Cyclone Recovery – Page 4 – June Paisa Perkins

Wonder a Day 3: Mothers

Mothers are a wonder if they embrace this role and care not only about their children, but about other mothers.

This poster is inspired by that idea but also about special mothers who came together in response to Cyclone Yasi. They were the mothers involved in Operation Angel who raised and sent goods to mothers and other members of the Lower Tully community. Operation Angel is not just made up of mothers but they are at the heart of it.

Do you remember all the mothers in your life?

In many cultures Aunties are like mothers.

Mother figures can enter our lives at many points, acting as mentors, nurturers and steadying points.

Sometimes the mothering role is not well done and this can have far reaching consequences for the whole society, but an empowered mother, empowers others.

People in our lives in 2011

I could have focused this year’s round up on events and achievements, but instead it’s all about people. We’ve had so many people touch our lives this year this post is dedicated to just some of them.

Some awesome Tully people all banding together after Yasi

We shared experiences, checked up on each other and watched television at anyone’s house with a generator. There are so many wonderful locals in Tully and surrounds. This will always be a very special photograph to me.

Two friends waiting to meet or glimpse Prince William in Cyclone Yasi Territory .

I gave a copy of this photograph to these two lovely ladies and they loved how happy they looked. It was so good to capture joy after the experience of Cyclone Yasi. I know one of the ladies as she volunteers in a local scrapbooking shop and is always happy for a yarn up when you visit. Typical of Tully we have many mutual friends and have met from time to time at other events.

I loved the look on Prince William’s Face as he met the Cassowary in art. I was contented to photograph other people’s joy and didn’t try to meet the Prince.

Prince William in Tully meeting locals

My sons and hubby will never forget meeting Phil Emmanuel and watching him tune up his guitar. He was on last at the Bounce Back Concert, it was rainy and muddy but the guitar was awesome even with a few sparks from the wet mixing with the electricals oops. He was another visitor who came twice and he actually remembered meeting the kids!

Meeting Phil Emmanuel – he signed the guitar.

Pam and Joe Sharing their Story of Cyclone Yasi.

I enjoyed learning video skills with people who trusted and were patient with me. Pam and Joe’s daughter loved the video documentary about them- always good to know extended family like stories on their own family. Pam has been a great friend, practical and regularly ringing or visiting. I loved taking some portraits of Pam and Joe out on the farm.

Sal and Kim, always busy and involved in community, charted and continue to chart their recovery journey on facebook. They allowed me to share snippets for ABC Open.

Sal and Kim at Mission Arts Opening providing support and Sal’s vocals.

My son with his awesome tennis coach.

Tennis has been a regular thing with our son going twice a week all year and it’s good to hear that people did not drop off attendance after Yasi but just loved the social and fitness aspects of their tennis! Thanks to everyone at Baseline Tennis.

SES volunteers helping in our area and showing compassion and good humour.

We are pictured here with some SES workers who came all the way from Weipa to help out. They were kind enough to let us take this picture, well actually one of them took the pic. I remember it was a time when we were still wondering about where we were going to live!

Cardwell Volunteers at Launch of Cyclone Yasi our Stories

Jeff McMullen a former 60 minutes journalist with my son

We met so many amazing people this year, including Jeff McMullen a former 60 minutes journalist, who mingled with the crowd at the Bounce Back Yasi Concert as well as Damien Martyn, retired Australian cricketer and Haley Warner, a former Australian Idol finalist.

We met quite a few singers, including Leah Flannagan, Peter Farnan, Rebecca Barnard and Robert Forster – who came with Song trails from the Queensland Music Festival. Leah pictured below has such a beautiful voice and did justice to our group composed song.

Leah Flannagan playing a song for us.

One of our many Angels – Jo

This beautiful soul (pictured above) Jo took our family in when we were searching for somewhere to live. She and her husband Neil made us so welcome we will never ever forget her family’s help. I am so happy every time I run into her and we’re good friends with her son – Dan who also comes and plays guitar with the boys every now and then when he’s back from uni.

