’s not green and it’s not even healthy.” The result is this small but mighty book, overflowing with facts and case studies from all over the world but concentrating on the work of industry behemoth Tassal, and to a lesser extent Huon Aquaculture and Petuna. Despite the heavy statistics it remains a readable and at times even graceful book. And yes, it will definitely put you off your salmon dinner. There are stories of near-ruined ecosystems from Hobart to the west coast, where, Flanagan writes, “the sludge pouring out of the floating feedlots in the form of fish faeces, uneaten food and urea can destroy marine ecosystems by overloading them with excess nutrients”. Alarmingly, there is Hobart’s compromised drinking water supply: “it should be self-evident that using Hobart’s drinking water catchments as — in the words of one scientist with extensive experience working with the aquaculture industry — sewage settling ponds for salmon hatcheries is not just wrong but profoundly dangerous,” he said. Flanagan covers animal cruelty in gruesome detail. “Fish farms are falsely named. In reality, they are gigantic floating feedlots,” he summarises. “Even that image is inadequate to convey the cruelty.” He describes intelligent creatures who have worn off their fins on one side after swimming in one direction en masse for so long, and who are chromosomally altered to grow fatter, faster. Then there are the mass fish deaths (1.35 million salmon died in their pens in Macquarie Harbour 2017, and an as yet unconfirmed number died at Okehampton bay last December). Flanagan describes the dyeing process used to make the salmon look like...well... salmon. The whole process sounds far too much like taking a trip to Mitre 10 to choose a paint colour for the house - there is even a colour wheel from which to choose the most salmony salmon tone.
There is the intense use of antibiotics, and the carcinogenic additive (invented as a pesticide by Monsanto) used to stabilise the oily fishmeal as it is transported across the world to the Tassie feedlots. This additive – ethoxyquin - is not permitted for human consumption, but it is allowed to be eaten by the fish we consume. Flanagan shares stories of corruption, of the opinions of intelligent and experienced experts being ignored by regulatory panels, and of local councils going into debt to pay for water infrastructure for salmon companies. Understandably, the industry has pushed back against Toxic. A spokesperson for the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association, representing the three companies, said Tasmanians should be proud of the “strong, highly regulated, longstanding” industry, and that Flanagan’s claims would be “deeply felt by the more than 2,000 people we directly employ and their families, as well as thousands of contractors”. “I’m sorry (he) felt upset when his beach house views were disturbed by workers doing something productive for the Tasmanian economy, their families and regional communities,” an Australian Workers Union spokesman said. The industry hopes to double in size by 2030. The areas slated for expansion have not yet been made public. Flanagan argues that the salmon farms should be moved out of the coastal waters altogether and into land-based tanks, something he says the international salmon industry is already looking at. I couldn’t put this down. I read it late at night, gasping at each new revelation. And I’m not the only one – Fullers announced that in 101 years of trading, they’d never had a book sell so many copies so quickly. Within two days the book had become their #1 bestseller for the year. It is resonating with readers because it is a neat and tidy snapshot of an enormous industry where, like in so many cases, it seems corporations come first, government comes second and people and places come a hard last.
SPORT
Matt running out, moments before victory.
MATT BEVILACQUA FINALLY NABS ELUSIVE BOARD VICTORY
with 200 of the best paddlers around the country contesting it, with only 16 making the final race on the fifth day. Even the slightest mistake can cost you a place in the final and then, during the final, to win requires an absolutely perfect effort.
Championships in Hawaii but that won’t go ahead again this year. The next event will be the iconic Coolangatta Gold in October where I’ll defend my title against the greatest athlete to ever compete in it, Ali Day.
Interview: James Marten Pic: Clayten Fowler
I’m undefeated five times in the World Paddleboard Championship over in Hawaii and I think subconsciously I was scared I could be known as the best board paddler to never win an Australian Title! Sport is so ruthless sometimes in that you must be on for that specific day and especially in surf, everything must go your way. Coming from Tasmania in this sport I’ve always been behind in years at the top because of all the catching up I had to do, so I’m focused on making my mark on the sport now that I can. I worked so hard in Tasmania and now in Queensland, so wins like this are just so incredibly sweet to prove I’m probably now the best all round board paddler in the world.
How has COVID affected you over the past year? Being a professional athlete during COVID over the past year has made me feel incredibly out of place. I’ve been so separated from my family in Tasmania and I’ve questioned whether it’s even worth chasing my professional sporting goals given the volatility of the world right now. I have, however, been so supported by my sponsors and my club and now coming out of COVID, I’m incredibly motivated to make the next few years count. It’s brought on a new appreciation for being able to race and compete in one of the most iconic sports in Australia.
Ironman Matt Bevilacqua added an extra special award to his trophy cabinet recently, becoming the Australian Board Race champion for the first time, despite being the world champ in the event five times over! How did it feel to win a title that had alluded you for some time?! The standout feeling was massive relief. But I was so surprised with how emotionally relieved I was. I have never been so relieved and emotional after a race before! Even after my largest achievements such as winning a Nutri-Grain Ironman Series or the Coolangatta Gold I have never been so emotional. The Australian Board Race Championship is incredibly short, around five minutes, in and out through the surf
What’s your next focus? I’m going to enjoy some weeks off. Normally I would prepare for the World Paddleboard
You can watch Matt as he takes on Ali Day in the Coolangatta Gold later this year from the 16-17 October, 2021. 11
COVER FEATURE
HOW A COVID CHANGE OF COURSE LED STEPHANIE JACK TO HOBART Interview: Stephanie Williams Pics: Supplied
Stephanie Jack is a true triple threat in the performance world, returning to Hobart after living in Shanghai when COVID hit. You’ve been described as an actor, a writer, and a vocalist, which has your heart? I want to say acting because that’s what I did my Masters in, and it’s probably the thing I delved the most into. But it’s a tough one because I enjoy all three. I also enjoy work that brings all three of those together. How did you get into performing? It happened really organically. I was always putting on shows for my parents. I wasn’t one of those kids who specifically thought they were going to go into that as an adult. In a way it was part of what I did, but I actually wanted to do totally different things. I think at the time I wanted to be an archeologist. But then as I got older, I realised that whenever I wanted to be something else, it was more like I wanted to be the movie version of that! By 16 I was performing in everything I could at school while studying. My first degree was an undergrad degree at the University of Bristol (UK), a Bachelor of Drama, which allowed me to explore it more broadly. And then after that I went and studied acting. And you did your Masters at Harvard? Yeah, I did my Masters at the - it’s a very long name - American Repertory Theatre/ Moscow Art Theatre School Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, at Harvard.
Stephanie and her mother Mei Jack in Singapore.
Happy in Hobart. Pic: Kishka Jensen.
