Issue 54 Aurora Magazine January 2023

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Aurora
Issue 54
GREAT SOUTHERN Lifestyle, People, Happenings January 2023
ISI CAMPBELL MAKES WAVES
CHALARI WINES
VOGUE SUMMER BREEZE
VIEWPOINT 3D EXHIBITION
THE SKANKSTERS
ALSO INSIDE
MORE LOCAL PEOPLE
LOCAL HISTORY
AND WHAT’S ON
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LOVE LOCAL
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Aurora
Great Southern Lifestyle, People, Happenings
www.auroramagazine.com.au
Manager and Editor
Amanda Cruse
0438 212 979
amanda@auroramagazine.com.au
Advertising Sales
Amanda Cruse
0438 212 979
sales@auroramagazine.com.au
Our cover
On our cover this month is Denmark
local and WA’s 2022 Junior Surfer
of the Year, fifteen-year-old Isi
Campbell. Isi’s love for surfing began
at Denmark's Ocean Beach, but this
amazing image shows Isi in action in
Tahiti in 2022. For the full story, turn
to page 4.
PHOTO: DOMENIC MOSQUEIRA
FREE
Issue 54
Aurora
GREAT SOUTHERN Lifestyle, People, Happenings January 2023
ISI CAMPBELL MAKES WAVES
CHALARI WINES
VOGUE SUMMER BREEZE
VIEWPOINT 3D EXHIBITION
THE SKANKSTERS
Production and Layout
Vanessa Pribil
vanessa@auroramagazine.com.au
Photography
editorial@auroramagazine.com.au
Editorial
editorial@auroramagazine.com.au
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LOVE LOCAL
ALSO INSIDE
MORE LOCAL PEOPLE
LOCAL HISTORY
AND WHAT’S ON
www.auroramagazine.com.au
Our Contributors
Amanda Cruse
Serena Kirby
Adam Morris
Allen Newton
Anne Skinner
Distribution
Tim Cruse
0438 004 408
distribution@auroramagazine.com.au
Published by Greybird Media
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Distribution
10,000 copies of Aurora Magazine are distributed free each month.
We distribute our paper strategically to ensure we are well placed for strong readership amongst
both locals and visitors to the Great Southern region.
You can pick up a copy from the Albany, Mount Barker and Walpole-Nornalup visitors centres, as
well as the Albany ANZAC Centre. We are also available from the Albany, Denmark, Katanning,
Mount Barker and Walpole public libraries. Almost 1000 copies are put directly into the rooms of
accommodation venues throughout the Great Southern.
We also have the following major distribution points:
Albany: Clarks News Agency, Coles (Albany Plaza and Orana), Dome Cafe, Plaza Lotteries, Puma
Service Station, Royale Patisserie, Spencer Park IGA, The Naked Bean, Woolworths (Chester Pass
Mall and Bayonet Head), and York Street IGA.
Denmark: Raven’s Coffee. We are also available at The General Store at Youngs Siding and the
Elleker General Store.
Mount Barker: Supa IGA and the Plantagenet Wines Cellar Door.
Walpole: Pioneer Store IGA and the Treetop Walk Gift Shop.
We have over 100 smaller distribution points, so there’s a good chance your favourite local cafe,
vineyard, boutique, hotel, gallery or corner store will have some copies on hand.
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2 LOVE LOCAL

contents
4 SPOTLIGHT ISI CAMPBELL
Denmark Surfer Making Waves
9 FOCUS REBECCA KIRKWOOD
Leading the Way
12 TASTE ARTISAN BREWING
Demark Brewers Reap Awards
14 CHALARI WINES
9 FOCUS 14 TASTE
Maverick Winemaker Alexi Christidis
16 VOGUE SUMMER BREEZE
Local Fashion Feature
20 REFLECT SGT JOHN WILLIAM PITTENDRIGH
Sad End to Adventure
24 ENGAGE FINDING PURPOSE AND BELONGING
Tullybrook Support Services
16 VOGUE 24 ENGAGE
24 CREATE VIEWPOINT-3D
Masking Exhibition
28 PERFORM THE SKANKSTERS
Dave Rowley Talks Ska
30 WHAT’S ON ALBANY’S HISTORIC WHALING STATION
30 ALBANY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
31 GIG GUIDE EVENTS, MARKETS AND EXHIBITIONS
24 CREATE 28 PERFORM
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
㐀 ㈀㈀ 㜀 㔀 㠀 㔀
猀 琀 愀 猀 栀 挀 漀 û 攀 攀 ⸀ 挀 漀 洀 ⸀ 愀 甀
LOVE LOCAL
3

spotlight
ISI CAMPBELL
Denmark Surfer Making Waves
STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTOS SERENA KIRBY AND DOMENIC MOSQUEIRA
Fifteen-year-old Isi Campbell is doing what most teenagers her age only dream of. She’s
travelling the world to spend her days in the surf.
Isi’s love of surfing started at Denmark’s Ocean Beach where she’d regularly be seen
hitching a ride on her dad’s board as a youngster. Locals recall Isi as a tiny toddler -
crying inconsolably - if her dad left her on the sand to go and surf on his own.
“Dad’s always surfed and he’s actually pretty good but if you ask who’s better I’d
probably win,” Isi laughs.
And win she does as Isi was recently named WA’s 2022 Junior Surfer of the Year by
Surfing WA.
Her award came after a particularly hectic year. She took out the 2022 Under-18
Girls State Championship Title and followed it up with a silver medal as part of Team
Australia at the International Surfing Association’s World Junior Surfing Championships
in El Salvador.
In Isi’s individual events in El Salvador she made it to the quarter finals and scored one
point less than a perfect score in one of her events. Her final position was 11th in the
Under-16 Girls Division placing her among the best junior female surfers in the world.
In addition to El Salvador Isi also travelled to Indonesia, Tahiti and surprisingly Texas
where surfers go to practice aerial manoeuvres on the artificial waves at the Waco
Wave Pool.
“I’ve also been surfing over east and just got back from Stradbroke Island. I’ve definitely
been away more than I’ve been at home these past 12 months. Mum or Dad come with
me, and often it’s both of them, but I still miss being home and seeing my friends. You
do make really good friends on tour though and you’re always catching up at various
comps.”
Making all this travel possible is a mix of competition funding, sponsorship and the
good old ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’.
“There’s not much prize money for juniors but sometimes the organisers pay for a few
things. Billabong has been my sponsor since I was 10. That was back when I was doing
skateboard comps as well as surfing. The funny thing about that sponsorship is that I
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4 LOVE LOCAL

spotlight
PHOTO: SERENA KIRBY
had it for three months before I actually found out. The delay was because Dad hadn’t
checked his emails for three months. I have more sponsors now, including Creatures of
Leisure.”
As a family the Campbell’s are very accustomed to juggling the demands of work and
life while supporting their children’s aspirations as Isi’s older sister, Emi, was also a high
achieving surfer as a teenager. Isi’s mum works as a school library officer and her dad is
Deputy Principal at a local primary school so when they’re able, they travel as a family.
What's amusing is that Isi’s parents see inside more classrooms than their daughter as
Isi does her schooling via SIDE (School of Isolated and Distance Education).
“I try to have a routine as I have WebEx lessons at set times on certain days. I totally
prefer learning remotely to sitting in a classroom and I must be doing okay as Mum tells
me I’m getting an award but I don’t know what it’s for yet.”
But it’s not always all fun in the surf as like any surfer who pushes themselves to the
limits, Isi has had her share of injuries. She’s split her eyebrow open when her board
flipped up and smacked her in the face and just two days into her El Salvador trip she
got what could have been a catastrophic injury when her surfboard fin cut into the side
of her neck.
“Mum says I was very, very lucky. Had it been deeper it would’ve got my carotid artery.
I’m also recovering from a shoulder injury so I can’t actually surf for a few weeks.”
Not all things that have given Isi a scare have been medical as she remembers one
competition where the waves were ten foot high.
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LOVE LOCAL
5

spotlight
“Everyone was saying, ‘don’t worry, you’ll be fine’ but a whole bunch of us girls were
sitting way out the back and we were thinking, ‘this is crazy – what are we doing out
here’. It’s actually a weird concept when you think about it, floating in the middle of the
ocean on a tiny stick of fibreglass.”
So what’s next for this talented teenager?
First up is a January competition in Yallingup with a long list of other competitions to
follow. There’s also a plan to relocate to NSW’s north coast for several months to attend
training at Surfing Australia’s High Performance Centre.
“The first goal is to start the qualifying series and do well in that, then get into the
Challenger series. From there I’d hope to get on the championship tour and when
you’re on tour the goal is to win. So yeah, a World Title would be nice.”
When it comes to striving for a place on the podium, Isi is pretty level headed.
“It’s a good feeling when you win and when you don’t, it’s pretty hard. I suppose that’s
the same with a lot of things. When I don’t perform as I would’ve liked – I cry. Crying
helps but you know, it’s not the end of the world. I just have to get over it and get back
on the board.”
TOP: Isi in Tahiti this year on a trip funded by Billabong Womens Australia. PHOTO DOMENIC
MOSQUEIRA. LEFT: A photo from the Campbell family album of Isi and her father Pete when she
was about 18 months old. BELOW: Isi in action in Tahiti. PHOTO DOMENIC MOSQUEIRA.
6 LOVE LOCAL

