‘We the Makers’ supports authentic design, material consciousness and sustainable ethical practice and is the National Wool Museum’s major biennial program. Aligned with the Geelong UNESCO City of Design designation, ‘We the Maker’s’ champions local talent, the future of design and Geelong’s ongoing role in the wool, fibre and textile industries.
Humans in Geelong have featured artists Emily Rastas and Lazarus Gordon previously, so make sure you check out their stories and visit the exhibition at the National Wool Museum which is on until October 29th.
Finding my voice for The Voice to Parliament. After an interesting conversation with friends about the up-coming referendum, the second in my lifetime, the third ever for Australia, I realised that, despite feeling strong support for First Nations Australians, it was hard to find the words to explain why I will be voting Yes. It got me thinking…How are others articulating their reasons for voting Yes to support a First Nations Voice to Parliament?
So, I decided to attend the ‘Support the Voice Forum’ at Geelong Library a couple of weeks ago to listen to Simon Flag (CEO Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative), Linda Burney (Minister for Indigenous Australians), Deputy PM and Member for Corio Hon Richard Marles MP, and Libby Coker MP (Member for Corangamite).
From these great speakers, I created a summary of key points (not direct quotes) which resonated with me in explaining what it’s all about.
*It’s about giving First Nations people a voice at a higher level of policy and law-making, on laws and policies that directly affect First Nations people.
*In 1901 the Australian Constitution was created, in a time when First Nations people were not recognised as people. They weren’t counted. They are now. Let’s give them the voice to be change makers in their own communities, to be recognised in law as being part of our nation.
*It’s about bringing our country up to date on what we see as fair in 2023.
*This is a chance to finally give recognition to being part of our country in the ‘Big Book of Law’.
*It’s about closing the gap between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the population in education, health and jobs. So far, without First Nations Australians having input, this hasn’t been achieved.
*Aussies are a nation of people who think everyone should have a ‘Fair Go’.
*It’s about being as generous to our First Nations people as we are to people in need overseas.
*This is the moment to let our people have a say in our destiny.
*It’s about walking forward together.
*It’s about giving each other strength.
*There’s nothing to lose, and everything to gain from voting Yes.
*Make sure you’re doing your own research, check in with your own values, be across the facts, understand what it means to those it affects most.
*Whatever decision you make, please know that what you choose matters.
I’m sure these points will be useful in my future conversations about the 2023 referendum, and I hope by sharing, perhaps they’ll help you too. Local team member.
If you’d like to find out more, The Djilang Market and Voice Forum, in partnership with Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, will be held at Eastern Beach this Sunday 24th Sept from 10-3pm. More info: https://www.yes23.com.au/djilang_markets_and_voice_forum
Referendum Sat 14th October. Photo: supplied by John Foss, YES at Torquay beach.
Dr Duc Nguyen is the Founder and President of the Vietnamese People of Geelong. He has over ten years of experience working for both academic and industry sides in the water sector in Australia and Vietnam. He obtained his PhD at Deakin University on the beneficial reuse of alum sludge and circular economy. His experience also extends to researching and lecturing at universities, business development as well as water engineering. His research background focuses on pollutant adsorption, PFAS, waste management toward net zero targets and circular economy.
Dr Duc Nguyen and the Vietnamese People of Geelong would like to invite us to their Mid-Autumn Festival, on Friday the 29th of September 2023 from 5-8pm at The Salvation Army building 239 Malop St. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/708477373897
“This festival holds a significant place in Vietnamese culture, symbolizing unity, gratitude, and the joy of harvest. It provides us with a wonderful opportunity to share our traditions and values with the broader Geelong community.
“Our Mid-Autumn Festival event will feature a variety of engaging activities, including traditional performances, lantern displays, cultural workshops, and authentic Vietnamese cuisine. By participating in this event, attendees will gain a deeper appreciation for the rich tapestry of our culture and the contributions of the Vietnamese community to the vibrant mosaic of Geelong.
“In addition to our recent successful participation in the Pako Festa Parade and our affiliation with Cultura, our Mid-Autumn Festival event underscores our commitment to fostering cross-cultural exchanges and celebrating diversity. We believe that events like these are instrumental in creating an inclusive and harmonious community that embraces and values the unique perspectives of all its members.” The Vietnamese People of Geelong. Photos supplied.
Beach volleyball, a casual kick of the footy and chats over lunch on the Geelong waterfront helped the DT Infrastructure team check in on each other as part of RUOK? Day.
