FRESH SALT

Bermagui Estuary 2017. Photograph: Kris Ralph

FOUR WINDS / BERMAGUI PROJECT / CREATIVE FIELD STUDIES

FOYER GALLERY SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN

25 OCTOBER – 4 NOVEMBER 2017

LARRY SITSKY ROOM SCHOOL OF MUSIC

26 OCTOBER 2017

THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CANBERRA ACT

BEGA VALLEY REGIONAL GALLERY

2 - 17 FEBRUARY 2018

BEGA NSW

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Creative responses to eight exquisite estuariesFar South Coast NSW / Yuin Country

Edition 2

FRESH SALT

Acknowledgements

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Field Study 1 Field Study 3Field Study 2Four Winds / Bermagui Project / Creative Field Studies

Partner organisations The Four Winds Foundation; Create NSW; Australian National University; Merrimans Aboriginal Land Council; Biamanga and Gulaga Boards of Management; NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service; Bega Valley Shire Council; Bega Valley Regional Gallery;

Rehlm – Engineering Environment, Economics and Engagement; Atlas of Life; Frame and Brush, Bermagui; U3A; Clean Energy for Eternity; Tanja Lagoon Camp; South East Forest Alliance; Montreal Goldfields; River Rock Café; Kingfisher Oysters, Cobago Folk Festival

Individuals Brook Small, Liena Lacey, Justina Legoe, John Reid, Chris Allen, Sam Fenton, Bruce Pascoe, Daniel Murphy, Mal Dibden, Malcolm Halliday, Anthony Lord, Don Firth, Dave Gallan, Deb Nave, Anne Greenaway, Amanda Tighe, Iain Dawson, Andrew Woodley, Paul Jarman, Scott Baker and Kate Jorgenson

Convenors Lara Crew, Liena Lacy Field Co-ordinators Sharon Field, Carolyn Young Field Informants Libby Hepburn, Andrew Morrison, Iris White, Stuart Cameron, BioBlitz scientistsPerformers FourPlay

Convenors Lara Crew, Liena LacyField Co-ordinators Justina Legoe, David HewittField Informants Marr Grounds, Marina Grounds, Warwick Anderson, Lee Primmer, Mark McKenna, Fiona Firth, Warren Foster Snr, Lee Cruse, Emma Maratea, Dr Rosemary Beaumont

Convenors Liena Lacy, Lara CrewField Co-ordinators Tony King, Kris RalphField Informants Judy and Bob Hearn, Malcolm Halliday, John Blay, Cheryl Davison, Bill Southwood, John James, Trevor King, Warren Foster Snr, Emma Maratea, Matt Gilder, Shane RogersPerformers Beautifully Mad and friends

Acknowledgement To Country

Four Winds acknowledges that the Country on which the Fresh Salt Field Studies were undertaken is Yuin Aboriginal Country and we thank the Yuin people for their care and custodianship of these beautiful and inspirational places. We are privileged to work with members of the Yuin community who, through their connection to Country (land and water), educate us all about the importance of treading lightly on the land and maintaining our connection with and respect for nature. We thank them for their care of this Country and particularly the places visited during the Bermagui Project from which we have all drawn inspiration.

Yuin Kelly Flora & Fauna 201735.0 x 80.0 cms Digital print

I live on one of the first reservations in Australia and when I was born our people were classified as flora and fauna, that’s the truth. Up in Alice all the trees have names given to them by the mob up there. There was a story on the radio once about when our people first saw a tree being cut down by the settlers, they all ran up and hugged the trees to try and stop them. When I heard that I had to pull over because I was crying.

[Yuin Kelly and Four Winds would like to acknowledge the support of Scott Baker and the BVSC in supporting the development of this work through skills sharing and digital print making guidance].

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John ReidTony KingKris RalphCatherine WishartKeith BashfordSkye EtheringtonLyndal JenkinsVeronica O’LearyVictoria Nelson Cheryl Davison William Risby, Natalie Risby

Contents

Dendritic map of the Bermagui River. Cartographer: Trevor King

Foreword James Crabb

Introduction David Francis

Field Study 1 Sharon Field and Carolyn Young

Field Study 2 Tony King and Kris Ralph

Field Study 3 Justina Legoe and David Hewitt

Warren Ngarrae Foster Lara Crew

Salt Writing Skye Etherington / Sensing Place Trevor King

Fresh Saltwater Sisters Reflections

Estuary Ecology Emma Maratea

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Peter Cotton Yuin KellySharon FieldPauline BalosJustina LegoeTrevor KingLee Pemberton & Paul Hopper Delia Silvan & Lee PembertonCaitlin BrownCarolyn YoungAdam Millar

Artwork

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Chris StoneChandelle GogerlyJames LynnPaul JacksonGilda McKechnie, David GallanRobyn WilliamsHelen MorrisDavid HewittHolly DownesLee CruseGloria Florez

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgement to Country

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FRESH SALT

Nature is an ever-present inspiration. It supports our growth and understanding. This should be true, wherever you are.

On the Far South Coast of NSW - Yuin country - we are fortunate to live and and work in an exceptional and dynamic landscape. It’s a landscape defined by mountains and water, where ancient sacred sites exist, but it has not been immune to intervention – good and bad.

The Bermagui Project allows us to take time, to talk with one another – regardless of our background or area of expertise – to learn about ‘place’ and respond creatively to it, whether it be in images, words, movement or music.

The Bermagui Project has helped to bring our community closer together; Yuin

people, scientists, historians, authors, artists and people with knowledge to share. It has brought them together on land and on water.

The Bermagui Project has helped us all to learn new things, to see what we think is familiar in a new light; to grasp complex issues around us and translate them into art, a medium which helps us share, process, reflect and better understand the world.

The Bermagui Project is the starting point for new creative work that will nourish the Four Winds program. Yet, it will do more than this. We have witnessed that the field study process gives rise to other projects, other connections and collaborations that live beyond this project and create their own stories and futures. These ‘other lives’

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Sharon Field Understory, Head of Cuttagee Rd 201741.0 x 31.0 cmsWatercolour and graphite on paper

ForewordJames Crabb Artistic Director, Four Winds

infuse our community with the wonder of music, nature and shared creativity.

This publication captures the story of the Bermagui Project so far, the people involved and the works created. It complements exhibitions of art works and live performances of music. But it is, in its own right, a digest of this extraordinary project. A project that will, through ongoing phases and development, underpin creative activity at Four Winds long into the future.

Four Winds: Music, Nature and Shared Creativity; Welcome to the Bermagui

Project.

Introduction David Francis Executive Director, Four Winds

FOUR WINDS is unique in the Australian arts scene being situated in an exquisite coastal bushland setting on the Far South Coast of NSW. Our essence is music, nature and shared creativity. We create art and music to inspire the imagination, foster creative vision and talent, and so enrich lives and encourage active community participation. We believe in the power of music to transform lives.

