Laura Brearley invites us to join a chorus of voices for Bass Coast’s last remnant coastal bushland.
By Laura Brearley
THE community is alive with the sound of environmental activism. The threats to the remnant Western Port woodlands from the expanding sandmining industry are galvanising the community to action. We are coming together through a deeply felt need to do what we can to protect the last remnant coastal bushland in the Bass Coast region and the wildlife and ecosystems it supports.
Song is a powerful way of bringing us together and giving voice to our shared concerns. The launch of the Save Westernport Woodlands campaign began with Tim O’Brien’s lyrical and heartfelt song, ‘On a Grantville Shore’. We could hear the song coming out of the Corinella Hall as we arrived for the campaign launch and even though there was an atmosphere of deep concern, there was a joyful feeling in the air as well. There was a recognition of our agency as a community. The turnout was strong and we were fresh from the recent victory of protecting Western Port from the threats of industrialisation posed by the AGL Gas Jetty proposal.
THE community is alive with the sound of environmental activism. The threats to the remnant Western Port woodlands from the expanding sandmining industry are galvanising the community to action. We are coming together through a deeply felt need to do what we can to protect the last remnant coastal bushland in the Bass Coast region and the wildlife and ecosystems it supports.
Song is a powerful way of bringing us together and giving voice to our shared concerns. The launch of the Save Westernport Woodlands campaign began with Tim O’Brien’s lyrical and heartfelt song, ‘On a Grantville Shore’. We could hear the song coming out of the Corinella Hall as we arrived for the campaign launch and even though there was an atmosphere of deep concern, there was a joyful feeling in the air as well. There was a recognition of our agency as a community. The turnout was strong and we were fresh from the recent victory of protecting Western Port from the threats of industrialisation posed by the AGL Gas Jetty proposal.
Terry Melvin (my lovely husband) and I are now making a short film for the Save Western Port Woodlands campaign that has a focus on the precious fauna and flora that live in the woodlands. This week, we began our interviews for the film and spoke with scientist Professor Dick Wettenhall, Kay Setches, AM, former Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands, and Jordan Crooks, a conservationist from the Victorian National Parks Association.
Terry Melvin filming in The Gurdies Conservation Reserve, part of a forest corridor stretching from Lang Lang to Grantville. Photo: Laura Brearley
They all shared deep knowledge from their own fields of practice about the significance of this bio-link on the edge of Western Port’s RAMSAR wetlands. They know that the Leadbeater Possum, Helmeted Honey Eater and the lyrebirds have already been lost in this area. They recognise the risks posed to the soil and the water by the chemicals being extracted in the sand-cleaning process and the flow-on impact on Western Port itself.
They are aware that there are other sources of sand close to Melbourne that are not located in remnant forest. They understand the ecological and economic costs of trying to bring back threatened species at risk of becoming extinct. They spoke with real love about the orchids, the finger fungus and the grass trees and the dangers of losing habitat for the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot, Long Nosed Bandicoot, Lace Monitor, Powerful Owl, Swift Parrot and the Growling Grass Frog.
Invitation
And so we do what we can. I know many people have signed the petition and are involved in different ways to raise awareness about the value and significance of the Western Port Woodlands.
I’d like to extend an invitation to you to participate in this campaign through song. Yes, I know. Some people rate fear of singing in public higher than their fear of death but, as community singing leaders know, there are ways and means of making singing together fun and not at all scary.
They are aware that there are other sources of sand close to Melbourne that are not located in remnant forest. They understand the ecological and economic costs of trying to bring back threatened species at risk of becoming extinct. They spoke with real love about the orchids, the finger fungus and the grass trees and the dangers of losing habitat for the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot, Long Nosed Bandicoot, Lace Monitor, Powerful Owl, Swift Parrot and the Growling Grass Frog.
Invitation
And so we do what we can. I know many people have signed the petition and are involved in different ways to raise awareness about the value and significance of the Western Port Woodlands.
I’d like to extend an invitation to you to participate in this campaign through song. Yes, I know. Some people rate fear of singing in public higher than their fear of death but, as community singing leaders know, there are ways and means of making singing together fun and not at all scary.
| I have written a song for our film called ‘Are You Listening?’. It’s simple and easy to learn. Over the next few weeks, I am going to be teaching the song to different groups of people at various events. We are going to film people singing the song and will incorporate that footage into the film to demonstrate the range and depth of community engagement with the Western Port Woodlands issue. Ways to Get Involved I’m going to be teaching the song with my friend and colleague Ian Turnnidge at the Vocal Nosh session at the St John’s Uniting Church Hall in Cowes on Sunday July 4 at 5pm. I’ll also be teaching it at the Bass Coast Artists’ Society event ‘Halcyon Harmonies and Reflections Exhibition’ being held at The Goods Shed in Wonthaggi at 2pm on Saturday July 17. You are warmly welcome to attend and we will ensure that you are kept COVID-safe. If you are part of a music or environmental group and would like to learn or teach the song in your group over the next few weeks so it can be incorporated into the film, let me know. My email is [email protected] and I can send you the music, lyrics and chord chart and we can discuss the filming process. I’ll keep you informed about other opportunities to learn the song through communication outlets such as the Bass Coast Post, the Phillip Island Conservation Society, the Gippsland Singers Network and Community Music Victoria. | All together, now You can hear a recording of ‘Are You Listening?’ on SoundCloud. In this demo recording, I’m singing some harmonies and playing my trusty ukulele. You can hear Susie Neal on drums. At the end of the track, you’ll hear bird sounds recorded by Ben Cavender in the Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve as part of the Coastal Connections project. The song is easy to play on the ukulele. It involves three chords C5, Csus4 and C. Here are the lyrics … Are You Listening? 1 Something’s crying in the woodlands Are you listening? Something’s dying in the woodlands Are you listening? Are you listening? CHORUS We say no more mining sand where the remnant forests grow We say no more mining sand where the woodland waters flow Are you listening? Are you listening? 2 Something’s stirring in the forest Are you listening? People rising for the forest Are you listening? Are you listening? REPEAT CHORUS OUTRO Are you listening? Are you listening? |
Resources
You can hear Tim O’Brien’s beautiful song ‘On a Grantville Shore’ at the end of the Save Western Port Woodlands campaign video …
Read more about the campaign:
Save Western Port Woodlands
Sign the e-petition calling for a moratorium on sand mining in Bass Coast’s remnant forest.
Prof Dick Wettenhall’s article Time to Draw a Line in the Sand has received 191 ‘Likes’. That says a lot about the level of community engagement and the interest in being informed about the science underpinning the campaign.
Song, science and conservation together. It’s a powerful cocktail.
You can hear Tim O’Brien’s beautiful song ‘On a Grantville Shore’ at the end of the Save Western Port Woodlands campaign video …
Read more about the campaign:
Save Western Port Woodlands
Sign the e-petition calling for a moratorium on sand mining in Bass Coast’s remnant forest.
Prof Dick Wettenhall’s article Time to Draw a Line in the Sand has received 191 ‘Likes’. That says a lot about the level of community engagement and the interest in being informed about the science underpinning the campaign.
Song, science and conservation together. It’s a powerful cocktail.