Flycatcher Edition 6

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CONTENTS 22

4 A Road Trip from the View of a Pigeon | Phoebe Robinson 5 10
5 Fieldwork and Dust Spirits | Sean Bellairs
6 CDU O-Week Hub Event | Haiku Submissions 15 Impressions of Dili | Joanne Forrest
9 #PhDChat | Cara Penton 16 Downpour | Julia Gomes
10 Hakuna Matata | Marcus Macdonald 17 The Nepalese Student Association | Manoj Bhatta
11 24 Hours in My Tum 18 Coffin in the Hilltops | Samantha Smith
12 The Parap Wrap | Adele Mammone 21 Division of Labour in the Home and Practical Steps Towards Housework
13 Darwin Dating with the Dating Doctor
14 Hakone Japan - Open Air Bathing And Art | Carol Saffer Equality | Heather Holt
22 Those Pine Trees Across the Street | Lewis Woolston
11 23 Intelligence, By Design | Jeremy Garnett
12 26 Supporting Thriving Natural Environments | Bryan Baker

4

28 Love and Poppies - Part 3 | Amanda Lilleyman 21
29 Corrugated Iron | Hannah Barrows 34
30 Make it Open! | Jayshree Mamtora
31 The Politics of Language and Technology | Cathy Bow
32 Waiting for My "Eve" | Michael Driss
33 The Flycatcher Quiz | Elvey, Clint Cameron & Stef Oberprieler
34 Profiling CDU Artists: Ian Hance
36 People Like Us | Kellie Joswig

COVER IL LUSTRATIONS: TEGAN JACK SON F LYC ATC H E R | 1

EDITORIAL

Hello fabulous readers of Flycatcher Magazine! Thanks for
picking up the sixth edition of CDU’s student magazine;
bringing you more talent from across the student campus and NT
community. Between editions, the Flycatcher crew has been super
busy. In particular, our illustrator, Tegan Jackson, and graphic
designer, Adriana Da Silva, ventured down to Melbourne to attend
the annual two-day NEWS Conference (National Editors’ Workshop
and Skillshare Conference) presented by Express Media for student
editors, publishers, and contributors across Australia.

This is the second year that we’ve sent a couple of our team
members down to Melbourne. So, when the two entered Hogwarts
(RMIT University), they were met with a diverse throng of fellow
media enthused students. There were students from all over Australia
and various publications. On a table just past registration, copies of
our little Flycatcher lay next to editions of Farrago, Catalyst, and
Vertigo - just to name a few!

After powering through the ‘get to know each other’ group
activities, it was straight into listening to young, influential
speakers who all work across different media roles. This included
a presentation by award-winning journalist and documentary
filmmaker, Santilla Chingaipe, who spoke about the important
issue of ethics in media. If there’s one thing we learned from the
conference it’s that, as media students, we are learning the skills
to one day be incredibly influential. On the path to get there you
won’t always get to choose what stories and themes you write about.
However, it is crucial to always follow a code of ethics, build a
reputation and remain credible.

But what inspired us most was the fact that the majority of
these superstar speakers had one thing in common - they had all
contributed to their university student publication.

The conference fuelled our designers, and they came home
brimming with ideas. The conference stood as a reminder that
Flycatcher can be a launching pad into a field of opportunity. So,
with that said, we want to expand our content and have voice within
Charles Darwin University and the Northern Territory. We want
students to come and join us in helping to create a publication
that we can all be proud of. We are on the lookout for enthusiastic
and passionate student volunteers who have skills or an interest in
editing, writing, illustration and graphic design.