DT Infrastructure crew, a construction company that employs engineers, accountants, safety and support staff from a range of fields, has been working on the Geelong and Warrnambool rail line upgrades over the past three and a half years.
RUOK? Day is an important date on the calendar for DT Infrastructure and many other businesses and groups. It is a national day of action targeted at improving mental health and reminding everyone that any day is the day to check in on your friends and colleagues or support those who may be struggling.
As I reflect on my journey as founder and president of Art of the Minds, I never dreamed that I would be a part of a charity supporting another charity.
From humble beginnings:
In 2015, during National Mental Health week, I shared my lived experience through prose, photography, and my crazy bird sculptures, all the while as performers and guests filled the space with talent as we show cased the first micro festival at Boom Gallery in Geelong.
Now 8 years later, with a talented committee of 10, Art of The Minds host close to 30 events in 1 week, with the support of community artists and businesses in delivering creative messages of hope to those afflicted by mental illness.
As the crossroads of life would have it, my path, through a professional mental health education platform, saw a connection with Rob and Caroline Lytzki , the founders of Foundation61.
As the Art of the Mind branches grew as a festival during mental health week each year, we began to also water the branches of another charity, Foundation61.
Some people call this synchronicity, some people call it fate, and some people call it the intervention of a higher platform of love and kindness to one another. Some people call it Faith, and for me it’s the later. When passionate people connect to support vulnerable others in the community, nothing but goodness and kindness can rise.
This life partnership now sees us eagerly calling on the support of the community in attending two significant events that sees Art of The Minds placed in a position to raise money for those participants struggling with substance use issues at Foundation61.
So, with passion, and behalf of the committee, I eagerly invite you to attend the Shimmer and Shake Charity Ball, and The Big Boys Breakfast events, to help us support the great works that Foundation61 does in restoring hope to families and friends afflicted by the pains of recovery, and in restoring hope into the lives of so many.
I request that by spending a few dollars and taking the time, that you join in the action of events, supporting this amazing partnership between Foundation61 and The Art of the Minds.
September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. Hope Bereavement Care is presenting a screening of the Australian Documentary Film – ‘This Man’s Worth’ followed by a panel discussion about the impact of suicide on those left behind.
‘This Man’s Worth’ – At the conclusion of fulfilling working lives, two very different men, Graeme and Michael, convinced of their loss of identity and disconnection to the world around them, decide suicide is their only option. Graeme, Sallie and others discuss the mysterious space between life and death, meaning and despair in this exploration of depression, suicide and the importance of connection and community.’
At the conclusion of the screening, join Mental Health Advocate Tony Mc Manus’(pictured), as he facilitates a discussion with filmmaker Ash Cottrell, one of the men featured in the film John Patterson; Bereaved Mother Kim Edgar; Hope Bereavement Counsellor Catharina Dumaresq; and Craig Wood from ‘Let’s Talk’.
This Q&A will lead a discussion about suicide, particularly the impact on those left behind, and the hope found in community, connection and compassion.
CONTENT WARNING: This Man’s Worth explores themes around suicide. While the film is hopeful and advocates for change in this space, viewer discretion is advised. The film has been classified as rated M. Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1104315
The screening and Q&A will be held on Tuesday 12th September 6.30-8.30pm at the Pivitovian, presented by Hope Bereavement and supported by the Geelong Community Foundation and the Freemasons Foundation Victoria.
Photo supplied of Tony McManus.
Beyond Blue ambassador Tony McManus. 16th October 2015. The Age Fairfaxmedia News Picture by JOE ARMAO
“Our stories are the oldest stories in the world. Our Ancestors passed these stories down to us over thousands of years and across hundreds of generations.”
KEEPERS OF THE FLAME is the first major solo presentation of works by Norm Stanley and Nikki McKenzie. Together, as Wurri-ki Art and Wurri-ki Culture, they create, educate, and celebrate their knowledge practices as First Nations individuals, partners, and collaborators.
“We are creating our own stories of life and Culture as we live and continue on in our Ancestors’ footsteps. We are the oldest storytellers in the World and we are proud to belong to the oldest surviving storytellers in History. Now we have a role to play, we have become the holders of these stories. We are now the Keepers of the Flame.”
“’Keepers of the Flame.’ This is an integral piece of my belief system. When I first started thinking about the most suitable title for our exhibition, I kept coming back to this. Everything we learn becomes our knowledge to carry. Every story we hear becomes a part of that knowledge. Every lesson we are taught becomes a part of that knowledge. It builds strength inside. It establishes a powerful foundation on which to build more knowledge and strength.