Wow that is a mouthful. How does that work? It’s on hiatus at the moment, but it was a program that ran from the eighties through to a couple years ago. There’s a working theatre called the American Repertory Theatre that’s on the Harvard campus, and has productions that often transfer to Broadway. Around that theatre, there are rooms and classrooms and workshops where we train and some of the work we do ends up going on the main stage at the theatre, and learn from the people who are working on those shows, like Bryan Cranston was in a show when I was there. It’s a very cool experience to be right in a working theatre. And then also it’s just very cool to be on the Harvard campus and it means that you get to meet a ridiculous array of very talented people from so many different realms. You also do one semester in Moscow at the Moscow Arts Theater School, which again lends a totally different perspective, being trained by Russian practitioners. You started a YouTube series in China in 2019 called Mixed Up. What was the impetus for that? I’m still creating it, but production on it has slowed down a lot because I’ve been busy with other projects. Just before I moved to China, I’d been living in London, I’d gone through a break up. And it was one of those moments where I thought, “okay, well, now what?” My mum is Singaporean Chinese. I hadn’t lived in China and it was a bucket list thing. My grandfather came from China and all of my ancestors on that side. It just happened to be the perfect time, so I moved to Shanghai to learn Mandarin and also to take Kung Fu classes. I started Mixed Up to document what I was doing. And then as I stayed longer in China, I started to
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move away from documenting my life, and more into the interviews with people who I was meeting, like for instance, the representation of Asian men on screen, or talking to Asian men about their experience using dating apps, or their experience dating in China versus dating in America and things like that. It broadened and I continued making it when I came back here, interviewing Chinese people who were living in Hobart. When I was growing up in Bendigo (which wasn’t very racially diverse in the 1990s!) I went to Singapore with my mother every year to visit her family, which kept me connected to Asian culture and customs. And might be part of the reason I ended up wanting to explore my roots further by living in Asia and making Mixed Up, and now Mixed Feelings, my new show. I follow a fashion commentary account Diet Prada and they call out fashion brands who inappropriately use cultural references. Recently one notable post was about Miss Singapore, Bernadette Ong. She wore a look inspired by the Singaporean flag that had the words “stop Asian hate” appliqued on the back of it. As someone who identifies as being Australian Singaporean Chinese how does that make you feel that people are supporting a campaign to stop Asian hate? I think it’s incredible Bernadette Ong is using her platform to bring awareness to the Stop Asian Hate movement. Bold actions like this are important in sparking necessary, well-overdue conversations. I love that she harnessed fashion in order to make a statement - the red and white cape, inspired by the Singaporean flag, is an incredibly empowering image, and also acts as a reminder of how much we all still need to do to address anti-Asian racism.
delve into my mixed race identity as a Singaporean Chinese/Anglo-Australian woman, and look at the intersections between my life and the lives of my mother, grandmother and great grandmother. It will also incorporate kung fu-inspired movement, songs in Mandarin and Fuzhou dialect, and hopefully the guzheng (Chinese harp), which I have just started learning. How has COVID played out for you? I was in Shanghai when COVID started. It was really strange. There just wasn’t much clear information on what anyone should really do until I actually left. I left China when there were no restrictions on coming back here. But I didn’t expect to be gone for long. I actually thought I’d just come back for the rest of the summer because this was late January. And why Hobart? My parents have lived here for about 10 years. When I moved overseas at 18, they had just started living here. Hobart’s been the place that I’ve come back to on summer holidays or any time when I didn’t know what to do with my life. I’d be back in Hobart, figuring it out. You and your partner, musician Blaise Garza are about to launch a music duo called Workplace Romance. Did you meet at work? Ha, yes we did meet at work. We both perform at Faro at Mona,
and both started when they were doing themed weeks...Blaise is half Mexican and it was Mexican week. I was dressed in a cowboy hat and this gold Brocade suit, and he was dressed as a Mariachi. The name also refers to the fact that we both feel very lucky to be working in fields that we love so much. In a sense, it’s also that romance of just being able to work as creative people. Blaise has been touring with the Violent Femmes since he was 15. He’s a saxophonist and also plays keys, trombone, clarinet, flute, harmonica, and is now learning a Chinese instrument called the erhu. He is from San Diego and has been based in Hobart since 2015. We have our first gig as Workplace Romance in July as part of Friday Nights Live at Moonah Arts Centre (more details will be released on their website soon.)
You have recently been awarded a Regional Arts Fund Fellowship. What does that mean for you? It’s very exciting. The project is something that’s very close to my heart. Mixed Feelings is a new project, currently in development, funded by the Regional Arts Fund Fellowship and an Arts Tasmania grant. It’s a one woman theatre show that will 13
COMMUNITY
DON’T EAT THAT RAT! Words: Landcare Tasmania, Jennifer Gason It’s the Autumn of 2019. I’m sauntering happily into my kitchen until something catches in the corner of my eye. I stop abruptly and freeze. I am locking eyes with an audacious mouse on my stovetop. Caught mid-munch, my new housemate stares back. The mouse was the braver of us both, and made the first move, scampering at great speed under my kitchen fridge. It didn’t take long for me to realise that this mouse had brought its family and friends along to an extended, all-you-can-eat holiday at my place. I’m sure many of us know the horror of finding that a furry friend has taken residence in the back of your pantry. Others in food retail, hospitality, farms and factories will know the distress of trying to keep these spaces free of rats and mice. As the colder months approach, rats and mice are looking for a warm place to stay. Across Tasmania a war is waged against rodents in both urban and rural settings, often through the use of poisons. So, I don’t want to share my packet of honey oats with the local family of rodents – what are my options? Is it time to reach for the rodent poison?
Endangered Masked Owl 14
Josh Pringle (Keep Tassie Wild), Adam Cistern (ANU Masked owl researcher), Peter Vaughan (UTAS Avion Club), Amelia the owl, Andrew Wilkie MP, Julie Collins MP, Rod Knight (former Landcare Tas CEO) Pic: Natasha Mulhall
It can seem like an easy option. But that same Autumn, I started volunteering with Landcare Tasmania as an eager office helper. It was here that I learnt why to avoid poison, and not just because you’ve become fond of Helga, Nigel and their three babies. We commonly consider the impact of rodent poisons on children and pets – but not so much our native wildlife. However, the impact doesn’t stop at the rat - rodenticides have devastating consequences for many animal species and whole ecosystems. This happens because animals of prey such as raptors, quolls and devils eat dead or sick poisoned rodents, and end up dying in large numbers too. Like myself back in 2019, most people aren’t aware of these second-hand impacts. Birds of prey, such as the endangered Masked Owl are particularly vulnerable to rodenticides (this is because they ingest their prey whole – including all the poison in the rodent’s stomach). Wedge Tailed Eagles, Goshawks, and Peregrines are species that are also severely affected. When they eat dead or dying rodents they are poisoned themselves and their deaths have serious impacts on the ecosystems they are a part of. Modern rodenticides labelled as ‘one shot’ or ‘one bite – one kill’ have the worst impact on our wildlife because of their active ingredients such as Brodifacoum and Bromadiolone (the Bros) being more toxic, and are being stored longer in the rodent’s tissues. These are known as ‘Second-Generation’ poisons and have started to dominate the shelves, going from about 10% of the available products to 90% over the last 5 years
Products like this have been banned from public sale in the US, Canada and some countries in Europe, and yet in Australia we can pick them up at the local supermarket. Yay! So what can we do? The advice is to use manual traps and carefully prepare your home or facility (DETER THE MICE!). Make your rodent-hotel very unattractive and leave bad yelp reviews if you have to. “Food was all stored in un-biteable containers” Two stars. “Not a crumb in sight. Terrible service.” One star. “The entire facility was impenetrable – a waste of time!” If you must use poisons, look out for those active ingredients – the Bros are a No Go! Choose ‘First-Generation’ poisons with the active ingredients Warfarin, Coumateralyl or Sodium chloride (NaCl). The threat is very real, studies have been done, and we know how we can minimise our impact. Next time Helga and Nigel come to stay I won’t be introducing them to the Bros. Landcare Tasmania is currently running a Rodenticides awareness program which is supported by the Australian Government’s Communities Environment Program, with the support of MP Andrew Wilkie and MP Julie Collins, as well as donations from BirdLife Tas and Keep Tassie Wild. There are a number of upcoming information sessions in South Hobart, Kingston and Franklin that the community can come along to. For more information, go to www.landcaretas.org.au/rodenticides We are also lucky to have experts in this field coming to the Landcare Tasmania conference on 2nd October to speak more on the impacts of rodenticides on Tassie’s wildlife and ecosystems.
