Dec 1st – 5th 2010, Lake Liddell Recreation Area, The Hunter Valley, NSW

The climate science is in, now its time to act.
Climate change is the biggest threat to our future, and coal is the biggest cause of climate change, yet right now across the country there are plans for 12 new coal or gas fired power stations.

If built this ‘dirty dozen’ will increase Australia’s total emissions by 7% and NSW’s emissions by up to 15%. At a time when we must rapidly reduce emissions to avoid dangerous climate change, this is simply unacceptable.

Bayswater power station in the Hunter Valley, NSW, is already the equal largest source of emissions in Australia and is the site of one of the planned power stations. The planned expansion will double Bayswater’s current emissions.

Renewable energy technologies are viable now. By continuing to invest in coal, Australia is losing an important opportunity to become a world leader in clean energy industries like wind and solar thermal, and creating thousands of new jobs in the process.

As a community we need to show the government that we won’t cop more dirty coal when there are better, cleaner alternatives. We want a just transition to renewable energy now – not more broken promises.

Join people from all over Australia for 5 days of workshops and forums on climate change issues and solutions, non-violent direct action and organising, music and entertainment. Climate Camp is fun and family-friendly with a sustainable village atmosphere and will coincide with the next round of global climate talks in Mexico. The camp’s finale will be a creative and bold peaceful mass action at Bayswater.

While our politicians fail us, Climate Camp will be creating a vision of real sustainability, real democracy.

www.climatecamp.org.au

Check out all the ASEN happenings from around the country in May-July 2010.

Download the PDF [1.1 MB].

There is strong opposition to the dump from Ngapa and other Traditional Owners, whose land, culture, and sacred sites are threatened by this toxic legacy of a technology long-since proven dangerous and inadequate.

To see the full video ‘Muckaty Voices’ check out:
beyondnuclearinitiative.wordpress.com/video

Some quotes from Muckaty Traditional Owners featured in the film are below…

Marlene Bennett Nungarrayi: Once they put that thing there in the ground and they bury that, it stays there for hundreds, possibly thousands of years.  It get into the water systems, it starts poisoning country.  And that’s breaking down land, law, culture, your spirit, your songs, your dreaming.   It’d be wiped out.  It’d be nothing.

Kirsten Brown: We want to respect this land.  Please we need to fight this as one.

Mark Lane Jangala: Aboriginal people we got that land, that country in our hearts, in our minds and in our soul.  And the knowledge of it inside us, Aboriginal people have it up here all the time.

Michael Williams Jungarrayi: My name is Michael Williams Jungarrayi. We are the Milwayi group.  That’s my dreaming.  This is where the snake was travelling, Milwayi, and we don’t want that thing to be put there because it might ruin our sacred sites.  Too dangerous.  So we just say ‘no’ to that so we gonna keep it clean, you know, because my old grandfathers, they law keepers, you know.  They had strong culture, which today we still use.

Dianne Stokes Nampin: I’m not gonna stop, I’m gonna push to stop the waste dump along with my traditional elders. The land is very strong and it’s very important for my people.  I’ve got some Elders who know the country and every time I’ve said that, NLC always said that no other Traditional Owners to talk about the land, only Ngapa people. But we are the traditional owners of the land trust.

Mark Lane Jangala: And the stories behind it, you know.  There’s a story behind every sacred site. They can look at it now.  It’s a barren country, you know.  They look at there’s no people living there but they got to think about the outstations people living there and there’s sacred sites all along this boundary line.
There are some things in there that the white fellers don’t know about.  Like we say now, we’ve got our spiritual people here walking round, looking after land, but some white people don’t believe in that.

The Revolution Will Not Be Funded is a collection of cutting essays published by INCITE! about the Non-Profit Industrial Complex. It outlines some of the ways in which governments and foundations co-opt and compromise groups working for social change. The essays are solidly based in grassroots experience and provide examples from ongoing struggles  to end violence against women, Latin American solidarity, Palestinian liberation and US indigenous peoples’ struggles, which brings a much needed tangible and emotional aspect to the intellectual and political arguments presented. Other themes deal with the ‘professionalisation of activism’, solidarity and the states’ role in violence and oppression.

