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Issue 48 Aurora Magazine May2022

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<strong>Aurora</strong><br />

<strong>Issue</strong> <strong>48</strong><br />

GREAT SOUTHERN Lifestyle, People, Happenings May 2022<br />

JONATHAN HOOK<br />

CERAMICS<br />

LITTLE WHITE<br />

WHALE PROJECT<br />

ASHA BHAT<br />

GLEN TOOVEY<br />

LEATHERWORK<br />

WALPOLE KIDS<br />

PLUS LOCAL WW1 HISTORY,<br />

LOCAL FASHION<br />

AND WHAT’S ON IN MAY<br />

10,000 DISTRIBUTED FREE<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

www.auroramagazine.com.au


<strong>Aurora</strong><br />

Great Southern Lifestyle, People, Happenings<br />

Manager and Editor<br />

Amanda Cruse<br />

0438 212 979<br />

amanda@auroramagazine.com.au<br />

Advertising Sales<br />

Amanda Cruse<br />

0438 212 979<br />

sales@auroramagazine.com.au<br />

Production and Layout<br />

Vanessa Pribil<br />

vanessa@auroramagazine.com.au<br />

Photography<br />

editorial@auroramagazine.com.au<br />

www.auroramagazine.com.au<br />

Our cover<br />

On the cover this month is widely<br />

renowned Denmark ceramicist<br />

Jonathan Hook. This image was taken<br />

of Jonathan in his new Denmark<br />

studio space and gallery as Jonathan<br />

approaches five decades of dedication<br />

to his art. For the full story, turn to<br />

page 6. PHOTO: SERENA KIRBY.<br />

FREE<br />

<strong>Issue</strong> <strong>48</strong><br />

JONATHAN HOOK<br />

CERAMICS<br />

LITTLE WHITE<br />

WHALE PROJECT<br />

ASHA BHAT<br />

GLEN TOOVEY<br />

LEATHERWORK<br />

WALPOLE KIDS<br />

<strong>Aurora</strong><br />

GREAT SOUTHERN Lifestyle, People, Happenings May 2022<br />

PLUS LOCAL WW1 HISTORY,<br />

LOCAL FASHION<br />

AND WHAT’S ON IN MAY<br />

Editorial<br />

editorial@auroramagazine.com.au<br />

10,000 DISTRIBUTED FREE<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

www.auroramagazine.com.au<br />

Our Contributors<br />

Amanda Cruse<br />

Deanna Davenport<br />

Serena Kirby<br />

Adam Morris<br />

Allen Newton<br />

Anne Skinner<br />

Distribution<br />

Tim Cruse<br />

0438 004 408<br />

distribution@auroramagazine.com.au<br />

Published by Greybird Media<br />

Printed by Ive Group, Mandurah Print Centre<br />

7 Rafferty Close, Mandurah, WA 6210<br />

<strong>Aurora</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is subject to Copyright and may not<br />

be reproduced in any form without permission from the<br />

Publisher. Any material supplied for publication is the<br />

responsibility of the supplier. All information is believed<br />

to be true by the Publisher at the time of printing.<br />

<strong>Aurora</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is 100% locally<br />

and independently owned.<br />

<strong>Aurora</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is printed on uncoated<br />

paper, and is therefore 100% recyclable.<br />

Please dispose of thoughtfully.<br />

Distribution<br />

10,000 copies of <strong>Aurora</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> are distributed free each month.<br />

We distribute our paper strategically to ensure we are well placed for strong readership amongst<br />

both locals and visitors to the Great Southern region.<br />

You can pick up a copy from the Albany, Mount Barker and Walpole-Nornalup visitors centres, as<br />

well as the Albany ANZAC Centre. We are also available from the Albany, Denmark, Katanning,<br />

Mount Barker and Walpole public libraries. Almost 1000 copies are put directly into the rooms of<br />

accommodation venues throughout the Great Southern.<br />

We also have the following major distribution points:<br />

Albany: Clarks News Agency, Coles (Albany Plaza and Orana), Dome Cafe, Plaza Lotteries, Puma<br />

Service Station, Royale Patisserie, Spencer Park IGA, The Naked Bean, Woolworths (Chester Pass<br />

Mall and Bayonet Head), and York Street IGA.<br />

Denmark: Raven’s Coffee. We are also available at The General Store at Youngs Siding and the<br />

Elleker General Store.<br />

Mount Barker: Supa IGA and the Plantagenet Wines Cellar Door.<br />

Walpole: Pioneer Store IGA and the Treetop Walk Gift Shop.<br />

We have over 100 smaller distribution points, so there’s a good chance your favourite local cafe,<br />

vineyard, boutique, hotel, gallery or corner store will have some copies on hand.<br />

Concerned about poor returns on your cash?<br />

“Historically no other single, easily accessible traditional asset has delivered higher<br />

returns than GOLD in environments where real cash interest rates have been low.“<br />

- The Perth Mint Blog<br />

With over 20 years financial services experience gained in Kalgoorlie, Tim Cruse,<br />

Senior Wealth Adviser can help you develop an appropriate investment strategy.<br />

P: 08 9842 4780 | E: TCruse@cgf.com<br />

Canaccord Genuity Financial Limited AFSL No. 239 052 ABN 69 008 896 311<br />

2 LOVE LOCAL


contents<br />

4 SPOTLIGHT ASHA BHAT<br />

Campaigning Against Otherness<br />

6 CREATE JONATHAN HOOK<br />

Hands on the Wheel<br />

10 RESEARCH LITTLE WHITE WHALE PROJECT<br />

Saving Southern Right Wales<br />

4 SPOTLIGHT 6 CREATE<br />

12 CRAFT SUBURBAN COWBOY<br />

Glen Toovey Leatherwork<br />

14 VOGUE HORSING AROUND<br />

Local Fashion Feature<br />

18 REFLECT PRIVATE WILLIAM WEBSTER AYRE<br />

20 PROMOTE ESTHER JONES<br />

‘one of Billy Hughes’ burnt-out soldiers’<br />

14 VOGUE 20 PROMOTE<br />

The Farmer’s Daughter<br />

22 PRODUCE ALBANY SEAFOODS<br />

Mystery of the Missing Salmon<br />

24 ENGAGE WALPOLE KIDS<br />

Cartoonist Nathan Vass Viney<br />

27 GIG GUIDE EVENTS, MARKETS AND EXHIBITIONS<br />

22 PRODUCE 24 ENGAGE<br />

䄀 瘀 愀 椀 氀 愀 戀 氀 攀 愀 琀 琀 栀 攀 ǻ 渀 攀 猀 琀 挀 愀 昀 猀 Ⰰ 最 爀 漀 挀 攀 爀 礀 猀 琀 漀 爀 攀 猀 Ⰰ 漀 爀 漀 渀 氀 椀 渀 攀<br />

㐀 ㈀㈀ 㜀 㔀 㠀 㔀 <br />

猀 琀 愀 猀 栀 挀 漀 û 攀 攀 ⸀ 挀 漀 洀 ⸀ 愀 甀<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

3


spotlight<br />

ASHA BHAT<br />

Campaigning Against Otherness<br />

STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTO SERENA KIRBY<br />

It’s easy to look at Asha Bhat’s multi-paged resume and be impressed. With an MBA,<br />

a Masters Degree in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science among her qualifications,<br />

Asha is undoubtedly a high achiever.<br />

She’s also the recipient of a long list of awards and prestigious scholarships that<br />

includes being a two-time finalist in the WA Telstra Business Women’s Awards. She’s<br />

been an Albany Citizen of the Year and, just last month, she was the judge’s choice for<br />

