STOP TIME: FERNTREE GULLY - A Sneak Preview

 

I am very pleased to announce my next photographic exhibition Stop Time: Ferntree Gully.

It will be held at Burrinja Café Gallery, Burrinja Cultural Centre, Upwey from 8 Feb 2013 to 17 Mar 2013. Please note the new start date: Friday 8 February!



Burrinja Cultural Centre
© Barbara Oehring
 

Come and view:

some favourites from my 2012 community project exhibition A Year in Ferntree Gully.

Framed prints from this series will be available to purchase for the first time.




Feather
© Barbara Oehring
 



new images



Full moon
© Barbara Oehring

and images not shown before




Quarry cliff detail
© Barbara Oehring
 

STOP TIME: FERNTREE GULLY will be officially opened in the Burrinja Café Gallery by Peter Craven, well known culture critic on Tuesday 19 February 2013.



Burrinja Cultural Centre
Cnr Glenfern Road and Matson Drive
Upwey VIC 3158

Melway Reference: Map 75 B12

Open Tuesday to Sunday

Phone: 9754 8723

Email: events@burrinja.org.au

Website: http://www.burrinja.org.au/
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Café Phone: 9754 5707



Barbara Miller's "William Cooper: Gentle Warrior"

The Commemoration of the William Cooper Walk in Melbourne on 6 December 2012 was followed by Meet Barbara Miller, the author of "William Cooper: Gentle Warrior, Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews".

Meet the Author and Book Signing took place at 425 Collins Street, a 1930's heritage listed building next to where 74 years ago the Aboriginal activist William Cooper and members of the Australian Aborigines League tried to hand a letter to the German Consul-General to protest against the Nazis' treatment of the Jews.


Collins Street, Melbourne
© Barbara Oehring 2012

Barbara Miller was inspired by William Cooper's story to write the recently published book. She tells us that the book is primarily about William Cooper but also a little about her as a white woman married into an Aboriginal family.


Barbara Miller
© Barbara Oehring 2012




The grandson of William Cooper, Alf Turner (Uncle Boydie) who led the re-enactment walk has written a Foreword to Barbara Miller's book. He was present at the book signing.



Uncle Boydie
© Barbara Oehring 2012

 

A member of the Aboriginal community from the Northern Territory at the book signing. 


Elizabeth
© Barbara Oehring 2012
 

Bibliographic Information
Title: William Cooper, Gentle Warrior: Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews
Author: Barbara Miller
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation, 2012
ISBN: 1477155945, 9781477155943

www.barbara-miller-books.com

Barbara Miller talks about her new book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lutZYe15gIM

WILLIAM COOPER Re-enactment Walk

 

William Cooper (1860-1941) was an Australian Aboriginal activist of Yorta Yorta decent. He was also a man who stood up for persecuted Jews.

On 6 December 1938 William Cooper and members of the Australian Aborigines League walked from his Footscray home to the German Consulate in Collins Street, Melbourne. They tried to present a resolution condemning the treatment of Jews on Kristallnacht but were refused.

I was fortunate to witness a re-enactment of this walk on 6 December 2012. It was led by William Cooper's grandson Alf (Uncle Boydie) Turner.

Aboriginal and Jewish Community members were welcomed at the William Cooper Justice Centre in William Street by the Acting Director, Court Services, Jon Cina.

The building 223 William St (on the corner of Lonsdale St) is named after William Cooper. It is part of Melbourne's legal precinct.



William Cooper Justice Centre
 Melbourne
© Barbara Oehring 2012
 

William Cooper's great-grandson Kevin Russell gave a speech to the gathering at the William Cooper Justice Centre.


Kevin Russell
© Barbara Oehring 2012
 

Alf (Uncle Boydie) Turner then led the party on the walk to Collins Street for a re-enactment of the handover to Germany's Honorary Consul-General in Melbourne, Michael Pearce SC.



Uncle Boydie
© Barbara Oehring 2012


 



Alf 'Boydie' Turner with copy of William Cooper's petition,
descendants and members of the Aboriginal and Jewish communities
Collins St, Melbourne
© Barbara Oehring 2012

 

 

Michael Pearce SC
Germany's Honorary Consul-General in Melbourne
© Barbara Oehring 2012

The German Embassy fully supported the commemoration, Michael Pearce said. "I feel it's been an opportunity to right a wrong from the past".

