Saltgrass

S3 E5 Caring for Country

In this episode I speak with two Dja Dja Wurrung men about what they are doing to connect people to country and in doing that help protect it.
Harley Douglas is project manager on a project called Walking Together.  It is a four year project looking at two sites.  They are doing surveys of the flora and fauna in the parks, introducing cultural learning points and also asking for community input about these two parks.
Uncle Rick Nelson has been taking high school boys out bush to connect to them and strengthen community and also strengthen their understanding of this place and the culture that connects them to it.
Saltgrass is produced in Castlemaine, on Jaara country, home of the Dja Dja Wurrung people.  We pay respects to elders past, present and emerging.
 
Links:
Some information about the Walking Together project:
From Connecting Country 
From Parks Victoria 
 
Djandak 
Dja Dja Wurrung clans aboriginal corporation
 
About the Eltham Copper Butterfly
https://connectingcountry.org.au/education-resources/eltham-copper-butterfly-in-central-victoria/
 
Friends of Kalimna Park
 
About the Pink Tailed Worm Lizard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink-tailed_worm-lizard
 
Nalderun
Bendigo District Aboriginal Co-operative
 
Uncle Rick and the first coronavirus rap 
Uncle Rick and the most recent corona virus rap
 
The episode mentioned with Aunty Julie McHale from earlier this season
 
The first episode of the Dja Dja Wurrung Radio series I did with Uncle Rick in 2016... the rest of the episodes follow on from this one. There are seven episodes.

S3 E4 Ethical Apparel with Ilka White

In this episode I am speaking with Ilka White, an artist and textiles worker who has been investigating ways to make wearing clothing more sustainable.  We talk about fast fashion and its antidote - the fibreshed movement - and everything in between.  Basically, what considerations come into play when you want to choose clothing ethically.
Saltgrass is produced in Castlemaine, on Djaara country, home of the Dja Dja Wurrung people.  We pay respects to elders past, present and emerging.
 
Resources and links:
 
Ilka White's homepage for her art, classes and textiles projects
 
Fibreshed movement's home in California
Fibreshed Melbourne 
Look for a Fibreshed group near you, they are all over the world!
 
Have a listen to a previous episode about conscious clothing with Wonderpants maker Kathryn McAllister and textiles up-cycler Linnet Good.
 
Hear Ilka talk about her art practice in this episode about art and sustainability.
 

S3 E3 Pandemics and permaculture

In this episode we are talking about masks, refugees and permaculture…. How are those things related?  Well, in several ways it turns out. 
We have three guests: Ginny Thomas has been working with refugee and immigrant women through an organisation called Sisterworks and they have been making washable, re-usable, cloth masks.  Virginia Solomon has also been making masks, but this time as a fundraiser for Permaculture Australia, she talks to us about masks, waste and permaculture.  Then finally Ian Lillington has been a leader in and educator of permaculture here in Central Victoria for over a decade and he talks to us about how the permaculture movement has had an impact in our region and also finds ways that masks and mask wearing in times of pandemic are related to the principles of permaculture.
 
Saltgrass is produced in Castlemaine, on Jaara country, home of the Dja Dja Wurrung people.  We pay respects to elders past, present and emerging.
 
 
Resources and Links:
 
Masks as pollution:
More masks than Jellyfish?
PPE pollution in the UK
 
Some notes on masks and coronavirus:
Some videos about mask wearing from the World Health Organisation
"A dual-layered cloth mask is sufficient to protect people in public settings. It’s unlikely you’ll be infected in public by airborne viral particles. The real threat is touching an infected surface and then putting your hand to your face: Frequent hand-washing is a sure way to avoid COVID-19." Source 
 
Research into the best fabrics to make masks out of
 
The three C’s Ian spoke of in terms of situations that put you most at risk. 
 
The Department of Health and Human Services’s (DHHS) advice on wearing masks
The DHHS’s mask design
 
 
From Ginny's interview:
Sisterworks
 
Two refugee assistance orgs Ginny volunteered with before working at Sisterworks:
https://www.asrc.org.au/
https://lcms.org.au/
 
From Virginia's interview:
Permaculture Australia
Permaculture's Guiding Principles
Virginia’s website with masks for sale
 

S3 E2 E-bikes with Sue Tomkinson

In this episode we explore e-bikes. What are they? What are they like to ride? What are some of the drawbacks? And why you should give them a go before you buy one. Allie chats with Sue Tomkinson, who has toured the would on bike and has transitioned to e-bikes in the last few years.  She has run classes on e-bikes to help people understand all of the above.  We also hear from Lucy Young and Euan Williamson who are e-bike users, about their experience.
Saltgrass is produced in Castlemaine, on Jaara country, home of the Dja Dja Wurrung people.  We pay respects to elders past, present and emerging.
 