Pro Bono Australia’s Impact 25 ‘Collaborator’ award.<br />

Currently the CEO of the highly respected Southern Aboriginal Corporation (SAC)<br />

that provides assistance for family violence prevention, affordable housing and legal<br />

services, Asha has spear-headed the Corporation’s expansion into numerous regional<br />

locations and a soon-to-opened office in Perth.<br />

Impressive? Yes. Intimidating? Surprisingly not. Asha’s candour, empathy and beaming<br />

smile has a way of putting even the most nervous person at ease. She’s also incredibly<br />

open about the barrier of ‘otherness’ she has had to face on a regular basis.<br />

Born in India, Asha came to Australia in 2004 with her husband and son, as a skilled<br />

permanent resident.<br />

“I had a degree in mathematics and had been a maths teacher back in India, but when<br />

we arrived in Australia, with just $2000, I had to completely re-establish my professional<br />

and personal life in an environment that didn’t particularly support migrant Indian<br />

women,” Asha recounts.<br />

Even with her high qualifications Asha experienced countless job refusals as she had no<br />

Australian referees to vouch for her. She also couldn’t drive and with English as her third<br />

language (yes, she speaks two others) and a heavy accent, people often didn’t have the<br />

patience or foresight to look past her differences.<br />

“I experienced very little respect. I was self-conscious of my English and felt I had to<br />

prove myself all over again. I felt like the ‘other’ in an outgroup of marginalisation. I<br />

had to find the strength and resilience to keep going and even when I finally got a job<br />

in office administration, a year after arriving, it was hard to be accepted. I was Indian. I<br />

was a woman.”<br />

But prove herself she did and through finding areas of commonality, such as her<br />

knowledge of cricket and her newly found enthusiasm for AFL and footy tipping, she<br />

began to feel more connected and accepted.<br />

After working her way up the employment ladder, and moving several times due to her<br />

4 LOVE LOCAL


spotlight<br />

husband’s own career, Asha ended up in Albany in 2008, and was offered SAC’s top job,<br />

five years later.<br />

“I can see that my experience of ‘otherness’ has supported me in what I now do. Being<br />

an Indian woman leading an Aboriginal organisation is certainly an unusual situation<br />

and you could consider it a case of ‘double otherness’. But knowing what it feels like to<br />

be marginalised, and coming from a country rich in culture, has helped me connect with<br />

the Aboriginal community in many ways.”<br />

Asha’s empathy for those less fortunate has seen her donate a large slice of her time<br />

to supporting charities and not for profit organisations with a particular focus on those<br />

aimed at helping women. As the WA team leader of ‘Share the Dignity’ Asha is drawing<br />

attention to one of the more hidden inequalities of her gender; period-poverty. ‘Share<br />

the Dignity’ is a national charity that provides free period products to women and girls<br />

that are experiencing hardship, homelessness or are fleeing domestic violence.<br />

“Period-poverty is a major issue in India and women are ostracised from their family<br />

and community when menstruating. It’s not culturally the same here but if you don’t<br />

have the products you need to deal with your period it can definitely lead to a sense of<br />

shame and loss of dignity.”<br />

And it’s through this raising of issues affecting women that Asha wants to also address<br />

the gender inequality she sees in the workplace and the broader community.<br />

“There’s close to a 50/50 population gender balance in the Great Southern but do<br />

you see that reflected in our workplaces, our corporate boards and committees?<br />

No, you don’t. I’m on several boards and in the majority of them I’m the only brown<br />

woman. On one of my committees, I am the only woman. It’s time to stop talking about<br />

discrimination, diversity and inclusion. It’s time to act!<br />

“Bias on the basis of race, gender, sexualtity, and other factors creating a sense of<br />

‘otherness’, exists everywhere. Don’t just leave it up to HR managers and CEOs,<br />

everybody can act for change.”<br />

I can see that my experience<br />

of ‘otherness’ has supported me<br />

in what I now do. Being an Indian<br />

woman leading an Aboriginal<br />

organisation is certainly an unusual<br />

situation and you could consider it a<br />

case of ‘double otherness’.<br />

Asha Bhat<br />

Asha adds that she also sees elements of complacency creeping into our society.<br />

“Many people feel we’ve come a long way in dealing with diversity and inclusion but<br />

it’s not far enough. I hope I’m an example of what women migrants, and women from<br />

other disadvantaged groups, can do. It may not be easy but it is doable.”<br />

Asha admits she’s sacrificed much to get where she is and achieve what she has. She<br />

studied hard and chose to work when others were enjoying time off. She’s had dark<br />

times too, dealing with depression and struggled with self-doubt, imposter syndrome<br />

and a fear of public speaking.<br />

After each setback Asha has picked herself up and stepped back onto the path of<br />

advocating for equality and equity. Asha is a woman who ‘walks-the-talk’ every day;<br />

putting words into action and being the change she wants to see in the world. She is<br />

indeed what the local Noongar community call Moorditj Yorga; a Solid Woman.<br />

If you’d like to join Asha in supporting the Share the Dignity charity you can learn more<br />

and donate by visiting sharethedignity.org.au<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

5


create<br />

JONATHAN HOOK<br />

Hands on the Wheel<br />

STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTO SERENA KIRBY<br />

This year marks five decades since Jonathan Hook took his first steps along the path to<br />

becoming a professional ceramicist. Back then he was one of only two full time students<br />

studying an Advanced Diploma in Ceramics at Perth’s Technical College. He was a<br />

country kid at heart, having grown up in Kendenup, and was keen to relocate back to<br />

the country once he finished his studies.<br />

“I was really interested in wood fired kilns so I needed space and wood – lots of it,”<br />

Jonathan says. “Denmark fitted the bill perfectly and I was drawn to the beauty of<br />

the area. I was, and still am, inspired by it and the energy of the landscape permeates<br />

through you and comes out in what you create.”<br />

And Jonathan has definitely created in abundance. He has also been one of those<br />

fortunate creatives who’s been able to sustain a career and a lifestyle doing what he<br />

loves. His new gallery and studio space carries that hallmark of success as its brimming<br />

with vessels in every shape, colour and size. Jonathan’s range now includes more than<br />

1000 different items including a massive selection of carefully crafted tableware.<br />

“For many years I’ve focussed on producing quality tableware and I now have more<br />

than 70 different shapes in a wide variety of colours. Due to their fragile nature it’s not<br />

practical to sell online. I also don’t have any stockists for the same reason so the only<br />

place you can purchase my work is here at the gallery.”<br />

Jonathan’s desire to stay local has also meant that he’s rarely exhibited saying he<br />

prefers not to be part “of the gallery scene”.<br />

“Exhibiting in a gallery is not a reliable way of selling work. Most of the people who buy<br />

my work are from Perth anyway – so in effect – they come to me rather than me go to<br />

them.”<br />

When reflecting on the past 50 years Jonathan says his equipment has scarcely changed<br />

and he still uses the same wheel he had decades ago.<br />

“The biggest change has been in the refinement of my techniques and that comes from<br />

perseverance and practice. This is physically demanding work and you have to be a<br />

<br />

James Halliday 5 Red Star Winery<br />

for 7 consecutive years<br />

Rockcliffe cellar door is open every day and offers a selection of some<br />

of the region’s best award-wining wines for tasting and available to<br />

purchase. Customers are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy at our beautiful<br />

vineyard and pair with their favourite Rockcliffe wine. Visitors also come from<br />

near and far to taste our famous Rockcliffe gelatos and sorbets – all made on<br />

the premises to traditional artisan Italian recipes. Our cellar door is regularly<br />

voted by our customers as not only the best cellar door in Denmark, but the<br />

best cellar door experience they have ever had!<br />

Rockcliffe wines are also available at the best restaurants,<br />

bars and liquor stores throughout the Great Southern.<br />

www.rockcliffe.com.au<br />

CELLAR DOOR 18 Hamilton Road, Denmark, WA, 6333 | PHONE: 0419 8<strong>48</strong> 195<br />