Refreshingly, the views presented do not have a ‘more radical than thou’ tone, but keep strategic aims at the centre of analysis. The authors don’t propose that we do away with non-profits altogether, but that we keep in mind what they are good for and use them to compliment grassroots movement building, not replace it.

I think this collection is essential reading for activists working in or with non-profit organisations like ASEN.

So how do foundations work anyway?

Foundations are the non-profit organisations of the rich. Rich people and corporations ‘donate’ tax-free money to foundations, which manage and reinvest it. These foundations are obliged to donate 5% of their capital per year (minus administrative expenses) to non-profit organisations and charities (like ASEN), usually through grant programs. So it’s a great choice for rich individuals and corporations — for minimum cost they can avoid tax, continue to invest in their fortunes and gain a green image while doing so.

The other half of the story is that foundation money is controlled by the rich individuals and corporations that own them. Their funding priorities all too often reflect ideologies of professionalism, collaborating with the state and businesses, charity, and favor short term results. This comes at the expense of grass roots  movement building, long term community projects and social change work.Both of these insights point to the troubled waters social change agents will encounter if they rely too heavily on foundations for their income. Perhaps the most troubling aspect is how subtly and slowly the changes occur as we learn to tailor projects to what funding is available. INCITE! argues it is essential that change agents learn how to make change with little or no cash and develop funding sources that reflect and support the kind of changes we want to see in society.

One of the scariest manifestations of current day Capitalism is the system’s ability to coopt experiences, practices and even culture, and to then recreate and repackage them within a careerist, profit-driven (even in “non-profits”) and competitive logic. The non-profit system, as other essays in this volume demonstrate, supports the professionalization of activism rather than a model of everyday activism.” – Paula X. Rojas in ‘Are the Cops in Our Heads and Hearts?’

Will ASEN be funded?

So how does ASEN  stack up against the yardsticks of corporate funding? How much danger are we in of ceding control of our movement to businessmen  in boardrooms? (gendered language intentional)
Well, currently and in the past ASEN has received grants from some dodgy sources. The Myer Foundation, Fosters, state and federal governments and the Foundation of Young Australians have given us some of our bigger grants. Two of those foundations’ doners are directly involved in things we are campaigning against – Myer with the NT Intervention, and Fosters with the Packaging Stewardship Foundation which opposes container deposit recycling systems. And obviously, governments are involved in many atrocities across this continent. Perhaps ASEN needs a more rigorous internal approval process. When applying for grants, we should analyse how our participation in these programs legitimises our opponents. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves: What changes are we making to ourselves and to our organising because of these funding sources?

Just how reliant on foundation funding is ASEN? Well, about one quarter of our income comes from fundraising, membership and events like SoS. Another quarter comes from donations and Friends of ASEN. And around half of our income comes from grants.

A lot of emphasis is being put on Friends of ASEN, for many reasons, which until now haven’t included the explicit political arguments like those presented by INCITE!. Friends of ASEN is a much more grass-roots and ongoing source of money, both in terms of who is donating and how accessible it is for members of ASEN to get involved in. (get involved in Friends of ASEN by emailing your nearest convener or Grace – grace@asen.org.au)

When fund raising in ASEN we seriously need to ask ourselves these questions:
Could we run the project without this funding?
What will the consequences be if we rely on this money and it is pulled?
Who is benefiting from giving us money?
What conditions are placed on this money?
Are we compromising our values or beliefs to receive this money?
Can this source of funding sustain long term social change or is it for a short term project?

INCITE! is a national (US) activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and our communities through direct action, critical dialogue, and grassroots organizing.

