The Wild Reed

Monday, September 19, 2016

Australian Sojourn – May 2016

Part 9: Gunnedah

Continuing with my series of posts on my May visit to Australia, I share this evening a few images of my visit with my parents to our hometown of Gunnedah. (To start at the beginning of this series, click here.)

My parents have lived in Port Macquarie since 2002, and the drive from this town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales inland to the rural town of Gunnedah takes about four-and-a-half hours.

In traveling across the mountains from the coast to the New England Tablelands the towns and villages one passes through are Wauchope, Walcha, Bendemeer, and Moonbi, and the city of Tamworth.

Above right and left: My parents, Gordon and Margaret Bayly, and I at Gingers Creek, a rest stop and "bush resort" in the mountains between Wauchope and Walcha.

For many years logging was a dominant activity in the area around Wauchope and Walcha. The town of Wauchope, for instance, is the location of Timbertown, a popular heritage theme park inspired by the logging industry that formed the basis for the town's early economy and prosperity. Logging still goes on, though with a twist and some controversy. Beyond timber, Walcha is known as the "Pasture Wonderland" as the dominant industry in the area is livestock grazing, mainly Merino sheep but also stud and beef cattle.

Above: The town of Walcha, located in an area originally occupied by the Dunghutti Aborigines prior to European settlement. In 1818, John Oxley became the first white person to discover the area and the nearby falls which were later to be named Apsley Falls.

The Dunghutti people tell the story of how the Rainbow Serpent created the gorge at Apsley Falls in the Dreamtime. If one walks to one of the viewing platforms and may well see a rainbow in the mist of the falling water. The Rainbow Serpent is said to travel underground from the base of the falls to reappear at the mill hole near Walcha on the Apsley River, 20 kilometres (12 miles) upstream. The site is marked in Walcha by a mosaic made with the ideas and help of the local Dhungutti community.

Above: The post office of the rural city of Tamworth, Australia's "Country Music Capital." The city annually hosts the Tamworth Country Music Festival in late January; the second biggest country music festival in the world. Tamworth is also recognized as the "National Equine Capital of Australia" because of the high number of equine events held in the city and the construction of the world class Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre, the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Gunnedah is located in the Namoi River valley of north-western New South Wales and serves as the major service centre for the farming area known as the Liverpool Plains (above).

The town and its surrounding area were originally inhabited by indigenous Australians who spoke the Kamilaroi (Gamilaraay) language. The area now occupied by the town was settled by Europeans in 1833. Through my maternal grandmother’s family, the Millerds, my family can trace its connection to Gunnedah back to the town’s earliest days. For more about the town’s history and my family’s connection to it, see the previous Wild Reed posts, My “Bone Country” and Journey to Gunnedah.

Left: The dove that belonged to my maternal grandmother, Olive Sparkes (1906-1997). I'm thinking this dove must be at least 20 years old. Since Nanna Sparkes' death, the dove has been in the care of my Aunt Ruth, whom I stayed with when I was in Gunnedah. I'm glad this dove is still with us, as hearing it's beautiful and peaceful cooing in the morning is a lovely reminder of Nanna.

Right: A faded snap shot of my maternal grandparents Olive and Valentine Sparkes.

My grandfather, Valentine Sparkes (1890-1971), was a survivor of the First World War. He moved to Gunnedah in the 1930s from down south in Victoria. He married the widow Olive Louis (nee Millerd) and together they made a home in Little Conadilly Street in Gunnedah . Here they raised Olive's two children, Eric and Fay, from her first marriage, and had four children of their own: Margaret (my Mum), Catherine (who died in infancy), Michael, and Ruth.

Valentine was a writer and one of the last short stories he wrote was about the kinship that developed between me as a young child and one of his fowls – a white rooster. You can read this story here.

Above: Looking across the western edge of Gunnedah towards the Kelvin Hills, which I hiked in my youth – and most recently in 2000.

Above and below: Two views from Gunnedah's Porcupine Lookout of the Breeza Plains.

As I note elsewhere at The Wild Reed, part of the 2006 film Superman Returns was filmed on the plains near the village of Breeza, 25 miles south of Gunnedah.

Above and below: Some of the beautiful eucalyptus trees on Porcupine Hill that caught my eye! These photos were taken in the late afternoon of Tuesday, May 25, 2016.

Above and below: Later that evening my parents and I enjoyed dinner with relatives and friends at the Gunnedah Services and Bowling Club. This establishment has special significance for our family as my paternal grandmother, Belle Smith (1919-2005), worked here for many years as the Catering Manager. At that time it was known as the Gunnedah Servicemen's Club.