OPENING HOURS 11am to 5pm, 7 days a week. At all other times by appointment, please phone.<br />

6 LOVE LOCAL


create<br />

workaholic to make a success out of making ceramics. You need a high energy level too<br />

and a lot of passion.”<br />

Jonathan’s seemingly abundant energy also led him to take on the designing and<br />

building of his current studio and gallery which opened three years ago. Spanning <strong>48</strong>0<br />

square metres with lofty ceilings, and floor to ceiling glass showing off panoramic views,<br />

visitors can immerse themselves in the landscape while admiring the ceramics it has<br />

inspired.<br />

Not content with just creating a designer space for himself Jonathan has also recently<br />

turned his original studio into short-stay, luxury accommodation. His original home too<br />

has undergone a makeover and is now available for holiday guests.<br />

“I’ve always loved architecture and had I not become a ceramicist I would definitely<br />

have been an architect.”<br />

More recently Jonathan has returned to his studies in fine art; something he started a<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

7


create<br />

couple of decades ago but had put aside due to life getting in the way. While Jonathan<br />

says he’s always done sculptural works he hopes to head more in that direction in the<br />

future. But he admits it is not a fast process.<br />

“One piece could take 12 months or it could take 20 years. All good things take time to<br />

develop and my renewed interest in painting and larger sculptural pieces presents me<br />

with a lot of possibilities for creating work relevant to the Great Southern landscape.”<br />

Functional or sculptural, whatever Jonathan creates it will continue to be sought<br />

after by lovers of hand-made, quality objects carrying their maker’s mark. And while<br />

Jonathan drives his creative exploration in new directions he’s sure to always have at<br />

least one hand on the wheel.<br />

Jonathan’s Studio and Gallery are located at 109 Lantzke Road, Denmark. You can visit<br />

Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm as well as Saturday and Sunday 12noon to 4pm.<br />

www.jonathanhook.com<br />

JONATHAN HOOK STUDIO CERAMICS | OPENING HOURS: Mon- Fri: 10am-5pm. Weekends: 12-4pm.<br />

New Studio and Gallery at 109 Lantzke Rd off Redman Rd, Denmark. Contact: 0<strong>48</strong>1 099 125<br />

8 LOVE LOCAL


BROADER<br />

HORIZONS<br />

Mason Realty is delighted to welcome<br />

Chelsea McIntyre and Phoebe French to<br />

our team. Now offering our innovative<br />

marketing and quality real estate experience<br />

to more Albany sellers and buyers.<br />

Broaden your real estate horizon.<br />

Chelsea McIntyre<br />

0400 865 773<br />

chelsea@masonrealty.com.au<br />

Phoebe French<br />

0458 393 811<br />

phoebe@masonrealty.com.au<br />

www.masonrealty.com.au | 9841 2994


esearch<br />

LITTLE WHITE WHALE PROJECT<br />

Saving Southern Right Whales<br />

STORY DEANNA DAVENPORT | PHOTOS DEANNA DAVENPORT<br />

Standing on the shoreline of Albany’s coast, marine biologist Katy Fannei watches<br />

a mother-calf pair of endangered Southern Right whales (SRW) through binoculars,<br />

observing their behaviour, which she describes as ‘very cuddly’.<br />

“As the calf gets older, it dares to go on an exploration and then sometimes you can see<br />

a little change in the behaviour of the mother and the calf comes back to the mother<br />

really rapidly,” she laughed.<br />

Observing these gentle giants for hours at a time, Katy would watch as the pair went<br />

into deeper water for a swim, but the calf would become exhausted.<br />

“I observed them coming back closer to shore where mum could rest her belly on top of<br />

the sand and the calf literally climbed onto the back of her and just rested there.”<br />

These land-based surveys, in addition to aerial surveys, are what Katy’s Masters<br />

research is based upon. It was her curiosity about these gentle giants that caught the<br />

attention of local pilot David Ellett and his wife Lisa-Maree.<br />

Whilst Katy was conducting her land-based surveys in 2020, David took his family out<br />

for a scenic flight along the coast. To the delight of the passengers, they spotted a white<br />

SRW calf alongside its mother. David’s wife, Lisa-Maree, shared photos of the white calf<br />

to a local Albany whale watching Facebook group. Katy saw the photo and reached out<br />

to Lisa-Maree with the excitement of wanting to learn more about what they saw.<br />

“I wanted to know all about that little white calf and so I asked Lisa-Maree all kinds of<br />

questions,” Katy said.<br />

Katy met with Lisa-Maree and David, who were enthusiastic to contribute to Katy’s<br />

research. David proposed that the best way they could contribute was to help Katy<br />

count whales from planes. Observing from the air would help Katy understand the<br />

abundance, distribution and habitat use of SRW’s. David rallied support amongst the<br />

local pilot community and so, the Little White Whale Project was conceived.<br />

On 4 June 2021, Katy took her first flight.<br />

With the help of 14 local volunteer pilots, Katy was able to fly once a week from the<br />

Albany Wind Farm to Point Charles in Fitzgerald National Park. Katy said without the<br />

help of the volunteer pilots, she would not have the data she has.<br />

“With everyone contributing effort, resources, time and dedication to the project, we<br />

managed to do 21 weekly surveys,” she said.<br />

“It was very rewarding for the pilots to see the whales and fly for a ‘bigger’ purpose<br />

than just for their pleasure. It raised interest and awareness about the animals in the<br />

pilots and other community members spreading the word.”<br />

A fond memory Katy has while flying was seeing the white SRW calf that inspired the<br />

whole project.<br />

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Marine biologist Katy Fannei will be in Albany this month to continue her surveys of the SRW population. A Southern Right whale with its belly up and her calf alongside. Katy<br />

conducting land-based surveys of Southern Right whales. Supplied by Andrew Davenport. Photographer Elly Waller. Supplied by Katy Fannei. Pilots Max Shearer and David Campbell with Katy Fannei in<br />

the middle.<br />

10 LOVE LOCAL


esearch<br />

“When that white calf was seen in 2020 at Cheynes Beach by Lisa-Maree, I never got to<br />

see it,” she said.<br />

“There were posts saying ‘there it is, there it is’ and I always went to those locations but<br />

I always missed it. So when I saw a white calf at the start of the 2021 season at Point<br />

Ann, I just jumped and screamed.<br />

“The pilots can still remember it – they thought I was going to jump out of the plane -<br />

that’s how excited I was.<br />

“Because that was the only one in the population we had in the survey site, we could<br />

track it. Every week you could see how it moved, where it was and it was so exciting. In<br />

the end, I named him Casper.”<br />

The information collected for Katy’s thesis is just the beginning the Little White Whale<br />

Project.<br />

Founded by David and Lisa-Maree, the organisation aims to facilitate the research of<br />