Find more insightful material on one of the best web resources around: www.incite-national.org

- This article talks about  some of the manifestations of anxiety, depression and burnout and could be triggering. It might be a good idea to read it with support and friends and comfy pillows around-

So our WASEN (and extended) crew included a bunch of maggotheads that had been working and sometimes living pretty closely with each other. Perhaps we had pushed ourselves and our relationships too far; certainly burnout was an issue for most of us and at times communication was frustrated and underused. We needed a weekend away together in the bush to hang out, cook, play, breathe and do some workshops that would help us understand where we are at and how we can support each other. The Totally Rad Skillshare was conceived and this workshop based on self-reflection and sharing was created.

- This article has been structured so you can go through it on your own and ask your self the questions, and maybe let a friend know some of the answers. It has also been written so that others can take it, mess it around and use it with their mob. We thought we would leave our names in to show how we broke down the co-facilitation and kinda make it more personal. We aimed for about 65 minutes. -

DOM      GOAL: Introduce people to the intention of the workshop.

I’m sure you’ve all heard heaps of really great advice about how to lead a more balanced life, how to work at a level that’s more sustainable and prevent burn out; but there’s a big difference between knowing what to do (or the general idea of what to do) and actually doing it. And the only person who can live your life is you. We all have really diverse experiences and different issues that affect the sustainability of our work and activism and our lives. Some things will work for some people and not for others. Yet while we are all unique, there are many common threads in all our experiences so that we are able to relate to each other. No one can tell us how to be more sustainable in our activism, but we can all share knowledge and  understanding; from other people, from literature, and from personal experiences. The aim of today is to do this in a safe, supportive, open, creative space such that this process may be empowering for us to realise how we can recognise what’s going on inside ourselves, improve our wellbeing and avoid burnout. Ahem a lot of this workshop is based on others before it, from somewhere, probs asen or the change agency but we can’t find the original so can’t thank them DODGY! ASEN and The Change Agency have websites that are easy to use and have heaps of hott resources and workshop structures fyi http://www.thechangeagency.org/ and http://asen.pbworks.com/ISMzine

If facilitating: Go through the agenda.
~5 minutes~

NAE              GOAL: Reflect on what makes a supportive and frustrating listener for                you and others.

“Think about a time when you have talked to someone and found it a negative experience, what were the problems? Think about another time that felt positive, what felt good about it.”

If facilitating: Snowball, which means to write both experiences down on separate pieces of paper, screw them up and chuck them in the middle of the circle. Each person picks up a couple from the middle and reads them out in turn, giving space for discussion.

~15 minutes~

DOM       GOAL: identify for yourself how you look when you are unbalanced / burning out; let someone/s know the things you want them to know.

This bit can be done whilst lying on your back, to encourage introspection and concentration. “What do you do when you are going through a tough time? These first things I mention could be thought of as problem distancing, and can be helpful for getting perspective etc; do you withdraw and push people away, go on a holiday, cut yourself, eat lots of food, bite your nails, take drugs. These examples can be thought of as problem solving; explaining your boundaries or feelings to someone, meditation/relaxation, exercise, reducing your work load, strategic planning (where you want to go, what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it).”

If you are doing this by yourself it’s a good idea to write these things down so that you can refer back to it at a later date.

If facilitating: very slowly go through the list of things folks might do. Then, ask people to find a partner they feel comfortable with and share what they want to. You can also come back to a group circle and ask people to share one or two things with the big group they are comfortable sharing, we think this can help people feel they are not alone in having things they do when they feel stressed.

~15 minutes~

NAE          GOAL: identify what you need when you are burning out or burnt out.

“Think about the things you need for a balanced life, which might include: good food, enough sleep, connection with others, laughter, play, meaningful work. How can you, with the support of friends, ensure you have these things in your life?”

If facilitating: this is a paired listening exercise with a report back to the big group.

~10 minutes~

Might be an idea to write this down on a bit of paper if doing this alone by making two columns. One column listing the things I do when burning out and things that I need to regain my balance, decorate it and put it somewhere you will see it regularly.