Established in 1991, Four Winds, which is completely independent and non-profit, is best known for our iconic Four Winds Easter Festival of classic and world music. In 2008 Four Winds began outreach and community engagement programs. Since 2014, with the completion of two world class performance spaces on our site that together are called ‘Nature’s Concert Hall’, we now present a full-year program of innovative, creative projects. This includes live indoor/outdoor performances, commissioned Australian works, musicians-in-residence, music recording, master-classes, music education, community engagement, ‘radical-voice’ lectures, and workshops.

art-forms and a broad range of musical genres. Our long-standing relationship with the local Yuin community is deeply-rooted and grounds our direction. It is at the core of our activities. We are also expanding our program to actively engage the young people of the Far South Coast.

Four Winds is governed by a highly credentialed voluntary Board of six people.

We aim to provoke dialogue, engage the broader community and attract audiences to be active participants. We bring artists of the highest national and international standing to the South Coast to inspire and collaborate with the many artists who create within our region.

We are constantly expanding, attracting new practitioners and audiences via multiple

The Board is supported by an experienced staff team led by Artistic Director James Crabb (an internationally acclaimed classical accordionist) and myself in the post of Executive Director. Four Winds employs a small team of just over 5 full-time equivalent staff (10 local people). This includes a small part-time ‘create and inspire’ team, led wonderfully by

Lara Crew, who focuses on the Bermagui Project, our development programs and our Aboriginal liaison.

Careful financial management of expenses, committed fundraising through donations, sustained income generation (ticket sales and government project grants) all contribute to a sustainable model. Four Winds is completely independent with no

recurrent government core funding. We are grateful to be assisted by an independent and separate philanthropic organisation, the Four Winds Foundation, which contributes in the order of 20% of our income.

THE BERMAGUI PROJECT is a multi-faceted project that forms a major part of Four Winds’ creative contribution to the Australian cultural landscape. It breathes life into our purpose. It commenced in 2013 and will continue, we hope, for at least the next 30 years.

Through the Bermagui Project we celebrate the beauty and significance of Nature’s Concert Hall and the environment in which we thrive. Our site is nestled between the sacred Gulaga and Mumbula Mountains on a pristine piece of the Far South Coast, that is home to eight estuaries and a complex environment, rich in biodiversity. In fact, we have recently contributed to identifying some of the previously unknown uniqueness of our region to Western science.

The Bermagui Project draws together the stories, history and scientific knowledge of our place to inspire the creation and presentation of new works of music, dance and visual art.

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Our aim is to stimulate deep understanding as well as creating an exchange of Indigenous, local, environmental and conservationist knowledge belonging to this landscape. So far, the whole project has engaged with hundreds of artists who have been involved in the creation and presentation of original Australian works based on new, shared knowledge and inspired by this place.

BERMAGUI PROJECT STAGE ONE In our first year, 2013, we expanded our long-standing relationship with the Yuin community to ensure that Indigenous knowledge, values and interest formed a solid base to underpin the project. In partnership with the Cobargo Folk Festival, and supported by Create NSW, we brought fine Indigenous artists, Shellie Morris and Archie Roach to our region, to write songs, perform and inspire.

Shellie worked with the Yuin community to write a song which formed the centerpiece for the artistic Welcome to Country at the 2014 Four Winds Easter Festival. Similarly, in 2016, David Leha (Radical Son) worked

and local artists residencies, artists working in schools, new musical commissions and three creative field studies (Fresh Salt) have all absorbed perspectives from the sciences, humanities, local Aboriginal people and the wider community as the starting point for the creation of new works of art. Commissions Red Note Ensemble from Scotland together with Griffyn Ensemble from Canberra were artists in residence in 2016 gathering stories from the community – a vegetable farmer, chook farmer, dairy farmer, school children, and fishermen – filming them in-situ and performing a multi-art form composition in film and new

with Yuin men, Warren Foster Snr, Warren Foster Jnr, Joel Deaves and Jacob Morris to compose songs, in language, which again were premiered at the 2016 Four Winds Festival.

BERMAGUI PROJECT STAGE TWO A new phase of the Bermagui Project began in late 2016, also generously supported by Create NSW. We sought to further raise awareness of the ecological and Indigenous significance of the areas from Gulaga to Mumbulla by enabling the creation of art in response to place, its stories and its heritage. A series of international, national

Happy Soils 2016Video installation with live music15 min

Written collaboratively between the Griffyn Ensemble (Australia), Red Note Ensemble (Scotland) and residents from Bermagui, Cobargo, Brogo, and Candelo.

Directed by Michael Sollis

Griffyn Ensemble, Director Michael Sollis, spent five days in the Bermagui region spending time with residents exploring how they defined their local community and environs.

An additional five days was then spent with musicians from The Griffyn Ensemble (Australia), and Red Note Ensemble (Scotland), working with local residents to compose music to video material that came from these perspectives. This included individuals from Bermagui Preschool, Well Thumbed Books (Cobargo), Fishbone Farm, and Provincial Pastures (Brogo).

Archie Roach. Photograph: Ferne Millen Shellie Morris. Photograph: Ferne Millen

Drawing: Excerpt from Happy Soils

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FRESH SALT Introduction

music based on these stories.Artists in Schools As part of the Bermagui Project Artists in Schools, Thea Rossen and Jesse Deane from the Ad Lib Collective held a week-long music-making workshop at the Tilba Central School in September 2017 which culminated in a performance. Similarly, Deborah Cheetham and her company Short Black Opera held three days of workshops with Indigenous children from Eden, Bermagui and Narooma Primary schools during which they learnt songs composed by children from other Indigenous communities, composed a song themselves and created a combined artwork.

A further two Artists in Schools residences will take place in the lead-up to the 2018 Four Winds Easter Festival and will involve Festival Artists. Two commissioned works will also be performed at the Festival. A commissioned choral work from local composer and music leader Geoffrey Badger; and piece by composer and percussionist David Hewitt. Continued page 7

The Ad Lib Collective Over the course of their Four Winds residency in the Central Tilba School, Thea Rossen and Jesse Deane from the Collective worked with students by responding to their environment through music.

Students were fully engaged through movement and artwork, creating instruments, composing, rehearsing and performing. With the support of Warren Foster

Snr, a local Yuin leader, students also incorporated elements of the Djirriganj language into their music.

The week culminated in a performance by the students at their end of term assembly for parents and local community. The children sang a song about the local birds, animals and insects before using their newly built shakers, rain sticks and box guitars to mimic the creatures and their environments.