SRW’s in the Great Southern, which will aid in their protection and recovery. They hope<br />

that the organisation can gain not-for-profit status.<br />

Officially launched back in March at a community event, the pair shared their passion<br />

for the purpose of the organisation, to increase awareness and understanding of SRW’s<br />

through the sharing of research, education and storytelling.<br />

Executive committee member Lisa-Maree said the local community are very fortunate<br />

to have the Southern Right Whales visit Great Southern shores as one of their primary<br />

breeding grounds in Australia each year.<br />

“By supporting the Little White Whale Project,” she said, “you are supporting research<br />

that is essential so we can learn and understand about their recovery and also<br />

understand how we can best co-exist with them.<br />

“We know from our First People that whales visited here peacefully for many thousands of<br />

years, but the hunting of them by Europeans saw their almost complete extinction by 1950.<br />

“This project is a small way we can contribute to their protection and recovery.”<br />

With the support of community members, Katy said she hopes the flights surveying the<br />

whales will continue.<br />

“We want to connect information about their abundance and distribution. Simply<br />

explained – we just want to understand the species, especially on a local basis because<br />

there is not much research being done on them here.<br />

“We want to see how they behave, what they need, what they use, what happens<br />

during the breeding season and where they are.<br />

“We want to be able to – not predict – but gather information about what would<br />

happen in the future when the population sizes increase and there are more whales<br />

and they need more space.<br />

“Where would they go? It seems they need specific environmental conditions. They<br />

need it very calm because they are chunky, very slow animals. They need to save their<br />

energy, especially mothers and calves, to nurse and grow and learn. So, they need these<br />

sheltered, shallow, calm bays.”<br />

Katy said they don’t want to hoard the research they collect, but instead share it with<br />

everyone who wants to learn and hope the local community can get on board with<br />

sharing their knowledge as well.<br />

“The community in Albany is just amazing. Everyone is so passionate and kind and<br />

helpful. Whales are important to them and there is much more we can all learn with<br />

each other’s help.”<br />

Katy will be back in Albany this month to start aerial surveys for the 2022 season.<br />

You can get behind and support Katy, Lisa-Maree and David, and the volunteer pilots, by<br />

heading to their website https://www.littlewhitewhaleproject.org/<br />

LOVE LOCAL 11


craft<br />

SUBURBAN COWBOY<br />

Glen Toovey – The Last of the Leathermen<br />

STORY ADAM MORRIS | PHOTOS LATA WRIGHT<br />

Glen Toovey is between studios at the moment as he sits in his makeshift workshop<br />

hidden away on a nondescript street in suburban McKail. But the temporary digs<br />

haven’t stopped the gifted young craftsman from practicing his passion on a daily basis.<br />

As the phrase goes, wild horses couldn’t drag him away.<br />

Glen is currently consumed with making all things leather and although the focus is on<br />

equine and rider apparel such as saddles, spur straps and reins, Glen has also turned his<br />

expert hand to belts, bags, wallets and even mobile phone cases which he tries to make<br />

as quickly as the orders come to him, a task which he admits is frankly impossible.<br />

The corridor from Glen’s front door to the small space where he spends most of his<br />

free time is lined with well-worn cowboy boots, half made saddles and rolls of leather<br />

of varying shades stacked neatly on the floor to ceiling shelving. Akubras sit nestled<br />

about the room on top of the spools of the industrial sewing machines and the smell of<br />

leather fills the air. Glen sits in the middle of it all, looking very much at home riding the<br />

fine line between creativity and chaos beautifully.<br />

“I would like to have each piece be a work of art that the owner is happy to have<br />

for the rest of their life. One of my main aims would be to make each piece of work<br />

be heirloom quality that gets handed to the next generation and bring back the<br />

appreciation for handmade, quality work that lasts a lifetime.”<br />

For Glen his leatherwork is an extension of what he has done with horses all his life. A<br />

never-ending process of reflection and creativity, always striving to achieve the most<br />

optimal outcome, whether it’s fashioning a new belt with exquisite detail or calming a<br />

traumatised horse and bringing the best out in the animal to improve its quality of life.<br />

Glenn loves making things and he loves getting better at making things, sometimes it’s a<br />

saddle, sometimes it’s a bridle and sometimes it’s working alongside a horse that needs<br />

looking after. For Glen, being around horses is much more than a hobby or something<br />

to do on the weekend, it’s a way of life.<br />

“The biggest thing I love about horses – they are a reflection of yourself, if you are tense<br />

and nervous, they will be too. But if you are relaxed and calm they’ll reflect that. They<br />

are all individuals where they each have their own quirks and personality and you need<br />

to be adaptable to get the best out of them. They have helped me massively to learn to<br />

12 LOVE LOCAL


craft<br />

be more patient and understanding but it’s an endless goal that I will always find room<br />

for improvement on to achieve a better horse. It’s one of those things that I’ll never<br />

finish learning, just like my leather work, there’s always something more to learn.”<br />

Glen grew up on a horse and cattle farm in the Frankland region of WA before moving<br />

to Albany with his family when he was just seven years old. The family took their love<br />

of horses with them and they’ve been an integral part of Glen’s life ever since he can<br />

remember. Glen’s horse Kitty waits for him at a mate’s property in Mount Barker, where<br />

he travels to her regularly to reconnect and restore both himself and Kitty as Glen keeps<br />

his eye out for a suitable property for his next move.<br />

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Glen’s passion and commitment to what he does will see him travel to NSW to take part<br />

in an informal apprenticeship from Master Leatherworker John Saunders, a man who<br />

holds icon status in Glen’s world and a man whose work Glen has been admiring for<br />

many years.<br />

“He’s definitely my biggest inspiration for leatherwork along with Don Gonzales, Dustin<br />

Loftis, Gracie Christian and Sarah Garvey. John makes one of the best quality saddles<br />

I’ve ever seen in terms of craftsmanship, they all make absolute works of art when it<br />

comes to creativity and quality in what they do.”<br />

In ten years time, Glen hopes to be building custom saddles where clients can come<br />

with their own design and he’ll be able to bring their vision to life. Sitting with Glen<br />

and listening to him explain his plans and passion in his tiny makeshift studio is like<br />

sitting with a luthier or a master carpenter. His drive and determination in the quest for<br />

a perfection he knows he will never attain is inspirational, and you can’t help but feel<br />

excited for him as his captivating hobby looks to be in danger of turning into a full-time<br />

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THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Both women wear Thomas Cook hats from Trailblazers and Bullzye t-shirts, $40 from Trailblazers. RM Williams skirt with raw edge, $165 from Trailblazers. Pure<br />

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Trailblazers. Horze puffer jacket, $115 from Albany Horseworld.<br />

OPPOSITE PAGE: All Toovey accessories crafted by local leather craftsman Glen Toovey. To learn more about Glen see the full story in this edition of <strong>Aurora</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> on page 12.<br />

16 LOVE LOCAL


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eflect<br />

PRIVATE WILLIAM WEBSTER AYRE<br />

‘I am just one of Billy Hughes’ burnt-out soldiers’<br />

STORY ANNE SKINNER<br />

At <strong>48</strong> years old, William Ayre was more than twice the age of most of the young men<br />

lining up at the Albany recruiting office in the spring of 1914. Unlike the naïve, eager<br />

20-somethings ahead of him and behind him in the queue, William’s previous military<br />

experience had shown him the horrors of war. More than anyone else there, he knew<br />

something of what they all would face.<br />

As a teenager he had joined the Royal Navy where he worked his way up from naval<br />

cadet to Sub-Lieutenant. After nine years at sea, William left the navy and later<br />

volunteered to fight in the Boer War in South Africa, serving as a Corporal in the 2 nd<br />

Western Australian Mounted Infantry. When Australia and Britain declared war on<br />

Germany on 4 August 1914, he was still single and had no dependents. It made sense,<br />