NEW COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFERING CANCER RESPITE Interview: Stephanie Williams Jay Chapman’s own journey through a cancer diagnosis and treatment was the catalyst for her to start Homely Retreats. It’s a growing Hobart not-for-profit providing a much needed service that fills a gap in respite services available to cancer patients and their families. How did Homely Retreats come about? On December 16 2014, I was suddenly diagnosed with Lymphoma (a form of blood cancer). As a wife and mother of two young boys (aged 4 and 12), our world fell into chaos overnight. The following day I began an intense regime of chemotherapy which meant I was admitted to hospital for 6 days every 21 days for the next 6 months. I missed my family so much and in between hospital stays, my husband (Dan) and I struggled to keep up the bills due to loss of income, the volume of specialist appointments, and day to day chores - even school drop off and pick up became a logistical nightmare. Dan became the only source of income for our family and the only adult well enough to perform the household duties. Life was really tough and I could feel our family dividing as we moved into a full on ‘coping’ stage. Fortunately by June 2015, I was given the ‘all clear’ and I began a long road to recovery. As I reflected on our family experience, I thought about what could have improved? I remembered when I began researching cancer support services and was met by voices on the end
of the phone telling me that there was no respite available in Tasmania and a 3-5 year waiting list for services in Victoria and NSW. I was devastated. I thought ‘I could be dead by then.’ I decided that there needed to be a service that provided an experience where families could rest and reconnect. So what did you do? In 2018 Homely Retreats was founded as a registered not-for-profit organisation and immediately began offering a complimentary weekend break to eligible Tasmanian families. The only eligibility criteria is that a parent is undergoing (or has undergone in the past 12 months) treatment for a cancer diagnosis whilst caring for dependents under the age of 18 years. In the two and a half years of service, Homely Retreats has positively impacted the lives of over 140 Tasmanians. How does it work? We’re regularly in contact with staff at the Royal Hobart Hospital, Cancer Council Tasmania and The Leukaemia Foundation to educate staff about our services, who refer patients. Our service has a very simple application process because we understand that families are typically stressed, tired and in need of a break. Clients apply through our website www. homelyretreats.com.au and once applications are verified, we work with the client what the family needs and would enjoy.
You started Homely Retreats because there was nothing like it during your own journey - is this something the Tasmanian Health Service should be offering? Homely Retreats is currently exclusively the only source of respite for Tasmanians affected by cancer. There is a sparse range of respite services across other mainland states, but as mentioned the waiting lists can be up to 5 years. Families applying for respite need support now - they are applying because they need help. I believe the government could be offering a stronger mental health/family counselling support system for the families that we assist. I recall enquiring about counselling and was informed that I would need to seek help privately. What are the benefits to families? We provide HOPE and time to reconnect the family to their greatest asset at this time...each other! Families who use our services always send a lovely message remarking how grateful they are that our service exists and how they used their weekend break as something to look forward to - a glimmer of hope. Giving the gift of family time - allowing families to take a break from the stress of their current situation to rest, reconnect and enjoy their time together making everlasting family memories - hence our hashtag bumper sticker #FAMILYTIMEMATTERS
Where does your funding come from? Homely Retreats is a publicly funded not-forprofit organisation. Our servicing capacity is increasing by 23% each year, but the rate of applications is increasing by around 30%, meaning we currently have 27 families on our waiting list. The average cost of sending a family for a weekend of respite is $550. We apply for any available government grants and host a range of annual fundraisers as well - a major fundraiser raffle, our school’s Community Fundraiser Day (schools across the state dress in blue and raise funds), and sell a small range of merchandise on our website. We are extremely grateful for the support of the community which allows us to continue to offer our respite services in Tasmania. How can readers help? The amazing Purdie family have recently purchased Abs By The Bay accommodation at Taranna on the Tasman Peninsula and have partnered with Homely Retreats. This has given us the opportunity to offer families extended periods of respite due to the heavily reduced costs. To keep our costs down and allow us to assist as many families as possible, we’re always seeking accommodation that is suitable for families as well as petrol, food and experiences. Contact us at info@homelyretreats. com.au or www.homelyretreats.com.au 15
COVER FEATURE
TASMANIAN OLYMPIC KAYAKER
DAN WATKINS Interview: Stephanie Williams Pictures: Supplied Dan Watkins is one to watch. Bursting onto the senior scene only two years ago, the 25 year old is only just getting started, in a sport that values a bit of age under the belt. How did you get into kayaking? My dad got into flat-water kayaking and joined the Derwent Canoe Club. Once he was in the club, he learned they were running a kids program for 10 to 12 year olds to get into slalom and whitewater. So I did that program. It was just a summer on flat-water getting some basic skills up, then we went on the whitewater. I instantly fell in love with the sport when I had enough skills to get on the whitewater, and pursued slalom through that, it was a slalom based program from there. This will be your first Olympics. What’s it like training for an Olympics that hasn’t had a date until recently? It was quite a while without a date! It’s a different Olympic experience, what it’s going to be now, compared to what I was dreaming of when I got selected to the team last year. It was before COVID had really had a big impact on the world. It’s completely out of my control. There’s not really much I can do to change anything apart from just keep training, and keep hoping that the games are going to go ahead and keep adjusting training to the date and just get ready to perform my best when we get there.
And how do you feel your performance is going? How are you feeling? To be honest, the games being postponed a year is probably better for my performance. It’s my first games and I’m quite young in slalom. In slalom it’s the late twenties to 30, even early thirties when you have your peak performances. And a lot of other competitors will be going to their second or third games. So for me, an extra year and I’m still on a good learning curve. I should simply be better racing in 2021 than 2020 if everything goes ahead. You’re training at the moment in New Zealand. How does it feel to be overseas? It’s really nice, hey. Last year was the first full winter I’ve done in eight years, with our sport we just travel. We travel so much. We have our domestic season in Australia in the summer, state champs, nationals. We have some international invitational races in Australia and New Zealand. And then we go and do all the world cups and world champs, always in Europe. I do six months in Europe through the winter. So that was super different with COVID and everything actually being home for so long and having an actual winter to train to. But the training was good and I liked being home. Where is home? In the Huon Valley.
