PROJECT DEVELOPMENT: Tamar Drone Squad

PONRABBEL has been asked to assist in the development of a COMMUNITY PROJECT to assemble by whatever means a DRONEswarm for the Tamar/Esk. Primarily it is envisaged as a 'public art' project supported by a team/squad of artists, cultural teorists and ideally drone enthusiasts. Thus far the concept has not gone past the "what if" stage. 

Thinking out aloud, IF the Tamar/Esk region was able to assemble a DRONEswarm for the region it would be possible put on SWARMperformances at various times in various places. This would be of enormous value to the region in that these performances would add a new dimension to festivals and celebrations in the region. 

Unlike a monumental bronze sculpture that might well cost vas much, if not more, as such a swarm. Indeed, it could travel the world promoting the region. Likewise, such a squad could be sending extraordinary images of the region's nooks and crannies, via NBN, to the world or even as projections on 'screens' (buildings, a cliff, whatever) around the region as well. 

Quite apart from the cultural dimension the swarm, or elements of it, could be put to work in all kinds of searches, surveillance exercises, community mapping projects, real estate marketing and anything a fertile imagination might come up with. This DRONEswarm could be a significant 'earner' if managed and marketed well.

This is the kind of project that one would imagine the region's Councils might want to get behind. Also its the kind of project that could have a spin off exhibition element that could tour Australia, indeed overseas. The Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery might want to get involved considering the huge success the GAME ON exhibition proved to be with – and like exhibitions are still pulling large crowds worldwide.

WHAT NOW: Well the project needs a team of people in the region who are prepared to help develop the project and market it for fundraising purposes. If you wish to be involved in developing a DRONEswarm or the Tamar/Esk please email tamarinstitute@gmail.com

FOLLOWUP NEWS IN COMMENTS BELOW

REVIEW: Easy & West Concert – Holy Trinity Church

Zhou Fen                 Guo Xinyu     

On Friday evening, February 13, at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Launceston, Zhou Fen and Guo Xinyu presented a delightful concert of Chinese and Western European music to celebrate our cultural diversity and the onset of the Chinese new year (Year of the Goat).

Zhou Fen opened the concert with two solo pieces for pipa: one from the early Tang Dynasty (7^th c) and one from the 20^th c, drawing on traditional music. Her playing is lyrical, expressive and powerful. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese instrument, sometimes called the Chinese lute because it is plucked (with fingerpicks) and has frets.  The earliest mention of the pipa in Chinese texts appeared in the late Han Dynasty around the 2^nd century of the Christian Era. It has a shallow pear-shaped body, a large peg box, and frets ranging from 12 for the lowest string to 26 for the highest. The fret structure facilitates various pitch-bending techniques, enhancing its expressivity.

Zhou Fen was joined by Guo Xinyu for the next two pieces which were based on traditional folk songs. Their arrangements paired the pipa and Western violin in delightful dialogue. For this listener, the duets between the two were the highlight of the concert, and the epitome of the East and West theme.

Guo Xinyu then played from the Western classical violin repertoire, solidly supported by Peter Schultz on electric piano. Her masterful technique and deep, rich tone (especially on the tango, Por Una Cavesa by Gardel) truly served Monti’s Csardash  and Kreisler’s Liebesleid well. 

Masterful technique was equally evident in Zhou Fen’s pipa performance. Her final number, Ambush from Ten Sides, a traditional piece (what a tradition!) demonstrated a remarkable range of sounds and effects, truly conveying a battle.

Greg Parkinson compered the program, providing us with brief but enlightening information about the performers and each work (some of which is blatantly copied in this review). Holy Trinity is an ideal venue for an intimate, elegant concert such as this one, acoustically warm and clear. At the scrumptious supper afterwards, some debated whether the pipa really needed amplification. It is a soft and shallow-bodied instrument, so perhaps it did. I suspect there are timbral subtleties we might not have heard otherwise. It would be worth exploring ways to amplify it more subtly to blend with the existing acoustic ambience of the space. I mention this, because I truly hope Zhou Fen and Guo Xinyu will return for future performances, which any of you gentle readers who were not at this one should now feel compelled to attend!