William thought, that he should once again sign up to serve his country.<br />

To the rousing sounds of the Albany Brass Band, 850 Private William Webster Ayre<br />

marched to the railway station with the first contingent of Albany soldiers on the<br />

evening of Sunday, 16 August, where they were farewelled by a cheering crowd<br />

of about 1500 people. Those first 30 Albany volunteers joined other members of<br />

the recently raised 11 th Battalion at Blackboy Hill Training Camp, which those early<br />

enlistees had literally to carve out of virgin bush. Less than three months later, Pte Ayre<br />

embarked from Fremantle with H Company aboard the troopship Ascanius. They were<br />

bound for Egypt and several months of further training to fight on the newly opened<br />

front against the Ottoman Empire.<br />

Standing 176cm tall and weighing 76kg, the Tasmanian-born Pte Ayre was a finelooking,<br />

well-built man with blue eyes and brown hair. In his ten years at the Albany<br />

Water Board he had risen to the position of foreman, and his employers valued him<br />

enough to hold the position until his return. He may have been twice the age of his<br />

comrades in arms, but his health and fitness were still “good for his age”, according to a<br />

medical examiner who saw him after the war.<br />

LEFT: Private William Webster Ayre at Blackboy Hill in 1914. (Courtesy Norman Dowie).<br />

ABOVE: A troop train carrying Australian soldiers from Marseilles to Le Havre makes a rest stop.<br />

(Courtesy Australian War Memorial P02321_053). BELOW: Australian soldiers resting on the quay<br />

at Marseilles after disembarking from Egypt in early 1916. (Courtesy Australian War Memorial<br />

A02752)<br />

18 LOVE LOCAL


eflect<br />

The 11 th Battalion was among the first ashore at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Pte Ayre<br />

fought his way up the craggy slopes behind the beachhead and dug in with the rest of<br />

his company. Two months later, during a raid on a Turkish trench, a bayonet wielded by<br />

another Australian soldier accidentally wounded him in the back of his right knee. He<br />

was treated at the casualty clearing station on the beach and invalided out of action for<br />

the next five weeks. The injury, considered light by the medics, was to affect his ability<br />

to fight for the rest of the war and dogged him for the remainder of his life. He was<br />

placed on light duties until the end of the Gallipoli campaign.<br />

75 rounds of ammunition. The British blockade of the North Sea and English Channel<br />

was designed to prevent war supplies, food and fuel from reaching Germany, which<br />

retaliated by using its only weapon of advantage – torpedo-armed submarines.<br />

The end of the war intervened before Pte Ayre finished his home leave. For the next<br />

few years, he went back to prospecting around Coolgardie where he had spent some<br />

time after returning from South Africa. He later met 45-year-old Isobel Palmer and the<br />

couple married in 1923. Too proud to apply for a military pension, William continued to<br />

work at various jobs, mostly as a chainman for the Western Australian Railways.<br />

After the evacuation, Pte Ayre was made a temporary baggage guard in Egypt until<br />

the battalion sailed for the Western Front in March 1916. Once in France, he was<br />

transferred permanently to the regimental transport section. The job was not without<br />

its dangers, as the transports were often exposed to enemy fire. Pte Ayre escaped<br />

further injury and illness during the 11 th Battalion’s campaigns through Pozieres, Ypres,<br />

the Hindenburg Line and the German spring offensive of early 1918. In August, the<br />

battalion was a part of the great offensive launched east of Amiens that was later<br />

lauded as the greatest Allied success in a single day on the Western Front. Throughout<br />

every advance and retreat, Pte Ayre concentrated on one of the most important tasks<br />

of any war – driving wagon after wagon of food supplies, ammunition, rolls of barbed<br />

Advising the Great Southern since 2012<br />

wire and timber for trench construction to support the front line troops.<br />

In July 1918, the Gallipoli veteran was sent on leave to Australia and allocated to<br />

submarine guard duty for the journey home. The guard was stationed at various<br />

vantage points of the vessel to look out for German U-boats, each soldier allocated<br />

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Worn out by years of toil and debilitating illness, William Webster Ayre suffered a stroke<br />

and passed away in 1939 on the eve of the Second World War. The doctors determined<br />

the 73-year-old was suffering from arteriosclerosis, cerebral thrombosis and uraemia.<br />

Isobel applied for a war widow’s pension, but her application was refused after the<br />

Repatriation Commission decided William’s death was not the result of his war service.<br />

In her indignant appeal, Isobel wrote: “My husband had a stroke which I say was mostly<br />

Advising the Great Southern since 2012<br />

due to his four and a half years’ war service at the age of 50. I feel I know him better<br />

than any doctor. He often said to me, ‘I am just one of (wartime Prime Minister) Billy<br />

Hughes’ burnt-out soldiers’.” Isobel lost her appeal and was forced to live on a weekly<br />

pension of 17 shillings and sixpence – equivalent to just over $81 today. She passed<br />

away in 1950 and was laid to rest near her husband in Karrakatta Cemetery.<br />

Sources: Charles Bean, The AIF in France, 1916; Australian War Memorial; National<br />

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Advising the Great Southern since<br />

Archives of Australia; AIF Project, https://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.<br />

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promote<br />

ESTHER JONES<br />

The Farmer’s Daughter<br />

STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTO SERENA KIRBY<br />

The farming and agriculture sector has undergone major changes since Esther Jones<br />

was a child but there’s one farming tradition that hasn’t quite caught up with modern<br />

trends. Family farm inheritance still favours sons and it’s estimated that only 10 percent<br />

of farm successors are women.<br />

For farmer’s daughter, Esther, this meant that when her parents decided to retire, the<br />

family property she dearly loved was put up for sale; a female successor was simply not<br />

something anyone had considered.<br />

Esther was devastated; she was a teenager at the time – still at school and still living at<br />

home and one of two children – both daughters. But unlike most girls her age and era<br />

she was far more interested in doing farm work with her dad than learning how to cook<br />

with her mum.<br />

“I just loved our farm and everything farming; the paddocks, the big skies, being with<br />

my dad and working outside,” Esther says. “I lived and breathed the land. It was my<br />

passion. It was my everything.”<br />

Esther quickly decided that if she wasn’t able to work on the farm she’d work within<br />

the industry instead. And what she lacked in male chromosomes she certainly made up<br />

for in determination as, straight out of school, she scored a job as a cadet journo at the<br />

Western Farmer and Grazier newspaper.<br />

“I soon got poached by Elders Weekly and became their first ever female livestock<br />

journo. I travelled the State covering news stories and livestock sales. I was so young<br />

and often worried farmers wouldn’t take me seriously if I rocked up with P plates on my<br />

car. I always made sure to stop at the gates and whip the plates off.”<br />

Esther quickly saw there was a gap in the market for promoting what was happening<br />

on the land. Yes, there were public relations companies sending out media releases for<br />

farming clients but none of the PR businesses back then had any real life experience in<br />

agriculture.<br />

With opportunity knocking loudly at the door Esther set up her own farming-focussed<br />

company. She had no PR experience, no plan and no idea how she was going to make<br />

it work but her timing was perfect and Elders came on board as her first client with<br />

Wesfarmers soon following suit.<br />

“The business just took off and one job led to another. Within a few years I was starting<br />

a family too and I clearly remember being on the phone to book ram sale ads in<br />

between birthing contractions. Crazy I know, but that’s how much I loved my work; I<br />

literally pushed through to get the job done.”<br />

With event management often falling under the PR umbrella, Esther expanded into<br />

organising conferences and expos for the farming industry. Her first event was a<br />

20 LOVE LOCAL


promote<br />

relatively small affair but within a few short years she had a staff of five and was<br />

convening up to 15 events a year with many of those being large-scale national events.<br />