Dan with his ‘L’ plates on at 10 years old. 16
Where are your favourite spots to paddle around home? Bradys Lake is the best training spot in Tassie for slalom. I get out and do lots of creek boating and paddle on as many rivers as I can. And it’s hard to pick some favourites! I end up kind of all over the place, wherever the rain goes.
What does a typical day look like for you at the moment? We have two whitewater sessions a day, which is quite a bit. We’re normally on the whitewater once a day, and then cross training for the rest of the day - do some flat-water, running or gym. Because we’re in New Zealand for a training block we’re on the whitewater twice a day. There’s a timeframe on your career as a professional sportsperson. Outside of kayaking what do you want to do? Good question, I don’t have a good answer. I started a Bachelor of Science but dropped out of that. I enjoyed what I was studying but I wasn’t that excited about the career path. I’m pretty openended at the moment, just going all in for slalom, especially since the Games. I haven’t been trying to plan to work or study more than just some odd jobs for friends. How do you fund your training? Most funding is through the sport itself. It’s a result based tier system, and with the results I’ve had in the last few years, it’s enough to get mostly by. When I’m home in Tassie, I do a little bit of work as much as I can like a bit of labouring. At our level, a lot of our training costs are covered and international travel around racing is covered too. Are you looking for a sponsor? I could be, if anyone’s keen! (Ed’s note…contact us if you want to sponsor Dan!)
Ready for the games to begin
Dan in action at the 2020 Australian Open Canoe Slalom. Pic: Col Boyd 17
COVER FEATURE
experiences on the river, which has been awesome. I’ve barely thad a swim on a river myself! We did one mission last winter, the Douglas River in the Douglas-Apsley National Park. It was pretty much remote. There’s a three-day walking track there. For us it was two hours hiking and then an abseil around a 20 metre waterfall. And then it was six or seven hours on the river after that. We were working pretty hard to get down the river as quick as we could because it was middle of winter. Ten minutes after it went dark, we got to the car. If anything went wrong in there, you’re in the middle of the three-day bush-walking track. It’d be quite a mission to get out! Where’s your current base? It had been in Penrith, near the Olympic course. That’s where our national team centre is set up, where all the coaches are and we’ve got a pretty good training facility there. I’ve been there mostly since the state borders opened up in October.
Do you ever kind of run into other Tasmanian Olympians? Like a little club? No, not really. But we’re going to the gym at the Tasmanian Institute of Sport. I’ve met lots of other athletes from other sports, so that’s kind of cool. Not always the Olympic athletes, but we end up in the gym with five or six different sports at the TIS and that’s kind of cool. Last winter I was in there three times a week consistently all year. What’s the hairiest spot you’ve gotten yourself into in a kayak? Honestly, I’m pretty lucky. I haven’t had too many bad
What do you like to do when you’re back in Tassie? Just get out as much as I can into the wilderness. I love mountain biking, hiking and camping. I camp more than I stay at home! Where’s your favourite campsite? I like getting up into the lakes around Bradys Lake, exploring the other lakes around there, and getting to the west coast is always stunning. It’s a bit hard to kind of duck away just for a night or two, but it’s always epic going out to the west.
Dan with Robyn Jeffrey (coach and London Olympian) Pic: JRImages
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FEATURE
Swimming through the depths of winter Words and picture: Sarah Aitken
Power through the icy Derwent.
Ocean swimming in a Tasmanian winter is not for the faint-hearted. Yet there are a growing number of us doing it - sparked in part by pool closures during last year’s Covid restrictions.
a mantra of ‘hand enter, pull, hand enter, pull, hand enter, pull and breathe’. Sometimes it is a battle of wills against the elements where no rhythm can be found. Always, it is a fantastic experience.”
It’s midday on a very cold day in late May. At Kingston Beach the sea spray is blowing all the way to the parked cars and behind them there is a decent covering of snow on the mountain. The very few walkers on the beach are decked out in a rainbow of Tasmanian tuxedos and even the dogs are mostly staying indoors.
Pete is thrilled with the increase in ocean swimmers at Kingston and Blackmans Bay over the past year.
The water looks less than inviting, matching the colour of the overcast sky. But Pete McKenna has just finished his swim, and he is grinning. “Today it’s a little bit confused,” he laughs, indicating the choppy swell. “This time of year it is bracing when your head goes under water. For the first hundred metres it was difficult to breath because of the constriction on the chest and everything tightened up. But once that settles it’s quite lovely.” Pete got into ocean swimming as part of his triathlon training, years ago. He was soon hooked on the space it gave him. “Swimming is a wonderfully selfish act, he says. “It gives you a chance to be in your own headspace without outside distractions. Sometimes it is a meditation,
“It’s become like a highway of swimmers here, post-Covid. It has multiplied tenfold. If you come here on a Saturday at 8am there will be dozens here. People are really embracing it and making it a part of their lifestyle. And the local competitions have really started to take off - with lots more people participating, because they can now, they’ve pushed themselves and overcome that fear factor.”
smoky taste when there have been burn offs. You become very aware of these things when you’re in it.” When the sediments have settled they’re straight back out there enjoying themselves. Sometimes in groups but often individually. They come to need it, not quite finding the same effects through any other activity. “It sets you up for the day,” says Pete. “Even if you are cold for the rest of the day! That’s a good reminder in itself of that time in nature. “I come away from a swim feeling mentally and physically stronger. Sometimes it is difficult, sometimes it is easy but always I am grateful and happy.”
Clearly the temperature doesn’t put these swimmers off - today the water is about 12 degrees whereas on dry land it’s around nine. But they won’t swim if the waves are too big, or if there has been enough rain to wash pollution down Brown’s River and through the stormwater drains into the sea. “Yeah...at times when you swim down past it you can taste...things...in the water,” Pete says with a slight grimace. “It just tastes dirty. The two main things that get washed down there, according to the water quality guys, are dog faecal matter and motor oil, and sometimes you get a 19
PSYCHOLOGY
RECHARGING YOUR AAA BATTERIES Words: Annia Baron
You don’t need a psychologist to tell you that your nervous system is one of the most extraordinarily complex, sensitive, and intelligent structures in the Universe. But you may appreciate hearing the hard-hitting truth: Yours, is most likely fried. These days we’re exposed to more stimulation, toxins, and noise pollution than ever before. Our adrenals are frazzled and sadly, our overworked fight-flight mode (run by the sympathetic nervous system; SNS) is so used to functioning above the required baseline that many of us have actually created a psychological addiction to it. Yes, you read correctly. We’re addicted to the stress experience. Many of us feel uncomfortable at the thought of being still and worry that if we let ourselves stop, we won’t cope with the influx of accumulated emotional load. Our parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest mode) is in desperate need of some TLC but in a world where the constant stream of demands, tasks to complete, and people to please feel endless, how do we shut down and recharge without the pang of guilt, failure, or fear of missing out? How do we reset without totally disconnecting? Simple, recharge your AAA battery: Acceptance, Alignment and Appreciation. Acceptance: Let’s be honest, when things don’t go our way, we have a tendency to act like a kid and pout. We get fired up and want to fight our way through. Our SNS increases cortisol and adrenalin, and we feel physically tense and anxious. But a simple tool we underuse is the psychological skill of acceptance. Acceptance is not about being passive, surrendering or giving up. In fact, it takes wisdom and maturity to choose to rise above what’s not in your control and shift your focus to what is. Acceptance is an active, bioneurological event that creates changes in how your brain wires itself, and with practice, influences how well you respond to future setbacks or disappointments. So, next time you find yourself caught up in frustration or anger, ask yourself the following question. Recharge: “What’s in my control, what’s not? I choose to empower myself by focusing on . . ..”
