The Whispers of Wilderness program comes to Coffs Harbour’s Nature Discovery Centre on Saturday 23 May.
On Saturday 23 May from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM, the Whispers of Wilderness community series comes to the Nature Discovery Centre at the Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour for Voices of our Coast — a free morning with two highly respected Gumbaynggirr community members, Uncle Micklo Jarrett and Aunty Yvette Pacey.
Uncle Micklo Jarrett will share Dreaming stories and their living connection to caring for Country, speaking to the deep relationships between people, land and language that lie at the heart of Gumbaynggirr cultural ways. Aunty Yvette Pacey will speak to the relationship between nature conservation and Aboriginal cultural connection to the mid north coast around Coffs Harbour, a personal and cultural knowledge of place that illuminates why caring for Country is not a new idea, but an ancient and continuing practice.
Whispers of Wilderness is a locally made short film and community program produced by the NPA NSW Coffs Coast Branch. The film brings together Traditional Owners, marine scientists, conservationists and local business voices to reflect on this remarkable stretch of coast. It is now being screened at a season of free events across the region, each featuring expert speakers who bring the landscape to life.
The series has already drawn strong interest. A recent event at Toormina Community Centre featured wildlife naturalist and Bellingen local Andrew Turbill on the Gondwanan origins of the ancient rainforests in Dorrigo National Park, and of birdsong itself, and marine biologist Professor Kirsten Benkendorff on the Solitary Islands Marine Park, its extraordinary richness, and the pressures it faces from ocean warming and land-based impacts.
Alongside the events, the program is distributing a free suite of nature-inspired resources: a colouring book, postcards, bookmarks and a jigsaw puzzle, to schools, preschools, hospitals, aged care facilities, libraries and community groups. Organisations interested in receiving resources are welcome to contact coffs@npansw.org.au.
Attendees on 23 May can expect a wonderful morning with Uncle Micko and Aunty Yvette along with a cuppa, light refreshments, a screening of the film, free resources, and a lucky door prize. No booking is required.
For more information, visit www.npanswcoffscoast.org or email coffs@npansw.org.au.