Short Black Opera Deborah Cheetham AO and her colleagues at Short Black Opera (SBO) Toni Lallich and Jessica Hitchcock, were in residence in the Windsong Pavilion in 2017 working with Indigenous children from Eden, Bermagui and Narooma primary schools. Over three very intensive days they learned six songs that had been composed by Indigenous children from schools in NSW, Vic and WA in Indigenous languages.

The children then collaborated with SBO to create their own original song featuring Yuin language, called ‘Mother Mountain’ – referencing Gulaga Mountain. The program culminated in a performance of the seven songs – with the performance of Mother Mountain being enhanced through the local Ngaardi Women’s Choir.

Deborah said, ‘This experience informed and empowered our creation of the new song and the performance. We will add this element of engagement to further ‘SBO for Kids’ Programs.’ The children also created a very stunning artwork based on place, with Yuin artist Cheryl Davison.

Deborah stated, ‘We expect to show the children a way of learning through music that will help them in everything else they do’.

Deborah spoke eloquently about the importance of these children maintaining the traditions, language and stories of the world’s oldest continuous culture.

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FRESH SALT

experience and impart its geographical and spiritual significance in partnership with the Yuin community.

Thinking about the future of the Project our Artistic Director James Crabb stated, ‘In future phases I’d be very keen to explore a more theatrical aspect alongside music and storytelling, drawing on historical happenings and Indigenous influences on how we understand our place. The creative ideas emerging from the Bermagui Project will evolve from the focus of a specific field

explore different aspects of place, ancient and new knowledges and creative responses from many different artists.

Artistic Director, James Crabb, will be looking to storytelling through words and music as a versatile theme throughout the next phase of the Bermagui Project. We will utilise the younger generation’s creativity through collaborations with students from the Australian National Academy of Music or recent ANAM Alumni musicians. We will bring visiting musicians to this place to

opinions about issues as diverse as the impacts of climate change, the discovery of a new species and the power of Indigenous care and knowledge of this land. There can be no doubting the role of the arts to communicate these issues in fresh ways that challenge, and educate. This catalogue stands as testament to this claim.

BERMAGUI PROJECT NEXT PHASEIn 2018 Four Winds will continue to work with the field studies methodology to

John Reid who has been the Creative Field Studies guide and mentor.

These three site-specific but globally significant Field Studies culminate in public exhibitions, performances, online folios and educational projects by artists who stand on and before the world stage.

In total, more than 30 visual artists, musicians, choreographers and creative writers have been involved and a committed group of more than 25 expert “knowledge sharers” have advised artists and exchanged

Creative Field Studies Three Creative Field Studies comprised another component of Bermagui Project Stage 2. The Studies were based around the eight estuaries between Gulaga and Mumbulla. A Field Study methodology developed and trialled by scholars at the Australian National University over the past 20 years provided the procedural foundation. This is the first time this innovative methodology has been wholly undertaken by and with community. We are indebted to ANU Emeritus Fellow

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study and as they develop I particularly like the idea of hand chosen local musicians being involved; I am sure local choirs will have a role to play in what I imagine could be exciting multi-disciplinary performances. There is such scope for the development of such creative projects and I look forward to collaborating with our fellow arts organisations in the region to get the most from the Bermagui Project’.

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The gathering of a talented group of local artists made my job as the Field Coordinator of the Botanical Art Group very easy. Our brief was to explore some of the botanical treasures in the Cuttagee and surrounding estuaries. The group embodied many years of professional experience, as well as a close knowledge of and association with the field study sites along the coast.

During the Field Study the group painted and drew a variety of plants that they found on the Four Winds site. After the Study the group convened again to share experiences

artist talk, they continued making art, which was great for the visitors, who were fascinated to see the techniques involved.

And now, a year after the Field Study, their work continues. They are not only practicing their work as individuals, but they have maintained contact as a group – The Fresh Saltwater Sisters – as artists who are passionate about where they live. They continue to draw inspiration from the rich natural environment in which they live.

In my role as the botanical art Field Study Coordinator, I feel very privileged to

and to hold a ‘postcard’ exhibition of their ideas for their major work. This exhibition, held in Bermagui, was a great success, works were sold. The group has met since then to discuss their artwork and to exchange ideas, and are drawing inspiration from a number of sites around estuaries.

During the Field Study 1 at the Four Winds’ site, the group was totally focussed on their work. Lunch breaks were short. Artists preferred to listen to the concert through the doors of the auditorium so that work could continue. During the public

have worked with this committed group of artists and the dedicated Four Winds team to explore and record some of the plants in this wonderful estuarine environment.

field Study 1Sharon Field

Right:Pauline Balos Common Silk Pod, parsonia straminea Apocynaceae 201770.0 x 50.0 cmsGraphite on paper

I am facinated by the way vines find support upon other trees in all layers of the canopy.

Field Study 1 Botanical Art Group at work during the Four Winds Bioblitz, November 2016 Group ‘postcard’ exhibition, Bermagui, March 2017 Group final art review, Bermagui, May 2017

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field Study 1Carolyn Young

For three days in November 2016 six people participated in the Still Life Photography Group, lead by Carolyn Young, to address the aesthetic documentation of flora and fauna in parallel to the Botanical Art Group.

The idea behind the photography master class was to learn about capturing still life photographs of flora and fauna found in the Cuttagee and surrounding estuaries, explore different compositions and techniques, and form a local community of artists to support each other in the development of their art practice. The class was held at Four Winds during the BioBlitz. This gave us the opportunity to dip in and out of the Bio Blitz activities, and bring new inspiration to the artworks being made.

We started the class with an introduction to still life photography, looking at the work of different artists, followed by Carolyn Young giving demonstrations on different approaches. The Green Room (behind the stage at Four Winds) proved to be a great makeshift studio as the students then got creative with their own compositions of

flora and fauna sourced from Four Winds’ site. They experimented making still life photographs with natural light, and then using artificial light such as torches and candles in a blackened room to light their compositions. On the last day, we edited and printed our photographs, ready for the coming together of the Photography and Botanical Art Groups, where we held a work-in-progress critique.

To help us understand the Cuttagee area, we were privileged to attend talks by local experts. Andrew Morrison, from Bega Valley Shire Council, told us about endangered animals in the region, their biology and habitats including that of the Yellow-Bellied Glider and Glossy Black Cockatoo. Iris White, Traditional Owner, Chair of Gulaga National Park Board of Management shared with us her life growing up in the area and the work she does now in caring for country.

The three days ended with a free concert enjoyed by all, as fitting for a master class held at Four Winds.

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Justina LegoeSamphire (Glasswort) 201756.0 x 70.0 cms Ink and gouche on paper

Leave the Glasswort alone!During Field Study 1, we went to

Baragoot estuary with botanist Stuart Cameron. It was here I discovered a native succulent, called Beaded Samphire - also known as Glasswort or Sea Asparagus.