With another of our many helpers and friends

I took a lot of photographs of helpers when I was up for it. Occassionally stress made me forget but I did try to document all our wonderful helpers. The photograph above is with Lydia one of my writing group buddies and a keen photographer. I’ll never forget our early sunrise photography expedition. We must have been crazy! For a short time I lived around the corner from her in the aftermath of the cyclone and we were able to have a few catch ups. Some thanks are in order to many of the teachers from Tully State High and also to Richard Kelly, and the Dores who spent a lot of time helping us on house moves.

This is my daughter with one of her dearest friends.

They got a chance to catch up in person in September. They were in touch on skype during the cyclone and her friend offered her home if we were homeless afterwards. She is such a sweetie and rang my daughter on her own birthday so she could share her special day with my daughter. The girls are still in touch a lot on skype.

Carolyn Bofinger, has been an inspiring and encouraging person. I have been blessed to get to know her this year, and thank her for putting ABC Open in touch with my family and for all she did for Lower Tully Community before she left. She didn’t let go of making new friendships even as she was leaving and I was surprised but honoured to be invited to her farewell.

Carolyn Bofinger – with the daybed rescued and repaired by her friends

Carolyn was involved with helping out with Operation Angel but didn’t get to be there when founder of that organisation Jacqueline Pascarl was in town, so I took lots of pictures and documented that event. She was sorely missed.

Jacqueline Pascarl chatting with locals from Lower Tully – honoured to meet her and hear her inspiring speech.

Robert Rose, a basketballer of renown came with the Back on Track program of Australian Health Rotary.

He cheered up a lot of kids by teaching them basket ball. He was later to say with others who were travelling with him, that he got more out of the trips than the kids probably as he so enjoyed the joy on their faces and will never forget the visit.

Graeme Connors, what an inspiring song writer. He has songs about cyclones amongst other things in country life. He sang at Bounce Back and also in the Back on Track program.

It was a time to say goodbye to Feluga State School – here is most of the school with Robert Rose and Graeme Connors after that fabulous visit. The staff have been so great to the kids and they will miss them. Especially Mr Starkey their classroom teacher and principal and teacher aide Marcia Reichardt.

My sister in laws

My wonderful sister in laws have been so kind, and it was great to see them at a big family function this year.

This is just one of many photographs of visiting Bahai Friends.

Here is another- one of our friends friends was absolutely awestruck by the nature of our surroundings you can see it in his face, he just couldn’t look at the camera:

Lots of people offered to have us come stay with them, but it was lovely to have someone come and see us as we weren’t up to much travel at that point needing to still get on with sorting things out (which we are still doing) before having a more relaxed break. I have to thank Gabriels, Mudds,Tahereh and Adib, the Derakshans and probably several others.

Lisa Curry with some happy kids

The kids loved listening to and meeting Lisa Curry, fabulous Australian Swimmer and former Olympian. She gave them a book on fitness and gave a very funny and inspiring talk on being healthy. She encouraged them to surround themselves with positive people! I follow her on facebook now.

There are lots of writers and artists in our lives – we see them at launches, workshops and stay in touch via email and phone to mentor each other. Here are just a few pictures of them. I could easily do a whole post on them.

Writers on the Storm – Workshop Mission Beach (still in touch with these fabulous ladies.)

Launch of Under one Sky – Mission Beach (yahee our anthologies were not destroyed by Yasi!)

With some of the Licuala Writers – at the Launch of Cyclone Yasi, Our Stories – Cardwell

The team from ABC Open have been in touch with us a lot, and given me a brilliant focus for the year – on storytelling recovery. I have to thank all the producers and friends and readers who’ve regularly commented on the blogs or facebook or sent personal messages, Paulien, Noel, Pam, Sally K., Vi, Kate, Tammy, Carolyn, Jo, Karen, Susanne, Book Creator’s Circle members, and from ABC’s Sonja, Brad, Cath, Scott, Leandro and Michael. I don’t have photographs of a lot of you obviously as we are touch in virtual space.