Karlin Love

TAMARresident #1

 iPHONEshot ... GKrnMANIPULATED

iPHONEshot ... GK

TAMARspot #3

iPHONEshot ... GK

TAMARspot #2

iPHONEshot ... GK

TAMARspot #1

iPHONEshot ... GK

Lorikeets and Other Matters

There is a certain irony about the terms "invasive species" or "non-endemic species" and especially when it is made by a non-Indigenous Tasmanian/Australian. The notion that these 'species' "do not belong here" is somewhat curious even though they are, arguably, out of place and are/were not actually a part of the Tasmania ecosystem. 

Putting aside the idea that the highest percentage of 'speakers' here are either "invaders to Tasmania" themselves or the decedents of some ... let's look at the feathered invaders and their apparently hybrid offspring – The Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)

The Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery has been looking at the issue and David Maynard has shared some images to help put the  hybridity issue in perspective.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
AND HERE TOO

You might well ask how the little birds got to Tasmania! The answer seems to be that nobody really knows but high on the list of suspects are people with aviaries allowing birds to escape and it is feasible that they may have flown in. Once here and out and about birds do what people do do... procreate and not always carefully.

The Fact Sheet Says: Rainbow lorikeets, if they were to establish here they would compete for food and resources with native parrots, such as the musk lorikeet, swift parrot and green rosella. They also pose a potential disease risk as they are carriers of Psittacine beak and feather disease. Rainbow lorikeets are a serious threat to Tasmania’s agricultural industries. They have the potential to have high impact on cherry, apple, pear,stone fruit and grape crops.

How to control the population growth: It seems that nobody has a handle on how to control the potentially growing populations elsewhere where they are not wanted. But, some people living in the subtropics of NSW during The Depression and into the 1960s would know they these birds make very good eating even if they are on the small side. Back in the 60s the population of lorikeets was dwindling given that they made such good eating and also because southern Euorpean migrant found them so too. 

Humanity's propensity to unsustainably harvest resources like this tend to mitigate against population growth.

Lorikeet Pie

12 to 20 Lorikeets
Few slices of cooked beef
4 Rashes bacon
3 Hard-boiled eggs
Minced parsley & lemon-peel
Pepper and salt
Stock
Puff pastry

Prepare the lorikeets as you would any game bird. Line a pie-dish with the beef cut into slices, over them place 6 of the lorikeets, dredge with flour, fill up the spaces with egg cut in slices and scatter over the seasoning. Next put the bacon, cut in small strips, then 6 lorikeets and fill up with the beef, seasoning as well. Pour in stock or water to nearly fill the dish, cover with puff-pastry and bake for 1 hour. 

FRACK OFF WHOEVER: IN THE TAMAR/ESK

SO YOU IMAGINED IT 

COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE

THINK AGAIN!

TO DISCOVER MORE CLICK HERE

LOOK HERE: LINK

LOOK HERE: LINK

LOOK HERE: LINK

Hunting for pygmy things in Tassie

The story goes that once on the Bass Strait Islands there once existed a Pygmy Wombat and apparently Pygmy Emus too. We already know quite a bit about big/giant Tiger Snakes on the Furneaux Is. Islands do tend provide the circumstances for such aberrations(?) - giants and pygmies. Somehow the story of "the governor's wombat' has become linked to this hunt.

Reportedly, the hunt is also on right now for evidence of Pygmy Emus that it is believed/imagined once existed on the islands. Curious and possibly plausible stuff. More on this as the story unfolds.

The QVMAG'S David Maynard tells us that while "there is a Bass Strait Island wombat that is a subspecies. Its distribution has declined by half since European settlement. There is no evidence that it was a dwarf form." ... SEE MORE HERE

He goes on to say "Basically, there are not enough skeletal remains to conduct age-length analysis on. QVM holds at least one skull, possibly two, and a few other bones but little can be determined from this small sample size. There may be some remains in the palaeo collection, but without a specialist on staff we cannot tell anything."