Esther has since sold her events business and done a seachange to live on the banks of<br />

the Wilson Inlet, but her involvement in the industry has not diminished. She’s swapped<br />

her backstage role for an upfront microphone and has become a highly regarded<br />

presenter at industry events. She also trains other would-be presenters.<br />

“I think my success with organising conferences and presenting content is all to do<br />

with my point of difference. I know what makes good content – not from the point<br />

of a convener but from an audience perspective. A wise man once told me that ‘it’s<br />

more important to be interested than interesting’. At the moment I’m training some<br />

CSIRO scientists how to talk better to farmers. How can I be their best trainer if I’m not<br />

interested in them?”<br />

As a passionate professional, Esther has also dedicated time to help not for profit<br />

agricultural-related associations by holding executive roles with groups like the WA<br />

Sheep Alliance and Western Dairy and currently she’s Executive Officer with the WA<br />

Livestock Research Council.<br />

She’s also shining a spotlight on what’s possible for women in a predominantly maledominated<br />

industry and says there’s been a resurgence in women interested in working<br />

in agriculture.<br />

“Advances in on-farm technology and machinery has seen a lightening of the physical<br />

workload making a career in farming a lot more accessible to women. The sector has<br />

become a lot more profitable, more interesting and you could even say ‘sexy’. Women’s<br />

confidence has risen and they’re better supported than they used to be. There’s also<br />

been an increase in the number of women studying agricultural sciences and they now<br />

I know what makes good content<br />

– not from the point of a convener<br />

but from an audience perspective.<br />

A wise man once told me that ‘it’s<br />

more important to be interested<br />

than interesting’.<br />

Esther Jones<br />

make up more than 55% of students in this field. Seriously, if you have an Ag. Science<br />

degree, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to job options.”<br />

Esther adds that at a recent farming event in Kojonup around 50% of attendees were<br />

women under age 40 and she constantly meets young couples that work as a tight<br />

team, sharing the on-farm workload and the business management.<br />

And what of farm succession? Esther says things are changing but ever so slowly.<br />

“Farm succession is a weighty topic and long-standing tradition. It’s a bit like the Titanic;<br />

it’s not something you can turn quickly.”<br />

The women in agriculture movement will also be hard to stop and Esther is proof of<br />

that. Once that farm dirt gets under your feet, under your nails and under your skin, it<br />

can spark a lifelong love. It’s a classic case of: you can take the girl out of the farm but<br />

you can’t take farming out of the girl.<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

21


produce<br />

ALBANY SEAFOODS<br />

Mystery of the Missing Salmon<br />

STORY ALLEN NEWTON<br />

Love them or hate them, Albany’s famous Australian salmon seem to have gone<br />

missing. It’s more than 20 years since two viruses swept from South Australia through<br />

the Southern Ocean and all but wiped out the once prolific sardines which were the<br />

main source of food for the salmon.<br />

Tony Westerberg whose fishing family has been operating out of the Great Southern<br />

since the early 1900s, says it’s not the first time the family has had to deal with<br />

changing fishing conditions. They’ve always had to keep one step ahead of the game as<br />

fisheries have come and gone.<br />

These days Albany Seafoods operate two purse seine vessels out of Albany targeting<br />

sardines which are landed within three hours of being caught and processed in the<br />

2000m2 factory five minutes out of town. Their efforts are focused on beach seining<br />

Australian herring and Australian salmon, as well as purse seining sardines.<br />

Keeping ahead of the game for Albany Seafoods has meant value adding to some of<br />

their fish which are now canned and packaged for retail distribution. They have been<br />

seeking wider distribution for their canned salmon and sardines but dealing with the<br />

big supermarket chains has been difficult without multiple products in their range.<br />

“It’s not worth the hassle for them of dealing with just one or two products from us,”<br />

Tony says.<br />

Albany Seafoods now have export approval and are looking more closely at potential<br />

overseas markets and casting their nets over a wider area.<br />

Given the disappearance of the sardines and the large volumes of salmon that used to<br />

be found along Albany beaches, the local fishing industry is working together under the<br />

auspices of the Southern Seafood Producers Association to bring a bigger boat to Albany<br />

from the eastern States to see what fish are out in the deeper ocean in the next year or<br />

two. They know that redbait and blue mackerel are both offshore in fairly big volumes and<br />

there’s speculation that the salmon may also be out there in larger numbers.<br />

“Since the sardine virus there aren’t many sardines on the coast anymore and the<br />

salmon aren’t travelling the coast like they used to,” he says.<br />

It’s thought they are mostly staying offshore where the baitfish are and to purse seine<br />

for them will need a bigger boat. The results will be worth the effort says Tony with big<br />

demand, mainly in northern Africa, for mackerel.<br />

Sardines were impacted by two viruses that arrived in WA in 1995 and 1998, which Tony<br />

says came in from California in imported bait to the tuna farms in Port Lincoln in South<br />

Australia and then swept through to WA impacting the sardine fishery which hasn’t<br />

recovered in WA.<br />

“In the first two years after the virus we were catching salmon and they were coming<br />

through the same on the beaches and they were full of everything, whiting, stingrays,<br />

blowies, every mortal thing in the ocean was inside the salmon, when normally they<br />

were just full of sardines.<br />

“Since then salmon sightings have been less and less, so we presume they are all<br />

offshore, out where the bait is because they are fully roed and they are coming up to<br />

spawn, but I’m not too sure.<br />

“A couple of scientists I’ve spoken to, who do worldwide stuff, said pelagics will follow<br />

pelagics, so the salmon follow the sardines and if the sardine stocks go down they’ll<br />

restrict their spawning because there’s not enough food and as the sardines bounce<br />

back up they’ll start spawning again.<br />

“Because our population hasn’t bounced back like it has in South Australia there are a<br />

few of us starting to think maybe they are not out there, maybe they’ve just restricted<br />

their spawning.”<br />

Tony hopes a bigger fishing boat will reveal more about the true picture and targeting<br />

larger fish might be the solution to keep the fishery going.<br />

But even if they do find the elusive salmon Tony says they also have to deal with the<br />

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Offers a range of fully self-contained<br />

accommodation options, ideally located in the<br />

town centre and Middleton Beach. Soak up the<br />

history and spectacular scenery of the amazing<br />

South Coast.<br />

Excellent facilities, great locations. Welcoming corporate clients, families and couples<br />

www.albanyharbourside.com.au info@albanyharbourside.com.au 9842 1 769 8 Festing Street, Albany<br />

22 LOVE LOCAL


produce<br />

fish’s sometimes poor reputation as an eating fish and to convince the public that it is a<br />

healthy, tasty and sustainable locally fished seafood.<br />

To help the Albany Seafoods food van has been set up to sell and promote salmon,<br />

herring and sardines and to showcase how they can be cooked. The van will be at the<br />

Albany Food & Wine Festival as part of Taste Great Southern on Saturday, 14 May at the<br />

Centennial Park Exhibition Centre.<br />

The van serves dishes like massaman salmon arancini balls, smoked salmon croquettes,<br />

salmon cake sliders, panang salmon spring rolls, Albany lemon pepper salmon wonton<br />

skins, salmon pate crostini, smoked sardine bruschetta and herring tacos.<br />

People often turn their nose up when they are told the fish being used in the food van<br />

is salmon but bled and cooked properly it can be tasty Tony says. The fish cooked in<br />

the van is soaked in buttermilk and honey which makes it tender and removes the fishy<br />

taste. Tony says people don’t realise how little they need to do to create something<br />

really tasty from a fish that is cheap to buy.<br />

Albany Seafoods is on Instagram @albanyseafoodsfoodvan<br />

RIGHT: Tony Westerberg in the Albany Seafood van which will be at the Albany Food & Wine<br />