We also want to continue to send two members of our team
down to the NEWS Conference each year. It’s a unique experience
to network and learn about new ideas that can help publications,
such as ours, grow. So, if you’re interested in joining our team, or
just have some questions, please reach out and email us at editor@
flycatcher.com.au

Adriana da Silva & Tegan Jackson, from the Flycatcher team

Flycatcher acknowledges the Larrakia people as the owners and custodians of the tweet @flycatchernews
lands and waters upon which this publication is produced. We acknowledge the instagram.com/flycatchermagazine/
traditional custodians of the lands on which all CDU campuses and centres are
located – Kungarakan, Arrernte, Jawoyn, Wurundjeri, Gadigal, Mirarr, Warumungu facebook.com/flycatchermag
– and pay our respect to their elders past, present and future. flycatcher.com.au

2 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018 [email protected]

Copyright © 2018 Flycatcher

MEET THE TEAM

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JENNIFER MACDONALD is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Flycatcher. She moved
UNDERGRAD EDITOR from Melbourne to Darwin four years ago to complete her PhD in Indigenous Land and Sea
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Management and is currently in the joyous ‘write up’ stage. She is passionate about creating
ILLUSTRATOR a space for people in the Territory to develop their skills and confidence in publishing their
COMMUNITY EDITOR work. When she’s not at CDU you can find her alphabetising her book collection, railing
against the wet season mould, or being walked by her dog Maru.
PHOEBE ROBINSON is an external CDU undergraduate currently studying her Bachelor of
Creative Arts and Industries (Communication), specialising in public relations and marketing.
She is currently studying from East Gippsland, Victoria. A true Darwin child, she is perplexed
by cold rain and unrefrigerated butter. She hopes her fingers don’t fall off in the coming winter
as she edits, reads, and writes with the Flycatcher Team.

ADRIANA DA SILVA is an undergraduate student at CDU studying a Bachelor in
Communications. Having lived in Darwin for the past 16 years, Adriana brings to the team
her graphic and web design skills. She has gained past experience in the creative field through
independent learning and has worked with clients to design content such as event posters,
invitations and short videos.
TEGAN JACKSON recently completed a Bachelor of Creative Arts and Industry, majoring in
visual arts. Her background is in fine arts, namely painting and drawing. In 2012 she received
a scholarship to participate in the Dobell drawing program at Sydney National Art School,
where she learnt experimental drawing. She then spent time in Melbourne studying fine arts
at Deakin Uni before transferring to CDU in 2014. You may recognize her friendly face from
her time working at the Museum and Art gallery of the Northern Territory.
J​ EREMY GARNETT is celebrating his eighth year in Darwin, and is a freelance editor,
publisher, poet and improvised dancer. An Organiser of the Darwin Fringe Festival, he
coordinates and volunteers for both it and the Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival, whilst working on
a number of other creative projects. He brings 11 years of customer service experience, editing
and  database management skills to the Flycatcher team.

AMANDA LILLEYMAN spends most of her time working on shorebirds in Darwin. She
recently started writing a short story for Flycatcher and has previously dabbled in poetry. She
prefers to use her red pen in her role as Copy Editor as she is a real stickler for consistencies.

COPY EDITOR WENDY TALEO is the scout for talent for Flycatcher among the students and staff at CDU
ALICE SPRINGS SCOUT in Alice Springs. If you’re studying or working in Alice and are interested in submitting to
Flycatcher, you can see Wendy for inspiration and support. Her details are:

Learnline Developer and Trainer T. 8959 5249
HE Building, Room 1.07 E: [email protected]
Alice Springs Campus

Flycatcher is the student magazine of Charles Darwin University (CDU), produced by
Flycatcher Magazine Incorporated. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the
views of CDU, the printers or the editors. Flycatcher is printed by Uni Print. All writing
and artwork remains the property of the creators. This collection is © Flycatcher and
Flycatcher reserves the right to republish material in any format.

F LYC ATC H E R | 3

A ROAD TRIP FROM THE VIEW OF A PIGEON

By Phoebe Robinson

Sunny day. Red dust. Heat distorts the horizon. Bit of shrub.
Calvin bobbed over to the flock, down feathers occasionally exposed in gusts of wind.

