Cyclone Recovery – Page 3 – June Paisa Perkins

Now and Then; Series 2 comes to Tully

abcopen_workshop_film 036 — Participants and producers preparing for a now and then photo

So yesterday it was time to walk around Tully to take our Now and Then photos. We prepared for the task in the morning at a workshop with ABC Open producers, Michael Bromage and Leandro Palacio. They showed examples, and took everyone through the steps of what we needed to do. It was during this process we were delighted by a walking history storybook of knowledge of the area, Jean. She knew so many things having lived in Tully since she was a young girl. I think she would give the most brilliant guided tour to visitors.

Local librarians were on hand to find and give us more background to old pictures as well, to assist us to make those dates of the then photographs accurate. But what a wonder to see all Jean’s kodak box pictures, many of which are in the local library collection, but we got to see the originals not just the scans.

We were asked to participate in a mini video documentary of the day, and to tell our stories of the photographs to camera. The story doesn’t end there as some participants, much to their surprise, were also asked to have a go at sound recording and were given many tips on many types of storytelling, photographs, to video and blogs. Jean was such a wealth of knowledge that she became a star storyteller, and there is no other way to describe her contribution other than generous and brilliant.

The group for the day were warm, funny and open to learning. They shared laughs, and took to the task with enthusiasm and zest. They are definitely going to tell all their friends about how much they enjoyed the experience.

All the participants contributed well and got right into the spirit of the day. They were energised and keen to learn more about everything the producers had to share. Some participants didn’t have email before the workshop and made little use of the internet but now they think they will. They were happy to hear our local library gives two free hours a week to locals with library cards to make use of the internet each week.

Participants look forward to seeing the documentary about their history walk of Tully, some of it recent and some going back half a century. They collaborated not only with producers, but with each other, to produce some contributions – already uploaded to ABC Open.

You can see my documentation of the workshop HERE.

Thankyou ABC Open for a great day!

Tully Church Lady Sees Change — My now and then photograph completed..

She sees change, after cyclone Yasi the broken buildings just hinted at in the photo.

Now a year on the church is gone, containers hold some of her memories and she will soon witness a rebuild.

Experiences of Epiphany – in the ‘Big Smoke’ Part 3

Brisbane March 2011 037 — West End Markets – June Perkins

Saturday Morning 10th March

The morning of the aftermath presentation arrives and my friends ask if I’d like to go to the West End Markets before my talk. It seems like a good idea to quell the nerves.

It is something to behold though, we arrive to a mellow saxophonist sitting by the entrance. The car park is almost to capacity but we are directed to a spot near an oval and park a short walk from the stalls.

The market itself is a sea of people. We are moved on a wave of humanity and have almost no individual identity. Stopping to look at stalls is a mild relief but hard when you want to hop back on the wave and move. It’s crowd surfing on the edge for someone who now has the soul of a country girl.

My hosts are apologetic saying they usually come later and it’s not quite this fast moving sea. They are tired out by the moving wave. I stop to find some material made flowers, and the seller of these is a very arty looking young lady who also has an array of colourful scarves. I will place one in my hair as goodluck for the looming presentation.

I keep my wits about me, to make sure my son is not swept away by the wave. Karen orders some pumpkin and curry puffs for a small snack.

We head off to where there is usually music, but instead there is a loud performance and a couple of people are in what appears to be a television studio on the go. It could be pantomime, I am not sure. We don’t stop long. It’s not our cup of tea.

Soon we escape though and sit under a large avenue of trees and Daryl dives back into the sea to grab coffees and a hot chocolate for us.

Karen tells me that she grew up in the country too, and isn’t that keen on the state of the market today; they like to come when it is less crowded. She tells me about other markets in the area and their character.

Daryl tells us about the trees and how they had been roped off for a long while to recover from all the trampling on the ground near their roots andthe disease they had. Many trees have been lost. The hope is that the break from people and treatment will assist them to survive. I share a little of our lost trees in Tully and the cyclone hit areas. So many humans love trees – and associate them with memories. I wonder what happened to the lost Kauri Pine out the back of our old place in Feluga. It was so tall and so attractive to birds that nested there. Now it’s just a photograph. I wonder if the wood was put to good use.

My son chatters as well, about all the things dear to him and what he’d like to do for the rest of the trip. He is keen to go to the movies that evening or afternoon if we can.

Soon we are away again, back to Daryl and Karen’s for a brief break before heading off to a café near the Queensland Museum.

They drop me and my son off as we are there early to prepare before the talk – and they will return later. We are at The Café waiting for Miranda, Scott and Solua to arrive. We seem to be first on the scene. Whilst we are waiting we notice people hiring picnic baskets and going and sitting on the lawn to be served as if they are high class society people with butlers.

Miranda arrives with her brother Roly – and we take a table ready to have a last minute discussion before we head off to the Museum to present. Scott and Solua are not far behind and discussions begin.

I ask my son to photo document, and he takes to his task with relish. I realise how much he has been watching me take photographs. He is not at all scared to take on this role.