Just a note to say
THANK YOU
historical statements of fact are not open to question. Wise men still seek him. In a historical sense, the birth and
ministry of Jesus coupled with His death, His burial and His resurrection stands on ground that is solid. Reliable
witnesses record and wrote about meeting and talking with Jesus even after His death. Sceptical enemies also
noticed His disappearance from the tomb. Extra biblical, historical reports were also given of His birth, death and
resurrection. In fact many eyewitnesses of Jesus post death appearances died defending their belief in it. So
believing or not believing in it is a life or death matter as it determines our eternal destiny.
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village.
He worked in a carpenter’s shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never
owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office or had a family. He never went to college. He
never put His foot inside a big city. He never travelled more than two hundred miles from the place where He was
born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.
While a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends all ran away. One of them even
denied Him. After He many was turned months of over planning to His and enemies. preparation, He the went 2022 through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a
cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had
FREE COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON was a resounding individually. This advertisement is our way of showing to you
on earth – His success coat. and When definitely He exceeded was dead, all expectations He was laid despite in a being borrowed all, grave that your through incredible the kindness, pity of wonderful a friend. generosity Nineteen and
centuries have a challenging come and year gone experienced & today by all! He People is still from the across centre of the amazing human support race did & not the go leader unnoticed of or the unappreciated. column of The
progress. I am the community, far within the region mark and when state attended I say that and enjoyed of all the armies 2022 that Free have Community ever marched, Christmas of Day all Luncheon the navies was that the largest
were ever built;
special
of
day.
all
Without
the parliaments
a doubt, the
that
community
ever sat
of Albany
and of
is
all the kings
we have
that
held
have
in over
ever
45 years.
reigned,
It is also
all
now
put
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together,
of the largest
among the finest in the nation. None of this would have been in regional Western Australia. In excess of 450 people gathered
none of hem have not affected or impacted upon the life of men and women upon this earth as powerfully as has
possible without the awesome support of so many wonderful
that one solitary life. Wherever and however you celebrate Christmas, let us leave you with this one thought: -
people who rallied behind us to assist us with the event. To true community spirit.
that is that a demonstration of charity and of love in action is far better than the definition of them. I’m smiling &
all the generous businesses and organisations, the amazing
I’m celebrating
supporters,
with you
the
the
incredible
people
volunteers
of Albany
and
and
the wonderful
also those
people
across the regions. As you do your part to make the
sentiment of who the all season came together last in to your assist and/or world attend . . . from on Christmas all of our Day, family
to all of you and also to yours - may we wish you a very Merry Christ-
we send a very big shout out to each and every one of you. With
mas, Happy a Chanukah heart of appreciation and may and 2022 sincere bring gratitude you we the say desires “THANK of your
YOU” to everyone who encouraged, supported and assisted us
in some way. There are just far too many to name and mention
heart and be your best year yet.
together to celebrate Christmas Day in a staggering display of
Again, thank you to one and all – you have done Albany proud!
Sunday
Worship Services
10am & 6pm
Wednesday 6pm
Meets CWA Hall
110 Serpentine Rd
Albany WA
LOVE LOCAL
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Browse or shop local online at www.thehubalbany.com.au
176 York street 9841 1880 www.thehubalbany.com.au
Trading hours Mon, Tue, Wed and Fri: 9am to 5.30pm. Thur: 9am to 8pm & Satuday: 9am to 3pm.

focus
REBECCA KIRKWOOD
Leading the Way
STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTO SERENA KIRBY
Rebecca Kirkwood doesn’t call herself a trailblazer; instead she prefers the word
‘leader’ as she has a tendency to work in traditionally male dominated fields.
Rebecca was once a Queensland police officer (following in her father’s footsteps)
before swapping her badge for a classroom timetable and becoming a teacher. Then,15
months ago, she became the first ever female Principal at the WA College of Agriculture
in Denmark.
It’s now been fourteen years since Rebecca wore her copper’s uniform and she says the
career boosted her skills for her current role as it taught her how to manage complex
situations.
“My dad always said being in the police was like having a front row seat to the greatest
show on earth,” Rebecca says.
“It was exciting work and there’s a lot of adrenaline as you’d never know what was
going to happen from one moment to the next. But it’s not a vocation to enter into
lightly and it can be dangerous. My dad retired early from the Force after being shot in
the shoulder. He was pleased I was joining up but my mum wasn’t so keen as she was
the one that got the knock on the door in the middle of the night after Dad got shot.”
The Police Academy presented Rebecca with an unexpected bonus that came in
the form of a husband. The couple now have four children and there have been
many relocations over the years through postings to various regional towns across
Queensland. After nearly a decade in the job and having risen to the rank of Senior
Constable Rebecca felt the urge for change.
“I’d done a lot of work with youth as a police officer and really wanted to help kids
before they got out in the world. I wanted my work to be proactive rather than reactive
LOVE LOCAL
9

focus
so I re-trained as a teacher and a few years later my husband did the same.”
Not content with simply teaching lessons, Rebecca threw herself into further study and
kept moving up the career ladder to take on leadership roles within the various schools
she worked in. She eventually transferred from Queensland to a school in Kalgoorlie
and a few stepping stones later ended up landing the top job at the WA College of
Agriculture, Denmark.
The College, which celebrated its 80th anniversary last year, started with just a handful
of staff and only 40 students – all boys. There are now 71 staff and 148 students, and
fifty percent of those students are female.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity and wonderful acknowledgement to be a female leading
an agricultural college. Women have always been in agriculture, we just haven’t been
at the forefront. The women have been there toiling, they’ve been doing all that hard
work but they haven’t been, for the want of a better word, ‘the person on the poster’.
“I think we women aren’t always great at advocating for ourselves and we aren’t great
at stepping forward into the unknown. That might sound stereotypical but it’s actually
supported by research.”
Rebecca also believes that when it comes to young women looking for female role
models it’s often a case of ‘we can’t be what we can’t see’.
“It’s great to see more and more females formally engaging in agriculture. It’s now
okay for a woman to take up a trade that was previously considered only for males. We
have young women learning shearing, automotive skills and livestock handling. We’re a
teaching farm but also a working farm and a highly profitable business, so what they’re
learning has immense relevance now and later when they leave school.
“Kids who are passionate about agriculture can see the direct link between what they
I’d done a lot of work with youth
as a police officer and really wanted
to help kids before they got out in
the world. I wanted my work to be
proactive rather than reactive…
are learning and what they want to do. We want students to try things and here they
can try safely and they’re able to do all that in a real-world scenario because we’re a
commercial farm with commercial contracts.
“I want young women to know that it’s okay to say, ‘you know what? I want to be a
mechanic’ or ‘I want to pursue mustering’. A generation or so ago that wouldn’t have
been easy. We’re not only seeing more females in terms of enrolments but also in terms
of participation and engagement.”
A good example of females up front was seen at last year’s Beverly Royal Agricultural
Show where the school had 19 students competing in livestock parading and judging.
All but five of those students were young women.
“We make it clear to students, regardless of gender, that if you’re good for the job,
you’re good for the job!”
Rebecca is certainly a further sign that the female face of agriculture is becoming more
visible. She’s also leading by example by walking the walk.
Rebecca Kirkwood
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TaSTE
ARTISAN BREWING
Denmark Brewers Reap Awards
STORY ALLEN NEWTON
They might have a Texas drawl, but Julia and Brian Fitzgerald have forsaken the Lone
Star State for the rolling green hills of Denmark. And to add another international twist
to the tale the pair operate Artisan Brewing in Denmark which specializes in Belgianstyle
brewing.
They are doing something right with a stack of awards coming their way, most recently
a record haul of 26 medals — and the title of Champion Small Brewery — at WA’s
premier beer competition, the Perth Royal Beer Show.
Both Brian and Julia are passionate beer fans, although it hasn’t always been that way.
Julia says they were both ‘winophiles’ and fell in love with Australian wines when both
were working in Singapore in the 1990s and made regular visits to this country.
They migrated to Australia in 2003 and a visit to Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle
opened their eyes to the craft brewing scene and had them thinking that craft beer
could have a big future in Australia. At the time they had been considering buying a
winery with Julia’s twin sister and her husband who also live in Denmark and now
operate Rising Star Wines.
Brian and Julia met in Houston in 1989 when Brian was working as a geophysicist and
computer programmer for a seismic surveyor and Julia was selling computers to an
oil company when they crossed paths at a housewarming party. They got married 18
months later on the Big Island in Hawaii and both moved to Singapore for work.
When they later moved to Australia, Denmark hadn’t been on their radar.
“We didn’t even know there was a wine region called the Great Southern at the time
and a great Aussie friend in Perth asked if we’d heard of the Great Southern because
12 LOVE LOCAL

