Bill Gammage in Daylesford

• 90 people packed the Senior Citizen's rooms to hear Bill Gammage, author of the book "The Biggest Estate On Earth".  The audience was captured by his presentation and there were many questions. It was a succinct  overview of the book.

 Across Australia, early Europeans commented again and again that the land looked like a park. With extensive grassy patches and pathways, open woodlands and abundant wildlife, it evoked a country estate in England. Bill Gammage has discovered this was because Aboriginal people managed the land in a far more systematic and scientific fashion than we have ever realised. For over a decade, Gammage has examined written and visual records of the Australian landscape. He has uncovered an extraordinarily complex system of land management using fire and the life cycles of native plants to ensure plentiful wildlife and plant foods throughout the year. We know Aboriginal people spent far less time and effort than Europeans in securing food and shelter, and now we know how they did it. With details of land-management strategies from around Australia, The Biggest Estate on Earth rewrites the history of this continent, with huge implications for us today. Once Aboriginal people were no longer able to tend their country, it became overgrown and vulnerable to the hugely damaging bushfires we now experience. And what we think of as virgin bush in a national park is nothing of the kind.

• If you missed Bill in person, borrow a copy of his book from the library or HRN has 4 copies of the book available at $35 . We could do a book study group if there were a few people interested.  Any takers?

Bill Gammage in Daylesford November 29th

Bill Gammage, the veteran historian and author of the ground breaking book, The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia, will give a talk at the Daylesford Town Hall on Friday Nov 29.

Bill Gammage is adjunct professor in the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University.

In this multi-award winning book, Bill refutes the common notion that pre-1788 Aboriginal people had no system of land management, on the contrary he shows that the people who lived here then had developed, over many generations, a complex, elaborate system of management to ensure the survival of their culture.

He suggests that time spent maintaining the landscape was a cultural obligation of great import. Bill Gammage uses written accounts by explorers and historians, and early landscape views (sketches, paintings, etc) to explain how Aborigines created an ideal landscape for obtaining the variety of food items they needed in their diet, and kept the countryside clear of dense vegetation (and thus dangerous fires).

A current exhibition of works by colonial artist Thomas Clark at the Hamilton Art Gallery illustrates Gammage's argument that the landscape was open and parklike. A room full of 1850-60's views of the western district ......wide open spaces, clear of stumps. Clark and other artists of the day had no agenda to paint anything other than what they saw. Where are the trees, now so plentiful?

The indigenous Australians were more efficient than Europeans, Bill asserts, in getting food, shelter and other needs from the land, mostly by the use of fire and manipulation of the life-cycles of food plants.Once the fire-based land management system was removed with the arrival of Europeans, the continent became overgrown and thus more fire prone (made worse in recent times, by the climate changing to a much drier one). With The Biggest Estate on Earth, Bill Gammage has updated the history of Australia, and our way of seeing our land.

The central premise of The Biggest Estate on Earth is that before white settlement, the continent had been looked after by the mindful and meticulous caretakers maintaining by cultural and religious norms which were essentially unified across the whole continent including Tasmania (that had been separated from the mainland for 8,000 yrs). The implications of Gammage's evidence and conclusions speaks directly to concerns with sustainability and landcare. The ensuing debate will change us and the land hopefully for the better.

Do not miss this rare opportunity.

7.30pm Friday 29 November Daylesford Town Hall

Entry $10 / $8 pre booked $15 / $12 on the night. Refreshments included.

 Here's Bill Gammage talking about the book:

Review on the Wheeler Centre website.

 For more info hrn@internode.on.net or phone 5348 3636.

Film night #40 and other news

National Permaculture Day is fast approaching and will be celebrated by HRN over the weekend of May 1st.  Saturday April 30th at the Community Garden (next to the Daylesford Library)and Sunday May 1st house tours in Hepburn and Daylesford. More info soon ...   As a lead up we will show the

film 

Permaculture: The Growing Edge  Beyond sustainabilty to Regeneration at the Savoia Hotel, Hepburn March 31st 7:30pm 

This film is about an antidote to environmental despair, a hopeful and practical look at a path to a viable, flourishing future. 

Peter Harper from the Centre of Alternative Technology, Wales will be in Hepburn for a one night stand April 16th. 

"The land-use chapter of ZeroCarbonBritain2030  would be a good place to start arguments," says Peter.

 More info soon ...

Bugger the Polar Bears, this is Serious

The Sustainable Hepburn Association is soon to host Rod Quantock, at the Daylesford Town Hall. HRN is supporting this event and we encourage you all to grab an HRN friend or few and book a table, or join a community table.

CLIMATE COMEDY COMES TO DAYLESFORD JUNE 25, 7pm TOWN HALL $25/$15.  Tix at Daylesford Newsagency, Daylesford Childcare Centre or call Laurel on 5348 2236 or email president@share.asn.au

Rod Quantock says, “If climate change doesn’t scare you, then you just don’t get the science.” Fortunately Rod does get the science. And when he gives you his take on the physics, chemistry, biology, geology, palaeontology, cosmology and meteorology of climate science you’ll get it too. There is plenty to laugh at here, and even more to take away. You'll learn some great tips for rebuttal when it comes to the deniers and the do-nothings.

We’d love you to join us. Supper available or bring your own, make a table or join a community table.