“Hey guys, how’s it going?”
A chorus of cooed greetings.
“Yeah, not too bad, Cal. We got some primo grass seeds in the mix today.”
“True! Let me at ‘em. Nudge over will ya?”
Peck. Peck peck. Peck peck peck.
Rumbling. The seeds start to jump.
“Hey, my food’s alive! What the hell is happening?!”
Some of the flock clumsily take flight at the sight of their animated lunch. Others tuck in to the good
seed their mates have left behind.
As Cal decides whether to flee or feast, he notices the rumbling getting closer. And closer, fast.
Cal turns around and sees an enormous, silver…pigeon?

“Aaaaargh!”
Panicked, the flock takes flight in all directions. Cal chooses the wrong direction.

***
Splat!
“Oh no, we hit one didn’t we?”
“Yeah, it didn’t make it.”
“Poor bugger. We’ll need to make sure it isn’t stuck in the grill when we stop.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry, I couldn’t swerve.”
“Road trip death toll: One pigeon. Let’s try not to increase the statistic. Poor little bugger.”

Phoebe Robinson is the undergraduate editor and has just road tripped down to Bairnsdale, VIC with her boyfriend to
live for a few months. Luckily, the car only broke down twice. Perhaps it was the pigeon’s revenge.

4 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018 ILLUSTRATIONS: TEG AN JACKSON

FIELDWORK AND DUST SPIRITS
By Sean Bellairs

Suurimaseelu hungered; Earth’s warmth oh so desired.
Danger approaching; intruder unstoppable.
The void transcending; a terrestrial craving.
Powerful, deadly; for Earth and humanity.
First born are wary; humans are unknowing.
Suurimaseelu has awoken.

The human organised his field work equipment in preparation void and undetectable by physical senses, its ponderous being
for the following day, filling water bottles, checking tape now headed towards the Tiwi Islands. Gradually it veered still
measures, and sorting through data sheets on the verandah. further north.
Unaware of any danger or threat. Perhaps he might have noticed
the birds were unusually quiet, or that the wind was especially The human watched as the last group that accompanied him
still, but he didn’t. He did notice the sunset. The western sky finished their measurements. Another four humans relaxed at
shone with yellow light. Towering, billowing clouds glowed pink. the back of the troop carrier, telling stories in its shade. All was
Elsewhere, two other beings stood watching the sunset and the good. Soon, the field work would be finished.
clouds. The two elves did notice the approaching danger, as they
stood and gazed across the savanna landscape. They stood on Across the clearing, a little wind spirit appeared, playing
an unusual rock formation, above a sandstone cliff, overlooking with the sparsely grassed, low mounds of earth, skipping along,
an ancient river. Long, gossamer-soft cloaks flowed down their and lazily spinning up dust. Suddenly, it raced towards the car,
bodies, simmering in the last rays of sunset. Tall slender bodies, scattering its occupants as it stung them with sand and leaves.
long silken hair flowed over delicately pointed ears as they gazed It circled the car, playfully lofting two of the data sheets into the
with ancient, gentle eyes. Her raven-black hair contrasting with air, juggling the paper. Teasingly, it let one of the sheets of paper
his long silver-blonde hair. They had felt the fading glow of slip lower, until it was suspended a bare metre above the ground.
the setting sun for millennia, yet their skin was as smooth and As someone leapt for the paper, it rose two metres, four metres,
unblemished as that of a human babe. A gaze into her eyes of six metres above the person’s head, tumbling in the air. The wind
molten quicksilver promised eternal bliss, a glance into his spirit dropped the sheet lower, teasing again, gently moving it
sparkling iridescent emerald eyes a journey of eternal mystery away across the ground, barely out of reach. Then, bored with the
and wonder. Beautiful perfection. game, it dropped the sheets of paper. Off it went, lazily spinning
in another direction, dancing amid the grass and dirt again. The
Yet it was a beauty unnoticed by humans, for their humans grabbed their hours of work gratefully and returned to
magnificence was too great to gaze upon. Rather, a human glance relax back at the car.
would slip to the side. A human brain would refuse the image.
Perhaps a curious discomfort near their immaculate presence A freight train rumbled past, except there was neither train
might be noticed, but never their appearance. nor railway line nearby. The earth shook and vibrated. Startled
again, some humans held on to the side of the car. Far to the
Their elven senses detected Suurimaseelu as she moved in the north, the great earth spirit emerged into the physical realm
distant void. They noted her destination. Danger approached. below the Banda Sea.

