JANUARY TENDS to be the month of deep relaxation for most Australians with the country only getting back to serious work after January 26 – Australia Day. So, our issue this month is designed for holiday reading
- we even have our first piece of fiction – ‘The Ormolu Clock’ -from Joyce Lee, who is a member of a new Hinterland writing group. I think you’ll be impressed.
I met Garrey Foulkes recently, a self-confessed child of the sixties who has made a remarkable contribution over seveal decades to the Chenrezig Buddhist retreat and study centre at Eudlo. Garrey has become an Australian expert in the design and building of Tibetan stupas and his achievements at Chenrezig are astonishing.
On a different journey is John Wilson, now an elderly but still alert dingo trapper from Nambour. John tells of the ongoing threat from dingoes and the feral dogs that now proliferate around the urban areas of the Sunshine Coast.
Dail Malins from Glasshouse is lucky not to be bothered by dingoes because she looks after a wonderful assortment of parrots, galahs and assorted cockatoos. Dail’s mini circus show reveals the astounding intelligence of parrots. She has trained her Alexandrines for example, to perform complex tricks from riding a skate board to completing puzzles.
This month sees the annual Maleny Festival of Australian Films. This year, apart from showing the outstanding ‘Balibo’ and ‘Samson and Delilah’, the Festival will be fortunate in having screenwriter, David Williamson as its guest. Also on screen will be Hinterland documentary- maker Paul Alister’s film ‘White Skin Black Spirit’. This film has been sold to ABC Television for its Message Stick series and it tells the moving story of a Hinterland resident’s search for identity.
As usual in the Hinterland Times we profile a number of
talented artists, the youngest this month is 15 year-old Lauren Maree Edmonds whose exhibition at Cooroy has been a sell-out. Lauren’s intricate surreal imaginings are inspired by Picasso.
Hinterland glass blower with a national reputation, Marc Kalifa, has been commissioned to make special glass orbs as Australia Day awards. The subject of these delicate pieces says Marc, are the dreams that all of us have in one form or another.
I am sure you will enjoy this edition of the Hinterland Times and Faith and I wish you all a healthy and fulfilling new year.
Michael Berry
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