Brisbane March 2011 042 — Break from the Wave – June Perkins

To read the account of the Aftermath Presentation at the Museum click here. I’ve posted it at ABC Open. But our Brisbane Adventure doesn’t end there …

Wonder a day 18: Sunburst

gleam of light - mission beach — Sunburst at Mission beach – June Perkins

I looked back through my photographs of the last year to discover lots of images of light peering through trees – why do I love these little bursts so much?

They symbolise the power of light to reach out and change what you are looking at. A cyclone broken tree with a slice or shimmer of light is poetic, hopeful, and uplifting.

The sky is a place free from sad faces and sorrowful buildings – cracks and tarpaulin, tempers and impatience, it follows its sunrise – daylight, to sunset to moonlight cycle regardless of people.

Sunset still captures the heart into peacefulness even when all else is a hurried pace of coping and moving, running and packing, and moving.

Sunset over farms, canes, beach – the light and patterns of colour on the sky inviting a smile and a gasp.

Please note:

When photographing sunbursts I use my flip out screen on the nikon, just to protect my eyes.

I love sunbursts – how about you?

(c) June Perkins

Wonder a Day 11: Cricket

at the cricket- fans 2 — ~Keen Fans at the cricket by June Perkins

Today’s theme the wonders of the great game – cricket!

We were blessed to take my youngest to a Pakistan versus Australia game where Ricky Ponting scored 209. We were on a trip to Tassie to see my parents and youngest who is a cricket fanatic worked out there was a game in Hobart and he just had to be there. Tickets were secured, not to mention baracking gear.

Living far from the capital cities where the games regularly occur is one of the sacrifices of living in the country, although locally it is also a common pastime for country people, along with golf, tennis – and fishing.

So there we were at Bellerive Oval – Hobert, grandad, bubu (PNG for Grandparent), me the kids, David and their Uncle Paul watching the cricket and youngest was in HEAVEN.

Youngest is about to be of the age where he can join a team. So far he plays regularly in the back yard and ropes us all into train him up. He has already played for his primary school team and is quite handy with the bat although he can’t join the town team until he is ten.

at the cricket - brothers — ~my sons at the cricket by June Perkins

If you follow my blog you’ll know that cricket played a role in our coping with Cyclone Yasi.

The Australia versus England the sixth one day International was on and the cricket fanatics of the family were keenly following it. It kept youngest occupied to think about how Australia was doing and was as important as details from the BOM site that my hubby’s brother was giving him once our power had gone out.

This was the story we shared with Damien Martyn when he came to the Bounce Back Concert in Tully. He was very kind to youngest and signed his shirt and hat. He listened to our story with interest. He even tweeted the photograph of the two of them together, which was rather sweet.

Ah the wonders of cricket not to mention caring cricketers!

(c) June Perkins

Wonder a day 8: Aftermath Project part 1

kite fun being filmed — Documentary Day (c) June Perkins

Aftermath a project of ABC Open from the last 6 months, but beginning with a journey from 2009, has been just amazing. It has now launched.

You can go behind the scenes by reading Catherine Marciniak’s post Behind the Scenes of Aftermath. There you will discover that it covers 6 natural disasters, 115 community storytellers, 1197 contributions as well as details of the process and motivation behind the site.

As a contributor Aftermath I think this project was about having people take the time to listen to our family’s story, learning new skills like how to make mini video documentaries, reflecting on environment and people around me, reaching out to tell friends’ and community stories, photographing interesting images, seeking beauty in sky and wildlife, observing regreening, demolition, and being aware of the many stories of the people who had a tough 2011 and chose to be resilient, kind, brave and caring towards others regardless of what they had been through.

Aftermath was a wondrous experience. Sometimes it was emotional, especially coming across the stories of people like Marty Warburton, Kirsten Landers, Sandi Semmler, Kathleen Mealor, Rob Cox – and the many others involved in contributing to the project. And watching the video footage we had taken of our precyclone and during cyclone experience was a bit hair raising and tricky to watch initially but actually it was probably good for me to watch it and confront that experience.

But the great thing was that it was as if these distant storytellers in Aftermath became our friends, because we had been through experiences that we were prepared to write about and or be interviewed about as we were going through them. Some of us shared stories beyond the personal, particularly Kathleen Mealor who found some absolute gems.

Other times the experience has had its funny moments, like the time Michael Bromage and Leandro Palacio made me laugh when we made up a silly song on the day they came to do some more documenting of our family’s story.

And there have been many poignant moments like saying goodbye to friends leaving the area, and the very touching concern of the many ABC open producers, especially Sonja Gee and of course Michael, Scott Gamble, and Leandro, who have let my family know that they care about what happens to us beyond just getting good stories out of people.

I think that this project to collaborate to produce stories that are thoughtful and insightful has a massive future in Australia and the world. We know we have not been forgotten after the headlines of massive destruction pass – and such storytelling ventures have the capacity to challenge some of the ways stories will be collected in the future.

It also has the capacity to give more people voices, that is opportunities, to represent their own stories and be listened to.

My heart goes out to the many countries around the world were disasters happen but who do not have the infrastructure of volunteers and SES and so on that we have in Australia. I met a backpacker who told me in her country there is not such a wide volunteer base after bushfires and other disasters she was amazed at what she was witnessing post Yasi.

Aftermath website definitely a wonder of January 2012.

(c) June Perkins