taste
we had talked about the Barossa, the Yarra, Margaret River and all these different wine
regions,” Julia says.
“He said the largest wine growing region in Australia was the Great Southern and he
said there’s a little town called Denmark on the coast on the Southern Ocean, and he
said ‘trust me, you have to go if you love Australian wines, you have to go to Denmark.
“And so we did. We got on a plane to Perth, and we tootled down in October 1999
during a spring wine festival in Denmark. We did a masterclass and met all the
winemakers and absolutely fell in love with this little town.
“And, as you do, you start looking in the real estate windows and at that time everything
was 50 cents to the US dollar so everything looked incredibly attractive and cheap, so we
thought maybe we should be looking at Australia rather than going back to Texas.”
Brian jokes that he is retired now, and he was often tired when he was working in the
corporate world, and now he is tired again – so he is ‘re-tired’.
Brian and Julia first migrated to Australia in 1998 and bought a farm in Denmark in
2001 with the idea of starting a brewery, but then followed a job opportunity in London
before the permanent move to Denmark in 2003.
Brian had completed a diploma in brewing science and worked in a brewery, but in
2007 when they started to set up what they hoped would be a Belgian-style farmhouse
brewery with a tasting room, the rules and regulations of the time made it too difficult.
Instead, they became gypsy brewers moving from brewery to brewery as equipment
and space became available, creating and packaging their own beers in other breweries.
Brian is a qualified Beer Cicerone, the equivalent of a wine sommelier which he earned
on a course in the United States in 2011.
“It was a gruelling four-hour exam of essays and a videotape and presentation,” he says.
Two-thirds of the entrants failed the exam.
Brian hasn’t given up on the idea of Artisan Brewing having its own brewery and wants
to be Denmark-based, perhaps buying an existing brewery or going into partnership,
but they are also looking at new developments in Albany which could offer potential.
Artisan wants to continue to promote its vintage ales and to make people aware that
quality beers can age just like fine wine. Artisan’s beers are aged in old wine barrels.
“We’ve just taken those products out of the barrels and put them into bottles for our
private cellar club and there has been a huge reaction to those. We know we’re on the
right track there which predicates that we have to go into a bottling line scenario with
Champagne-style bottles and very elegant labels just like fine wine and cellared just like
fine wine,” Julia says.
“They are meant to be paired with food just like fine wine and have a higher ABV which
means they can age from the barrel as well as into the bottle – and that’s the future of
Artisan.”
Brian says the aging process can make a substantial difference to the taste of a beer
with an oxidization process much like wine. The brewery focuses on quadruples, strong
Belgian ales designed to age “like fine wines”, which when done properly can develop a
honey or sherry-like quality.
The quadruple brewed by Artisan in 2017 has just won a gold medal at the Perth Royal
Beer Show.
While the pair love their Belgian brews that doesn’t mean they’ve turned their backs on
Great Southern wines and are heavily involved in the local food and wine scene.
Artisan beers are available around the Great Southern in high-end venues like the newly
opened Bar Tarifa in Denmark, The Dam and wine bar Flame Trees and in Albany at Loft
22, Lime 303, and Liberte’.
A limited number of packaged beers are available in select bottle shops where the beer
can be refrigerated and looked after properly because it is not pasteurised, including
the Thirsty Camel in Denmark and The Bottle-O in Albany.
James Halliday 5 Red Star Winery for 7 consecutive years
Rockcliffe cellar door is open every day and offers a selection of some of the region’s best award-wining wines for
tasting and available to purchase. Customers are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy at our beautiful vineyard and pair
with their favourite Rockcliffe wine. Visitors also come from near and far for our delicious homemade fudge and our
famous Rockcliffe gelatos and sorbets – all made on the premises to traditional artisan Italian recipes.
Our cellar door is regularly voted by our customers as not only the best cellar door in Denmark,
but the best cellar door experience they have ever had!
Rockcliffe wines are also available at the best restaurants, bars and liquor stores throughout the Great Southern.
SUMMER SERIES CONCERTS ARE BACK!
Bring your family and friends and dance the night away
in our beautiful vineyard. Enjoy quality Rockcliffe wine,
home-made gelato and fudge, and popular food truck fare.
Every Friday evening this January from 5pm to 9pm.
$10 per person, U-18s are free
• 6 January – Cyclone Tracy • 13 January – Impact
• 20 January – Pinstripe • 27 January – The Barnhouse
www.rockcliffe.com.au
CELLAR DOOR 18 Hamilton Road, Denmark, WA, 6333 | PHONE: 0419 848 195
OPENING HOURS 11am to 5pm, 7 days a week. At all other times by appointment, please phone.
LOVE LOCAL
13

taste
CHALARI WINES
Maverick Winemaker Alexi Christidis
STORY ALLEN NEWTON
The lure of the wide-open spaces of Mount Barker were irresistible for former Perth
Hills winemaker Alexi Christidis. He upped stumps and moved his family and winemaking
business, Chalari Wines, from Roleystone to the Great Southern at the height of
the Covid pandemic in 2020.
Alexi and his wife, midwife Hayley wanted more space, an escape from the city, and to
be closer to more of the fruit he uses in his winemaking. Mount Barker also provided
proximity to Albany and more importantly the property had the right qualities to be
able to make great wine. There are no vines yet, and although the couple do lease a
property halfway between Mount Barker and Albany where they organically grow fruit,
most of their grapes are bought from other growers.
While Alexi is passionate about Swan Valley fruit which provides grapes earlier in the
season than those from the Great Southern, he uses fruit from all around the region to
make his ‘garagiste’ style of wines.
“We start in the Swan and finish up down here,” he says.
“We’ll buy chenin and grenache and a bit of chardonnay from the Swan and I’ll get it
in my truck and then we’ll process it down here and then wait for the fruit in the Great
Southern to ripen.”
He already uses fruit mainly from Frankland River and Mount Barker and has recently
added the Albany sub-region to his list of suppliers.
A jack of all trades Alexi says his approach to winemaking is very hands-on. If he needs
a piece of equipment, he’ll look around to see what he has on hand, rather than buying
it in.
“Our focus is on low-fi, minimal intervention wines on the natural side of things. We
don’t use any fining, we rarely filter the wines. I’m all about minimal intervention and
sustainability.
“That means the wines we make are a little bit different, we make old method sparkling
wine, pet nat, some skin-contact white wines that can be a bit cloudy, and then we also
do a couple of traditional wines, a sparkling wine, some traditional reds in different
blends.”
Chalari means ‘relaxed’ in Greek, the county of Alexi’s father’s birth and a big
inspiration. Alexi’s dad died in 2013 but would be very happy with what his son is doing.
“He would have been there telling me how to do it and he would enjoy a retsina,
although it would be the cheap stuff,” he laughs.
A nod to his Greek heritage and a tribute to his father comes with Alexi’s take on a
Retsina made from Swan Valley chenin blanc which is infused with Greek pine sap. Alexi
says most people on their travels to Greece don’t get to sample a quality retsina which
usually isn’t a great wine.
“We wanted to do something like that to pay homage and we import the pine resin
from Greece, tapped from the Aleppo pine tree, which we infuse into a Swan Valley
chenin blanc.
“Ideally you would use a different grape variety, but it’s kind of worked for us. It’s the
only Australian-made retsina that we know of.”
Alexi says retsina is a very different-tasting wine, but Chalari did make the top 10 list of
aromatised wines in Australia in the Drink Easy Awards. He says it’s a bit like vermouth
Small Group Tours
• Wine • History • Nature
Book direct: www.busybluebus.com.au/tours | Phone 0418 414 425
14 LOVE LOCAL