of intentional choices that lead us back to shore. This is when
Recharging should be easy...
identifying your personal values is advantageous. They act like the rudder of your ship, steering you back to where you know you want to be. Connecting to your values provides clarity, purpose and ignites momentum to take meaningful action. So when you’re feeling uncertain or confused, settle your nervous system with this reminder. Recharge: “What top three values are most important to me at this point in my life. How can I create more of this today, next week or next month?” Appreciation. It’s tempting to complain. It’s normal to blame. They’re easy and during low mood or elevated stress, our brain will veer towards easy. But by shifting attention towards something you appreciate, gratitude creates an entirely new set of neurochemical reactions, resulting in a cascade of endocrine responses that let you feel a new emotion – one that is of a higher frequency. And science proves this. Neural correlates of gratitude have been found to alter the reward centres of the brain, mimicking the reward of relief we feel when removing a stressor (Leknes et al, 2013). So, the next time you’re pulled towards apathy or comparison, apply the following. Recharge: “Even though a lot is going on right now, in this moment, I am grateful for . . . “ Recharging your battery will cultivate optimal function of your magnificent nervous system and enhance your physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. Start today. Unfry yourself. Your mind, body and heart will thank you for it! If you’d like more tools or curious about mindset coaching, visit www.remindyourself.com or contact Annia, Clinical Psychologist & Mindset Coach on 0402 448 278 Did you know?
Alignment: It’s inevitable that with so much pulling our attention, in many different directions, our inner compass can lose its ability to navigate effectively. Decision making becomes difficult and effort to do what we know will get us out of the storm seems much too cumbersome to try. Fatigue kicks in and procrastination follows. We end up feeling as though we’re drifting out to sea, relying on tides and currents to direct our next move instead 20
Every cell in your body has a vibration that can be measured scientifically in Hertz (Hz). Each cell’s vibration is affected by your emotions because feelings emit a voltage. Some create low vibrations others have a higher frequency. Anger emits a lower vibrational frequency of 150Hz, fear at 100Hz and shame at 20Hz. Joy on the other hand emits at 540Hz and gratitude, a whopping 900Hz.
DINING OUT
Tom McHugo’s: Good Wine, Good Veggies Words and pictures: James Marten
When I was younger, the things I looked for in a pub were somewhere with a comfy bar stool, cheap drinks, a social crowd and a few hot chips. As I’ve aged (hopefully gracefully), my pub ‘wishlist’ has too. With two kids now accompanying my pub visits, bar stools are impractical, my penchant for cheap drinks has morphed into wanting just one or two really good glasses of wine or beer, and while I still need hot chips (for the kids), I prefer something a bit more interesting on the menu. After visiting a few times both with my family and with friends, it seems Tom McHugo’s (87 Macquarie Street, Hobart) hits a few things on that wish list quite nicely. The drinks list sets the tone for me - genuine effort has gone into the list here. It’s ever changing and always interesting. On my latest visit one of my favourite wine labels, Ochota Barrels Fugazi ($14), is being poured by the glass, so I snapped that up. Pub menus usually follow a pattern...a few entrees, burgers, schnitties, steak and proteins, fried stuff, maybe a few options like pasta, a pie or a roast. Tom McHugo’s is a little different. This menu is for sharing and exploring. To start, you need to try the cheese breads ($8) at least once, and they’re best enjoyed hot, straight off the pass. And we can’t go past garlic bread ($7), which is textbook delicious. The chicken schnitzel and chips ($15) is generous and you can add a sauce like green peppercorn or cafe de Paris butter ($2). It’s a good base to build a meal around and can be easily shared by two little kids. The chicken sandwich ($14) is enjoyed by my six year old, albeit with schnitty subbed in instead of the usual black pepper chicken. He loved it. The confit chicken maryland is served with lentils, leek cream and delicata squash ($26) and the Littlewood lamb mince and black pepper pie with mushy
peas and gravy ($18) is enjoyed by two of our party, who both rave about the ‘lambiness’ of the meat. But it’s the vegetables, which are sourced directly from local growers, where chef and co-owner Tom Westacott shines. Roast pumpkin is served with vadouvan butter ($14), which is delicious smeared on the schnitzel. Vadouvan is a French version of curry powder, salty and spiced. Artichoke, chard and cheddar come together under a gratin topping ($12) and sauteed greens with tomatillo ($6) also have a hint of Indian spice and disappear quickly. The leaf salad with mustard dressing ($5) is essential ordering. It’s cliched, but save room for dessert. The brewer’s malt pie with malt cream ($10) should never be taken off the menu and the fried apple pie ($12) is samosa-like, filled with pureed apple. Tom McHugo’s is open for dine-in and takeaway from Tuesday to Saturday, 11.30am-9pm. Book ahead, or try your luck with a walk in.
A schnitty bargain.