Pictured with me above are Jillian, Jo, and Noah.

Above: Mum (at left) with (from left) longtime family friend Gwen, mum's younger sister Ruth, and sister-in-law Valda.

I'm sorry to say that dear Aunty Val passed away quite unexpectedly just a few weeks after this photo was taken. She is missed by many, especially her beloved husband Michael, daughter Alicia, and three grandchildren. I had already returned to the U.S. when Val died and so was unable to attend her funeral in Gunnedah, My parents did, however, and, by all accounts, it was a very well-attended and loving tribute to a woman greatly respected and loved by her family and the community.

Above: Happy times with Aunty Val and Mum – May 25, 2016.

Above: Val's husband (and my uncle) Michael with longtime family friend John Sills.

Above: Family friends Gary, Peter, and John.

Right: My childhood friend Dianne and her partner.

Left: With another dear childhood (and neighborhood) friend, Louise.

Above: Dad with longtime family friends Gwen (right) and Wendy (one of Gwen's and her late husband Ray's three daughters).

Right: Gwen and Aunty Ruth catch up on the latest!

Left: Ruth's son (and my cousin) Greg with (from left) Sally, John, and Noah.

Above: When I heard that young Noah was especially looking forward to seeing me, I made sure to call into a bookstore as we passed through Tamworth earlier that day on our way to Gunnedah. Here I bought him a copy of the wonderful novel by Michael Ende, The Neverending Story. It's definitely one of my all-time favorite books. And I hope it becomes that for Noah too!

Friday, September 16, 2016

Photo of the Day

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Late Summer Blooms
• In Summer Light
• Summer Blooms
• A Song of Summer
• "I Caught a Glimpse of a God"

Image: Michael J. Bayly.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Quote of the Day

The crisis in modern democracy is a profound one. Free elections, a free press, and an independent judiciary mean little when the free market has reduced them to commodities available on sale to the highest bidder. Nasty, violent, and fascist groups and individuals will surely emerge from such circumstances. But a movement valuing solidarity, mutual aid, peace, and democracy can also thrive, with enough time, effort, and imagination. The urge for hegemony and preponderance by some will be matched with greater intensity by the longing for dignity and justice by others. Exactly what form that battle takes, whether it's beautiful or bloodthirsty, depends on us.

– Arundhati Roy
Quoted in Jake Johnson's article,
"Empire's Religion: Arundhati Roy Confronts
the Tyranny of the Free Market"
Common Dreams
September 15, 2016

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Australian Sojourn – May 2016

Part 8: Port Macquarie

Continuing with my series of posts on my May visit to Australia, I share this evening a few images of my time in Port Macquarie, the coastal town that my parents, Gordon and Margaret Bayly, have called home since 2002. (To start at the beginning of this series, click here.)

Normally when I return to Australia from the U.S., Port Macquarie is the first place I head to after landing in Sydney. This year was different, as it made more sense to first visit family and friends south of Sydney before heading north to see my parents. And so after spending a few days in Sydney and nearby Morpeth, I flew south to Melbourne (and the "mystic Mount Diogenes") and then made my way north by train to Port Macquarie via Albury, Goulburn, Exeter, and (ever so briefly) Sydney. I arrived in Port Macquarie on the evening of Thursday, May 20. As you can imagine, it was great seeing my parents again, a year after last seeing them.

Above and below: The rock platform at the southern end of Port Macquarie's Town Beach. As I've noted previously (here, here, and here), this platform is sacred ground for me. By this I mean that whenever I'm there I always feel at one with the energizing and transforming presence within and beyond all things.

I like to think that my wedding will one day take place upon this rock platform, this "somewhere-in-between" space that at times can be both land and sea; a place where it can feel as though one is walking on water! Like I said, it's a very special place.

Above and below: Dad on Town Beach – Friday, May 21, 2016.

Above and right: With Dad and Mum in Port Macquarie – May 2016.

Port Macquarie is located on the New South Wales mid-north coast and is about a 5-hour drive north of Sydney. Situated on the Hastings River, the town has a population of around 41,000. For most of the year (with the exception of the summer holidays around Christmas) Port Macquarie is a quiet place, owing largely to the fact that the busy Pacific Highway bypasses the town about seven kilometres inland.

My parents relocated to Port Macquarie from my family's hometown of Gunnedah in 2002. In 2013 they moved from Swallows' Ledge, overlooking Port Macquarie's Town Beach, to the "independent living" section of a local retirement home. They are very happy in their new digs – which, in keeping with the bird theme, we've named Ibis Villa, owing to an Australian White Ibis we often see walking stately around the garden.