Meeting with Mick Bromage in Townsville

Meeting Leandro for first time.

Emma is the shop owner at Murray Upper

Emma puts on a lovely Christmas every year for locals. This year despite Yasi, it was no different. It was an excellent opportunity to meet many locals but it would not have been possible without people like her who put the time and effort in. I have to thank Murray Upper for being so welcoming! What a community!

The following photograph was of moment of joy down at one of the local creeks and it was so lovely to see the kids really smile! They are looking forward to doing that a lot more in 2012.

Happy New Year Murray Upper, Happy New Year everyone!

My favourite pic of the kids from 2011.

Launch of Cyclone Yasi Our Stories

Poets of Yasi, sometimes you can say more with less – the collection mixes it up with accounts or emotions that are sometimes expressed in poetry.

Seven of the Licuala WINQ writers took they time to contribute to the anthology of Yasi stories, four of them pictured here. Well done everyone for taking time out of clean ups and moves to write up your experience and share it.

Volunteers doing their bit for history, literature and thirsty launch attendees. A friendly bunch showing the community spirit of Cardwell is and strong. Cardwell Lions did a lot in the post Yasi clean ups even when they themselves had a lot to do! We love our volunteers on the Cassowary Coast, always thinking of others.

Catching up with Sue Tidey and meeting her hubby Robert was great. Wonderful contributors to the Cyclone Yasi, our Stories, who said it actually uplifted them to be included and to come along today.

We had fun discussing cameras, wildlife, ABC Open and blogging!

You can see more pictures of the launch here.

Watch out for a guest ABC Open post soon, but you can always find me here on my homebase blog.

Pearlz Dreaming.

For more details about the book visit Cardwell Historical Society.

For more go to the ABC Open Post on the Launch – Launch of Cyclone Yasi our Stories, Our Words.

Poetry about Yasi

DSC_0819 (2) — Walking into Light - By June Perkins

In the last few months I have been mostly privately writing poems about the experience of Yasi and its aftermath.

I haven’t been sharing too many of them on my blog or anywhere for that matter but here are two recent ones, which are about the experience of being more fully recovered and whole since the cyclone.

I am developing both of these into songs and recently sang Shadows into Light to the Licuala Winq Writers.

11.11.11 November Song

I’m thinkin’of the houses that lost their rooves

All the world’s children who lose their homes

I’m thinkin’of the songmakers tryin’change the world

Dylan and his questions blowin’ in the wind

All those November songs we sing

All those moments happenin’right now

Songs come now clear the pain

Wash away memories in the rain

I’m seein’ the buildings slowly rising up

I’m rememberin’ things that came and knocked them down.

I’m thinkin’ of people healing broken hearts

Practical angels giving people their wings

I’m thinkin’ of red poppies for each soldier lost

Grieving young widows and what wars cost

Can’t stop dreaming

Can’t stop believin’

Can’t stop buildin’

Must go on hopin’

For

love

answers

life

laughter

dreams

calm

and peace

Shadows into Light

There are days when you can play

with shadows to see the light

You can find these on the journeys past cane and

fallen down trees

Life has corners you can’t see

Twists and turns

Still photography

Sometimes we don’t see connections

We go and miss

the shimmering

Sometimes we don’t see the beauty

We’ve forgotten how to feel

You can chase the sunlight across the window panes

You can turn them into anything you want

Climb and clamber

Shine and Sway

In the forests

Light the way

Capture a glimpse of connection

Dream of nature’s rhapsody

Make this a day to remember

Chase the shadows into light

Sometimes we don’t see connections

We miss the shimmerings

Sometimes we don’t see the beauty

We’ve forgotten how to feel

Make this a day to remember

Chase the shadows into light (repeat to fade)

I’m back ‘dreaming’

Final sunrise at our brief stopover home before now…

So it’s been tricky keeping up with my blog. All my time has been taken up with packing, unpacking and cleaning. I will forever have visions of my daughter dancing with the mop and cleaning the windows with glee, and the kids enjoying the lift on the truck.