Obsessed with Brewer’s malt pie. 21
TRAVEL ON THE ISLAND
CHARMING LITTLE FRANKLIN: APPLES, BOATS AND A WHOLE LOT OF HISTORY Words: Stephanie Williams Pictures: Tourism Tasmania I nearly called my son Franklin. It was high up on my names list. I’ve always like the look of the word. The way it sounds. And while he ended up Francis (he’s Frankie for short), Franklin is still on my mind. On a recent weekend, with my visiting Mum in tow, we decided it was a good day for a drive. She hadn’t seen the Huon Valley before and was curious to see where all the good apples come from. Franklin was our destination. After a quick 40 minute drive south from Hobart, we rolled into Franklin and parked near the oval. Having done zero research prior, we were really pleased to find that the Market at the Palais Theatre was on, so we started our outing there. The Palais Theatre was opened as the Town Hall in 1912 by the Governor of Tasmania Sir Harry Barron. The first film was shown there that same year, then in the years since it’s been a bit of a multi-use space for the town – theatre, ball room, event space, market, a basketball practice court, even a boxing club! Nowadays, the market is held here on the last Sunday of each month, alongside regular performances and film showings. The market is full of goodies. Mum starts at the cake stall and nabs handmade biscuits and jam (for the kids she insists!), while I peel off and find solace with a jar of bath salts. The kids are at perfect ‘stall touching’ height, but they manage to respectfully walk through each stand, and have a chat with a few of the
The Wooden Boat Centre workshop
friendly folk sharing their handiwork. Outside we buy freshly dug potatoes, garlic, greens, herbs and vegetables which we turn into an epic roast at home that night. The kids convince my Mum that they “neeeeeeeed” the two mini monster trucks they spy at the bric-a-brac stall (they win) and I get caught up talking to the dim sim man about his absolutely delicious dimmies. He tells me the recipe was handed down through generations of AustralianChinese people in Ballarat and through a business partner, he has managed to take it over and now produces the dim sims using local meat and vegetables. So good. After a quick kick of the soccer ball at the oval, we walk along the waterfront to the Wooden Boat Centre. The Wooden Boat Centre is the only wooden boatbuilding school still operating in Australia. You can pop your head in for a peek into the workshop and pick up something with that incredible timber smell in the giftshop, or join a tour to really delve into the workshop. We have little kids with us, so decide not to tour, but it’s recommended to book ahead. All tours the day we were there were full. If you’re really into it, you can join a course to develop traditional craft skills – from short courses to a one Year ‘Shipwright Level 1 Course’. You can sign up to make wooden oars, traditional rowing and sailing dinghies, do a heritage restoration or learn modern sustainable boatbuilding techniques. Lunch is calling and Frank’s Cider answers. How could we not, with a kid called Frank. The café and cidery is in a beautiful old church across the road from the Wooden Boat Centre. The cider here is made from apples from 160 year old trees, planted in the oldest heritage orchards in Australia. John Clark established the orchards back in 1836, and Frank came into the picture as the third generation of the family to farm here. Nowadays, the apples are harvested by 5th and 6th generation Clark family members. You can buy their cider through Dan Murphy’s and other bottle shops, but there’s nothing better than trying it at the source.
Frank’s Cider 22
With full tummies, it’s a short walk (and another soccer ball kick around) back to the car. On our way home, we call into one of the many honesty stalls on the side of the highway to pick up a couple of kilos of local apples, a bargain at $4.
TRAVEL ON THE ISLAND
Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival.
EMBRACE THE COLD AT THESE TASSIE WINTER EVENTS Words: Stephanie Williams Pics: Tourism Tasmania This month, with Dark Mofo on and interstate visitors wandering the streets, it might not seem so quiet, but now is the time to mark some events and weekends in your calendar to keep you going through the rest of the ‘off season’. In years past, winter was the time I’d pack my little family up and jump on the ferry in search of the sun. And while this year isn’t as dire as last in a travel sense, there is still uncertainty in the air. A backyard holiday is still where we’re at. And we’re just lucky we have an awesome backyard. And before you say you’ve seen it all, sometimes all it takes is an event to see a destination in a new light. Most of us have been to the Huon Valley before, but have you been when the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival is on in July? I haven’t. Get out your face paint, don some leaves in your hair and get ready to shoot the breeze around the bonfire.
Festival of Voices at Devil’s Corner.
Feel like a road trip further afield? Book your accommodation now for the Junction Arts Festival in Launceston from 1 - 5 August or the Great Eastern Wine Week from 3 - 13 September when vineyards, wine producers and makers, experiences, restaurants and cafes come together to showcase the beautiful coastal wine. If you’re more into food, the Tassie Scallop Fiesta is back this year on 1 August in Bridport. And if music is your thing, venues large and small across Devonport are transformed into performance spaces for the Devonport Jazz Festival from 22 - 25 July. This year set aside some time to celebrate winter and embrace it. Rug up in your finest puffer and head out to one or many of these events and fill up that cup...or wine glass.
On our doorstep in Hobart the Festival of Voices kicks off at the end of this month (more bonfire action!) and Tasmanian Whisky Week from 9 - 15 August, featuring distilleries from across the island. The Tasmanian Wine Festival, Winter Edition is being held this year over the weekend of the 7 - 8 August in Hobart’s Goods Shed celebrating the beautiful reds Tasmanian vineyards have to offer. Love science? The Beaker Street Festival returns from 6 - 8 August. There’s the Festival Hub at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery featuring fascinating talks by world-leading scientists, live music in the underground Speakeasy bar, a Sci Art Crawl around Hobart, scientist-led tours and small-group talks and dinners with scientists. 23
BUSINESS
ISLAND ENTREPRENEURS - WORKBELT
El Noskcaj
Interview: Hilary Schofield
Delving into the inspiration, influence and individuals behind some of Hobart’s happening businesses with a social bent. Artisan leather worker and slow fashion advocate El Noskcaj started her business Workbelt 5 years ago. In that time Workbelt has morphed from market stall, to atelier-shop front, and now online and B2B. El is constantly tweaking her products to make the most of sustainable sourcing, market demand and her ethical approach to running a micro business. How did you start? I consciously wanted to make a change to my career when I was sick with chronic fatigue and had to step back from society. I knew I liked sewing, but I was soon frustrated with ironing, washing and intricate details. I treated myself to some leather and I loved the quality. Leather is such a luxury to work with. Do you have a business plan? No I do not…even though I used to teach business studies! My business plan would have looked different to reality very quickly. My approach has been constant evolution through trial and error.
of the late wildlife biologist Irynej Skira. During his career in wildlife conservation he built a collection of feral animal skins from remote places including Macquarie Island – they were a privilege to use. Has COVID-19 changed the way you work? Yes, I have streamlined my styles and process. Initially was a panicky time, because who knew what was going to happen? But organisations like Brand Tasmania have really got on board with supporting local, and there was a massive shift towards Tasmanian made. I built a whole new website, starting again and investing in photography. I was forced to do things that I had put off! COVID gave me breathing space and people have become very comfortable with online shopping - that’s been a huge positive, #madeintasmania has become really important - also platforms like ‘Have & Hold Tasmania’. Tell us about your zero-waste work? I realised I was accumulating a lot of offcuts and I didn’t want to put them in the bin, so I started mosaicing the leather together to create one off bags. People have loved the Zero Waste Collection because it’s wearable art, each piece is unique and has a story – it’s sustainable and ethical but also a beautiful original piece. What’s next for Workbelt? I love doing small batches of bespoke products for local businesses. I recently made leather aprons for Stillwater in Launceston, personally delivering the aprons was a highlight! We have so many wonderful hospitality, wine industry and floristry businesses in Tasmania, I’d like to have a whole apron range named after those businesses so we can promote each other. I feel very special sitting in a place like Clover Hill Winery and seeing my leather aprons in action.