taste
in that it can be drunk neat on ice, and it makes a good cocktail mixer, which is the
market Chalari targets.
“There are some Greek restaurants where they pour it as retsina. It’s pretty fun, people
are blown away if they haven’t tried it before.”
Made in Greece for more than 2000 years retsina was supposedly made by locals who
would ferment white wine with Aleppo pine resin because they hoped the oily residue
it caused would deter intruders from stealing their wine during times of war, but over
the years the flavour became popular.
Alexi grew up in Fremantle and Hayley in central Queensland. The couple met in Perth
when she was traveling.
Alexi’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Environmental Science, a Bachelor of Wine
Science from Charles Sturt University, some WSET wine qualifications, and various IT
qualifications. His wine career includes stints at a number of wineries in the Perth Hills,
a vintage in Champagne in France and consulting in the Peel Region before establishing
Chalari.
Alexi doesn’t have a wine-making heritage and unlike some winemakers hasn’t
inherited a winery or equipment which he says would make life easier.
“It has made it harder to break into it, but it’s something we want to do and for five
years we just basically sunk everything back into the business until we’ve been able to
come up with a pretty much fully functioning winery.”
All Chalari wine is small batch, using small parcels of grapes from vineyards around WA,
and made with minimal intervention.
Chalari wines include a lightly sparkling rosé and riesling, a pet nat made from
vermentino and a skin-contact chenin blanc.
The range of 10 wines includes his take on retsina.
It’s not too easy to find Chalari wines around the Great Southern, but Alexi says some of
their wines are available at the White Star in Albany and they are also available online.
www.chalariwines.com.au
OPPOSITE PAGE: Alexi Christidis from Chalari has found his own way in the wine-making industry.
BELOW: Chalari’s Mataro is made from Frankland River fruit. BOTTOM LEFT: Chalari’s Red/White is
made with fruit from the Great Southern. BOTTOM RIGHT: The only Australian-made retsina.
LOVE LOCAL
15

SUMMER B
vogue
MODEL EMMANUELLE (MANNY) LAMOND | PHOTOS LATA WRIGHT
OPEN
10 TO 4
MON TO SAT
Unique and eclectic pieces personally
sourced from across the globe.
Furniture, Floor Rugs, Homewares,
Pottery, Marble, Jewellery, Gifts
and MORE!
tuk tuk trading
2/229 Lower Stirling Tce Albany
Tel: 049 000 7428
GLASSHOUSE FRAGRANCES & CANDLES • STATUS ANXIETY - TIMELESS LEATHER GOODS
FRESSKO • TOSHI CHILDRENS WEAR • ROBERT GORDON HOMEWARES • ROLLIE FOOTWARE
THE SHANTY COLLECTION • LIBERTE • SOEK - SUSTAINABLE SUNNIES
Formerly Rosemary & Thyme | 18a Adelaide Crescent, Middleton Beach | 0428311181
lucilleandrose@gmail.com
16 LOVE LOCAL

vogue
BREEZE
ATA WRIGHT | LOCATION BINELUP/MIDDLETON BEACH, ALBANY
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Honey + Stone Co dress, $120 from Stamms Emporium. Hobo and Hatch
hemp hat, $65 from Stamms Emporium. Holiday dress, $130 from Lucille and Rose.
Whyte Valentine dress, $95 from Stamms Emporium. Ebby and I dress, $110 from Stamms
Emporium. Talisman dress, $100 from Lucille and Rose. The Shanty jacket, $170 from Lucille and
Rose. Status Anxiety sunglasses, $120 from Lucille and Rose. Status Anxiety top, $70 and Status
Anxiety pants, $100 from Lucille and Rose. Status Anxiety sunglasses $120 from Lucille and Rose.
OUR MODEL: Our lovely summer model and Mira Mar local this month is Emmanuelle (Manny)
Lamond. Manny works as a disability support worker and aged care nurse and is on her way to
completing her Registered Nurse studies through Curtin. Manny is currently also nursing nine baby
chickens in her spare time.
CLOTHES ACCESSORIES HOMEWARES GIFTS
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 100 York Street, Albany 0447 216 698 | Find Us On Instagram and Facebook
LOVE LOCAL
17

vogue
Spoil
yourself, you
deserve it
GALLERY & GIFTS
Iconic Denmark Business
for Sale
It’s not every day that a successful, long-established and beloved local business like Karrisma
Gallery & Gifts comes up for sale. The current owner, Liz Svendsen has owned the 15-yearold
business for the past nine years but says the time has come to hand over the reins.
“I originally bought the business because it was my favourite place to shop, and I have
loved running it. But with my youngest finishing high school this year, we thought it was
time for our family to make a change. The business is performing very well – I’m proud
of it and now is a good time to pass it on.”
Liz says the business itself is fairly easy to operate, and would suit anyone looking to venture
into retail. “You don’t need experience, you just need to like people and like shopping.”
With plenty of stock on-hand and 15 years of trading history including comprehensive
information on suppliers, no guess work is required, and new owners can reasonably
expect to be cash flow positive from day one. The shop premises are also optionally
available for sale.
If you would like to chat with Liz about this unique investment opportunity, you are very
welcome to give her a call on 0403 314 954.
Open 7 days
10am - 4pm weekdays
10am - 2pm weekends
Shop 5, 31 South Coast Hwy, Denmark P: 9848 2996
karrismagifts@outlook.com @karrismadenmark
Karrisma Gallery & Gifts
18 LOVE LOCAL

vogue
OPPOSITE PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Little Lies dress, $145 from Stamms Emporium.
Hobo and Hatch hemp hat with daisies, $70 from Stamms Emporium. Dress Shanty linen maxi
dress, $300 from Lucille and Rose. Travaux Encours hat, $110 from Lucille and Rose. Talisman
dress, $110 from Lucille and Rose.
THIS PAGE LEFT TO RIGHT AND THEN BELOW: Talisman dress, $100 from Lucille and Rose. Valeria
Label dress, $110 from Stamms Emporium. Status Anxiety beach bag, $100 from Lucille and Rose.
Hobo and Hatch hemp shoulder bag, from Stamms Emporium.
detail from "packing heat" oil on canvas Tammy Andrews
tammy andrews
summer collection 2023
jan 6-20
historic york house 133 lower york st albany www.blushretail.com enquiries to:
iloveart@blushretail.com
LOVE LOCAL
19

eflect
SGT JOHN WILLIAM PITTENDRIGH
Sad End to an Adventurous Life
STORY ANNE SKINNER
High in the tea-growing hills of north-eastern India, the volunteers of the Assam Valley
Light Horse met regularly for training, target practice and drills. The regiment had
been raised to protect the British Raj against attacks from rebel frontier tribesmen
and most of the volunteers were drawn from the community of British tea planters in
the province of Assam – still the world’s largest producer of quality tea. Among their
number was young Welsh-born engineer John William Pittendrigh. Bill, as he was to be
known later to his 11 th Battalion comrades, had moved to India sometime after the 1898
death of his father, while his mother Rose moved to another British Empire possession,
Ceylon.
Bill Pittendrigh was born in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, in September 1884 to a Scottish
father and a Welsh mother. His father, John Kay Pittendrigh, had travelled the world as
the first officer on merchant vessels, often to Australia. When he met Rose Arlington in
Cardiff, he gave up the sea and within a few years left Wales to take his wife and baby
son back to Scotland. When he left school, Bill became apprenticed to an Edinburgh
iron foundry, John Greig and Son. After a few years manufacturing printing machines,
the firm’s speciality, he may have begun to dream of travel and adventure beyond
the shores of Britain. In the early years of the 20 th century, few places were as exoticsounding
as India and the British newspapers were filled with advertisements and
articles enticing young men with promises of riches and a privileged, expatriate lifestyle.
So it was that Bill Pittendrigh ended up on the north-east frontier of the land known as
the jewel in the crown of the British Empire.
The Assam Valley Light Horse was formed as an auxiliary regiment to the British Army
in India. While the corps appears not to have taken part in any action before 1911, Bill
gained valuable weapons training which was to stand him in good stead only a few
years later. Whether the attractions of the tea-planting life were never realised, or
he grew restless and remembered tales spun by his seafaring father about the Land
Down Under, Bill spent only a few years in India before launching himself into another
adventure in early 1911 – this time to Australia. He visited his mother in Colombo and
left from there on the Fremantle-bound SS Malwa. About a year later, while working in
Albany – as he later told Army hospital doctors in Egypt – he suffered the first painful,
debilitating attack of what he thought at the time was colic.
When Germany invaded Belgium on 4 August 1914, Britain and Australia immediately
declared war and recruitment began across the British Empire. Bill Pittendrigh, aged
LEFT: John William “Bill” Pittendrigh was among the first Albany volunteers in 1914. (Courtesy
Norman Dowie). BELOW: Looking down a hill to Anzac Cove the day after the original landing. The
11th Battalion was in the vanguard of the landing in the early hours of 25 April 1915. Sometime in
the hours that followed, Cpl Pittendrigh was wounded. (Courtesy Australian War Memorial H15473)
BOTTOM: Soldiers erect tents at Blackboy Hill training camp in 1914. (Courtesy Australian War
Memorial H16151)
20 LOVE LOCAL