Festival on 14 May to promote how tasty Australian salmon can be.<br />

BELOW: Purse seining for sardines off the coast of Albany.<br />

ARCHITECTURE WITH HEART<br />

08 98<strong>48</strong> 3894<br />

info@ptxarchitects.com.au<br />

ptxarchitects.com.au<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

23


engage<br />

WALPOLE KIDS<br />

Cartoonist Nathan Vass Viney Animates Walpole Art Scene<br />

STORY ADAM MORRIS<br />

The Walpole arts scene is alive and thriving and one man, Nathan Vass Viney has<br />

captured it all in a new short documentary along with assistance from Regional Arts WA<br />

and the Walpole Community Resource Centre.<br />

You don’t meet many cartoonists in everyday life Nathan, how did you discover this<br />

passion?<br />

I began drawing cartoons when I was in Primary School. A close friend and I were<br />

getting into comic books and newspaper strips and it took our full attention. We both<br />

came up with jokes based on school and family life, always in a competition to make<br />

each-other laugh. Looking back, most of the strips made no sense. But it was fun. I’ve<br />

been producing comics and 2D animation ever since. While I do have a regular job<br />

in Walpole, my not so secret identity is the local newspaper comic guy. The comic,<br />

Walpole Kids has been mentioned or appeared in event posters, stickers, a book, as<br />

knitted characters and now in this short documentary film.<br />

Walpole is often the forgotten town when Perth tourists think of heading south, how<br />

would you describe the town and its attractions for people who have never visited?<br />

I’d hope that Walpole is not forgotten! We are the ideal spot to rest up and enjoy some<br />

incredible nature and community. When my partner and I first visited Walpole for a<br />

weekend many years ago, we had no idea it was near water. We enjoyed the incredible<br />

forests, but missed a whole other element. Walpole backs onto two incredible inlets.<br />

With still mirror-like water and a quiet town, Walpole’s Swarbrick Jetty or Coalmine<br />

Beach are perfect places to stop and have a breather.<br />

The local art scene seems to be bustling in Walpole, how is it such a small community<br />

has such a vibrant artist community?<br />

You’ll find most any community will have a vibrant art scene. Some people don’t even<br />

recognise themselves as artists, but they make incredible things just in their backyards.<br />

Art is really just anything that a person can create, starting out in the mind. Cooking and<br />

baking is art, music is art, sticking some dry pieces of pasta together is art. Something<br />

I’ve tried to do with my new documentary film Walpole Kids: Meet the Artists is bring all<br />

of the arts together.<br />

You have a cartoon strip that runs weekly in the local paper, could you tell us a little<br />

24 LOVE LOCAL


engage<br />

bit about its origins and what you hope it brings to local readers each week?<br />

My comic strip, Walpole Kids began in 2020 as a weekly strip but as of 2021 had to<br />

become fortnightly. This is just due to general life time constraints. The comic has<br />

appeared in 3 newspapers during its run so far and remains to this day in the Walpole<br />

Weekly community paper. I was inspired by the nature, the small town setting and<br />

the slogans Walpole displays, such as ‘Litter Free Walpole’. I wanted to make some<br />

characters that could experience the town with me, so I made three children originally<br />

to experience it via short form jokes.<br />

Who has been your inspiration in the animation world? Do you remember which<br />

cartoons appealed to you as a child?<br />

My comic heroes as a kid and still to this day are Charles M Schulz of Peanuts fame,<br />

Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes and the many artists that have worked on the<br />

UK comic magazine, The Beano. When it comes to animation, my heroes have been a<br />

bit more obscure, people like Adam Phillips, a pioneer in Flash Animation in the early<br />

2000s, Howard Read, creator of the BBC Children’s show, Little Howard’s Big Question,<br />

of which I was an animator on, and inspiration on a wider scale, film studios such as<br />

Studio Ghibli.<br />

Your film Walpole Kids: Meet the Artists incorporates the local community including<br />

school children, what was it like making the film?<br />

The film showcases up to 14 local artists and uses the voice acting abilities of 4 local<br />

Walpole kids. I’ve always enjoyed the early Peanuts television specials, in that they<br />

always used real kids to voice the characters such as Charlie Brown. There is nothing<br />

more authentic. It was great fun working with the kids and getting them involved. I was<br />

mostly just running from place to place with a phone and a tripod, with every element<br />

of the production running around in my brain. That was fun too. At the end of the<br />

day, I love art and I love where it comes from. So the greatest part of interviewing the<br />

creatives was hearing their stories and seeing where that inspiration was coming from.<br />

What was the thinking behind the interview series, was this your brainchild?<br />

When I came to Walpole originally, I visited the Ficifolia Community Garden. It’s<br />

a lovely place, very peaceful. I noticed some coloured children’s chairs by a small<br />

stage. Immediately I imagined some new characters sitting on those chairs, enjoying<br />

a performance. Almost two years later, in Walpole Kids: Meet the Artists, I sat those<br />

characters on those chairs and they watched a performance for real. I had no idea how<br />

it would go, I just hoped for the best. It turned out all of the artists I interviewed were<br />

incredible, and they definitely made the film what it is. Luckily for me, Regional Arts WA<br />

and Cherie Smith at the Walpole Community Resource Centre supported the project.<br />

What is next for yourself Nathan?<br />

I am currently working on a traineeship at the Walpole Community Resource Centre,<br />

so there’s a bit of work for me to do regarding that, now the fun is over. But the comic<br />

will continue to go out fortnightly as long as I can and as long as the newspaper will<br />

have me. I’d love to make more animated shorts in the future. My partner Jasmine<br />

and I, have just had our first child so I’m excited for us to continue our journey as new<br />

parents. There is much to learn and plenty of love to be shared.<br />

The documentary will be available shortly after it’s first screening on 30 April on the<br />

Walpole Community Resource Centre YouTube Channel and Facebook soon after.<br />

Walpole Kids books and stickers are available at the Walpole Makers Collective and the<br />

Walpole Community Resource Centre. To see more of Nathan’s work you can visit his<br />

website at www.artbynathanviney.com<br />

OPPOSITE: Nathan Vass Viney with his partner Jasmine Dyer at the Perth Comics Arts festival last year. ABOVE: The Walpole Kids watch a performance at the Ficifolia Community Garden.<br />

BELOW: Some examples of the Walpole Kids comic as it appears in the Walpole Weekly.<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

25


WHAT’S ON!<br />

what’s on<br />

Koolbardi wer Wadong<br />

at AEC this June<br />

Immerse yourself in Noongar culture with the magnificent Koolbardi wer Wadong<br />

presented by the Albany Entertainment Centre 4 June 2022.<br />

Get ready to aliwa yeyi! (look out now!) as feathers will fly in this cautionary tale.<br />

Koolbardi the Magpie and Wardong the Crow are two very proud, vain, jealous<br />

brothers. Watch as their cunning, rivalry and one-upmanship brings them unstuck in<br />

spectacular fashion.<br />

Set on Noongar Boodja (the south west corner of Western Australia), you are invited<br />

to join a journey back to the Nyittiny, the time of Creation, where love, loyalty, betrayal<br />

and jealousy are all stretched to their limits. Award winning songwriters and story<br />

tellers, Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse weave magic in a world first, brought to life<br />

under the deft direction of Matt Reuben James Ward. Experience the incredible beauty<br />

of the language of this land as this production promises to delight audiences of all ages.<br />