Workbelt aprons
How has Workbelt evolved? Over time I’ve put much more thought into sourcing ethical leather and maximising efficiency. In the early days, I used to look for inexpensive leather, then I would notice scars and signs of animal mistreatment, so I decided to only use skins that were the by-product of the meat industry. I now source most of my leather from Italy, where animals are typically in small herds and well cared for. My supplier is an Australian business, because I want to support local, and they are big enough to have a code of ethics and supply chain accountability to protect workers and animals. What about Australian leather? I would like to be able to source locally tanned leather, and I do if I can. I was once able to use some very local skins after I connected with the wife 24
What type of entrepreneur are you? I’m not sure I am an entrepreneur because I’m not profit driven! I can see lots of ways to make my business more profitable, but it would require me to step away from the part I like the most...the making. How important is living in Hobart? Well, it allows you to have a wonderful lifestyle on a modest income. There wouldn’t be many places in the world where a Maker could have such a lovely life. I feel really connected with my community, the Photographer I work with lives around the corner, our photo shoots are in local places with local people and I feel really proud of where I live. What advice would you like to give to yourself five years ago? Be kind to yourself - don’t be overwhelmed by advice, keep trusting what feels good and what you’re ready for.
required inspired Rachel and her husband to keep going in their own way. Their son has since returned to school, as they felt his needs were being met there, but the girls are thriving at home. Reactions from friends and family were almost entirely negative. “Everyone was really surprised. People said ‘what are you doing!?’ And ‘You’re destroying their lives!’. I only had one friend, who has grown up children, say “That’s fantastic!”. “Now, twelve months down the track, all of my friends and family have a totally different perspective and say ‘I wish I could do that!’.”
THE ACCIDENTAL HOMESCHOOLERS Words: Sarah Aitken
Hey parents! Happy first anniversary of sending the kids back to school after Covid-induced home-learning! Did you, like many, rejoice when the school gates reopened in May last year? Or did you consider ongoing homeschool? Sarah Aitken meets a family who never got the school uniforms back out. In early May 2020, after weeks of scrambling to find enough hours in the day into which to squeeze work, home-learning, housework and everything else, Tasmanian parents finally caught a bit of a break. Editor Steph was amongst those letting out one hell of an exhale. “On our first day of homeschool Jack (now 6) said to me “Mummy you’re not my teacher, I’m not doing what you say!” And he went outside to the trampoline and announced, “I’m doing sport all day!” she laughed. “Great start there!” Add Jack’s lack of enthusiasm to the practical issues of not having enough technology to go around and both parents working every day, and Steph sums up the time succinctly: “it was a horror, basically.
Never to be done again!”. Anecdotal evidence (i.e. school gate chats) leads us to believe most parents felt the same way. Some families, however, found a wonderful new normal within the chaos and haven’t sent the kids back. Rachel’s* family, of Lenah Valley, is one of them. They’d never considered homeschooling until last year’s pandemic gave them a glimpse of how it could work for them. A year later she’s still homeschooling her daughters in grade 7 and grade 2. Her son, in grade 1, is back at his school. They pulled all three kids out of school a week before schools officially asked parents to keep kids home. So Rachel hit the ground running with her own version of homeschooling, covering topics and texts that suited the kids’ interests and levels. Then the school began to dictate online learning, and as Rachel said, “that’s when it all went pear shaped!”. The incongruence between what the school was providing for the kids and what their kids
Rachel said she hasn’t found it all that hard. She’s found plenty of government curriculum resources available online, and a supportive local homeschooling community. She and her husband work for themselves from home, and shuffle things around so that they sometimes work into the night. It’s tiring, but they’re happy. “My kids talk about how great and fun it is,” she said. The question she has heard most over the past year is how her kids manage to socialise. “My kids do say they miss lunchtime at school - that forty minutes of play - and I get that. But if you look at the contact hours of social time they get - it’s a lot more now,” Rachel said. She also said they’ve found the homeschooled kids to be less judgmental than some of the kids they encountered at school, and that it’s refreshing that age doesn’t come into it – kids of all ages will get together and play happily. The family are anticipating that the girls will likely return to school for the upper high school years, but they’ll make that call when they get to that point. In the meantime, they’re enjoying their new way of life one year on. *we’ve changed Rachel’s name to protect her kids’ privacy. 25
PSYCHOLOGY
THE POWER OF YOUR OWN VOICE Words: Annia Baron I was 19 when my dad died. After some months passed, I put on a CD he had made and hearing his voice again, I fell apart. The sound of him singing did something to me and to this day, when I play his songs, it creates an experience more powerful than looking at pictures of his face. Sound is integral to our sense of self and how we interpret and experience life, emotions, and relationships. We get to enjoy the tranquil sound of birds, soothing sounds of the ocean, music and laughter, and the voices of those we love and care about. But the one voice that remains most significant to our wellbeing is the one we hear the most – our own. And funnily enough, not many of us like the sound of our own voice. Why is that? Our beautiful brains evolved to prioritise safety for survival and reproduction. Back in the day, threats were predominately wild beasts and things that could kill us. Today, physical threats to our safety are few, but psychological threats to our ego, self-identity and sense of belonging are plenty. At any sign of ‘danger’ our limbic system prioritises necessary biophysiological changes, including increased heart rate, rapid breathing and an elevation in cortisol and adrenaline. Cognitively, our thinking changes and our inner dialogue as a default, becomes more negative. These days though, what we hear isn’t “Quick, run from the lion chasing you!” but rather “So much is changing lately.” “I feel like a failure.” “Why do I always overthink everything?” Because our brains are wired to be on alert for threats over positive stimuli, in essence, over the life span, we accumulate a whole lot more negative inner talk. If all our thoughts were recorded and turned into a Spotify playlist, the ratio of songs about self-doubt or self-depreciation would be greater than tracks which cultivate our sense of self-worth and belief. Add into the mix all the usual daily life stresses, pressures and comparison to others, no wonder we don’t like the sound of our own voice –generally, it’s been saying a lot of unpleasant things! But merely replacing negative thoughts with positive words is not the answer. If your brain isn’t comfortable hearing you speak lovingly towards yourself in the first place, it’s not going to believe the content of what you’re saying, especially when your limbic system is triggered. To cut through the old unnecessary chatter, we need to hear ourselves speaking meaningful truths during times of meaningful change. One way to do this is to think of situations in which you tend to revert to unhelpful or unwanted behaviours (e.g., avoidance, 26
distraction, relying on bad habits, seeking a quick fix, acting in misalignment with your values etc). Whip out your phone and press the record button. Imagine being your future self - the one that has achieved your goals and acts in a way that makes you feel good about yourself. Envisage yourself as the you who has already overcome bad habits. Or if it helps, think of what a loved one would say to you in those moments. Speak from that place. Say what’s in your heart. For you, it may sound like a toughlove, kick-up-the-butt pep talk or perhaps it will sound more like a compassionate, courage-creating reminder. You may feel silly. Your mind may tell you this is ridiculous. Do it anyway. Then, importantly, play it back. Play it often. Soon your brain will start to connect more authentically to the words you’re saying because your own voice, speaking in this new way, will no longer feel foreign to your auditory cortex. It will begin to sound like a song you want to listen to. Every now and then, I still play my dad’s music. I smile. Listening to him sing is a reminder of the power we have in using our voice to better ourselves and the lives of those we love. Honour your own mindset playlist. Be selective with what voice you choose to hear. If you’d like more information about mindset coaching, visit www.remindyourself.com or contact Annia, Clinical Psychologist & Mindset Coach on 0402 448 278 Our brains are hardwired for music. But where does the power of music come from? Professor Daniel Levitin synthesizes psychology, music, and neuroscience in his book ‘This is Your Brain on Music’. He explores a cascade of activity, from the eardrum to cells deep inside the brain that regulate emotion set off whenever we hear music and explores how composers exploit the way our brains make sense of the world, how our musical preferences begin to form before we are born, and how musical expertise is built.