eflect
30, lined up for his medical in Albany just 12 days later. Sent with other Albany men to
Blackboy Hill training camp, he was drafted into the newly-raised 11 th Battalion. Thanks
to his previous military and weapons experience, Bill was immediately promoted to a
Corporal in the battalion’s armoury. After a few months of basic training, 900 Cpl John
William Pittendrigh and his 11 th Battalion comrades embarked from Fremantle aboard
the troopship Ascanius. The next scheduled stop was the port of Colombo and there
is little doubt Bill would have hoped to be reunited with his mother, however briefly.
He was to be disappointed. The vast convoy of vessels carrying the Australian and New
Zealand volunteers arrived off Colombo on the afternoon of 15 November and lay there
for the next two days, taking turns to be loaded with coal – but no-one was allowed
ashore.
Early on 5 December the Ascanius arrived at the Egyptian port of Alexandria. Again, no
shore leave was granted, but it is on record that at least 1800 of the 2000 men on board
cleared off to explore the town. It is likely that the adventurous Bill Pittendrigh was
among them, eager to see yet another new land. Astonishingly, according to Captain
Walter Belford, who published the 11 th Battalion history Legs-Eleven in 1940, most of
the men were at roll-call the next morning! After further training in Egypt and on the
Greek island of Lemnos, the ANZACS, as the Australian and New Zealand volunteers
were now known, landed at Gallipoli early on 25 April, 1915. Within hours of the
landing, Cpl Pittendrigh was wounded in the left hand and evacuated to No 2 Australian
General Hospital at Mena House in Cairo. While recovering from the gunshot wound,
his old colic problem resurfaced. The doctors determined it was acute choleocystitis, or
inflamed gall bladder. When the pain abated, he was discharged from hospital to take
up duties as the Orderly Room Sergeant in the battalion’s Cairo base.
A few months later, he was again admitted to hospital where he was diagnosed with
cholelithiasis, or gallstones. The medical officer noted the condition was “constitutional
(and) aggravated by active military service”. Sgt Pittendrigh was placed on a strict
diet of “milk, porridge, custard, jelly, arrowroot, lemonade, tobacco”. The Medical
Board noted he “….requires (an) operation, which he declines” and recommended “…
discharge as permanently unfit, without pension”. Sgt Pittendrigh embarked aboard the
homeward-bound Hospital Transport Karoola on 4 November and was discharged from
the Australian Imperial Force in early 1916. His war over, he found work as a traveller
in Perth. Later that year he returned to Colombo, in what is now Sri Lanka, to visit
his mother. If left untreated, gallstones can be fatal. Perhaps Bill continued to refuse
surgery, or perhaps he was the victim of an accident. The cause remains unknown,
but in September 1916 a sad death notice appeared in the West Australian and the
Western Mail: “On August 7, at Colombo, Ceylon, John W Pittendrigh, late Sergeant “A”
Company, 11 th Battalion, and son of Mrs Pittendrigh, of Colombo”.
fishing • camping • workwear
Sources: Belford, Capt W: Legs-Eleven, being the story of the 11th Battalion AIF in the
Great War; Australian War Memorial; National Archives of Australia; Grace’s Guide to
British Industrial History (www.gracesguide.co.uk); Koi-Hai (www.koi-hai.com - history
of Assam Valley Light Horse); West Australian; Sunday Times (Perth); Ancestry.
ABOVE RIGHT: The luxury Mena House Hotel in Cairo was turned into a military hospital for the
duration of the First World War. (Courtesy Australian War Memorial C00528).
BELOW: The landing at Anzac Cove, 25 April 1915. (Courtesy Australian War Memorial P06092.001)
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LOVE LOCAL
21

engage
FINDING PURPOSE AND BELONGING
Tullybrook Individualised Support Services
STORY SERENA KIRBY | PHOTOS SERENA KIRBY
Michelle Lott knows how good it feels to win awards. Her business was named the
Community Service winner at the 2022 Great Southern Business Awards and the
previous year she won the Home-based Small Business Award. But Michelle’s biggest
reward doesn’t come from prestigious prizes or shiny plaques, it comes from the work
she does and the knowledge that her decision to follow her dream was the right one.
“My dream was to create a place where individuals with disabilities could access one on
one and small group learning opportunities in a safe and friendly farm environment,”
Michelle says.
“There’s a big risk starting your own home-based small business and when my partner
and I bought this property we could see what it could offer in the form of nature-based
learning and it certainly hasn’t disappointed us.”
The fact that Michelle becomes teary when she reflects on what she and her business
has achieved is testament to the amount of heart and soul she puts into what she does.
It can’t be easy opening your home to your clients, preparing meals with them and
devising activities that build independence, but Michelle is no newcomer to working in
the disability sector.
“When I first moved down here I ran a child care centre and we often had kids with
disabilities in our care. But even before then, my dad worked for the Active Foundation
and I’d sometimes volunteer with him. After selling the childcare centre I spent several
years with Child Australia who support the inclusion of children with disabilities in early
childhood. From there I moved into a role as one of the Great Southern’s local area
coordinators with the Disability Services Commission.”
Michelle adds that, other than what she’s doing now, working with DSC was the best
job she’d ever had as it was all about building relationships with the families she worked
with.
“I was part of their journey. It was a relationship-based service back then. But now,
under the NDIS, that relationship part of the service is no longer possible.”
After years with the DSC Michelle noticed there was a gap in support services for the
families she worked with and that, while there were a lot of support systems for people
22 LOVE LOCAL

engage
with very high needs, she could see some people with less visible needs were simply
“slipping through the cracks”.
Tullybrook has been working to fill those gaps by helping people with autism and
intellectual disabilities to build skills towards independence. It may be someone trying
to transition into independent living or a teenager trying to gain employment. It may
even be someone suffering debilitating anxiety, a fear of animals or someone with
challenges around boundaries and social skills.
Catering to around 50 people over the course of a year Michelle’s clients range from
primary school age to those in later life and all are on the NDIS. As a home-based family
business Tullybrook receives no government funding and is ineligible for community,
State and Federal funding. The business survives solely on income from the programs it
runs.
“People come to us with a set of goals via their NDIS plan. We then do an assessment
and tailor a program to meet those goals. It could be a one-on-one program or a
peer support, small group program. We explore the farm, care for the animals, cook
together, learn to follow instructions and share meals just as you would in an everyday
setting. It’s all about building confidence and creating real life situations so the skills
they learn are easily transferable to life outside Tullybrook.”
Even mastering the art of ‘choice’ can be difficult for some of Michelle’s clients.
“Making a choice can be hard because it’s not only about what you want but it’s also
about negotiating with other people. We don’t teach by telling people what to do, we
teach by doing, listening, observing and working together. Feeding the horses, holding
the guinea pigs, playing games or helping in the veggie garden - all these things create
learning opportunities.”
Michelle adds that independence looks different for everyone; it might be living by
yourself, doing your own shopping, driving a car or earning your own money. And,
within that, there are many small steps needed to reach independence.
“Independence may even simply be learning to be able to say yes or no. If a person
can’t do that verbally then they may be able to use a tool to signal yes or no. There’s
independence in that and if we don’t look hard enough - it’s missed.”
EDEN GATE
Blueberry Farm
Find us at the
Albany Farmers
Market
every Saturday
morning.
We offer fresh and frozen
blueberries, fresh double blueberry
muffins, hand crafted blueberry
ice cream, a range of blueberry
preserves, Blueberry Blitz
Bluemonade and our legendary
alcoholic blueberry liqueur.
Enjoy the relaxed, laid back and
pleasant atmosphere of WA’s
first blueberry farm. Open from
1st December to 27th February,
Thursday to Monday,
10:30 to 16:00. We’d love to
have you visit but please
let us know you’re coming
by calling ahead.
Building the ability to have a voice and have a say is incredibly important and marries
well with Michelle’s aim to create a place of learning, purpose and belonging. It also
echoes the poignant words of American emotions expert, Liz Fosslien, who wrote,
“Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is
having that voice be heard.”
www.tullybrook.com.au
OPPOSITE PAGE: Michelle Lott has created a beautiful place of learning for people with
disabilities. RIGHT: Michelle and her partner Stuart Evans on their Tullybrook farm in Hay, just east
of Denmark.
685 Eden Road, Youngs Siding
Tel: (08) 9845 2003
info@edengate.com.au
ARCHITECTURE WITH HEART
08 9848 3894
info@ptxarchitects.com.au
ptxarchitects.com.au
LOVE LOCAL
23