This edible plant grows in highly saline conditions.

Samphire has become the new darling on the dinner plate with foraging for food all the rage. It is becoming endangered. Its delicate green salty tendrils are paired with fish and salads on plates up and down the coast of Australia.

I enjoyed drawing the detail of this fragile plant submerged in the harsh flats of Baragoot.

field Study 2Tony King and Kris Ralph

Day 1, Friday 3 February 2017

• Artists meet at Montreal Goldfields. Knowledge Sharers: Judi, Bob, Malcolm.

A fascinating look at the three-year history of gold mining on Mt Gulaga and in Wallaga Lake. It was not difficult to imagine the life of a gold digger in the 1800s.

and about Long Swamp as a breeding area for migratory birds and local native species.

Respect for First People knowledge and culture permeated the discussion with John and Cheryl. The group were both entertained and moved by the connection to land that both John and Cheryl conveyed.• Lamont Street, Bermagui. Afternoon briefing. Knowledge sharers: Bill Southwood, John James. A discussion about the future impact on Bermagui due to the ever increasing effects of climate change, including rising sea level. The afternoon’s conversation was controversial, sometimes emotional, and proved to be a catalyst for lively and passionate discussions within the group.• Bermagui Wetlands Conservation Area. Knowledge sharer: Trevor King. An impassioned talk about the endangered wetlands of the Bermagui River. Trevor King is immersed in the study of these extraordinary wetlands with their rare mangroves, fish and birds. His dedication to the preservation of this environment and his sense of place was palpable.

• Old Tilba Road and Long Swamp Knowledge sharers: John Blay, Cheryl Davison.

Discussion took place about the Bundian Way, The Wallaga Lake Gum Leaf Band, the extraordinary trails walked by the First Peoples that link the Monaro and the Coast,

Day 2, Saturday 4 February By 1pm we had climbed to the shoulder of Gulaga. There, Warren talked about the significance and sacredness of the site.

The trust that Warren showed us was incredibly humbling and the group was overwhelmed by the whole experience. • Nutleys Creek Road, Bermagui. James Lynn kindly offered his house as the venue for a musical concert. Beautifully Mad performed with artists William Risby, Natalie Risby, Nick Lister, Tony King and Kris Ralph to celebrate with co-artists and a host of local music lovers.

Day 3, Sunday 5 February

• Canoe trip Wallaga Lake. Knowledge Sharers: Emma Maratea, Matt and Shane. Starting point was Akolele, across from

• Gulaga Mountain. Knowledge Sharer and guide: Warren Foster SnrAt the beginning of the walking trail Warren explained the need to show respect and remembrance for the Aboriginal ancestors of Gulaga Mountain.

Cemetery Point, then under the bridge to the Merriwinga Creek; across to the mouth of the Lake; and to Murunna Point. Discussion centred on the difficulty of balancing the health of the lake systems with the demands placed on it by an encroaching urban population. • Walk to Murunna Point. Knowledge Sharer and Visual Artist Cheryl DavisonMouth of Wallaga Lake to the sea. Cheryl spoke to the group on a very personal level about the impact of white man on the First People.

The Wallaga Lake settlement was the first mission that was created by the Government. Boom-gates were erected to regulate the times when people could move in and out from the Mission. Curfews were implemented - a violation of human rights.

Murruna Point is a Sacred Burial Site.Cheryl and her generation feel the burden for her people to maintain and preserve tens of thousands of years of culture with the last two hundred years shrouded in the massacres and the ongoing ill treatment of her people. Add to that burden the prospect

of “out of control “ climate change and you start to see just how overwhelming it is for descendants of the First People to exist without stress.

Cheryl also shared images of her ancestors that were taken in 1903. She taught us how to weave a basket out of blades of grass. The Group then walked to the southern tip of Murunna Point to observe the vista and the extraordinary rock formations.

Lunch on Payne Island ensued where artists talked about the project and began to formulate plans to collaborate in the future.

Field Study artists were overwhelmed by the trust shown by Warren Foster Snr and Cheryl Davison in sharing very personal and candid stories of their culture with us.

Cheryl Davison (seated, left) near John Blay (standing, centre left) with group at Long Swamp

Trevor King addresses the group at Bermagui Conservation Area

Warren Foster Snr, inducts the group to Gulaga and its sacred sites

Beautifully Mad (Tony King, Kris Ralph) with musicians William Risby, Natalie Risby and Nick Lister.

Wallaga Lake with Guluga Mountain in back-ground. Article photographs: Kris Ralph

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field Study 3Justina Legoe

The third field study at Bithry Inlet was aesthetically and intellectually inspiring.

It covered the three catchments of Wapengo, Middle and Nelsons Lagoons. The anchor for the study weekend was the historic Myer House overlooking the pristine Bithry Inlet.

It was here that painters, sculptors, filmmakers, dancers, musicians and designers gathered for inspiration and collaboration.

First on the agenda was a meeting with Marr Grounds, son of the renowned architect Roy Grounds, and daughter, Marina Grounds. I witnessed an inspirational cultural conversation between Lee Cruse and Marr Grounds. Yuin artist Lee Cruse appreciated that the Grounds and Myer families had preserved the land around the inlet so that today fishing and swimming could still be enjoyed by the Yuin people.

Following this exchange of generations and cultures, the group went to Kingfisher Oysters at Wapengo. Warwick Anderson farms Sydney rock and native mud oysters

was profound. As a white woman I was privileged to a deeper insight into culture and the connection alive between place and people. Lee Cruse then took the men to the Falls to discuss young men’s initiation and connection to their ancestral spirits.

The last day we met at the glorious Tanja Lagoon. Emma Maratea, an estuary scientist enlightened us on the nature of the local estuaries and their survival. We then boarded canoes and paddled to Middle Beach bar observing flora and fauna. At the beach we heard from social ecologist and forest activist Dr Rosemary Beaumont. She spoke about protecting forests for the future generations and the role of art in conveying these environmental messages.

I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to immerse myself in a creative space, sharing knowledge, creativity, history and culture within such a magnificent and significant setting. I was indeed inspired to create new work reflecting my experiences.

using environmentally sensitive techniques. Understanding the science and habitat of the Wapengo estuary has netted Kingfisher Oysters a silver medal for bistro grade oysters.

The rest of the afternoon was spent back at Myer House in discussion with historian Mark McKenna. Central to the discussion was McKenna’s book “From the Edge: Australia’s Lost Histories.” McKenna’s exemplary research focused on a shipwreck in 1797 and the encounter between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. This fascinating and submerged story reveals how the Aboriginal people along the South Coast aided the shipwreck survivors.

The next day we met with Fiona Firth, a local historian who recounted how Mimosa Rocks National Park was established.

