I had a wonderful time last night. About 120 or so of us hippy-surfy-bushy-arty types rocked the night away at the old Tanja Hall. It was a very big turn out for our small community. This is truly a wonderful part of the world ? kids, parents, and grandparents all mixing in good spirit. A group of female bibleman/look-alikes in big black wigs and sequined dresses belted out sixties classics while everyone danced and had a good time. We all love living here in this unspoiled part of the Sapphire Coast. Tanja has no shops or anything, just an historic old school and adjacent clapboard Hall. It is an arts community tucked between National park and forest interspersed with lush green hills. After a life of running away I think I may have at last found my home among the gum trees.
The talent around here is impressive. We?re kept amused with all sorts of events from the annual ?sand molding competition? to the annual ?firing of the kiln? (a huge pottery kiln) The Festival of Fire is a spectacle not to be missed either if you?re down this way. Everyone is invited to create something and then burn it in an spectacular nighttime display. This year mad Marr Grounds, son of a famous architect, built a gianormous minaret from bails of hay but the bushfire brigade wouldn?t let him light it!
Last nights shindig was our first tsunami fundraiser. We?re just a small community and have decided the best way to help is by ?adopting? one particular Thai village and then helping them as much as we can. A fishing net costs $300 and we raised almost $3,000 dollars last night with an entrance fee, specially made t-shirts and headscarves on sale and a big raffle. Raffle tickets were $5ea and the prizes were mostly of local produce and artwork, bottles of wine, boxes of organic fruit & veg, , jars of Tanja Olives, Disaster bay Chilies, seafood vouchers, pottery lessons, glassblowing lessons, belly dancing lessons etc.. BTW: When I say artwork I mean artwork not that pedestrian crap on sale at ?art & craft? shops ..anyone want to buy a set of 7 larger than life heavy metal Tuna fish? Offers over $20,000 considered .. hey the buggers took 6 months to make! Anyway, we'll be sending someone to Thailand to co-ordinate our effort and make sure we make a difference.
Is there life after leaving the troof? You betcha sweet farkel there is. unclebruce
EDIT : The following was a much longer ramble of over 9 pages ? so be grateful and just blame everyone who asked what i've been up to
On February the 17 th I?ll be celebrating the successful granting of a Voluntary Conservation Agreement over most of my land so it?s my shout to the Tathra pub for fresh lobster and bubbly! It was an exhausting two year process, with extensive Aboriginal and Flora and Fauna surveys. It was complicated by the heritage zone around the old steam engine and gold stamping machinery. 35 acres isn?t much in the scheme of things but strategically my place is important as the VCA affects neighboring land.
I live in the middle of a recognized wildlife corridor with many rare and endangered plant and animal species. I applied for and received a government grant to study the rare micro bat species inhabiting the old mines and rainforest gullies below my house site. (the proceeds are from the part privatization of our telecom industry).
This ?micro-bat project? is proceeding well. Visiting beast and fowl experts are impressed with camping amongst big goannas, sea eagles, lyrebirds, greater gliders, feather tails, powerful owls, possums and numerous other friendly beasts that live here. Puffed up with pride I can report that: Botanist, Jackie Miles, says I have the biggest Lillypilly, Cabbage Tree Palms and Buff Hazel trees in the entire Bega Valley ? and no weeds at all).
Between the micro-bat project and the VCA process, it seems as though half the valley became involved: Landcare, Greencorps, National Parks and Wildlife, the minister for the environment, Bega Valley Shire Council, botanists, overseas and interstate guests, ecologists, specialist bat people etc.. The project/s created a deal of interest here, interstate and overseas. Being raised in a twisted atmosphere of hostility toward anything expert or scientific makes learning from truly educated people all the more delightful.
Another club I joined is the Australian Writers Group. We meet once a month to critique each other?s work. So far I?ve managed to avoid reading anyone?s poetry. Fast approaching the half-century mark, I?m no spring chook but I am one of the youngest in the group. We were all a bit slack submitting our work for a recently published anthology and our secretary sent us all a wake-up notice moaning that she?d only received five submissions and two of them were from dead people! Another club I?ve joined is the Southeast Woodturners. We meet two evenings a month to spin wood, yarns and chops.
At Kingdom Hall we were admonished to cultivate an attitude of ?here I am send me?, while at the same time older heads cautioned us to ?never volunteer for anything.? No wonder I?m a mixed up loony!
Well, the last few years I have been volunteering quite a bit. As part of my sea-change to a peaceful life in the country, I joined WIRES, a group dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release back into the wild of native animals. I then volunteered to represent this region on the executive board. Cheeky these locals ? they often trick new members into positions of authority (which require a lot of hard yakka). Well, I recently finished my two year stint on the State Management committee? phew .. In the past three years it has been great fun. As well as rescuing all sorts of native animals (and euthanasing many) I?ve been involved in scientific survey work, meeting and camping out with some of the worlds leading environmentalists.
A job I fell into was editor of SCATS , the Far South East Wildlife Information and Rescue Service Newsletter. That was an absolute hoot, taking the p*ss out of everyone in our group and organizing it from a rough handout to a kickarse magazine style publication.
I completed several WIRES courses: Caring for Raptors and Pelican Rescue. Most work with pelicans involves removing imbedded fish hooks and fishing line. Capturing them involves a noose in the sand, big nets and attracting them with plenty of fish-frames (fish with fillets removed). I heard a few of you say that Emus are a dangerous bird - no way - couldn't peck there way out of a plastic bag ..Albatros & Osprey now they're mean birds!
I'm trying to post a photo of my wombat Wally.
Sorry I've only been able to write one serious article on returning.
Cheers, unclebruce.
Problem : Left the JWs, life?s a mess, have no friends? depressed in a lonely fog? Englishmen no longer answering your posts?
Solution : Go develop some new friends. Step one ? get off your butt and join a club. There are clubs for everyone and everything from bondage to needlecraft. (just avoid the ones with sprukers, preachers or poker machines. Free Clue: Lovebombing is not necessarily a good sign)
The clubs I've joined/unjoined in the last three years:
NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service* Tathra Fishing Club* Tathra Sea kayaking* South East Woodturners* Tanja Art Society* Bega Historical Society* Australian Writers Group* Candelo Art society, The Environment Network, The Bushfire Brigade, Bega Valley Genealogy Society, Apostates International.
*still active
WARNING TO ACTIVE JWS: It is disloyal for a JW to join so much as the National Geographic Society.
What about you? Been in any good clubs?
~ the end is here ~