create
VIEWPOINT 3-D
Over Forty Artists Exhibit in Masking
STORY ADAM MORRIS | PHOTO LATA WRIGHT
On a quiet street in Spencer Park Sue Noske and Maggie Myers sit together at a kitchen
table, working tirelessly, yet calmly on the final stages of an exhibition that has been
over a year in the making. The Viewpoint 3-D artwork exhibition Masking will be held
from 17 to 26 January at the Albany Town Hall Auditorium and will feature over forty
pieces from Great Southern artists that work in non-traditional forms.
This year’s theme of Masking is inspired by both the recent facial accoutrements we
all sported during the pandemic as well as the many faces we share with the world at
different times of our lives or even different times of the day. The faces we wear to fit
in, the faces we show to the world and the ones we keep for the secrecy of our homes
(to either the delight or distraction of our loved ones). It is a theme that Sue says is
open to a lot of interpretation so it gives each artist the opportunity to develop their
work in an almost endless variety of ways.
As Sue runs a careful eye over the Viewpoint books, making sure there is enough in
the kitty to cover the costs of the hall and the substantial prize money for the winning
artists, Maggie carefully prints, cuts and laminates the pristine white cards with the
descriptions of each art work as they both wait for the artworks to be delivered to the
home, where they will one by one, be tagged and stored before being put on display for
the grand opening.
Sue, who works in ceramics, explains her fascination with working in ‘3D’ forms and
the reason why she has been a member of Viewpoint now for over twenty years, “I
have been a ceramicist for over 50 years and so 3D is in my blood. 3D work can be hung
on the wall or from the ceiling or be a free-standing piece... there are no constraints
24 LOVE LOCAL

create
thus allowing flexibility whether one works in textiles, clay, wood or even recycled
materials.”
The Viewpoint exhibition also has a student component, which has been coordinated
this year by Viewpoint member Nadja Roelofs where art students from six schools
across Albany and Denmark will enter into an Under 21 category with artworks they
have been preparing throughout the year.
Art teachers use the exhibition as a tool to teach concept development from the
theme, design and execution of an artwork to preparation for public exhibition. First
and second place awards for the Under 21 category comes with a $500 and $250 prize
money respectively with the open category winner taking home the grand prize of
$1000. As Nadja, who herself works mainly in textiles, explains her interpretation of this
year’s theme as well as the importance of the youth involvement in the exhibition, “the
theme Masking was chosen as it has a broad range of interpretations that youth can
relate to on many levels. From the now all too familiar Covid mask to masks in theatre
and those used in masquerades. Masking can also reflect the illusions we create as
human beings displaying a face or persona which is quite different to our inner self or
self-concept. Then of course the more obtuse possibilities in the choice of medium for
example masking tape, it’s a theme with many pathways to explore and create.”
The award is named after the group’s founding member Lorraine Harrison who started
Viewpoint back in 1988.
2020 winner and committee member Talarah Pedrocchi Roelofs, who now works as a
film editor and freelance creative across a variety of forms recalls winning the award
says “winning in 2020 was a significant milestone for myself as an artist, it legitimised
my work for the very first time and the prize money was a wonderful boost to what can
be a very expensive enterprise. This year I’ll be entering the open category and I am
very excited to be a part of the Viewpoint exhibition once again.”
Maggie, also an artist in her own right as well as a dedicated member of the group,
credits the whole committee with bringing the exhibition together and like Sue, is
passionate about being a part of such a unique art collective.
“The best part of the Viewpoint is the friendship and camaraderie of the group and
everyone’s willingness to work together and share ideas in promoting art in the
community. The Lorraine Harrison 3D Youth Prize is a great example of this. But the
most rewarding part of the year long journey is seeing the final artworks displayed in
the exhibition - how the artists have interpreted each year’s theme and how they have
executed their interpretation. I can’t wait to see what everyone has come up with this
year.”
OPPOSITE PAGE: The Viewpoint committee members. BACK ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Al Barrow, Viv
Matts MIDDLE ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Sue Noakes, Liz Turnbull, Maggie Myers FRONT ROW LEFT TO
RIGHT: Nadja Roelofs, Talarah Pedrocchi Roelofs.
TOP: First prize winner from last year, The Red String of Fate by Kia Joy Fuentebella
RIGHT: Second prize winner from last year (untitled) by Alina de Vos.
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LOVE LOCAL
25

perform
THE SKANKSTERS
Dave Rowley and his band of Merry Skanksters
STORY ADAM MORRIS | PHOTO LATA WRIGHT
We catch up with the chief Skankster Dave Rowley as he talks about his love for
Ska music, playing in maybe one of the most age diverse bands on the planet
and flying to Mars with the greatest mixtape of all time.
There doesn’t seem to be many aficionados of Ska music in the Great Southern, who
are you drawing most of your influences from and how did your love of Ska music first
begin?
As far as I’m aware there is no other Ska band outside of Perth. There are a few
crossover songs that you sometimes hear other bands play. We have also taken some
non-Ska songs and Ska’ified them.
I grew up in the UK and was fortunate enough to have been just at the right age as a
young teenager when the second wave of Ska started. The first wave began in Jamaica
in the late 50s by some of the great influences on Ska and many other genres of music.
This includes such artists as Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, The
Skatalites and of course, Bob Marley and the Wailers.
There was a small cohort of bands that came together under the banner of the Two
Tone record label, The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Bodysnatchers and The
Beat. The message that these bands, and this is what caught my attention, was aimed
at combating the racial tensions that were affecting so many people at that time in the
UK. Most of these bands had a mixture of black and white members which helped to
amplify the political and social standings of these groups.
The Skanksters have a unique dynamic as the age range of the band members is so
enormous, what are the ages of the current members and how did this come about?
The band came about after a few conversations between our sax player, Prince Rough
and myself. Prince had been in Special Brew, a Ska band in Perth during the 90s with
his friend Desman Wrekka on trumpet. So in 2018, we roped in a drummer, lead and
bass guitarists and started to practice in my kitchen. That group lasted about 4 weeks.
We tried again and this worked a lot better. This time we got some youngsters involved
and they helped us to secure our first gig at the White Star in Albany. Currently, our age
range is between 17 and 68. We’ve got Hayley Manson on bass, Julia Kershaw on keys
and Eddy Orzel on guitar. Our newest band member, Jake Knight is a year 11 student
with ambitions to head to WAAPA after he finishes school.
What would be the best entry point for someone trying to familiarise themselves with
Ska music (other than going to a live show of The Skanksters of course)?
I’d suggest listening to The Special’s self-titled first album, Too Much Pressure by The
Selecter and One Step Beyond by Madness. After that, if you like it, there’s a very
popular third wave of Ska and punk Ska bands that have lots of great songs.
You have been quoted as saying your role in the band is to get up and make a fool
of yourself on stage, what is the experience like for you to be fronting the Great
Southern’s top Ska outfit?
Only Ska outfit is more accurate. I can’t play an instrument so attempting to sing was
my only option. Honestly, singing on stage is not something that I ever thought I’d do. I
LEFT TO RIGHT: Eddy Orzel, Jake Knight, Julia Kershaw, Dave Rowley, Hayley Manson and Prince Rough.
26 LOVE LOCAL