The production will be sung in Noongar with English surtitles.<br />

Koolbardi wer Wardong is a Wesfarmers Arts Commission. The Albany tour is supported<br />

by Opera in the Regions Partner Minderoo Foundation, Playing WA and Feilman<br />

Foundation. Albany Children’s Chorus is supported by Lotterywest and choreographer is<br />

supported by the Bendat Family Foundation.<br />

Get Your Entries in for<br />

Nature Photo Comp<br />

20 years ago in 2002 an enthusiastic group of photographers organised the first Mount<br />

Barker Wildflower Photographic Competition. For that very first competition there<br />

were three sections with 134 entries. The annual photographic competition and public<br />

exhibition is still going strong, with some of those original entrants still participating<br />

every year.<br />

The competition has grown since then, and is now the Mount Barker Wildflower &<br />

Nature Photo Competition, and includes 5 different sections including WA wildflowers,<br />

nature and landscapes and attracts 100s of entries each year. This year the committee<br />

have included a new category of photographic art to allow for digital enhancement in<br />

any of the 3 subject categories.<br />

In recognition of the 20 year anniversary the prize pool has increased to a very<br />

substantial $3000, while entry fees remain at a modest $2.50 per image. Entries close<br />

on Sunday 11 September and entry forms are available from local visitor centres.<br />

BUY TICKETS!<br />

Box Office 9844 5005 | albanyentertainment.com.au<br />

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook<br />

MOUNT BARKER WILDFLOWER &NATURE<br />

Photo Competition<br />

$3000 prize money over 5 sections.<br />

CLOSING DATE Sunday 11th September 2022.<br />

Entry forms now available from visitor centres<br />

Phone David 0478 162 997 or email aldredd650@gmail.com<br />

26 LOVE LOCAL


gig guide<br />

Everything we put in the Gig Guide is correct at the time of<br />

printing, to the best of everyone’s knowledge. But be warned,<br />

things can and do change.<br />

WHO + WHAT WHERE WHEN<br />

ALBANY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE<br />

Jon Stevens – Noiseworks and INXS<br />

Collection<br />

Albany Entertainment Centre<br />

Monday 2 May, 6.30pm<br />

Chopin Waltzes by Candlelight Albany Entertainment Centre Friday 6 May, 7.30pm<br />

The Celebration of Swing Albany Entertainment Centre Sunday 8 May, 3pm<br />

The Great Un-Wondering of<br />

Wilbur Whittaker<br />

Albany Entertainment Centre<br />

Wednesday 18 May, 4.30pm<br />

Banff Mountain Film Festival Albany Entertainment Centre Saturday 21 May, 7pm<br />

Amy Shark See U Somewhere<br />

Australian Tour<br />

EXHIBITIONS<br />

Albany Entertainment Centre<br />

The Rats of Tobruk Barrack Building, Princess Royal Fortress to 1 May<br />

Brickwrecks: In Lego Museum of the Great Southern to 8 May<br />

Hammer & Honey Albany Town Hall to 21 May<br />

Maritime & Miniatures Trail Museum of the Great Southern to 8 May<br />

Strike A Pose Museum of the Great Southern to 8 May<br />

Warbirds: Aircraft of WW2 Married Quarters, Princess Royal Fortress All of May<br />

FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS<br />

Thursday 26 May, 7.30pm<br />

CINEFESTOZ ALBANY Various locations, Albany 28 April to 1 May<br />

TASTE GREAT SOUTHERN Various locations, Great Southern 5 to 15 May<br />

Mother’s Day Classic Albany From Middleton Beach Sunday 8 May from 7.30am<br />

2022 MSWA Albany Swim Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre Saturday 14 May<br />

Albany Food & Wine Festival Agricultural Pavilion, Albany Saturday 14 May<br />

Great Southern Volunteer Conference Retravision Stadium, Albany 21 to 22 May<br />

MARKETS<br />

Make a Scene Pop-up Gallery Patterson’s Arcade, York Street Each Mon to Sat, 10am-4pm<br />

Albany Farmers Market Collie Street, Albany Every Saturday 8am to noon<br />

Stirling Terrace Indoor Markets Old Auction Room Every Sat and Sun 9am to 3pm<br />

Centennial Markets Centennial Park, Albany Every Sat and Sun 9am to 1pm<br />

Albany Boatshed Markets The Boatshed, Princess Royal Drive Every Sunday, 9am to 1pm<br />

Kwoorabup Community Markets Steiner School Hall, Denmark Every Sunday, 10am to 2pm<br />

Kendenup Town Hall Markets Kendenup Town Hall Saturday 14 May, 9am-1pm<br />

OTHER<br />

Film Harvest – Independent<br />

and Arthouse Films<br />

Orana Cinemas Albany<br />

Every Wednesday 6.15pm<br />

It’s FREE to promote your event in the<br />

AURORA MAGAZINE Gig Guide!<br />

If you would like to be included for the Winter edition,<br />

contact us at gigguide@auroramagazine.com.au before the<br />

5pm Sunday 5 June deadline.<br />

SPECIAL TASTE GREAT SOUTHERN EVENT !<br />

SATURDAY 14 May 2022<br />

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for details<br />

Kendenup<br />

Town Hall<br />

EVERYBODY’S BEEN ON<br />

ALBANY’S RIVERBOAT!<br />

www.albanyaustralia.com<br />

9am Full 36k, 4 hour “SHELTERED WATER CRUISE”<br />

Billy tea, coffee, wildlife &<br />

Captain Kalgan’s famous HOT damper.<br />

Aussie seniors $95 - we reckon you’ve earned the discount<br />

BUT IT REALLY PAYS TO BOOK<br />

Markets<br />

Upcoming markets: Saturday 14 May<br />

• fresh produce • local olive oil<br />

• plants galore • hot food<br />

• cakes & slices • jams & preserves<br />

• local handcrafted gifts<br />

9844 3166<br />

Not so rough,<br />

it’s only<br />

9-1pm<br />

Call Kate Ryan-Taylor on 0493 044 235 for details<br />

PLUS<br />

Natural Raw<br />

Honey Tasting<br />

Karri on Bar<br />

SMALL BAR IN PORONGURUP<br />

Pizza oven’s lit, the beers are cold and the tunes are playing!<br />

Hope to see you down here for a casual afternoon<br />

or evening drink and some tasty food!<br />

OPEN FRIDAY EVENING FROM 5PM. OPEN SATURDAY<br />

AND SUNDAY FROM 11AM. KITCHEN CLOSES AT 8PM.<br />

Check our website for additional opening hours during school holidays.<br />

1983 PORONGURUP RD, PORONGURUP, WA. CALL (08) 9853 1022<br />

LOVE LOCAL<br />

27


ESSENTIALS FOR AN ECO FRIENDLY<br />

HOME AND LOW WASTE LIFESTYLE<br />

WARM YOUR<br />

HOME THIS<br />

WINTER<br />

Visit our showroom for new build design consults and<br />

exceptional product knowledge on our broad range of<br />

eye-catching and high efficiency wood heaters<br />

from Australian and leading international brands.<br />

JARRAHDALE • PACIFIC ENERGY • MASPORT • MORSO<br />

We stock a range of wood fire parts and accessories<br />

FIRE TOOLS • CHILD GUARDS • KINDLING STORAGE • FIRE PARTS<br />

MON-FRI. 8.30AM-5PM // SAT. 9AM- 1PM<br />

9 MINNA ST, ALBANY // 08 9841 6171<br />

RANGE ONLINE AT ALBANYECOHOUSE.COM.AU

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