They started to sing, ethereal, quickly descending to a low, Suurimaseelu gorged on the Earth’s heat. She shook herself in
deep resonance, below human hearing. Their song slowed, its pleasure and relief at ending her trek through the void. Delicious
beat lengthened. They sang of water spirits, air spirits, wind warm rock, rather than the frigid immaterial void. She satiated
spirits, spirits of trees and places, of love and joyful occupancy. her appetite. Shaking herself as a wet dog might, she enjoyed a
They sang through the night. They sang of the nurturing earth. moment of bliss. Satisfied, she grew quiet and still, sinking back
They sang to Suurimaseelu of another place. A place of delicious into the void to slumber again.
warmth, seething energy, a place of glorious sustenance fit for
Suurimaseelu. A place where Suurimaseelu could feast and cause The elves sensed the emergence and departure of the earth
them no harm. spirit. Satisfied they had successfully deflected her north, they
ceased their song, for the danger had passed. They shared a
Early the next morning, the humans started their fieldwork. smile. After millennia together, no words were needed.
Over on the distant cliff, elven songs continued through the day.
The massive ravenous earth spirit that was ploughing through Humans and elves alike, enjoyed another sunset and relaxed.
the dimensions towards Darwin gradually responded to the And somewhere in the savanna, a little wind spirit played with
songs. By mid-afternoon Suurimaseelu had altered its vector and leaves, kicked up dust, and teased scolding birds.
its destination in the physical world. Though still deep within the
Sean Bellairs loves investigating science fiction and fantasy
worlds when not exploring the world of plants.

ILLUSTR ATIONS: TEG AN JACKSON F LYC ATC H E R | 5

CDU O-WEEK HUB EVENT

HAIKU SUBMISSIONS

Student media –
meet and greet with Flycatcher,

the mag for you all!

During Orientation Week at both Casuarina and Alice Springs, the Flycatcher team ran events to engage
with new and continuing students. Big thanks to our ever talented scout Wendy Taleo who ran the event
in Alice Springs. Students were encouraged to write and submit a Haiku, an old form of Japanese poetry.
The first and last lines of a Haiku have five ‘moras’, loosely translated to syllables, and the middle line has
seven syllables. The lines rarely rhyme. A typical Haiku includes an observation about a fleeting moment
involving nature, although this wasn’t specified at the events so as to encourage students to write about
whatever they were thinking about or feeling. We have published a selection of our favourite submissions
and congratulate all the students who took part. We think this might just be the beginning of your illustrious
career writing and submitting work to your favourite CDU student magazine!

Untitled Disappearing Dominos PhD

By Sinafoni Naifani By Zandro Lagman By Robin Leppitt

Hot, dry and muggy I was waiting yet Did no work today
Nothing but sweaty weather With just one look you vanish Tomorrow maybe the same

Suddenly cool drips. My Meatlovers pizza Lots of words to go

Love? Road Trip Untitled

By Yunus Surtie By Phoebe Robinson By Susie Lyons

When I first saw you Long road hot tarmac Pink drink, rain and mint
A million roses blossomed Red dust sticks to sweaty brow Watermelon and green grapes

That’s when I felt it? Loved one wipes away My old friend

Flycatcher Untitled Trip to Gumtree

By Luzviminda Ilad By Samantha Smith By Eren Fraser

Rich thoughts and feelings Confusion – Awry Dishwasher, toaster
Expressed in words with meaning The world is a mystery. Washing machine, lawn mower
Nothing is as you plan.
That are worth reading A Ford Festiva

6 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

Black Velvet Untitled Sea Tea

By Alice Wr By Juliand Menjura By Emily Ford

So fragile yet tough When I’m here I went down to the sea,
Mysteriously charming I’m not but the water was the colour of tea,

Little black felines When I’m not the grey sky loomed on high.
I am.

