Presented by our Chairperson, Diana Moss
November 6th 2023
Kaya. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet today, Pibelmun Noongar Boodja and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. In particular I would like to acknowledge Aunty Suzanne Kelly, a Pibelmun Noongar Elder, who worked with us on many projects over the years, sharing her wisdom and giving a heartfelt Welcome to Country at events.
It has, as always, been a very busy Calendar of Arts events and my heartfelt thanks to all the committee members and volunteers who pitch in to help. Special thanks to our General Manager/Artistic Director Fiona Sinclair for your stellar work on behalf of Southern Forest Arts and advocacy for the Arts in regional areas.
An absolute stand out event for 2023 was The Stars Descend by Annette Carmichael Projects. This epic dance event across 5 locations along the Gondwanalink took place in Wooditjup Margaret River, Northcliffe, Poronogorup, Fitzgerald Biosphere and Karkurla Gargula Kalgoorlie. Aunty Suzanne was our First Nation Consultant, connecting us to the spirit of the land & Pibelmun culture.
Locally presented by Southern Forest Arts, Chapter 2 – The Stars Descend was performed by community members from Northcliffe and Manjimup. They worked with professional choreographer Chrissie Parrott and sound artist Dave Mann to create a site -specific dance which was further enhanced by visual artist Peter Hill’s installations.
The audience went on a journey through forest to reach Canterbury Farm in Boorara Brook for an afternoon performance with a message of environmental hope and beauty. Then a journey back to town for a Community Celebration with food and music and information about how they can be actively involved in caring for the environment. So many different community groups such as catering by Karri Country Good Food to info displays set up by Southern Forest Wildlife Carers helped to make this a night to be remembered.
Ongoing support from Northcliffe Community Resource and Northcliffe Visitor Centre throughout the project was greatly appreciated. Both of these organizations and their managers have been great supporters of SFA over the years. I would like to this opportunity acknowledge outgoing Manager of Northcliffe Visitor Centre Wendy Eiby who has been a great asset to the Northcliffe community and promotion of tourism in the Southern Forest region. Thankyou Wendy for all your hard work and I wish you well on your future endeavours.
One of Southern Forest Arts goals is to raise awareness of First Nations culture and these projects enabled stories to be shared and listened to. They were our offerings this year to enable another step on the path of reconciliation and cultural understanding.
Aunty Suzanne officially launched the Noongar Six Seasons banners at Northcliffe District High School a partnership with Northcliffe DHS P& C. The artist was Natalie Clark of Djarliny Designs and Aunty Suzanne shared her insights about Noongar life on Pibelmun Boodja.
For National Reconciliation Week a community choir was organised by the team at Stellar Violets and supported by Southern Forest Arts.as part of the Voices for Generations project Singers came from across the region, from as far as Northcliffe, Quinninup and Pemberton, to give voice to the song ‘From Little Things’ Big Things Grow’
Kalyakoorl, ngalak warangka – Forever We Sing, by singer/songwriter Gina Williams and talented guitarist Guy Ghouse, was held in the Manjimup Town Hall. The duo took the audience on a journey through the four principles of koort (heart), moort (family and community), boodja (land and connection to country) and koorlangka (children and legacy). They brought Noongar language to life through song. performing their original songs and covers of classics in Noongar. A wonderful and heartfelt event.
Thank you, members, for attending our AGM and for your support of the Arts.
You are moort and an important part of our community.
Diana Moss
6/11/2023
Next Exhibition: ‘Gathering’ by Ernst Schneider