Even though we have settled not everything is done, we still have to get internet and a fresh water set up. We are on bore water and it’s so rusty. There’s a tank here, full of rubbish and not connected to the tap – it needs a lot of work. I can even smell the rust in my hair when I am showering. I load my hair up with heaps of fruity smelling shampoo to rid myself of it and just hope people aren’t going ‘there’s that rust smelling lady.’ Joys of country life I really must remember some people walk miles to wells to find their water at least we have water, but at the moment we are buying our drinking water as even when we boil it the bore water seems icky.

For now I am using mobile net and the library internet!!

Two hours free internet at the library per week for locals – great news for me just at the moment so I am taking advantage of it to blog. I’ve signed up to a five week course to learn how to use my mobile phone, no more asking the kids. It makes me feel like a nanny when I have to do this. Mind you finally getting more conversant with video editing, but really want to learn how to do sound transitions better.

I’ve read a lot of blogs and articles about blogging, social media and the art of selling without feeling like you are annoying people. It’s all about having a service people want and engaging with them as people not ‘customers.’

So a blog that is about people, but offers a service, so much so people want to support it and buy products off it. Sounds easy, well it is if you can think of the gifts you have that are of use to others. So many artists – some commercial and some in it for what they can so and do to change the world and some combine both wonderfully.

So rethinking my blog as both a personal blog which is there for my friends to catch up with me I realise I want to offer some products you can buy to help me keep up my blogging.

So watch this space and see what happens. I think however, outblogloud, that I love to make documentaries, and would love to be more and more involved in this, so you will be able to see sample documentaries embedded in my blogs.

You might also see places you can buy photographs, prints, books, cards and be able to purchase things you like or mean something to you. I love making photocollages and will let you know where you purchase some.

I love snail mail letters – I don’t write or receive them very often, but the personal handwritten letter is such a novelty these days. I do them as precious gifts, so handmade products based on the blog might be on the way.

I am touched by special things my friends and community do and love to blog on events and newsworthy stuff. A lot of bloggers world wide do that! I don’t like this to just be opinion based but like to research what I post and check out the background to things just like good journalists do.

What else, I love to keep up with the creative writing process and motivate myself and others to write and create. So I will probably continue to develop blogs on that but maybe I can make neat little ebooks and do more samplers here.

I personally love reading humourous blogs, and I love that you can subscribe to blogs and receive them to your email inbox – it almost like a snail mail letter in that it arrives where you can read it and you don’t have to go looking for it . It would be great to have more subscribers who are enjoying the blog and events and products I am making or part of.

Well my internet time is almost over so I better sign out and post.

You can catch my latest abcopen blog here http://open.abc.net.au/projects/aftermath-08vh8ac/posts/taipans-trucks-and-trust-95hp4ul

I have another one in the works on Graeme Connor and Robert Rose visiting with Australian Health Rotary on the way. I am doing my second mini documentary for that. I’ve decided that soon I want to do some voice over narration on my documentaries, and will need to be miked up for that. There’s also the one on Pam and Joe, so much interesting stuff to share there.

It’s really awesome learning new skills! I love it. ABCopen visited last week to document my family’s recovery since the cyclone. It was great having them in town. I have a blog on that visit typed up at home and will put it up when I get a chance.

I have been off chasing sunsets and waterfalls as well, with my camera that is! It’s always interesting being in a new home and having new things to photograph.

All the best to my family, friends and readers.

Feel free to subscribe to the blog it’s the easiest way to know when I have next posted without me making you feel like a ‘customer.’ Life, wow it sure can be one massive roller coaster ride at times, even with or without cyclone aftermaths.

June