Birding at Lilydale Lake Wetland

On a hot spring evening I stopped at Lilydale Lake Wetland for a short bird walk.


I was delighted to discover a Buff-banded Rail



Buff-banded Rail
Gallirallus philippensis
© Barbara Oehring 2012




and very surprised to find a Pink-eared Duck - a single bird (drake) on a post with a nesting box.



Pink-eared Duck
Malacorhynchus membranaceus
© Barbara Oehring 2012



 Next was a Great Cormorant,


Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
© Barbara Oehring 2012 

a male Superb Fairy-wren




Superb Fairy-wren
Malurus cyaneus
© Barbara Oehring 2012

and at the end of my walk I saw a pair of Purple Swamphen bathing.



Purple Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
© Barbara Oehring 2012

 

Reception at Government House for Osteoporosis Australia

I was honoured to be a guest at a reception hosted by Mrs Elizabeth Chernov in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall on 7 November 2012.

Camilla, wife of Prince Charles, is President of the National Osteoporosis Society (UK). Her Royal Highness told the gathering she was determined to hold an osteoporosis reception during her tour of Australia.The issue of osteoporosis was very dear to her heart as both her mother and grandmother were sufferers.

 

The event was attended by leading Australian bone experts, researchers, patient groups, society and corporate identities as well as representatives of Osteoporosis Australia.

I was one of two representing the South East Melbourne Osteoporosis Support Group of which I was a founding member.




Government House Drive
© Barbara Oehring 2012





Entrance
© Barbara Oehring 2012
 



Ballroom
© Barbara Oehring 2012


 



Dr John Hewson (Osteoporosis Australia Chairman) with Aide-de-camp to Governor
© Barbara Oehring 2012



Maxine McKew
Barbara Oehring 2012

Maxine McKew, former politician and journalist, has served as patron of Osteoporosis Australia.

AROUND THE SHEDS - Book Launch

 

ANDREW CHAPMAN'S Around the Sheds, a photographic record of life in and around the woolsheds, was launched today by Alan Attwood. Alan has also written the foreword 'A labour of love - and light'.

Around the Sheds is a follow-up to Andrew's best-selling Woolsheds.




Alan Attwood and Andrew Chapman
© Barbara Oehring 2012
 

It was the last day of the photographer's long running exhibition Nearly a Retrospective at Burrinja.

A large crowd of around 200 people gathered for the book launch in the gallery.

The Five Mile Press, publishers of AROUND THE SHEDS and WOOLSHEDS were represented at the launch by Juliet, Janet and Julia.




Andrew with The Team
Juliet Willcocks (Publishing & Marketing Coordinator), Janet Stearns (Marketing Assistant) and Julia Taylor (Commissioning Editor)
© Barbara Oehring 2012


 

Bruce Ilsley, the young man who on Anzac Day 1977 shook Malcolm Fraser's hand in Andrew Chapman's photograph at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, attended today's book launch with his wife Glenda. Through a string of coincidences Bruce found out about the photo of him in Andrew's exhibition. He brought along the same jumper he was wearing in the photograph a long time ago.

In my image below Bruce in his jumper and Andrew are recreating the "handshake".



Andrew Chapman and Bruce Ilsley with Andrew's 1977 photograph of Malcolm Fraser and Bruce shaking hands
© Barbara Oehring 2012







Cottage No. 8

The Cottage at No. 8 The Avenue
© Barbara Oehring


 

The Cottage at No. 8 The Avenue, home of the community paper Ferntree Gully News, has also become a gallery. I am delighted that my 'Year in Ferntree Gully' photographs have found a permanent home in the Cottage.


The October Newsletter of the Mountain District Learning Centre (publisher of the Ferntree Gully News) reports:

"Recently we hung high on the walls most of the photographs of Barbara Oehring's beautiful 'Year in FTG' exhibition. As we did so the rooms took on a new dimension. The power of the photos began to make themselves felt. Now our gallery rooms can be a place for delight, reflection, history, all taking inspiration from the pictures on the walls."


Gully News office/gallery: 8 The Avenue, Ferntree Gully
Open Tuesdays 10.00am to 3.00pm or by appointment
Telephone  9758 3056 or contact MDLC 9758 7859
Email: gullynews@gmail.com