We then journeyed up the rugged beauty of Mumbulla Mountain. Here Warren Foster Snr, Yuin community leader, sat in the picnic area and related through words and song the importance of Mumbulla for Yuin people. The effect on the gathered artists

This was an incredibly enriching experience- an intense meeting of an amazing collection of creative minds in a truly remarkable location- Bithry Inlet, with the Myer House and Penders as our base.

We had many fascinating discussions and received input from a broad range of perspectives and expertise including Yuin knowledge, local history, environmentalism, primary industry and estuary science.

could literally fill volumes. It was wonderful to have gaps filled in terms of local recent history and environmentalism. We came so close to losing all this wonderful coastline area to development and primary industry. As was made very clear by Fiona Firth, Marina and Marr Grounds, Rosemary Beaumont and many of the participating artists who have a wealth of experience in conservation - much has been achieved, but

I was particularly excited to learn from fellow artists Justina Legoe, Skye Etherington, David Gallan, Paul Hopper, Trevor King, Victoria Nelson, Lee Pemberton and Delia Silvan. In particular I was keen to meet and spend time with Yuin artist Lee Cruse. I have always found his art to be particularly exhilarating and inspiring.

There was such a wealth of information that I discovered on the field study, which

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the fight to protect our region is far from over.

Warrick Anderson of Kingfisher Oysters provided a fascinating view into the ecology of Bithry Inlet through the prism of oyster farming. It was terrific to learn how much effort the Wapengo oyster-growing community direct towards caring for the estuary and help educate nearby farmers and residents. The interesting thing is that this effort also improves the economic success of the industry while also preserving the

delicate balance of the ecosystem. I was delighted by the exchange between Lee Cruse and Warrick Anderson agreeing to exchange fresh caught crayfish for oysters in the future. Warrick also informed Lee that it was legal to collect wild growing shellfish in Bithry so long as they aren’t growing on leases. Lee was delighted.

Historian and author Mark McKenna raised some significant questions relating to our understanding of Indigenous culture at the time of European arrival. These

questions still ring loud in my ears.Yuin community leader Warren Foster

Snr was direct and articulate. He stressed the need for much more cultural sensitivity by visitors to the Mumbulla Falls. He offered a glimpse into the importance of the area as a sacred site. I was intensely moved by his description of the importance of initiation for men and the way they connect young men physically and spiritually to the whole country.

In hearing this it became clear to me why it never felt appropriate to treat the location with its waterfall, natural water slide and deep pool as just a recreation area to lark about in.

Lee Cruse provided a profound space for the men in the group to share. His insightful and candid honesty opened the possibility for the male gathering to discuss deep and personal issues amongst mature experienced men. It was especially charged and poignant to have this sort of exchange at the sacred site of Biamanga.

I came away from the field study with an intense wonder at the delicate and profound interconnectedness of all things related to country. An alive interwoven pulsing vascular and arterial system with the estuary, as it’s most sensitive barometer.

Lee Pemberton & Paul Hopper A cult of forgetfulness #1 2017Video8 min 8 sec loop

Delia Silvan & Lee Pemberton A cult of forgetfulness #2 2017Video2 min 36 sec loop

An interpretation of the natural beauty and rhythms of landscape and objects of European settlement. We are interested in the possibility of meanings through the juxtaposition of images.

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Trevor King Horizons (Detail) 201775.0 x 90.0 cms Digitally scanned and drawn elements

An interaction of land, tidal, sea and cloudscape impressions using texture and colour from representative eucalypt leaves and plant species from littoral to forest zones.

Caitlin Brown Under Story. A tale from a forest floor 2017Dimensions variableDigital photographs on archival paper

This work is a visual investigation into a colourful and complex narrative from a world beneath the canopy, the story of fungi.

Fungi play a crucial role within ecosystems where they decompose and recycle organic matter which unlocks vital nutrients for members of other kingdoms. The fruiting bodies we observe above ground are only half the story as the fungi mycelium exist beneath the soil and can survive for thousands of years! When these mutualistic relationships in healthy soils are disturbed by human activities, the whole ecological system can suffer and take a long time to recover.

These photographs were taken over the course of one year in and around the forests of the Cuttagee Estuary. Here the habitat that has evolved through the mixture of fresh and salt water over thousands of years has provided unique opportunity for certain species of fungi to thrive.

My hope is to not only try to represent their beauty through my photography, but also their need for increased research, recognition and conservation.

Carolyn Young Yellow-Bellied Glider (Petauras australis) Study 201728.5 x 38.3 cms Cyanotype on cotton rag

This cyanotype forms part of a study into small to medium sized Australian mammals that were once abundant, and are now listed as vulnerable or endangered.

The animal shape used in the cyanotype was based on the Yellow-Bellied Glider illustration in John Gould’s book, The Mammals of Australia (published 1863), and incorporated into the shape are aspects of the animal’s biology and habitat.

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FRESH SALT

Adam Millar Beachcombing Best Finds 201728.9 x 20.2 cmsDigital photographic print

My young boys and I walk the beaches around Bermagui like beachcombers. I love the way they walk that magical ancient strip of sand where the saltwater kisses the land, and with their young eyes and hearts explore the gifts the retreating ocean leaves behind. They marvel at the shapes, textures and colours of what they find, and bring home their favourite treasures to cherish them.

One day after another rewarding beach walk, I came outside with our afternoon tea to discover what you now see. While waiting for me, the boys had taken their best finds for the day and had arranged them on one of my best finds in Bermagui; an old bench from the primary school that we saved from the ‘chuck-out’ years earlier.

Time in nature is a great educator, and my boys are very lucky to have the beautiful landscape between Gulaga and Mumbulla as one of their classrooms… and I am very lucky to see their wonderment at it, and in it, nourished and nurtured …

Chris Stone Something for Nothing 2017Audio recording, sampled acoustic violin

Different lengths of interlocking cycles inspired this music. Light and dark, depths and shallows, flowing and still. Warm and cool, dry and wet, growing and dying. Over time these natural cycles have been affected by unnatural forces, have been altered, stretched and broken. These cycles self-heal, to a point. Often, they break irrevocably before we see the effects, and it’s only the breaking of them that brings us understanding of what they were.

Excerpt of composition from digital audio workstation Reaper.

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Chandelle Gogerly Cuttagee 001 201729.0 x 37.0 cmsDigital Photograph Artist Print 1/1

I find nature to be beautiful, adaptable and complex and find that modern photographic equipment can be used effectively to catch and preserve the detail sometimes missed by casual observation.

James Lynn The treasure you seek, shall not be the treasure you find 201770.0 x 84.0 cms Giclee print on archival cotton rag

Brash, simplistic, literal symbols are just “Brash, simplistic, literal symbols”. There is no mystery irrespective of the Millenia of their birth or the Race of their origin.