perform
treat it as a privilege and enjoy every minute of it. There have been some nerves, but in
general we just have a good time and love it when the crowd and music gel and we get
people up dancing.
You’ve played a variety of gigs over the years from golf courses to wine festivals to
bars and family restaurants, what’s been the highlight for you so far as part of The
Skanksters?
We’ve had a few very exciting and packed gigs where everyone’s had loads of fun.
I think I prefer the more intimate setting of the pub gigs. For the first year or so we
played The White Star and had some laughs, particularly when someone from the
audience came up during a break and raved about how excited they were to find a Ska
band in Albany. She even joined us on stage for one song. Six Degrees have also been
great with the band and we’d played the Gold Room several times. I think the highlight
for me was our very first gig when the audience actually liked it and danced.
Your band also has an amazing tradition of former members being accepted into the
state’s most prestigious music program in WAAPA, this must be a proud moment for
the band as a whole, does being in the band make them great or were they pretty
good to begin with?
Our first Bass player Kaila went on to WAAPA to study cello, she was followed by
our keyboard player Tully and now finally our last drummer Alex has headed to the
big smoke to start his musical education at the Fame Academy. The older members
definitely get a buzz from working with the youngsters and seeing them progress and
actually enjoying what they are doing. I think being in the band is more about building
confidence and having fun rather than improving skills.
The Skanksters are a big outfit with six members making up the rhythm, horns and
vocal sections, what’s the biggest challenge for keeping a band together with so many
members?
with his partner Pia and decided to stay there. He’s been missed on stage (and off) but
I think he’ll return one day. The main issue is scheduling practice. There are several
obstacles including golfing commitments, horses, exams, homework, and a singer that
works away often. We’re all flexible though and get together mostly once a week.
It’s been a long hard road out of Covid for most working musicians, has the tide finally
turned, what was your Covid experience like and what’s on the horizon for the band
in 2023?
I know it was very difficult for the full timers as their income pretty much dried up
overnight. We’re all working full time jobs in other areas so the whole pandemic
left us gig-less but otherwise OK. Where possible we still practiced but there were
patches where several months passed without any interaction. It’s really great to be
back gigging again and we’ve also noticed that there’s more new bands and artists
appearing each week. 2023 will see us getting our new drummer up to speed and to
also introduce some new songs into our repertoire. Every now and then the oldies ask
the young’uns to suggest some new tunes and we’ve had some great ideas. I think the
best and most popular on the dance floor was when Julia (keys) suggested Rasputin by
Boney M. How we ever ska’ified that is beyond me. But Eddy Orzel (guitar) worked it
out and handed us the transcription and the crowd love it.
You’re being sent into space to colonise Mars by yourself and your only allowed to
bring your five favourite Ska albums, who are you bringing along?
The Specials by The Specials
Ska ‘n’ B by Bad Manners
Too Much Pressure by The Selecter
One Step Beyond by Madness
We were a seven piece but we lost Desman and his trumpet when he eloped to Chile
Loonee Tunes! by Bad Manners
vising the the Great Southern since 2012
vising the Advising Great the Great Southern since 2012 2012
Advising the Great Southern since 2012
know and and understand the the rural sector
know and understand the rural sector
We know and understand the rural sector
We know and understand the rural sector
Leases and and • Share • Share Leases and Farming Share Farming Farming Agreements;
Agreements;
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farming properties, other
Succession • Succession Planning; Planning;
uccession Planning;
Sale and and Purchase • Pre contract of of advice farming properties, other
agricultural ale and Purchase of farming properties, other
• business Succession assets assets Planningand and residential
gricultural business properties;
properties; assets and residential
perties; • Personal Wills and Estate Planning
roperties; • Pre contract advice;
Pre contract contract •
advice; advice; Probate and Estate Administration
re contract • Personal advice; Wills and Estate Planning;
• General Advice
Personal Wills • Wills Probate and and Estate and Estate Estate Planning; Administration; and
ersonal Wills and Estate Planning;
Probate robate
and and •
and
Estate General Estate
Estate Property Administration; Law
Administration;
and and
and
General eneral
Property Property
Property
Law Law
Email: albany@wapropertylawyers.com.au
www.wapropertylawyers.com
Law
agricultural business assets and residential properties
• Sale and Purchase of farming properties, other
agricultural business assets and residential
Level 1, 184 Aberdeen Street, Albany • Telephone: (08) 9841 5634
Level 1, 184 Aberdeen Street, Albany • Telephone: (08) 9841 5634
Email: albany@wapropertylawyers.com.au
Level 1, 184 Aberdeen Street, Albany • Telephone: (08) 9841 5634
Level 1, 184 Aberdeen www.wapropertylawyers.com.au
Street, Albany • Telephone: (08) 9841 5634
Email: Email: albany@wapropertylawyers.com.au
albany@wapropertylawyers.com.au
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Level 1, 184 Aberdeen Street, Albany • Telephone: (08) 9841 5634
27

what's on
School Holidays at AHWS
There is a summer full of fun at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station for both locals and
visitors to the region. From the popular holiday activities program, to yoga and creative
workshops, an art exhibition, plus outdoor theatre performances, there is something
for everyone to enjoy.
Fremantle Theatre Company returns to the amphitheatre on 6 and 7 January with
their joyous and hilarious treasure of Shakespeare in the Park. This year they present
Shakespeare’s final and finest comedy, Twelfth Night – his tribute to the fearless few,
who are keen to take a terrifying tumble or two, in the name of Love. In this downunder
re-telling of an already truly topsy-turvy tale, hearts will be on sleeves, swords in
hand, and all manner of tongues will be firmly pressed in cheeks.
Bring your own picnic, or pre-order a hamper with your ticket, or purchase coffee and
snacks on the night, and enjoy a summer’s night under a sky full of sparkling stars. This
is a licensed event, no BYO, and a bar featuring Oranje Tractor wines will be available.
own framed beach artwork at one of the three summer creative workshops run by artist
and Marine Biologist Nicola Thomas. Discover the centuries old art of seaweed pressing
on 15 and 21 January, or try your hand at creating a shell shadow frame on Sunday 22
January. All materials are provided, and the workshops are suitable for ages 14 years
and over. Bookings are essential. Nicola’s delicate pressed artworks will also be available
for sale as part of Beach Cast, an exhibition of our diverse local seaweed, on display in
the Retail Gallery from 9 to 28 January.
Summer is a beautiful time of year in Albany so why not pack a lunch and enjoy the
garden picnic areas, or treat the family to fish and chips with the best ocean view in
Albany from the on-site café. With so many great events and activities on offer, a whole
day of discovery and adventure awaits at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station. Open every
day over summer.
www.discoverybay.com.au
The Historic Whaling Station’s holiday activities program is designed to enhance the
experience for children. Running for 3 weeks, Monday to Friday, from 9 to 27 January,
with no pre-bookings required to join the fun. Supported by funding from the City
of Albany, the program includes activities from the teams at the Little White Whale
Project, Fisheries Education Program, Marine Energy Research Australia, and UWA’s
Marine Scientist, Kate Sprogis. There are also opportunities to meet retired whalers,
discover Australian animals with the Wildlife Park team, and create colourful sand art.
On Saturday 14 January, join experienced Yoga instructor Racquel Cavallaro for a yoga
workshop set on the grass along the water’s edge. After the workshop, enjoy a healthy
and rejuvenating breakfast at Whalers Galley Café, overlooking the pristine King George
Sound. Bookings are essential.
Bring the beauty of our coastal town inside this summer through the creation of your
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
09
10
11
12
13
Ocean Power
Marine Science
Sand Art
Fishy Features
Wildlife Meet & Grr...eat
10am - 2pm
Get hands-on and discover
wave energy technologies.
SUMMER SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
JANUARY 2023
10am - 2pm
Discover the secrets of marine
organisms under a microscope.
10am - 2pm
Join our team to create your
own colourful marine art.
10am - 2pm
Learn about the unique
adaptions of local fish species.
16 17 18 19 20
Little White Whale Project – Southern Right Whale Research & Activities
10am - 2pm daily, 16 - 20 January
2.30pm
Join our wildlife keepers on
their feeding walk and talk.
Join the research team from the Little White Whale Project to learn about our region’s endangered Southern Right whales. Enjoy the whale activities and discover
their amazing aerial observations and photos, including footage of eight unique white baby whales who visited our coast during 2022.
23
Sand Art
10am - 2pm
Join our team to create your
own colourful marine art.
24
Marine Science
10am - 2pm
Discover the secrets of marine
organisms under a microscope.
25
Sand Art
10am - 2pm
Join our team to create your
own colourful marine art.
AUSTRALIA DAY P/H
26 OPEN ALL DAY!
Meet a Whaler
10am - 2pm
Hear firsthand stories from a
real life past whaler.
27
Sand Art
10am - 2pm
Join our team to create your
own colourful marine art.
PLUS EVERY DAY: Processing Factory Audio 11.30am & 1.30pm • Wildlife Park & Garden open 10am - 5pm • Cafe open 7 days
PRICES: Adult $35 | Child (6-17) $12 | Family (2 Adults & up to 3 Children) $80 | Children under 6 FREE |
ANNUAL PASSES AVAILABLE
Enjoy a full day of great value this summer!
For more information visit: discoverybay.com.au or phone 9844 4021
28 LOVE LOCAL

what's on
The Albany Art Group
61st Summer exhibition
The Albany Art Group has had a singularly exciting year to commemorate their
60th Anniversary, culminating in a very successful Art Trail exhibition, with more
than 2000 visitors and record sales. They are now proudly presenting their summer
exhibition Summer Delights, to be held at the Town Hall upstairs gallery from Saturday
31 December this year until 15 January 2023. The display will be open daily from 10am
to 5pm.
The format is a “rolling exhibition”, where buyers can take their purchases immediately,
and replacements are brought in by the artists. This keeps the show fresh and
interesting with new works constantly on display.
Two paintings will be donated for raffle, and visitors can vote for their favourite
artwork. The sales desk staff and roving assistants are all artists whose works are on
display, and they are always happy to chat.
City of Albany’s
Binalup Festival
Join in the fun this year at the City of Albany’s Binalup Festival on 26 January from 11am
to 4pm, with a huge range of activities for all to enjoy. Start your day at the Rotary Big
Breakfast, try out bubble soccer, explore inflatable amusements or tuck into a delicious
meal from one our local food vendors. It will be a day jam-packed with activities,
workshops, amusements, live music and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.
It’s the perfect way to spend the Australia Day public holiday!
LOVE LOCAL
29