Untitled Eucalypt Untitled

By Loua Etepo-Aunei By Wendy Taleo By Umayangani

Oh gentle flower Eucalypt perfume The music is so loud.
May you blossom to unveil Mixed with cries of happy birds I am painting a picture while eating.

The beauty and hue Dust baths no longer. All people are looking friendly.

PHOTO CREDIT: PHOBE ROBINSON F LYC ATC H E R | 7

8 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018 ILLUSTRATIONS: CARA ELLEN PENTON

#PHDCHAT

By Cara Penton

Sprawling through the Top End of the Northern Territory are the floodplains, Robin has experienced a couple of hiccups, most
only wild Alligators of Australia; the Alligator Rivers. Despite notably an overnight bogging resulting in a prolonged attack
explorer Phillip King incorrectly identifying the inhabitants of of mosquitoes whilst waiting for rescue. Despite this, he admits
the crocodile infested swamp, it is home to a flood of wildlife, “fieldwork was [and is] pretty difficult, but even then, I [get to]
some of which you may have never heard of. PhD student Robin come back for weekends so it isn’t really that bad.” What he does
Leppitt is researching the Alligator Rivers subspecies of the find most difficult is the self-direction required in undertaking a
Yellow Chat, tiny, mostly ground-dwelling, insect-eating birds, PhD and never quite knowing “whether it is the right direction.”
which live in some of Australia’s most challenging environments. There is pressure to make good decisions based on your own
Robin’s journey is slightly different to most; spending the first knowledge and having the self governance to realise when
14 months of his PhD without the Chat! His work has clung to you made mistakes. Learning to develop self-confidence and
self-determination and belief in his research, despite those that maintain motivation in his work has been an ongoing process
believed the bird already too scarce to study. for Robin during his PhD, and a key component to “getting shit
THE CHAT MAN done.”
A GLIMPSE OF HOPE
Robin is a postgraduate student with a keen, family-instilled
appreciation of birds, which is obvious once you realise he’s Although undertaking a doctorate is often compared to
named after one. Moving up to Darwin almost two years ago suffering, there are moments when the stress and confusion are
from the coffee snubbing, brunch smashing life of Melbourne, he worth it. For Robin, it was when he first set eyes on the Yellow
took the chance to dedicate the next three to four years of his life Chat:
studying a little-known bird. Despite the challenges of moving
interstate, Robin is adamant that the change has been good with “I’d been studying this stupid bird for about 14 months
the “weather more to [his] liking and the slower pace of the city before I had actually even seen it, but I’d finally been given
[makes it feel as if he] actually ha[s] more time on his hands permission to access a particular area of Kakadu where a
or maybe it just goes slower.” In comparison to other places in significant population had actually been recorded. We’d been
Australia, his favourite aspect of Darwin is how integrated the in this area for a few hours and I went to check an area of
city is with the environment around it. One doesn’t have to stray the floodplain because it looked like pictures I’d seen of their
too far from home to catch a glimpse of the Territory’s wildlife. habitat.”