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Warren Foster Snr has been both integral and influential throughout Bermagui Project‘s Creative Field Studies. Warren is a highly valued and respected Yuin community leader.

He is also an artist in his own right: a singer, songwriter, rapper, author, dancer, and actor. However, he is far more than this. He is an educator, sharer of knowledge, ambassador and advocate for his people.

In a time when there are many dramatic influences on Yuin culture Warren has maintained his integrity as a strong, proud Yuin man. He has committed many years to learning, documenting, transmitting, sharing and sustaining his culture.

Warren has spent important time with his elders, learning old stories and more recent anecdotes of the continuing struggles for justice within the current political paradigms.

Warren is a child of the land rights movement struggle. He watched his parents and community members advocate and agitate. Those memories are strong and so is the awareness that there is still much

to be done. Many of those old people, those mentors have gone, died too young, particularly Warren’s male role models. Yet, he has continued on his own path, sounding his own clap stick and finding a way, through the arts, to keep his culture, his people and himself motivated and robust in the face of persistent and pervasive opposition and generational disadvantage.

To this project Warren has been dedicated, generous and tireless in sharing

his knowledge with predominantly non-indigenous people. Despite sickness Warren made the hike up Gulaga Mountain and shared relevant and appropriate stories. Warren was mindful and respectful of his responsibilities as custodian and carer for this sacred place and important women’s site.

Many of the artists heard for the first time stories of this place and the history and experience of Yuin people since invasion.

Those artists who were somewhat aware had their knowledge enhanced and heightened, with a new appreciation of complex issues and the disparity that exists between the cultures that now share this land. Aboriginal people masterfully negotiate the Indigenous and non-Indigenous contrasting world-views, daily. A clearer understanding of the Indigenous world-view by non-Indigenous Australians supports this journey.

Warren also explained the cultural importance of Mumbulla (Biamanga) Mountain during another field trip. He spoke about the gifts of the creator, the responsibilities of Indigenous people as custodians and his aspirations for the people who now live in this place to assume the important accountabilities to right past wrongs and in unity work to protect nature – the sustaining essence of our existence.

Warren is to be treasured.

Warren Ngarrae FosterLara Crew

SENSING PLACETrevor King

Bearing disciplined and loving witnessWe deepen

Into our home terrain

Using every senseTo know it

For what it is

Describing, with forensic careHow life arranges itself there

Place-literateAt peace with landscape

We drawWe paint

We write ourselves into awareness

Construct meaningEngage in the practice of belonging

Places are processesQuietly, continuously changing

Unfinished

We never finish our knowing of themWe are each

Dynamic

Conversing with placeThrough broad dialogue

Minute observation

We become the result of this essayIn understanding

Give myself over

Landscape will sculpt my individuality.

Warren Ngarrae Foster. Photograph: Ben Cunningham

SALT WRITINGSkye Etherington

we gathertide full and incoming

sand and water sculpting smooth lines against burrawang bristle

on the farthest shorepied oystercatchers sit their tracks a crazy meander across wet sand

on my skinsunlight runs shimmering

this land owns us she saysa childhood lived in natural freedomfamily stories remembered and shared

history of place

unclad

marked by stoneliving in treesin the mountain

in mother earth

connected through ceremonycarried by blood flowing to meet the sea

yuminya one time dreaming

listening to this landlore held

rememberinglore taught

belonging25 26

Paul Jackson The Ballad of Jimmy Crook 2017140.0 x 238.5 cms Charcoal, paper

A conducted tour of Montreal gold fields was the first encounter in which I decided the best option was to use the materials common and environmentally significant to the goldminers and local Yuin people – campfire charcoal and paper – to produce an artwork drawn in the style of the professional Sydney Mail and amateur, ‘artists’ of the day, such as, James Blondell.

This is a dystopian charcoal doodle, a ‘punk’ cryptographic time tome of anachronistic cultural and environmental ‘rape and pillage’ of Gulaga Mountain and the Montreal goldfields. This historical timescape is based on incidental comments by the various speakers and my own sense of the macabre and the ridiculous.

The bazaar overlay of natural and historical events required an ‘unconscious’ visual representation’ so I have used false perspective and ‘unsound composition’ to give a sense of volcanic and social upheaval. Biblically the ziggurat best

describes the social spiritual disorder herein.( re; Mesopotamian Ziggurat.)

The Babylonians and others were supposedly punished by God, for their presumption of building towers to reach him in heaven, by giving mankind different languages and therefore communication difficulties. It made the building of towers, of this nature, impossible.

This conceit also extends to the many dialects of Aboriginal people. We now speak the language of the computer so maybe it’s our undoing that we insist on building towering buildings and rockets to the infinite.

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David Gallan flow 2017Film5 min

flow follows water courses, from fresh to salt, from mountain streams and still forest pools, to tidal lakes and the sea. Water sustains life and shapes the landscape. flow records wildlife from microscopic diatoms to towering spotted gums and endangered southern right whales.

The film is also influenced by the work of Max Williams whose verse captured the nature and sensual beauty of the far south coast.

“…We saw the secret happenings of dreams,Wild things on cliffs and seaside dunes ...” Max Williams, The Remains of Paradise.

Gilda McKechnie Looking through a coastal Banksia at Camel Rock, Beauty Point (Detail) 201775.0 x 98.0 cmCarbon pencil

I learnt about using carbon pencil grades for texture, shading and colour, but most importantly the patience needed to create intricate and delicate works. For me, it was like a meditation. I certainly felt incredibly lucky to have been involved with the wonderful and talented Fresh Saltwater Sisters. I live in the Grampians, Victoria, so experiencing the diverse biospheres of the Bermagui area was a real joy for me.

Robyn Williams Spotted Gums (Corymbia maculata) 201757.8 X76.8 cms Ink washes and graphite on Arches paper

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Helen Morris ‘Diamond Python’ (morelia spilota spilota) with ‘Bush Rat’ (rattus fusapes asaimelis), ‘Southern Brown Bandicoot’ (isoodon obesulus), fungi and associated vegetation 201755.0 x 122.0 cmsEtched perspex with acrylic paint over graphite on Arches watercolour paper, MDF board with acrylic paint

This work is to give an idea of the cycle and associated food sources of the Python, a gentle snake by nature and quite prevalent in our area.

A beautiful creature which I have enjoyed researching and producing the artwork to aesthetically convey my information.

I really enjoyed the whole journey.

David Hewitt Artefact 2017Digital Audio Recording15 min This sound piece was created utilising the sounds of stone and wood percussion as well as that of my voice.

It is inspired by the profound and ingenious Yuin teachings and practices that derive all material needs from the two abundant, natural and elemental resources - stone and wood.