EVERYBODY’S BEEN ON
ALBANY’S RIVERBOAT!
PLUS
Natural Raw
Honey Tasting
what’s on
www.albanyaustralia.com
9am Full 36k, 4 hour “SHELTERED WATER CRUISE”
Billy tea, coffee, wildlife &
Captain Kalgan’s famous HOT damper.
Aussie seniors $95 - we reckon you’ve earned the discount
BUT IT REALLY PAYS TO BOOK
9844 3166
Not so rough,
it’s only
SHOW DAY AT THE AEC
Australia’s most respected and adored puppetry company, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre
will give the world premiere of their latest original production on 23 January at the
Albany Entertainment Centre. Show Day is a riotously funny celebration of the biggest
event of the year – a rip-roaring day out at a regional agricultural show!
Two years in the making, Show Day was initiated by Spare Parts Puppet Theatre to
create a high-quality puppet show that is both immersive and tells the special stories of
the local Albany community. Barlow said he was particularly interested in telling stories
which reflect the lives of regional audiences:
“We have spent the last two years collecting stories from community members and from
the inspirational volunteers who make the Albany Ag Show a success. The show celebrates
the joy of taking part and the tremendous value of shared community experiences. We
hope Show Day will resonate with Albany audiences of all ages and backgrounds.”
Featuring one of the most dazzling casts of puppets in Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s
41-year history, Show Day captures the joy of the carnival atmosphere as it follows
competitors in wood chopping, sheep dog trials, show jumping and much more, as they
come together for one day to do their best at the things they love.
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Associate Director Michael Barlow said, “the wonderful
thing about an Ag Show is there’s something to enjoy for people of every age. Everyone
is welcome at Show Day and we can’t wait to welcome audiences to sit around our
miniature showground and join in the fun.”
The creative team of extraordinary local artists include Cecile Williams (Co-Creator/
Designer/Puppet Maker), Ellis Pearson (Co-Creator and Performer), David Rastrick
(Composer) and Erik Loew (Lighting Designer). Jane Davies (Albany), Umberto Margio
(Torbay), Sanjiva Margio and Jackson Harrison (Perth) round out the Puppet Making team.
The highly talented cast of puppeteers sees Michael Barlow return to the stage, as well
as adored Spare Parts regular performers Ellis Pearson (The Arrival) and Bec Bradley
(The One Who Planted Trees). Nadia Martich, recently seen in Yirra Yaakin’s Perth
Festival smash hit Panawathi Girl, will make her debut with the company.
The show is a rip roaring 50 minutes and is perfect for age five and above. Premiering
at the Albany Entertainment Centre, the season runs from 23 to 26 January, Monday to
Thursday with two shows daily at 10am and 1pm. Tickets are on sale now.
www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au
30 LOVE LOCAL

Everything we put in the Gig Guide is correct at the time of
MARKETS
printing, to the best of everyone’s knowledge. But be warned,
things can and do change.
AMAZING ALBANY 2017
WHO + WHAT WHERE WHEN
ALBANY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
Show Day Albany Entertainment Centre 23-26 January, 10am + 1pm
Kasey Chambers Albany Entertainment Centre 29 January, 7.30pm
HOLIDAY PLANNER GUIDE
EXHIBITIONS
Multiples - Paul Moncrieff Albany Town Hall to 14 January
Summer Delights Albany Town Hall to 15 January
Mill Art Group Exhibition The Gallery, Denmark CRC to 29 January
OTHER
gig guide
Make a Scene Pop-up Gallery Patterson’s Arcade, York Street Each Mon to Sat, 10am-4pm
Albany Farmers Market Collie Street, Albany Every Saturday 8am to noon
Stirling Terrace Indoor Markets Old Auction Room Every Sat and Sun 9am to 3pm
Centennial Markets Centennial Park, Albany Every Sat and Sun 9am to 1pm
Albany Boatshed Markets The Boatshed, Princess Royal Drive Every Sunday, 9am to 1pm
Kwoorabup Community Markets Denmark High School, Denmark Every Sunday, 10am to 2pm
Kendenup Markets Kendenup Town Hall 14 January, 9am to 1pm
Walpole Community Markets Pioneer Park, Walpole 7,21,26 January, 8am to 1pm
Midway Markets – Narrikup Hannan Way, Narrikup 28 January, 12noon to 4pm
Little Gems Art Chatter Gallery, Mt Barker to 29 Janaury
Dinosaur Explore Museum of the Great Southern all of January
Tammy Andrews Blush Retail Gallery 6 to 20 January
Bo Laidler + Rex Davies Vancouver Arts Centre 13 to 26 January
Masking – Viewpoint 3D Albany Town Hall 17 to 26 January
Immerse – MIX Artists Albany Town Hall from 20 January
FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Christmas Lights Trail Albany CBD to 6 January
Binalup Festival Middleton Beach 26 January, 11am-4pm
Disabled ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ Middleton Beach Saturday 14 January, 9am
Digital Drop In Albany Public Library Every Wednesday, 10am-noon
Film Harvest – Independent
and Arthouse Films
Orana Cinemas Albany
Every Wednesday, 6.15pm
It’s FREE to promote your event in the
AURORA MAGAZINE Gig Guide!
If you would like to be included for the February edition,
contact us at gigguide@auroramagazine.com.au before
the 5pm Sunday 22 January deadline.
JUNGLE
BIRD & REPTILE PARK
New
Animatronic
Dinosuars
have arrived!
Interact with living
DINOSAURS
The birds and reptiles
of today’s world
Parrots from around the world
including Giant Macaws from the Amazon
Rainforest, Majestic Black Cockatoos &
many more. Enter the secret world of
Australia's Reptile's, Rare Pythons, Frilled
Lizards & Lots more.
Reptile
Handling
11am & 2pm
Daily!
Open Daily 10am til 4pm
(Closed Christmas Day)
Bandit Road, Bow Bridge, Between Denmark & Walpole
Ph/Fax 9840 8335
dinosaurworld2@gmail.com | www.dinosaurworld.com.au
VA L L E Y O F
T H E
TREE
TOP
WALK
G
27KM TO WALPOLE
I A N T S
R O A D
SOUTH COAST HWY
BBQ’s Picnic Areas Coffee Shop
Gifts/Crafts
DENMARK
DINOSAUR
WORLD
BOW
BRIDGE
BANDIT ROAD
40KM TO DENMARK
Caravan and
Coach Parking
Karri on Bar
SMALL BAR IN PORONGURUP
Pizza oven’s lit, the beers are cold and the tunes are playing!
Hope to see you down here for a casual afternoon
or evening drink and some tasty food!
OPEN FRIDAY EVENING FROM 5PM. OPEN SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY FROM 11AM. KITCHEN CLOSES AT 7.45PM.
1983 PORONGURUP RD, PORONGURUP, WA. CALL (08) 9853 1022
LOVE LOCAL
31

ESSENTIALS FOR AN ECO FRIENDLY
HOME AND LOW WASTE LIFESTYLE
LOCAL.
LOW WASTE.
SUSTAINABLE.
package-free • weigh and pay • base ingredients
Suns out, bums out!
Slip-slop-slap and shave those leggy pegs.
What if every shaver in Australia went plastic-free?
Over 100,000 Leaf Shave users will keep 2.5 million disposable
plastic razors out of landfill this year. Just think how many we
could keep out of landfill in all of Oz with a population of
25 million legends! For those still using up disposable razors,
Albany Eco House is a drop point for the Gillette Razor Recycling
program which accepts all brands of razors and blades.
A bit about reef-safe suncare
Our oceans are under threat from pollution and many sunscreens
are contributing to the problem. Widely used sunscreen
chemicals cause toxic build-up in marine animal tissues and put
strain on ocean ecosystems. Sunbutter 50+ was founded by two
marine biologists using broad spectrum UVA and UVB mineral
blocker zinc oxide in a nourishing formula that’s even suitable
for sensitive skin. It’s packaged in a tin which too date has
saved over 66,000 plastic bottles from hitting landfill.
SHOP IN OUR ONLINE STORE
MON-FRI. 8.30AM-5PM // SAT. 9AM- 1PM
9 MINNA ST, ALBANY // 08 9841 6171
ALBANYECOHOUSE.COM.AU