ARTS
A NEW VOICE AT DARK MOFO: MAKING SPACE FOR ABORIGINAL REPRESENTATION Interview: Sarah Aitkin
Pic: Sarah Maunder
Tasmanian Aboriginal artist Caleb Nichols-Mansell has had a huge first half of the year. In March, he opened Tasmania’s first dedicated palawa arts and cultural hub – Blackspace Creative in pataway/Burnie. A month later he took on the role of cultural advisor with Dark Mofo. He spoke to Sarah Aitken on the eve of the festival’s post-Covid return. Tell us about your role with Dark Mofo? I’ve been engaged to provide cultural advice and assistance in the programming and delivery of the festival this year. This is in light of the recent controversy associated with the programming of a now-cancelled artwork calling for the blood of First Nations people by Santiago Sierra. I think it is also important to note that whilst I am providing cultural advice and represent the Tasmanian Aboriginal community; it does not mean that I speak on behalf of every community member. We have respected community artists who are established in their careers who won’t engage with the festival but we equally have respected, established community artists who have chosen to engage. This process is about building relationships and improving access for our community to these opportunities should they wish to engage. As the work progresses, the role will evolve but I see my work with Dark Mofo continuing for a while to come. Why is it important to have Aboriginal artists involved in a festival like this?
I think it’s not only important to have Aboriginal artists and arts workers in Dark Mofo but all major festivals, events, and arts activities. I truly believe that that is what the arts and cultural sector has been lacking for so long – not because the talent didn’t exist but because the opportunities weren’t there or obstacles were often in the way. There is a cultural shift currently happening within the arts and cultural sector and this needs to be attributed to those community artists and arts workers who worked hard and have paved the path that I and other emerging artists are now beginning to walk. How did you feel when the Sierra flag project was announced? Initially, I was concerned. I was concerned for my Elders and those in our community who are still deeply traumatised by the intergenerational effects of invasion and the dispossession of our people, families and loved ones. I was concerned for the festival and for the Tasmanian community more broadly as I knew that the fall-out from this would be quite large and the clean-up could potentially squash any plans of a festival going ahead this year – which was needed – after last year’s was cancelled due to COVID. We cannot deny the benefit that Dark Mofo brings not only to Hobart but the broader Tasmanian economy through the visitors, money and engagement bought by the draw of the festival and what it has become. And how did you feel when it was removed from the program? Honestly, relieved. I felt relief because it was the only way we were going to be able to move forward and we had to because the truth is, the festival isn’t going anywhere and nor are our community or First Nations artists more broadly. In order to affect change, we had to work together to find a solution in moving forward and past this and it is for that exact reason I engaged with Leigh Carmichael and his team.
How do you feel Tasmania is going in terms of Aboriginal representation in the arts industry? I feel at present we’re really representing in terms of the arts and cultural sector amplifying our voices, practices and connections. Personally, I just hope this appetite and support for our community artists and art workers is sustained over the long term. For centuries, literally going back to the invasion of our state, our community artists and arts workers have been advocating for the inclusion and recognition of our arts and cultural practices and it’s only now, nearly 200 years later that this appreciation and inclusion is being realised. Congratulations on the opening of Blackspace Creative Arts and Cultural Hub. Tell us about the journey to here. Journey is definitely the word. We started out as an online sales and showcase space which then grew to the physical space as a result of a partnership between Business North-West and Renew Initiatives Australia. Under this partnership we have access to this physical space for a period of one year, rent free. After this time, to secure the space we need to secure further funding. What do you love about Tasmania? My connections to this sacred Country, the fact my Old People walked this land for thousands upon thousands of years before it was invaded and colonised. Our isolation from the broader world and how this influences our ways of being and living; for better and for worse. It makes us unique, a bit quirky and maybe even a little odd but I love this state and the people who call it home. Not always and not always at the same time, but whenever I travel my heart and Spirit yearns for home. You can visit Blackspace Creative Arts and Cultural Hub at Shop 7, 28-32 Wilson Street in Burnie or online at www.blackspacecreative.com.au 27
HISTORY
CATALINA FLYING BOATS IN INLAND VICTORIA Words and pictures: Peter Carey
If you’re exploring the Mallee region in Northern Victoria, Lake Boga is worthy of a visit. It’s a 9.4 square kilometre fresh water endorheic lake, adjacent to a town of the same name, 325 kilometres north west of Melbourne or 142 kilometres from Echuca via the Murray Valley Highway, and a popular recreational locale for all things water sport. For those interested in our military history, particularly the Pacific War; Lake Boga once served as the base for both the maintenance of the Catalina flying boats, and for covert military communication. Its inland location was strategically safer than coastal locations which were more vulnerable to Japanese air attacks such as that which Darwin suffered in 1942.
GMC truck series which he typically drove as part of his role in Borneo. As a crucial communication point, the original communication bunker beside the main building has been set up as it would have been, complete with mannequins dressed with military attire, guaranteed to launch one into the environment, typical of busy military communication operations. The bunker was built in 1942 and eventually shutting down in 1947, it pays a very deserving tribute to the men and women who operated it. Although some of the aircraft had to be represented by scale models, by far the most impressive exhibit would be full sized original Catalina PBY5 A24.30 which was rescued from scrap, painstakingly restored and now takes pride of place in the centre of the main display area. As its recovery and restoration was the original catalyst for establishing the museum in the first place, it obviously stands as the dominant aircraft exhibit.
The Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum, popularly branded as “The Home Of The Catalina”, sits in the parkland on the shores of the lake. It is, from my experience, one of the most impressive facilities dedicated to an important part of our military history, rivalled only by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the RAAF Museum in Point Cook. Originally the brainchild of members of The Lions Club of Lake Boga, the idea started back in the early 1980’s and took about 14 years to bring the facility to its current form, before finally opening in 1997. Visits start with a short documentary in a small theatrette, featuring a vast array of newsreel footage of the 1940’s, after which one is free to roam the large display room; a testament to the hard work of volunteers who painstakingly devoted many hours to the restoration to some 500 plus different military artifacts, including land vehicles. I couldn’t help imagine how my late father George, an RAAF corporal of the Pacific War would have enjoyed the nostalgic fascination, had he been around to see this vast array of restored road vehicles; particularly the classic American Jeep or the 28
For swimming, camping, yachting, water skiing, or fishing; it’s an ideal spot. If walking is your preference, Lake Boga has a 4.5 kilometre paved track around its perimeter. For longer stays, the nearby Lake Boga Caravan Park is pet friendly and suited to family style accommodation.
Surf Not Salmon paddle out at Clifton Beach by Zoe Burton.
Strolling through @midtownhobart
Autumn leaves by @georgieheartmedia
Take a break with us @kitschevents
Take me away @yongi_olney
White Beach by Little Tilds
A trapdoor spider by Mark Seyfried...jeepers!
GET FEATURED
Tag #thelaunniemag to be featured, or send your pics to steph@propellermedia.com.au 29
Enjoy this? Share your feedback or questions with steph@propellermedia.com.au Pic: Tourism Tasmania
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