The structure of Artefact is informed by the interwoven arterial waterways that connect traditional teaching and initiation sites through country to the estuaries and ultimately the open sea.

Dedicated, with respect and deepest thanks to Warren Foster Snr and Lee Cruse.

Composed, Performed and Recorded by David Hewitt.

Sound making objects used to make the work Artefact. Photograph: David Hewitt31 32

Right:Holly Downes Hear 2017Audio recording of layered double bass and voice7 - 8 min

This composition was inspired by my trip up Gulaga (the mother mountain of the Yuin people) with local guide Warren Foster Snr. The piece mimics indigenous cyclic philosophy with the constant sound of earth and sky present throughout, and gradually shifts through six seasons, each requiring careful attention to notice when change begins. I invite the listener to take time out of modern life to open your eyes, ears and hearts, and not just listen, but truly ‘hear’ what nature is saying.

Opposite page:Lee Cruse A Healthy River (Detail) 201260.0 x 90.0 cms Acrylic on canvas

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FRESH SALT

Photograph: Holly Downes

John Reid Nutleys Creek, Bermagui River Catchment 201790.0 x 90.0 cms Digital print on archival cotton rag

This picture has been edited from the glare of the afternoon sky; to the left, the muddied waters of a vehicular crossing; to the right, a cleared paddock occupied by cattle and my red motor car; and underfoot, a mass of dead bracken fern next door to a wombat hole of low socioeconomic status.

The other photograph I took for the Fresh Salt exhibition was from Bermagui Point. The wide-angle lens included the breakwater at the mouth of the Bermagui Estuary; housing along Wallaga Lake Road and Keating Drive at the back of Moorhead Beach; Haywards Beach to Murunna point; and beyond to Wallaga Lake and Gulaga Mountain. It is important to visually reference the built environment and the valuable, if precarious, amenity estuaries offer human habitation in a time of unprecedented global stress.

Faced with making a choice, the hard won aesthetic appeal of the Nutleys Creek photograph secured it a place on the page. Thank goodness, though, for artist statements.

Gloria Florez MADRE-TIERRA 2017Video2 min loop

It takes a tsunami of open hearts to free mother-earth from mankind’s subjugation.

I captured this image by coincidence, at Montreal Goldfield during Field Study 2.

While walking along the remains of what once was a gold mine during the gold rush period and looking through the metal bars blocking access to one of its dark tunnels, a small and vibrant pink orchid (Dipodium punctatum) caught my attention. As I took this photograph (adjacent), someone simultaneously shone a torch into this foreboding space.

The photograph evokes Nature’s resilience and desire to survive despite humankind’s insatiable march to cut down, open up, dig up, seal up and modify many millions of years of our barely touched natural world.

MADRE-TIERRA is a utopian journey into what can happen if we reconsider our actions.

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Kris Ralph

Bridge 2017Song4 min

Knowledge shared Listening with our hearts Healing the damage Start with building a bridge.

Tony King In our hands 2017Song accompanied by imageApproximately 5 min

Both the song and image are titled In our hands and are responses to the Fresh Salt experience.

The themes that I found particularly powerful were the cultural history of the Yuin people who have been respectful custodians of the environment for many thousands

Impact 2017Film5 min

The risk of sea level rise, overpopulation putting stress on our coastal estuaries, fishing, farming cattle and logging of forests have an impact on the natural environment.

of years. In just a few hundred years, industrial society has placed this sacred place under enormous threat, both culturally and environmentally, from sea level rise to loss of habitat. Our modern society will be measured by how we respond.

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FRESH SALT

Left: Catherine Wishart FRESH INSULT 2017. 190.0 x 100.0 cms Recycled ceramic and glass tiles and found objects on marine plywood

I originally intended this mosaic to be much darker and brooding in keeping with the title Fresh Insult, that is the sense of insult I felt all around me; of the history of environmental and cultural rape. But as the work progressed the colour and beauty of the land came through - how could it not?

Right: Keith Bashford Kayaking in Wallaga Lake. 2017. 36.0 x 53.0 cms Digital print on canvas

Kayaking in Wallaga Lake shows literally millions of jellyfish. They are both a symptom of environmental decline and a cause of further decline. Normally finfish eat the embryonic jellyfish and keep the environment in balance, but overfishing by some of the 28 licensed professional fisherman for Wallaga Lake means there aren’t enough finfish to maintain the balance. The wheel has turned. Now the huge numbers of jellyfish survive by eating fish larvae. This intensifies the environmental decline of the lake. A superb environment is wrecked for the sake of few dollars for a few people. 40

Above:Skye Etherington lookin at country (Detail) 201723.0 x 33.5 cmsMixed media on board

Opposite page:Lyndal Jenkins Weaving 201745.5 x 91.4 cms Oil on canvas

I wish to show my respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of this country. I pay my respect to the elders past and present and their descendants.

Bermagui is my home, my safe haven, where the mountains meet the sea, and Mother mountain is ever present. It is the place where I dwell and connect with nature.

On sacred ground at the edge of Wallaga Lake our beautiful sister showed us a glimpse of country. She shared her history and her truth. Cultures were woven together.

We gently wept for the stolen children.

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I wanted to create a piece that had texture, like the imprint of country upon my senses.

I also wanted to suggest that we each experience the same landscape in ways unique to our own perception; noticing and feeling different aspects of place.

Veronica O’Leary Banksia Serrata - Cuttagee 1 201775.0 x 55.0 cmsInk and pencil on 640gsm Arches paper

My drawings of the Banksia Serrata are the result of a botanic investigation into the plants specific to the Cuttagee area.

This species of banksia profilerates in coastal bushland and is a fascinating gnarled tree and complicated flower.

For me it offered a drawing challenge - to evoke its complexity and render its iconic status in the array of bushland flora.

Victoria Nelson Corymbia maculata seed 2017 26.0 x21.0 x 21.0 cms Carrara Marble

The stone used in this piece is from a creek in a forest near Carrara, Italy. The marble has been carved into the seed of a spotty gum, my favourite tree. It rests on some fingers. We hold its future up very precariously.

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These Fresh Saltwater Sisters – Helen Morris, Pauline Balos, Veronica O’Leary, Robyn Williams, Justina Legoe, Gilda McKechnie, Sharon Field – sat down together to talk about their shared experiences and memories of Field Study 1. This is their story.

One part of being an artist is to get feedback on your work and your ideas. This group provided us with a cooperative environment in which to do that. We provided each other with critical analysis about the approach to our respective works, whether that was about the best medium to use, the colour, the colour balance in a work, about the concept itself. We relied on each other for inspiration (which, post field study, included gatherings over fine food and champagne).