“What we learn isn’t ours to keep like a secret. It’s ours to pass on, to share. It’s not an obligation. It’s a responsibility.
“Obligation is an act that an individual is morally bound to do. A responsibility is a duty that you are required or expected to do. I am responsible for the knowledge I hold. The knowledge shared with me by my senior people, my elders and old people is shared with me with the expectation that I will honour them and pass on that knowledge. That knowledge becomes the “flame”.
“It is my responsibility to take care of my flame. I use my hands to protect that flame. To allow it to burn. I use my hands to share through Art, through music and through writing. Sharing Culture, connection and understanding. Giving respect and paying respect to those who connect with me. My hands become the shield that protects the knowledge, the flame. My hands become an important part of passing on the stories that were passed on to me. This is responsibility. A role I have to fulfil.
“I am the “Keeper of the Flame.”
– Norm Jurrawaa Stanley
‘Keepers of the Flame’ exhibition is on in Gallery One at Platform Arts (the old Courthouse) until Sept 22. Open Mon – Fri 9-5pm.
For sales and enquiries, please contact curator@platformarts.org.au
“My family and I moved to Geelong from Sydney in 2006 when I was nine. We lived mainly in the Corio/Norlane area. I did some of my primary schooling and all my secondary and tertiary education in Geelong – St Francis Xavier, Clonard Collage then Deakin University.” We hear from the talented Kgshak Akec.
“I’ve always been drawn to the art of storytelling, particularly in the written word – after university, I was heavily drawn into the Geelong art scene. I worked at The Pulse Radio Station as an intern, at Courthouse Youth Arts (now known as Platform Arts) and with Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company. I’m a deep lover of reflecting on the world around you as you see and feel it in your artistic creation. In my debut novel, ‘Hopeless Kingdom’, we see the main protagonists find their way, adapt, evolve, break, and rebuild themselves in Geelong.
“I wrote Hopeless Kingdom under very strange circumstances – it was during the first nationwide lockdown of covid in March 2020, I was living at home with my mother, my father, my two younger sisters and my two younger brothers. I’d also just returned from my first solo international trip away for the first time since coming to Australia. I was having a lot of internal revelations and moments of self-discovery.
“I was 23 years old and at a time in my life where my mother and I were staring to see each other as equals. ‘Hopeless Kingdom’ is a product of all the soul-searching that had taken place in that year and all the years prior to coming to age as a young South-Sudanese woman in Geelong, in Australia.
“Recently my book was shortlisted for this year’s (2023) Miles Franklin Award. A national honour that places my book amongst some the greatest written works in Australian history. People from all walks of life, from all parts of Australia have been reaching out to me to express how moving they found the book and its characters and the journey it takes them on. It just really goes to show how a young girl from Norlane can go and achieve such amazing things.
“I proudly represent Geelong as my home wherever I go, I hope people who have connections to this place and make Geelong what it is, feel seen and represented.”
The Geelong Arts Centre is open and looking stunning. There are three amazing theatre spaces, gorgeous original artworks by local Indigenous Artists, a cafe & relaxing spaces.
The fluorescent artwork using recycled materials, is called Oasis by Indirect Object.
You can view more photos on our Instagram or Facebook page.
For more information about the Opening Festival & permanent artworks used in the new Arts Centre, check out their website:
You can[JW1] choose to add to our Geelong & Surrounds team if you wish, to donate.
All donations are tax deductible
Feedback from one of our volunteers:
Last year one of our students was a selective mute. Although able to communicate, the child chose not to talk to adults. Fortunately for us, whispering the stories to my dog ‘Roger’ was ok. When Term 1 started this year, we (‘Roger’ and I) were delighted to have the same student in our Story Dog sessions.
Things started off well and with a bit of encouragement, the whisper turned into reading so that I could just hear the story. Now as the end of Term 1 draws near, I can report that my wonderful student is reading aloud to us both and is interacting positively with my dog and myself. ‘Roger’ always snuggled up to the child and now he gets proper pats!
I can’t say whether this miraculous turn around had anything to do with Story Dogs, but teachers are delighted at the progress seen. So are we.
Does your ‘WOOF” qualify for this job?
Do you qualify?
WOOF Giving Day 2023
Help Us Fund 100 Dog Teams and Help 500 children learn to read, turn your office ORANGE on Friday the 25th of August.
HuG 