THE RESEARCH: THE RACE BEFORE IT FLIES AWAY And sure enough, Robin’s hunch based on 14 months of hard
The Alligator River subspecies of the Yellow Chat is research was right, and there were not one but four little Chats.

endangered, and Robin is trying to find out why this is the case. “Seeing them for the first time was quite emotional and a good
As there is a lack of basic knowledge regarding its ecology and its moment. Up until that point it had been difficult to become
current distribution, it is difficult to know whether there are any attached to something I hadn’t seen, and a lot of people were
management strategies we can implement to conserve the species starting to comment [and joke] that I was possibly studying a
in the future. Part of the reason the Chat isn’t well known is that bird that had already become extinct.”
the, “environment in which [they] live in is very challenging for The long journey to his first sighting of the Yellow Chat took
both people and animals”, with high temperatures and the plains a while to sink in, as straight away Robin thought they should
either bone dry, muddy, or completely flooded. Despite this, it start the “surveys and doing all the science stuff.” But after taking
seems that the Chat is a floodplain specialist, as there have been a moment to absorb his achievement, it was great to just enjoy
very few sightings beyond the plains. From what he has seen seeing a “beautiful bird and adding another tick to my Australian
so far, Robin believes that the Chats may be more vulnerable bird sightings.”
as their range is restricted by the use of floodplains for cattle Cara Penton is also a PhD student at CDU studying tree-rats
production in the Northern Territory. But even where flood and possums on Melville Island. She enjoys rollerblading along
plains are protected or unutilised due to the inaccessibility they the foreshore at sunset and climbing trees during work hours
become “ignored or forgotten, which means feral pigs and weeds and her free time. If you are undertaking your PhD here at
have the opportunity to take over the wetlands, which could be CDU and would like to be part of #PhDChat please reach out
making life pretty difficult for the Yellow Chats.” to Flycatcher to celebrate the individual research efforts of our
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS students.

As with all long road trips, there are usually a pothole or two
(especially in the Territory). In the challenging field sites of the

F LYC ATC H E R | 9

HAKUNA MATATA
By Marcus Macdonald

Means no worries… sort of. You have all seen the Lion King. So what was this phrase that Tanzanians appeared only to
Great story (although I will readily admit that I cried utter to tourists as they ripped them off? A Zimbabwean friend
tears of grief and terror when Mufasa was brutally crushed to told me it was ‘Kitchen Swahili,’ a bastardised and ungrammatical
death by a stampede of Wildebeest; bit traumatic for a three version of the language spoken in Kenya. A quick scan of the
year old) and great songs make one of Disney’s finest latter day internet and Google Translate reveals that it roughly translates as
productions. There also some words of Swahili used in the film ‘There is no troubles here’ (although bizarrely ‘matata’ as a stand
that was inspired by the great African savannahs of the Serengeti alone word in Google Translate comes back as ‘dreadful’).
and Masai Mara in Tanzania and Kenya. Rafiki the wise Mandrill
is your friend in the lingua franca of East Africa and Simba is But still nobody says it. I was then informed that the more
simply a lion. But hakuna matata... common phrase was ‘Hamna Shida’ and I started to pick this
out of people’s conversations with my extremely limited Swahili
“I am porter rafiki, hakuna matata hakuna matata. I am (greetings, food and numbers seem to help me get around OK).
porter.” Finally in Arusha, the largest town near the plains of the Serengeti,
a man saw me looking for directions on my bicycle and asked
I have been in Tanzania for almost two months and this is me “You looking for safari? Hakuna Matata rafiki.” I snorted
the first time I had heard this phrase, either from a Tanzanian in derision and told him that was tourist nonsense and that he
to a Tanzanian, or to a tourist. I managed to buy a ticket for the should speak Tanzanian and not Kenyan Swahili. Unsurprisingly,
Zanzibar ferry without any unwanted help, but now after I asked he was not really listening and started vigorously protesting that
where to take my bicycle onto the ferry an unsolicited helper took the Kenyans learnt their Swahili from its birthplace in Tanzania.
my bicycle without asking and there was a feeling of inevitability True, but besides the point, so I just rode off laughing.
about the scene. When we got to the ferry entrance my porter
repeated again “Hakuna Matata” and then asked for 20,000 Still my Tanzanian friends’ attempts to squeeze a few pennies
shillings ($10) for an unnecessary favour. I gave him 3,000 when out of me were not the most egregious abuses of the word. There
2,000 produced a hangdog expression, but I have developed a was a hostel in Malawi called ‘Hakuna Matata’ run by a virulently
deep suspicion that hakuna matata really means gimme gimme. racist South African man. He would openly declare his contempt
and hatred for black Africans and Arabs, while using a phrase
And so it proved to be. On Zanzibar itself I went to see an old from a mixed Bantu-Arab language as an advertising slogan for
Omani mosque that was badly neglected, covered in moss and his business.
badly discoloured and cracked from weather damage. Two men
lounging in an unmarked shack assured me, “Hakuna Matata, So if you are in the area and someone utters the phrase,
we are official hakuna matata, we are official hakuna matata,” put on your cynic’s hat. You can feel smug about your meagre
then charged me over two dollars to see a ruin that nature was language skills and see through the attempts at phoney sincerity
retaking in a country where a meal can cost as little as fifty cents. by someone who wants your shillings. And for your future and
I should have negotiated the price or flat out refused to see this hypothetical thanks, I say hamna shida.
shabby monument, but the cheek of it and the use of this fabled
‘no worries’ just made me laugh. I handed over the cash and Marcus Macdonald is currently riding a push bike across Africa
tried to explain my skepticism for this phrase, but they were not and is sending dispatches from the field.
listening in the slightest.