We loved our workshop at Four Winds to the extent that we were very reluctant to leave our tables to attend a wonderful concert one afternoon. We were very focused on and engaged in our work and just loved the three days where we could commit to our work (almost) completely undisturbed. We learned a lot too, especially about pencils and the importance of sharp points. Being

able to work on the Four Winds site was magical and peaceful with the sounds of the environment part of our day.

The Four Winds project is also important for the way in which there has been such a wonderful collaboration between different art forms – sculpture, dance, visual arts, music, film and poetry – all of which takes our art practice into our community. It is exciting to have all our work culminating in an exhibition off site and “spreading the word” even further.

The botanical explorations we undertook to inform our works were interesting and fun, and included tramping through the bush and follow up library research, which also opened up a whole new area of research and interest (Justina). Looking at maps and contours and understanding more about

what plants grew in what locations gave a difference perspective to our work (Robyn). Seasonal changes also became important because that also impacted on what we were drawing and painting (Pauline). The importance of working from live specimens became apparent.

While we are not always able to meet as a group, we still feel a bond as a group because of this field study and the work we have done. We now have connections with new people and ideas which can only help our art practice grow and develop.

This is important, because each of us makes our living from our art practice. The coming together of such a diverse group of artists, to learn, discuss, experience, really concentrate and capture the feeling of the surrounding environment in our artwork

was like a meditation. It was both peaceful and exciting (Gilda).

We also mounted our own small exhibition at the Shop 7 Artspace in Bermagui, which was a direct flow on from our field study. That was a great success for the artists, and generated quite a bit of interest from our community.

To be included in this programme was both exciting and challenging. The energy of the Four Winds site and surrounds, gave us a mountain of material to be inspired by and being in nature is an inspiration in itself.

We have a wonderful group who all work very well together, sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas. We are looking forward to the culmination of all our experiences in our end of year exhibitions.

Fresh Saltwater SistersReflections

Bermagui Estuary - where freshwater meets saltwater. Guide: James Lynn. Photographs: John Reid

Gadu is the ocean, she feeds us, she draws us close, she is who we are.

We identify ourselves as the saltwater people.

She is salt water running into freshShe is to be feared and sometimes she

has betrayed us when we love her so muchWe are the first-born and we will always

be here.We were formed of the dust but she is

our tear

Cheryl Davison Gadu 201745.0 x 65.0 x 25.0 cmsLinen fabrics and bush fibres

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Estuary EcologyEmma Maratea

Estuaries are places of transition; they are where freshwater draining from coastal catchments mixes with ocean waters. There are eight estuaries between Mount Gulaga and Mumbulla Mountain that are included in the Bermagui Project. Each of these estuaries are unique. Some of these estuaries are rarely open to the ocean, while others are rarely closed. Some of the estuaries have experienced development within their catchments and foreshore areas, while some are located mostly or entirely within National Parks and other protected reserves. Unless opened artificially (when the sand entrance, or ‘berm’ is dug out by people), estuaries that are closed will generally remain closed until catchment runoff builds up within the estuary to increase water levels above the entrance sand berm. When this occurs, water flowing over the sand berm scours a channel out to the ocean. Following entrance breakout and lowering of the estuary water level, sand is reworked back into the entrance by waves and tides. People may want to open an estuary

for several reasons, such as flooding of property and roads or the desire for “cleaner” water provided by the ocean. However, it is important to allow estuaries to open naturally whenever possible. There are many impacts that can occur when an estuary opens such as fish kills (often due to rapid oxygen loss), destruction of migratory bird nests in the berm and too frequent drying of important saltmarsh and seagrass habitat. The natural and sometimes infrequent opening of estuaries allows these impacts to be kept to a minimum. Keeping an estuary permanently or even regularly open when that is not its natural condition, will significantly change the ecology of that estuary.Estuaries provide an important habitat for many species. Many commercial species such as fish, crabs and prawns start their life in estuarine areas. Estuarine habitats, such as saltmarshes and mangrove forests, act like enormous filters. As water flows through a saltmarsh, the marsh grasses and peat filter pollutants and excess sediments and nutrients out of the water. One reason that

estuaries are such productive ecosystems is that the water filtering through them brings in nutrients from the surrounding catchment. In addition to nutrients, that same water often brings with it all the pollutants that were applied to the lands in the catchment. For this reason, estuaries are some of the most fertile ecosystems on Earth, yet they may also be some of the most polluted.Estuaries are our most sensitive coastal places and face increasing threats from land clearing, urban development and artificial entrance opening. Uncontrolled development can damage and destroy estuaries. In the past, estuaries were thought of as wastelands and many were filled in and built on. Today however we are much more aware of the importance of these places and the important role they play in the environment and for our own enjoyment. The protection of these important places is critical to their ongoing health and productivity.

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Bill Risby and Natalie Risby Shadow Man 2017Poem by Natalie Risby recited to music by William Risby3 min 30 sec

Shadow Man was inspired by the stories of the traditional owners of this land. Earth, man, animals, nature, past and present are one. Banished man refers to the white convicts sent from the other side of the world - two cultures thrust together with tragic results.

Climb to the top of the mountain, close your mouth, open your eyes and hearts, and listen.

Colophon

FRESH SALT Edition 2Creative responses to eight exquisite estuaries. Far South Coast NSW / Yuin Country

Editors Lara Crew, Moira Scollay, John ReidDesigner John ReidPost-production photographyMarzena WasikowskaPublisher Four Winds PO Box 73 Bermagui NSW 2564Printer Counterfeit Copy

© 2018 Artists and writers

The three Field Studies took place on Yuin Country between the mountains of Gulaga and Mumbulla (Biamanga) on the Far South Coast, NSW, and included Wallaga Lake, Bermagui Estuary, Baragoot Lake, Cuttagee Lake, Murrah / Bunga Inlet, Wapengo Lake / Bithry Inlet, Middle Lagoon and Nelsons Lagoon.

Four Winds Team

Four Winds Board

Full time:David Francis

Part time:James CrabbLara Crew Bruce FrostMarg Hansen Katrina HedingCarol HelmersSimone HuigenLeanne NicholasJac SloaneRussell StewartLeah Szanto

Four Winds Volunteers

Further information Lara Crew Four Winds Create and Inspire ProducerTel: 02 6493 3366laracrew@fourwinds.com.au

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Artist statement: Peter Cotton Midden – Wallaga Lake 2017 Front cover

A feasting spot for thousands of years at Fairhaven Point on Wallaga Lake in the south of New South Wales. The Yuin people would feast on shellfish, ducks, eels. All the bounty of the lake. Over this time the discarded shells have built up into layers metres thick. Since the English moved in the lake has silted up and is often closed to the sea, as it is, as I type. The result is that much of the foreshore is under water and one more significant rain will see the main road into Bermagui closed until the well meaning local council sends out a digger to break through the massive sandbar that’s holding the water in.