"Perhaps the 'dwarf' specimens can be put down to harvest strategy - kill the larger ones first (they are easy prey with a good recovery rate) and as the big ones disappear then target the next size down. Continue until you have a phenomena called recruitment overharvesting (juveniles never survive long enough to breed). Fisheries example below."

There is this tale of a wombat: a journey from Australia to Newcastle upon Tyne where there is a wombat in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was the first of its kind to leave Australia, setting sail (pickled in spirits) in August 1798.  The Guardian story can be accessed here.

Interestingly, John Hawkins, now living in Tasmania, has apparently written quite extensively on the 'Governor's Wombat'. PONNRABBEL hopes to be able to say more about John Hawkin's writing and observations of this specimen/artifact.

Islands are great places to undertake research. "Some of these species on them are descended from mainland ancestors, after the land they inhabited drifted away from the main continent as the Earth’s tectonic plates moved, while others colonised newly formed land which had emerged from the sea bed. Over time these isolated species developed adaptations to suit their habitat, distinguishing them from their mainland counterparts, and they ultimately evolved into separate species ... Remote islands often provide important habitats for migratory species, some of which, such as the Chatham albatross, may only breed on a single island. Island biodiversity isn’t just restricted to the land either. Over half of the world’s marine biodiversity is found in the waters surrounding islands, including some of the world’s most spectacular coral reefs" SEE THIS LINK

PIANO RECITAL BY FORMER QUEECHY STUDENT

Sarah Cabrol-Douat (formerly Sarah Gunton) was a student at Queechy High School between 1989 and 1992.  Her mother (who was then the Music teacher at Queechy) gave her piano lessons from an early age. Then, in her grade 8 year, Sarah won an Education Department Music Scholarship and began studying with Mr. Eric Mitchell in Hobart. In 1993 after a chance encounter and invitation, Sarah left Tasmania to study music at the Moscow Conservatorium. She later won scholarships to study at the École Normale in Paris  and at London’s Royal College of Music. She now lives and works in Paris and has established a reputation in Europe as a pianist – both as soloist and ensemble player. 

Sarah performed to a “full-house” in Launceston at the beginning of 2013. If you missed that concert or would like to hear her again, she will be giving another recital in February. You can find out more by visiting her website or finding “ sarahcabrol-douatpianist” on Face Book.

Launceston needs a new general history

Tom Dunning, Barbara Valentine and Paul Richards Eds

Launceston needs a new general history.  John Reynolds wrote the last one in 1969.  Much has happened in Launceston since then and the way community and local history is written has changed.  There is a large and vibrant community of historians who have written dozens of books and articles.  We propose to call on the talents of this group to write a collaborative community history.

The book will not be a comprehensive, narrative history, but rather a thematic one.  The theme is a metaphorical one, which will allow each author creative freedom but at the same time provide a focus for the book.  We see the book weaving together thematic threads to create the historical fabric of Launceston.  The major threads will be the diversity, difference and enterprise of the individuals, groups and institutions that have comprised the Launceston community.  Each individual contribution will be a small thread in the fabric.  We want this history to be written and owned by as many different individuals as possible.

We envision two types of contributions.  Firstly there will be 3,000 word essays on larger topics.  Some of these essays will be commissioned; individual historians will suggest others.  The second variety will be 500 to 750 word entries, all of which will be suggested by contributors.

We will issue a style manual for all contributors to ensure a uniform format for the book.

We sincerely invite expressions of interest, questions and contributions

The first points of contact are by email, tdunning@utas.edu.au or by phone 6334 0169.

Warm Regards from the editors

Tom Dunning

Barbara Valentine

Paul Richards

PONRABBEL POETRY PRIZE

Thanks to Jim Hughes & Sons, premier jewellers to Launcestonians for over 60 years, PONRABBEL is able to offer two prizes in celebration of VALENTINES DAY. One will be for the the badest, meanest and awfulest LOVEpoem written on the Tamar/Esk for VALENTINES DAY 2015. The other prize will be for the sloppiest, slushiest and sickest LOVEpoem written on the Tamar/Esk for VALENTINES DAY 2015.