NAE    GOAL: share knowledge of alternative cure options to draw on when feeling unbalanced.

“What is a herb or some other weird thing you know that helps with stress/ balance, what is it good for, and how do you prepare it?”
~10 minutes~

DOM     GOAL: De-pack; reflect on what you have learnt and give feedback to organisers on how it could be improved.

If facilitating: round robin, “what was one thing you enjoyed, one thing that bugged you, and one thing you may incorporate into your life?”

~10 minutes~

If you run something based on this or have questions/suggestions, please contact us at Dominique.lieb@gmail.com

From some learners who want to share

Renae n Dom

Perth based companies Indo Mines ltd. and Kimberly Diamonds are complicit in the attempted violent eviction of an Indonesian farming community from their traditional lands. In Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, an autonomous farming community of thousands of people is facing a terrible fate – the need to fight for their lives. After perfecting techniques for farming the sand on which they live, they have rudely been informed that their fertile top soil covers a large iron deposit, which the Sultan of Yogyakarta, the Indonesian government and Perth based companies Indo Mines and Kimberly Diamonds are too eager to exploit for profit, with or without the farmers’ consent.
Their struggle for freedom has been going since the community was first informed about the plans to mine their land in 2006. Since then they have a formed an independent, community and consensus run organisation, the PPLP (the Association of Shoreline Farmers) that has helped mobilise resistance with an impressive size and intensity. Farmers have demonstrated in their thousands, occupied government buildings in Kulon Progo and Yogyakarta city, endured a violent attack by a fascist militia and police,  and secured the release of a friend from police custody.
Two of us recently visited the village to witness the farmers’ struggle against eviction first hand. In between planting chilli seeds, drinking fresh coconut juice in the fields and eating recently harvested melons, we  interviewed farmers about their lives and views on the campaign to protect their land . When informed that Indo Mines, on their website, claim that:
“the area within the project boundaries is considered extremely marginal for farming with only minor areas that support traditional farming. The Company believes the Project will have a positive impact on these activities”
one farmer responded that those people have never visited the farms to witness their fertility or consulted with farmers and should do so. In fact, Kulon Progo is relatively wealthy compared to other farming villages in Java because of the diverse variety and quantity of food grown on the proposed mine site. One farmer we spoke to boasted that “One hundred thousand people eat the food we grow here”. Kulon Progo is also significant for the amount of young people living and farming there. Unlike other parts of Java and Australia, where most young people leave small communities to work in the cities, farming is seen as a viable and attractive life choice for the young generation. No-one in Kulon Progo is exactly sure exactly when mining is planned to start, or how far progressed the plans are, because state and corporate authorities have not been forthcoming with information about their intentions. However, there is one thing that is   sure : many of the men and women in Kulon Progo Are willing to die defending their land. To them, farming is life. To work in a factory or a mine, to become wage-slaves, to leave their land and become refugees is to sacrifice their autonomy, their way of life and their freedom.

The farmers  we spoke to wanted Perth and Australian investors in the project to know what is happening, to know that they are supporting the forceful and violent removal of people from their traditional lands.

While trying to find out information about the mining process and land ownership dispute, Mr. Tukijo, one of the co-ordinators of PPLP, was charged with an offence similar to defamation. At the recent court case, one thousand farmers turned out in a show of strength and solidarity for their friend. They were ready to rescue him from the court if the judge sent him to jail.  Before the demonstration, we were detained by police, as the only two white people there, only to be released after the demonstration was over. Police said this was because they feared ‘the media would realise that this campaign has become international’. The significance of international solidarity was also expressed by the Kulon Progo farmers in a call for Australian activists to take the campaign to the Australian investors and companies.

The Perth Kulon Progo Solidarity collective does not suggest that we should take solidarity action because of a charitable desire to ‘do good’ in the world. Rather we understand that the flow of capital from exploited regions into the centres of wealth like Perth does damage here too. The social cost of extreme wealth in Perth manifests in the crises of our education and health systems, the cost of housing and associated homelessness, and the ever increasing divide between rich and poor. Our struggle and that of the Kulon Progo farmers is one and the same, against capital, state and police.