Above: My parents (at left) with their friends (from left) Yonni & George and Cheryl & Jeff.

Above and below: Views of the Hastings River in Port Macquarie.

Above: One of the oldest buildings in Port Macquarie is the former Court House, built in 1869.

In 1821 Port Macquarie was founded as a penal settlement for convicts sentenced for crimes committed in New South Wales. Two years later the first sugar cane to be cultivated in Australia was planted at the settlement. The region was opened to free settlers in 1830 after it was decided to abandon Port Macquarie as a penal settlement. Because of its good pastoral land, timber resources, and fisheries, the area was quickly settled. During the 1840s the “Wool Road” from the Northern Tablelands was constructed to enable wool and other produce to be shipped from the port.

Port Macquarie was declared a municipality in 1887, but the town never progressed as an actual port due to presence of a notorious coastal bar across the mouth of the Hastings River.

And, yes, that's a statue of a koala in the photo above. They're actually all over town as part of the Hello Koalas Public Art Sculpture Trail. Residents and visitors alike are encouraged to seek out all 50 large-scale koala sculptures, manufactured in fibreglass and hand painted and decorated by celebrity artists, professional artists, and community groups. The one at right is modeled after Australian mega-star Dame Edna Everage!

For more about the Hello Koalas Public Art Trail, click here.

Above and below: Views of Port Macquarie's Town Beach.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

A Letter to "Dear Abby" re. Responding to 9/11

Today is the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Without doubt, it was a series of horrific events that took place that day in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, and in which 2,996 people were killed and over 6,000 injured.

U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration chose to respond to these attacks by first launching military strikes against Afghanistan and then invading Iraq, all under the guise of what was called the "War on Terror."

From the very start, many of us opposed this "war," as we were convinced that it would simply exasperate the very real problem of global terrorism and fail to address its root causes. Fifteen years on, time has proven these convictions correct, as most clearly evidenced by the Afghan War quagmire and the rise of ISIS.

I wrote and sent the following letter to advice columnist Jeanne Phillips (aka Abigail Van Buren or "Dear Abby") in 2002. It was never published, but I can recall at the time feeling that it was important to formulate and express opposition to the "War on Terror" in a calm and concise manner. That, at least, is what I attempted to do with this letter. Why "Dear Abby"? She had recently expressed support for the "War on Terror" in one of her columns.

At the time I wrote this letter, fourteen years ago, I was 36 and working as the director of a justice education program at Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ in Minneapolis. I was also the founder and lead organizer of a Twin Cities-based activist group called Queers United for Radical Action (QURA). The members of QURA (and, truth be told, there were never more that a dozen or so of us) described ourselves as a "network of LGBT activists dedicated to educating ourselves and the wider LGBT community on the threats to democracy, human life, and the environment posed by the nexus of corporate globalization, militarism, and environmental degradation." We also sought to organize and participate in educational events and non-violent direct actions in order to facilitate positive and radical social and economic change, and to facilitate and share a uniquely queer spirit of resistance to all forms of oppression.

Anyway, here, with added links, is my 2002 letter to "Dear Abby."

______________________________

Dear Abby,

I was very disappointed to see your column being used as a propaganda tool of the Pentagon ("Secretary of Defense Thanks the Military," 5/24/02). Contrary to your insistence, we are not all "united" in support of the so-called "War on Terrorism." Over 50,000 U.S. citizens, for instance, including many who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks of September 11, converged on Washington, D.C. on April 20 to express the growing global realization that war is not the way to address and eradicate terrorism. Currently, thousands are preparing to launch the "Not in Our Name" campaign on June 6.

Your response to the Secretary of Defense implies that the patriotic thing to do is to unquestioningly support an open-ended, perhaps never-ending war. This is not patriotism. This is not in the best interests of our nation or our children.

A more authentic expression of patriotism starts with courageously asking the question, "Why is the U.S. hated by so many?" The answer, as many are aware, is not because of our perceived freedoms. The truth is that the U.S. is hated because aspects of U.S. foreign policy do violent and destructive things to people all around the world. This fact was acknowledged as long ago as 1968 when the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. declared that "the greatest purveyor of violence on the world stage is the United States government."

