Dr Laura Brearley
WE HAVE come to a critical point in the community conversation about the establishment of an AGL gas terminal at Crib Point on Western Port Bay. The issue has been in our awareness for years, but we have a short window now to gather our collective strength, listen to the science and do what we feel the future is asking of us.
My husband Terry and I live on Phillip Island (Millowl) and we love Western Port Bay (Warn’Marring). We love its beauty and its stillness and we love its birds. It is from this place of love that we have been writing songs, making films and bringing community members together in response to AGL’s proposal.
WE HAVE come to a critical point in the community conversation about the establishment of an AGL gas terminal at Crib Point on Western Port Bay. The issue has been in our awareness for years, but we have a short window now to gather our collective strength, listen to the science and do what we feel the future is asking of us.
My husband Terry and I live on Phillip Island (Millowl) and we love Western Port Bay (Warn’Marring). We love its beauty and its stillness and we love its birds. It is from this place of love that we have been writing songs, making films and bringing community members together in response to AGL’s proposal.
We strongly believe Western Port is not the right site for industrialisation. The eco-system of the Bay is too significant and fragile to risk the irreparable damage that would be caused by AGL’s proposal to moor a regasification plant at Crib Point and build a 60 kilometre gas pipeline from there to Pakenham. We respect the significance of the UNESCO Biosphere reserve and the Ramsar wetlands that support and sustain migratory birds and many other interconnected forms of life.
The COVID times we are living through have heightened our perceptions of what matters most and how interconnected we all are. The economic imperative is not the main narrative here. It is life itself and our collective responsibility to care for it. Wendell Berry has a version of the golden rule that applies in this situation. ‘Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you’, he writes. ‘Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.’
We want to celebrate the richness of life in Western Port Bay and stand up for its protection. Here are links to three of Terry’s films which contain songs from the Western Port Bay Song Cycle.
We will be including links to these films and songs in our written response to the Environmental Effects Statement and the call for submissions which is open and receiving submissions until August 26.
The COVID times we are living through have heightened our perceptions of what matters most and how interconnected we all are. The economic imperative is not the main narrative here. It is life itself and our collective responsibility to care for it. Wendell Berry has a version of the golden rule that applies in this situation. ‘Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you’, he writes. ‘Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.’
We want to celebrate the richness of life in Western Port Bay and stand up for its protection. Here are links to three of Terry’s films which contain songs from the Western Port Bay Song Cycle.
We will be including links to these films and songs in our written response to the Environmental Effects Statement and the call for submissions which is open and receiving submissions until August 26.
‘Blessings’ is a call for justice and a song of love for Western Port Bay. It recognises the future impact of decisions being made about the proposed AGL Regassification Plant in Western Port Bay and appeals to the best in everyone involved.
‘No Way’ features members of our local community as well as choir members from the Climate Calamity Choir, led by Jane Coker and the Melbourne Climate Choir, led by Jeannie Marsh. Both choirs collaborate on environmental actions, drawing together members from different choirs from Gippsland, Melbourne and beyond. They have developed innovative ways of facilitating and recording virtual choirs.
‘Time to See’ focusses on the significance of Western Port Bay as a Ramsar site. Inverloch-based community musicians Lyndal Chambers and Brian ‘Strat’ Strating have added recorder and accordion to the song. Drone footage of Queensferry Jetty and the Bass River taken this week by Mick Green has also been incorporated into the film.
WESTERN PORT BAY SONG CYCLE
Here are SoundCloud links, descriptions and lyrics of the seven songs in the Western Port Bay Song Cycle.
Here are SoundCloud links, descriptions and lyrics of the seven songs in the Western Port Bay Song Cycle.
 1 Time to See Migratory birds enlarge our worlds. They connect us to places across the planet and to those who share our love for them.  2 Flowing On Everything is interconnected. The past flows into the future, carrying the memories and the stories of the living beings who have preceded us.  3 No Way Some things in life are so precious, they are priceless. The AGL’s proposed gas facility in Western Port Bay highlights the question of what we value most.  4 Beautiful Bay Clean water is central to all of life, everywhere. It is the source of life. There is a Slovakian proverb which says, ‘Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine’.  5 Taking a Stand As we witness the damage being done to the Earth, we are all diminished. We experience the sense of loss and it is profound.  6 Out on the Bay Life has its own rhythm. The seasons and the cycles of the natural world keep it steady and balanced.  7 Blessings We are in relationship with Country. First Nations people around the world wait for us to listen and learn and so does the Earth. |
You can find out more about the Save Western Port Bay campaign at …
https://savewesternport.org/
https://environmentvictoria.org.au/campaign/stop-agls-dirty-gas-plan-for-our-bay/
https://vnpa.org.au/protect-action/save-westernport-bay/
If you would like to write a response to the Environmental Effects Statement, Environment Victoria is hosting a submission-writing workshop on Zoom for the AGL campaign on August 17, 12 - 1:30pm. Register here.
Submissions are going to be reviewed by an Inquiry and Advisory Committee, led by the Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne. A directions hearing will be held on September 17, followed by a public hearing starting on October 12 which is likely to run for eight weeks.
We are sharing these films and songs with the community and with decision-makers as an act of hope and in solidarity with the natural world. In Albert Einstein’s words, it is time to ‘widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.'
We warmly encourage you to take your place in this widening circle of compassion and to raise your voices on behalf of Western Port Bay.
https://savewesternport.org/
https://environmentvictoria.org.au/campaign/stop-agls-dirty-gas-plan-for-our-bay/
https://vnpa.org.au/protect-action/save-westernport-bay/
If you would like to write a response to the Environmental Effects Statement, Environment Victoria is hosting a submission-writing workshop on Zoom for the AGL campaign on August 17, 12 - 1:30pm. Register here.
Submissions are going to be reviewed by an Inquiry and Advisory Committee, led by the Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne. A directions hearing will be held on September 17, followed by a public hearing starting on October 12 which is likely to run for eight weeks.
We are sharing these films and songs with the community and with decision-makers as an act of hope and in solidarity with the natural world. In Albert Einstein’s words, it is time to ‘widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.'
We warmly encourage you to take your place in this widening circle of compassion and to raise your voices on behalf of Western Port Bay.