We learnt that the Kulon Progo farmers are not afraid to militantly defend their freedom from outside aggressors. But more than that, we learnt that they are a peaceful community of people who just want to be left alone to grow their crops and live without interference from the state or capital.The strength of their campaign comes from their intelligent political awareness, their use of consensus decision-making processes, their mistrust of state and capital, their rejection of representation, mediation and NGOs, their emphasis on solidarity, mutual aid, direct action and above all, their absolute commitment to land and freedom.

For politicians, the possibility of transitioning the state to be less dependent on coal is far from consideration, or at best considered fanciful. Indeed, despite international commitments to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the Queensland coal industry is currently undergoing unprecedented expansion, with 21 new coal projects in advanced stages of development.

Escalating Impacts

As coal mining quietly grows to cover larger and larger areas of the state, what value is given to the rural communities that are being broken apart, such as Acland and Wandoan? What value is given to the productive agricultural lands that are threatened, in places like Felton, Warra and Kingaroy? And what value is given to the areas of conservation significance such as Bimblebox Nature refuge and the Carey Valley Wetlands and that are threatened with becoming holes in the ground, or rail corridors? These areas are all subject to planned coal mining and have no legislation to protection them from uncertain futures.

The resistance of farmers against coal mining has become a high profile issue in southern Queensland and the Liverpool plains of New South Wales, where farmers have been successfully blockading coal companies out of one property since July 2008. As coal mining impacts more areas of biodiversity, land owners and conservationists are also resisting and building support for their cause. Conservationists and farmers may appear to be unlikely allies, however they share a strong resolve to resist the destruction of their land by mining. In this they also share similarities with two centuries of struggles by indigenous peoples.

At the last state election, climate activists, conservationists and some farming groups joined forces to push the government for to begin to restrict coal mining on agricultural land and nature refuges. Reflecting this, the restriction of coal mining, at least the agricultural lands, is policy of both the Greens and the Liberal National party.

In urban centres coal has become a focus for many climate oriented organisations and community groups for its dominant role in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions as well as its direct impacts on the environment, health and food security. For the last three years the Newcastle community has turned out in kayaks and canoes for annual peaceful coal port blockades, and last October marked the first similar blockade in Brisbane. Many people even risked arrest to show their concern, and demonstrations of civil disobedience at coal ports, railways, mines and power stations exploded in 2008, with over are 160 people arrested at demonstrations that year.

While these pockets of resistance give hope that much more can be saved from coal mining, many areas of biodiversity and conservation significance face an uncertain future, and the vast majority of coal projects continue to be approved. Community groups seeking to create change face the deeply ingrained interests of a well-funded and politically powerful coal lobby.

Building alliances between the diverse groups impacted by coal, and sharing their stories to engage many more concerned people, community-lead action may be powerful enough to turn the tide and begin a measured transition to a sustainable future. Transitioning our state away from coal dependence will be a long process, but it is imperative that we at least start looking in the right direction, by right now saying “no new coal”.

About Six Degrees:

Six Degrees is a coal and climate campaign of Friends of the Earth Brisbane. We work with communities and groups across the state to reduce Queensland’s dependence on the coal industry and to ensure a just and measured transition to a safe climate future. www.sixdegrees.org.au

It’s scary how nuclear seems to be riding on the back of climate change to have returned to the agenda in a big way. And not just the political agenda, but the media’s, the public’s, the universities’ and even those who would self-refer as ‘environmentalists’. I think opposing the nuclear fuel cycle in Australia- the mining, exporting, waste, and possible production of nuclear power, must be included in our ideas of what climate justice means in this country.

I want to explore here some of the powerful experiences I’ve had in these few months focusing on anti-nuclear organising, which have not only reaffirmed for me the horrors of nuclear but also given a glimpse of what real climate justice solutions might look like.