See you there!

Joel Salatin

For those of you who are interested in food, farming and family, Joel is really worth seeing and the Sunday double presentation is a bonus. Each presentation includes a screening of Food Inc, a must see film. Get the details from the Lakehouse. Request the DMP discounted rate for HRN folk.

Food Inc.

In Daylesford next week!

If you want to know about Joel Salatin, he is a whacky, inspiring farmer from Virginia with a hard hitting, excellent message. Find out more about him on his website www.polyfacefarms.com. There are also some excellent YouTube clips to watch.

Alla from Lakehouse tells us that if you want to come to the Wednesday session, 2pm start for "Ballet in the Pasture" which is more for locals than the other 2 events, then book through HRN and you will pay $40.

Also, there is a screening of the film "Food Inc" at 2.00pm on Saturday.

Cost $12. Highly recommended.

Past Films and Actvities

Hepburn Relocalisation Network film screenings at the Savoia Hotel in Hepburn and other activities (since 2006):

1. The End of Suburbia (2nd August 2006)
2. The Power of Community – How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
3. The Future Of Food, Directed by Deborah Koons, 2004. (88 minutes)
4. The History of Oil with Robert Newman (2006 and 21/2/08)
5. 2013: Oil No More (French)
6. What a Way to Go – Life at the End of Empire (7/2/08)
7. Eat The Suburbs (6/3/08)
8. The Yes Men (6/3/08)
9. Ancient Futures – Learning From Ladakh by Helena Norberg-Hodge (8/5/08)
10. The Gleaners and I by Agnes Varda, and Rob Hopkins on energy descent (3min)
11. Talk by Dave Kerin from…Manufacturing Union (5/6/08)
12. Baraka (19/6/08)
13. One Man, One Cow, One Planet (3/7/08)
14. The World According To Monsanto (31/7/08)
15. The Gleaners II (28/8/08)
16. Garbage Warrior (25/9/08)
17. The Revolution Will Not be Televised (9/10/08)
18. Manufactured Landscapes (30/10/08)
19. An Inconvenient Truth – Al Gore (27/11/08)
20. Zeitgeist Addendum (11/11/08)
21. The Eleventh Hour (26/2/09)
22. Telling The Truth (23/4/09) with discussion by Josh Gilligan
23. Slow Food Revolution (28/5/09)
24. A Farm For The Future (11/6/09)
25. Escape From Suburbia (9/7/09)
26. Kids' Business (13/8/09) 
27. In Transition
    

Other Activities

• The HRN funded a bus to a ‘Peak Oil & Permaculture’ event as part of a National tour with Richard Heinberg & David Holmgren at The BMW Edge Auditorium, Federation Square, Melb for 20+ people.
• Hosted Roberto Perez from Cuba (who appeared in the Film “The Power of Community- How Cuba Survived Peak Oil”) at the Daylesford Town Hall, an event that was attended by nearly 300 people.

Note: A great deal of effort went into making this the huge success that it was. We produced a database of local food producers and many contributed with displays on the night.

Book Study Groups

1. Facilitated with U3A study group of “Permaculture:Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability” (6 weeks)
2. Study group of “The Transition Handbook” by Rob Hopkins (3 weeks)
   

Visiting Speakers

1. Dave Kerin on green manufacturing cooperatives, combining jobs with sustainability and rural resilience.
2. Janet Millington and Sonya Wallace on Transition Towns and their work at SEAC (Sunshine Coast Energy Action Centre).
3. Presentation by Sue Ewart on the Daylesford Community Bank followed by discussion. 
4. Dr Mark Diesendorf and David Holmgren speak at Words in Winter event (9/8/09) (organized with SHARE and Hepburn Wind)
   

Workshops

1. ‘Maximise Your Memory’ Workshop (5/2/09)
2. ‘Understanding Energy’ Workshop – Adam Grubb (9/4/09)
3. Stuart Hill workshops:
4. ‘Healthy Wealthy and Wise on the Land‘ (23/7/09) and
5. ‘Sustainability, Leadership and Change’ (26/7/09)
   

Forums
Bush Fire Forum with key note speaker, Joan Webster and David Holmgren, Clare Claydon, John Anthony, and Jay Gardiner (CFA) (4/3/09)

Community Dinners:

• 5 affordable, shared meals where the focus was on ‘sustainable eating out’, sourcing the food locally, minimising waste, etc and promoting community connectedness…. 3 at the Savoia Hotel and 2 at Continental Guest House. At two of these we had a Shire Councilor speak.
• Winter Solstice dinner at the Town Hall (19/6/09)

Other:

• Assisted Simon Evans in the production of the (Melb/D’ford) public transport timetable.
• Prepared a submission to Council for funding for various proposals for 2009 : resulted in work on a food survey, workshops with Stuart Hill and more films
• Linda Hancock pilot
• Climate Action Forum with Mark Diesendorf & David Holmgren and showcasing Hepburn Wind, SHAre & HRN activities 9/8/09. Shared event with Hepburn Wind and SHARE

Major Work:

• Food Survey  - to determine the extent of local fresh food production in the Shire.
• Want to produce a Household audit along the lines of HOPE specifically for HRN

Facilitator In-service:

• Transition Towns workshop (Maureen 21/2/09, Su 22/2/09)
• Biological Farmers Association workshop