Saltgrass

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.

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

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.

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/

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.  

This episode is a collection of three interviews featuring children from the Meeting Place.

This is part 2 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.