Indeed, in numerous cases around the globe, the willingness of the U.S. to maintain economic dominance through oppression and violence has led to the deaths of untold millions. This too is a type of war – a war on the poor, a war on the planet. It is a war in which Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld doesn't need to implore our involvement, as we're already part of it. We benefit, after all, from the exploitation of Third World workers and the environment through cheap sweatshop-produced products and cheap oil. Our military interventions and support of oppressive regimes protest and expand our corporate interests and thus our bloated lifestyle – a lifestyle that was once described to the rest of the world by George Bush, Sr. as "not negotiable."

Such realities in no way justify the tragic and criminal acts of September 11, but they do help explain why some may feel moved to desperately lash out at the most visible symbols of U.S. foreign policy – the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

How then do we respond to such extreme and destructive acts? More violence is not the answer. I feel genuinely sorry for the young men and women duped into believing they are fighting a war on terrorism when in fact they are being used to secure and expand the bloated and unsustainable American lifestyle – one that is far from economically democratic, as is evidenced by the increasing gap between rich and poor. Furthermore, the actions of the military will breed more terrorists.

There are better ways to respond to the events of September 11 than bombing other nations and killing thousands of innocent people – which is what has happened in Afghanistan. Rather than launching a "war on terror," the criminal justice system should have been utilized as it was after the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. That strategy saw those responsible apprehended and jailed. Yet bringing the criminals who planned the September 11, 2001 attacks to justice is only part of he truly patriotic response. If we really love our country and our children we will want to ensure that such an attack never occurs again – anywhere.

Accordingly, we need to inform ourselves and others of the domination and violence that undergirds, shapes and directs U.S. foreign policy. We then need to boldly denounce this domination and violence and pledge ourselves to address the root cause of terrorism – economic and social inequality. As we honestly confront our own role – individually and collectively – in a grossly unfair and ultimately suicidal global economy, sacrifices will need to be made.

Only be engaging in such challenging actions will we eradicate terrorism, ensure our nation's security, and herald a new day of global compassion, justice, and peace.

Let us not align ourselves with the clouds of war that obstruct the dawning light of such a tomorrow.

– Michael Bayly
May 29, 2002

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Quote of the Day – September 11, 2015
• Something to Think About – September 11, 2013
• Kittredge Cherry on Mychal Judge, the "Gay Saint of 9/11"
• In Mychal Judge's Heart "There Was Room for Everybody"
• Before (and After) the Poison
• Karen Armstrong on the 9/11 Attacks: A “Flagrant and Wicked Abuse of Religion”
• Rebecca Solnit on How 9/11 Should Be Remembered
• 9/11: Seven Years On
• Remembering September 11 and Its Aftermath
• Let’s Also Honor the “Expendables”
• Praying for George W. Bush
• The Tenth Anniversary of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq
• Thoughts on Prayer in a "Summer of Strife"
• Discerning and Embodying Sacred Presence in Times of Violence and Strife

Related Off-site Links:
The Lost Innocence of 9/11 – Michael Winship (BillMoyers.com via Common Dreams, September 11, 2016).
I’m a Veteran. Here’s Why I’m Not Going to Shed a Damned Tear Today – Nathan Wellman (U.S. Uncut, September 11, 2016).
The Worst Day of My Life is Now New York’s Hottest Tourist Attraction – Steve Kandell (BuzzFeed, May 19, 2014).
U.S. Bombs and Drones Have Led to an Expansion of Terrorism – Phyllis Bennis (The Real News, July 5, 2016).
Post-9/11 Wars Have Cost Nearly $5 Trillion (and Counting) – Nadia Prupis (Common Dreams, September 13, 2016).
UK Inquiry Releases Scathing Report on Iraq War – Reuters via The World Post (July 6, 2016).
Bush, Blair and the Lies That Justified the Illegal Iraq War – Robin Andersen (FAIR, July 6, 2016).
Tariq Ramadan: Iraq War Waged for U.S. Economic Interests Has Destabilized All of Middle East – Democracy Now! (July 6, 2016).
Report: Over 1.2 Million Killed in U.S. Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan – Ben Norton (BenNorton.com, March 23, 2015).
Latest Estimate Pegs Cost of Wars at Nearly $5 Trillion – Naomi LaChance (The Intercept, September 14, 2016).
The Afghan War Quagmire – Editorial Board (New York Times, September 17, 2016).

Image: Michael Bayly.

The Wild Reed

Monday, September 19, 2016

Australian Sojourn – May 2016

Friday, September 16, 2016

Photo of the Day

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Quote of the Day

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Australian Sojourn – May 2016

Sunday, September 11, 2016

A Letter to "Dear Abby" re. Responding to 9/11

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