HOW TO ENTER: Send the LOVEpoem that you wrote for a Tamar/Esk ‘Valentine’ to PONRABBEL by FEB 20 via email to tamarinstitute@gmail.com along with any graphics you may have created to go with your LOVEpoem. You will need to give us permission to publish your LOVEpoem in order to be eligible for a prize. The winners will be notified by email and presented with their prize at a date yet to be fixed in place yet to be determined. Whatever your prize will be specially made for you to either keep or give to your Valentine.

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR ENTRIES

NOTE: it appears that the 7250.net site has been hacked 

[:–( 

 BUT our Gmail address will work so please email entries to

Tamar Institute[ponrabbel] tamarinstitute@gmail.com

PLEASE COPY YOU MAIL TO: BUSHMOUNT CONSULTING

 bushmount@eftel.net.au

EAST AND WEST: Chinese New Year Concert at Holy Trinity

Click on the image to enlarge

President Xi’s Visit Inspires Chinese New Year Concert

The recent visit of President Xi, and the consequent interest in all things Chinese, has inspired Holy Trinity Church to acknowledge the onset of the Chinese New Year by presenting a New Year Concert featuring two talented Chinese musicians.

The concert, entitled, East and West will feature Chinese pipa player, Zhou Fen and violin player, Guo Xinyu. The two will present a program of traditional Chinese and Western music at a concert to be held at Holy Trinity Church on Friday 13 February at 7.00 pm.

‘Our society is now one that is truly multicultural’, said Priest-in-Charge, Warwick Cuthbertson. ‘It is a privilege for us to be able to acknowledge the richness of our cultural fabric by presenting this concert which celebrates, not only the onset of the Chinese New Year, but also interweaves music from two great cultural streams’. ‘This is an opportunity for the community to join with us and celebrate our cultural diversity in an enjoyable evening of music’, he said.

Both performers came to Tasmania to undertake degree studies at the University of Tasmania – Fen to undertake postgraduate studies in Education, and Xinyu to undertake postgraduate violin studies at the Conservatorium of Music under TSO Concertmaster, Jun Ma. 

Fen studied the pipa, or Chinese lute, in her home town of Changsha under a master from the Conservatorium of Music in Tianjin. She is considered one of the foremost exponents of the instrument in Australia and has been invited to perform in venues throughout Australia including the Australian War Memorial. 

Although Xinyu’s first degree is in telecommunications engineering, violin has always been her first love! She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Tasmania and undertook further studies in London to improve her bowing technique. She now teaches violin professionally, and plays on a casual basis with the TSO. Xinyu is also a brilliant cook and caters for dinner parties when not absorbed by her music. 

The concert will be followed by supper in the Narthex of the church. Entry is by donation and the proceeds will by applied to restoration work that needs to be carried out on the building.

For further information contact please contact Greg Parkinson (Churchwarden) on 0409 700112 or: tas0946@bigpond.com

PONRABBEL is pleased to support this event given the Chinese community's contribution to the cultural life Tamar/Esk  over a considerable time. Furthermore, this concert it is hoped will be the first of many performance events at Holly Trinity and other venues in the region. PONNRABBEL is especial interested in exploring new, collaborative and/or cooperative ways to present experimental and cultural diverse events in the Tamar/Esk region. Please contact us if you have something in mind.

REPURPOSEDtoon

click on image to enlarge

NOTICE: Joan Higgenbothom spotted the mistake and donated the $100 to PONRABBEL to support BADpoetry. Can you see the mistake(s?)

OVERLOOKING THE TAMAR

 Walking by the River

       was it mist

            or tears

     that became a vision

        of Canal St. Martin    

  

To be in a place

            where the less always inspires,

                 to be at one with it!

   All ages of mankind

                dwells at His River-edge;

   Nowhere, more than this

       I imagine I will be.

 She no longer lives there

            under that silent blanket of fog

                   that covers the estuary

                         in winter.

Poems by June Svoboda