Starting with uncle Kevin Buzzacott, an Arabunna elder, who when I met him a couple of weeks ago on his country near Olympic Dam uranium mine held out speckles of red dirt on his finger- ‘This is you. Not even, wait.’ He brushed all but one tiny speck off. ‘This, this, is you.’

Meeting Uncle Kevin affected me in a number of ways. He has been fighting uranium mining on his country since the Olympic Dam mine was first proposed over 30 years ago. He has also tackled the colonial legal system and the assertion of white sovereignty over his peoples’ land. He told me how he’d been offered countless bribes to quieten down, or end a protest camp, but he knew his number one duty was to care for the earth. He saw his struggle to protect his country from uranium mining as bound up in the fight against white colonialism. This meant fighting against the companies who sought to wrest control over the land from his people.

The grain of sand returns here. Uncle Kevin sees our presence as a mere speck in the thousands of years of life before and after us. He argues that in the 100 or so years since white people had made it onto his country (having taken a while to reach the SA desert as he said “they thought there were too many flies, nothing there”), they have acted like masters of the earth. Like they own all the millions of specks of sand. And in this way they have dug up uranium. Uranium, which can be used for weapons of devastation, which creates a waste product that lasts many millennia, which many are now holding forth as the solution to the most glaring symptom of the ecological havoc we are wreaking- climate change.

Is this really the best we can do? Climate change is upon us because rich nations, companies, people, are exploiting the earth’s resources way beyond our means. We are horrified by the legacy this is leaving, the present and looming affects of climate change, and yet we are turning to answers from the same book. We still think we are the masters of the earth. We are still exploiting the traditional owners of this country. Mining places they say we shouldn’t touch. Planning to bury waste there too.

To me, this isn’t what climate justice looks like. This is no solution I want to be a part of. I think climate justice is about recognising who caused climate change, what systems of power and belief are sustaining our continuing path towards ecological crises – not just climate change but many others too, and listening to those who are already most impacted by these crises.

Which brings me to someone else we met (am not sure if she’d like to be named), an Adnyamathanha elder, near her country around the Flinders and Gammon ranges. She talked about how she and her family still go out camping on their land but are fearful that the water may be contaminated, as it’s near the Beverley uranium mine. She fiercely wants to defend that land from further proposed mines, but can’t get the ear of government, even the Minister for Aboriginal affairs refuses to meet with her and other elders.

Her approach to the land was starkly at odds with the government’s and mining companies’ but seemed so much the wiser. She wanted to be able to live on that land, drink the water, pass it onto her kids, and hated the idea that uranium from her country might be used for weapons or be involved in nuclear accidents in another part of the world. Listening to her, I could feel the beginnings of real alternatives taking seed in my head, pushing out the deadened complacency of business as usual, creating ruptures in the white, capitalist brain we are conditioned to have.

This is also just a beginning. It’s just a scraping of the reasons why we need to stay away from the entire nuclear fuel cycle. There are other articles, other arguments to be found, other people to be listened to. There’s no way I have my head around the intricacies of them all but have heard enough to know that when there is a proposed radioactive waste dump at Muckaty in the NT, a planned expansion of the Olympic Dam and Beverley uranium mines, companies drilling for uranium all over WA, contracts to export uranium to nuclear weapons states, to bring the waste back, and nuclear power proponents in the spotlight all over the country, then it’s high time to do something!

– Emma kefford

Member of ASEN Anti-nuclear and Indigenous Solidarity Working Group and Friends of the Earth Anti-nuclear and Clean Energy (ACE) Collective

In 2011, SOS will be held in either Albury or Sydney. Stay tuned!

"In the beginning, there was buttercup"

Their transport? An ex-chip-shop-oil-powered 4x called Buttercup, and a shiny new V6, aptly daubed the horse-powered speed machine. As HPSM zoomed off at the speed of light, Buttercup decided ‘trouble’ was her  middle name; not even  an hour out of Brisbane, she was rattling and spluttering, belching green sludge from her bonnet.  However, with some TLC from a new-found mono-legged friend , Buttercup was happy and back on the road. For now.