Links:
 
Sue's website for Victorian trails:
Some points on the environmental impact of e-bikes
 
Note: As long as you recycle the battery at the end of it’s life, it is one of the cleanest, least damaging ways to move around.

S3 E1 Aunty Julie McHale

The is the first episode of season 3 of Saltgrass: Turning the Goldfields Green.  
 
In this episode Allie speaks with local aboriginal Elder Aunty Julie McHale.  They discuss her life and what it is about an aboriginal perspective that changes everything about how you treat the environment.  A fundamental shift in perspective that may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
 
 
Links:
 
Castlemaine's aboriginal cultural centre, Nalderun:
https://nalderun.net.au/
 
Murnong Mummas catering service
https://nalderun.net.au/murnong-mammas-2/
 
Milpirri - Winds of Change, as mentioned by Aunty Julie 
http://peoplepictures.com.au/

S2 E31 Dja Dja Wurrung Radio - Gold Rush times with Vic Say

This episode is a collection of interviews with Uncle Rick and Vic Say about the gold rush era and what was really happening with the Dja Dja Wurrung at that time. Stories of human connection and mutual respect and help shine a different light on a time that has been characterised as one of greed and destruction on so many levels.
This is part 7 of a series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. It was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and was created for MAINfm to be aired as short 5-10 minute segments in 2015 and 2016.  For ease of listening we have edited them together and have linked episodes by theme rather than representing the order they were originally broadcast in.  
The series was shortlisted for the 2016 Reconciliation Victoria Community Hart Awards. 

S2 E30 Dja Dja Wurrung Radio - Meet the locals

In this episode we have a collection of interviews with some local folk who each have a connection with the Dja Dja Wurrung. Alvan Briggs talks about didgeridoos, Sarah Moore talks about rapping and Lisa Musket talks about local plants and how to cook with them.  
This is part 6 of a series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. It was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and was created for MAINfm to be aired as short 5-10 minute segments in 2015 and 2016.  For ease of listening we have edited them together and have linked episodes by theme rather than representing the order they were originally broadcast in.  
The series was shortlisted for the 2016 Reconciliation Victoria Community Hart Awards. 

S2 E29 Dja Dja Wurrung Radio - Precolonial life with Bill Davies

In this episode we have collated all of the episodes that involved Bill Davies, a local man who has taken an interest in researching and exploring the remnants of pre-colonial life here in Central Victoria.  Topics include scar trees, trade routes, oven mounds, quartz scatter and water wells.
This is part 5 of a series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. It was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and was created for MAINfm to be aired as short 5-10 minute segments in 2015 and 2016.  For ease of listening we have edited them together and have linked episodes by theme rather than representing the order they were originally broadcast in.  
The series was shortlisted for the 2016 Reconciliation Victoria Community Hart Awards. 

S2 E28 Dja Dja Wurrung Radio - colonisation and its aftermath

This episode of Dja Dja Wurrung Radio is a compilation of three episodes.  The first is an interview with Historian Marguritte Stephens, discussing historical records that reveal tiny glimpses of what life was like as Central Victoria was being colonised. Then Uncle Rick and Allie discuss Sorry Day and what it means.  Finally a recording of Aunty Julie McHale's speech at International Women's Day with reflection on Reconciliation and what women's business involves. 
This is part 4 of a series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. It was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and was created for MAINfm to be aired as short 5-10 minute segments in 2015 and 2016.  For ease of listening we have edited them together and have linked episodes by theme rather than representing the order they were originally broadcast in.  
The series was shortlisted for the 2016 Reconciliation Victoria Community Hart Awards. 

S2 E27 Dja Dja Wurrung Radio - Ulumbarra

This is part 3 of a 2015 series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio featuring musical artists who performed in the stage show 'Ulumbarra'. The show was a soulful, uplifting and educational look at the history of the Dja Dja Wurrung.
This is part 3 of a 2015 series called Dja Dja Wurrung Radio made by Uncle Rick Nelson and Alison Hanly. This series was made possible by a community grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council and was created for MAINfm to be aired as short 5-10 minute segments.  For ease of listening we have edited them together and have linked episodes by theme rather than representing the order they were originally broadcast in.  
The series was shortlisted for the 2016 Reconciliation Victoria Community Hart Awards.