Traditional Owner Steve Parker dancing at the Opening Ceremony on the Cowes Foreshore with Moon Bird, the giant shearwater puppet By Laura Brearley
The third Shearwater Festival, held on Phillip Island on November 22 and 23, brought the community together in a creative, cultural and environmental celebration of the short tailed shearwaters.
The two-day festival involved school children and families as well as indigenous and non-indigenous creative artists, musicians and elders.
The third Shearwater Festival, held on Phillip Island on November 22 and 23, brought the community together in a creative, cultural and environmental celebration of the short tailed shearwaters.
The two-day festival involved school children and families as well as indigenous and non-indigenous creative artists, musicians and elders.
It began on Saturday morning with a colourful street parade along Thompson Avenue in Cowes, led by indigenous elders and artists and a shearwater puppet with a seven-metre wingspan. The ‘Moon Bird’ puppet had been made by artist-in-residence Annie Edney. Following the bird were drummers, percussionists and singers, along with different kinds of sea creature puppets made and carried by local school children in the Shearwater education program.
The parade made its way down to the Cowes foreshore where senior Boon Wurrung elder Aunty Carolyn Briggs, welcomed people to her Country with a smoking ceremony. A group of indigenous dancers and local indigenous school children called Baarny Bupap (Water Babies) performed traditional creation dances and a shearwater dance choreographed for the occasion by Steve Parker and Lowell Hunter.
There were opening speeches from the CEO of the auspicing organisation, the Victorian Aboriginal Corpiration for Languages, Mr Paul Paton. The newly appointed mayor of the Bass Coast Shire Council, Kimberley Brown also spoke. Phillip Island Nature Park board member Stephen Davie and Bruce Procter from the San Remo Bendigo Bank also expressed their appreciation in being involved of the Festival.
On Saturday afternoon there were creative and cultural workshops at the Cowes Cultural Centre. They included singing and dancing workshops, Indigenous story-telling and an opportunity to learn to play the gumleaf with well-known Aboriginal elder Uncle Herb Patten. A participative ritual performance facilitated by local dance teacher Tony Norquay completed the day.
In the early evening, Graeme Burgan, senior education ranger at the Phillip Island Nature Park, conducted an environmental talk on the latest research on the shearwater birds at the Cape Woolamai Surf Life Saving Club. He led dusk and dawn walks at Cape Woolamai to see the shearwaters return at dusk and take off at dawn from their rookeries.
The Sunday concert at the Cowes Cultural Centre was filled to capacity. It featured high-profile musicians Kutcha Edwards, Archie Roach, Yirrmal and the Yolngu Boys, Marcia Howard and Rose Bygrave and members of the Deep Listening Band and Friends, Steve Sedergreen, Mike Jordan, Ron Murray, ToK Norris and Uncle Herb Patten. Archie Roach, much loved Indigenous musician received a standing ovation at the end of the concert.
The festival is auspiced by the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation of Languages and sponsored by the Bass Coast Shire in partnership with Phillip Island Nature Park and ABC Gippsland. The Bendigo Bank and Ramahyuck District Aboriginal Corporation also contributed support this year.
The Shearwater Festival 2015 will be held on November 28 and 29 next year. If you would like to become a member of the festival working group, the volunteer team or become a partner or sponsor, please contact Dr Laura Brearley on 0434 596 800 or [email protected].
Shearwater Festival 2014: the video
The parade made its way down to the Cowes foreshore where senior Boon Wurrung elder Aunty Carolyn Briggs, welcomed people to her Country with a smoking ceremony. A group of indigenous dancers and local indigenous school children called Baarny Bupap (Water Babies) performed traditional creation dances and a shearwater dance choreographed for the occasion by Steve Parker and Lowell Hunter.
There were opening speeches from the CEO of the auspicing organisation, the Victorian Aboriginal Corpiration for Languages, Mr Paul Paton. The newly appointed mayor of the Bass Coast Shire Council, Kimberley Brown also spoke. Phillip Island Nature Park board member Stephen Davie and Bruce Procter from the San Remo Bendigo Bank also expressed their appreciation in being involved of the Festival.
On Saturday afternoon there were creative and cultural workshops at the Cowes Cultural Centre. They included singing and dancing workshops, Indigenous story-telling and an opportunity to learn to play the gumleaf with well-known Aboriginal elder Uncle Herb Patten. A participative ritual performance facilitated by local dance teacher Tony Norquay completed the day.
In the early evening, Graeme Burgan, senior education ranger at the Phillip Island Nature Park, conducted an environmental talk on the latest research on the shearwater birds at the Cape Woolamai Surf Life Saving Club. He led dusk and dawn walks at Cape Woolamai to see the shearwaters return at dusk and take off at dawn from their rookeries.
The Sunday concert at the Cowes Cultural Centre was filled to capacity. It featured high-profile musicians Kutcha Edwards, Archie Roach, Yirrmal and the Yolngu Boys, Marcia Howard and Rose Bygrave and members of the Deep Listening Band and Friends, Steve Sedergreen, Mike Jordan, Ron Murray, ToK Norris and Uncle Herb Patten. Archie Roach, much loved Indigenous musician received a standing ovation at the end of the concert.
The festival is auspiced by the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation of Languages and sponsored by the Bass Coast Shire in partnership with Phillip Island Nature Park and ABC Gippsland. The Bendigo Bank and Ramahyuck District Aboriginal Corporation also contributed support this year.
The Shearwater Festival 2015 will be held on November 28 and 29 next year. If you would like to become a member of the festival working group, the volunteer team or become a partner or sponsor, please contact Dr Laura Brearley on 0434 596 800 or [email protected].
Shearwater Festival 2014: the video