Welcome to Goondiwindi!

While half the Queensland crew sped on, stopping and languishing in ‘sunny’, ‘tropical’ Goondiwindi, the other half could but crochet,  as Buttercup spluttered along, careening ahead 100 kilometres behind HPSM. Finally they met in darkness in Moree, land of Australia’s largest ‘Pecan-nut crop’. Buggered if they saw any pecans, but my did Moree have a massive… rocket-slide!

Carnage and bedazzlement at the orgasmic rocket slide

…

Entering Day  2 of ‘road trip to rAdelaide, the Queensland kids had to make up  for lost time.  Day two  saw  crops and towering silos melt into the the renowned  red earth and low-clinging vegetation of the so-called ‘outback’.  This you gotta expect when you’re heading out the the back of Bourke. Chips and nutmeat by the choking  river, Darling.  That turbid, regulated MDB tributary, is badly in need of some TLC  (ie. RESPECT, fenced, reveged riparian  zones, and moderated flow  extraction, please).

Pushing Buttercup to rAdelaide

By nightfall of the second day, they were determined to get themselves to rAdelaide, even  if it meant foot-power style. Handstands, circusing, and RSL timewarping. Resolves made to travel  into the night were put to the test,  however, when the HPSM ran out of black gold, and flintstones feet blistered. Wilcannia would be their home for the night. They huddled in tents, awaiting the dawn.

2am. Splash.

Teabag: What the…?

Sophie: The townspeople are evicting us, Wilcannia  style!

Amy: It’s  a town drunk, relieving himself…

Teabag: The police are dousing us with petrol?

Steve: Erm … sprinklers?

Here comes the sun!

Ridiculous broken  sleep was blown  from the minds of the Brisbane Crew, however, with the near-indescribable beauty  of a reddening, endless  horizon. They cruised on  ahead, bound for South Australia…

“Amber skies, black tarmac, red earth. Patches of aqua in the desert after rain. The yellow of euphoria, the violet of inspiration. The spectral swirls of swift dancing to a burning sun, the dark shades of late night camping. A spark of icy blue at early morning sprinklers! Infinite rainbows of SoS experiences, melding and bringing forth new, unknown palettes to dazzle the eye and touch deep the soul. Stepping beyond the grey into a coloured reality!” – Skitmore, 2010

Food Zombies at the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone

It is suggested that the crew dispose of their precious fruit. A nightmare for those who  loathe rampant food waste! All put their digestive tracts to the ultimate test, stuffing in 3 avos each, whole pomelos, apples, zucchinis, capsicum, all down the hatch! They  refrain from garlic shots,  for the nasal sanity of all involved.

Off the rails.

The call of nature fortuitously lands our travelers on the ‘Great Southern Railway’.

Someone: Hey, it’s deserted! Lets take pictures!

10 mins later, safely inside Buttercup  and HPSM, one giant speeding piece of steam-powered iron careens along train tracks at 1000km/hr. Lesson: you  cannot see your reflection in disused train-tracks.

All this and SOS hadn’t even started.

…

Finally, the Queensland crew reached their destination…

A family of multicoloured tents -Kaurna Land, location Flinders University, rAdelaide

To  learn to show respect…

Warriparinga

To be enlightened …

The famous SOS conversations

To speak up…

CEASE EARTH-DEATH BY MINING URANIUM, DAMNIT!

To f*ck with gender binaries…

To  meet like and new minds.

…

As the narrator of this story it is my job to chose highlights from a trip that was not only epic in terms of distance, but in depth of experience. As a personal reflection all I can say is that SOS was priceless:

I brought along a mind I thought was open, and found it to be narrow,

I bought a set of ideas I thought were obscure, I found rang true with other minds,

I was exposed to old ideas that I could contemplate in a brand new light.