10 | WE T SE ASON EDITION 2018 ILLUSTRATIONS: NICOLE MACDONALD

24 HOURS IN MY TUM

Have you ever wondered how a person fuels their day if they onions, turmeric, and coconut milk, all served on jasmine
don’t own a pilates studio, eat kale smoothies, or drink rice.
charcoal detoxes? Activated nuts, infrared saunas, meals made 5:00pm The RIEL & Co. Postgraduate Society (RIELCPS)
entirely out of liquids — are we the only ones still eating pasta? Welcome BBQ kicks off and I eat three pieces of carrot with
avocado dip that is really just cream cheese with green food
As exemplified in the Fairfax column, ‘My Day on a Plate,’ dye. I have a handful of popcorn and two sausages in white
we’ve been led to believe that people really do enjoy edible bread with tomato sauce. I wash it down with three mid-
mud and hot yoga three times a day. This is quite obviously a strength beers.
lie. The perfect meals of Instagram so often make us feel that 8:00pm At a dinner party at my friend’s house in Wanguri,
we’re the only ones emptying the bain marie at the cafeteria just we have mushroom burgers with chips. The burgers have
before closing time, scoffing a Snickers in between meetings, or a roast mushie, haloumi, rocket and feta salad, garlic aioli,
accidentally eating only bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. and this green stuff I overhear someone call ‘salsa verde.’ The
chips are roasted potato wedges with rosemary and salt, and
In ‘24 Hours in My Tum,’ we’re leading the resistance against I eat like 150 of them. Easily the best meal I’ve had all week. I
this dangerous trend. Here, we celebrate the real culinary wash it down with another three mid-strength beers.
rhythms and routines of an everyday Darwinian: the second
breakfasts, secret snacks, and Saturday night blowouts at the pub. Not-yet-a-Dr Jennifer Macdonald says:
We hope this column encourages you to own — and enjoy — Top marks for …
your food choices.
Getting out of bed. That snooze alarm can be a real vortex
Student and twitcher, Robin Leppitt, shares 24 hours in his to the lazy student. I am also impressed at your ability to gather
tum. free food from across the university, your friends, and your
housemates. It is good to have a diversity of sources. Keep it up
7:15am Bounce out of bed to take my dog to the park for 30 and you might actually be able to survive on your PhD stipend.
mins.
7:30am Second snooze alarm makes me actually drag myself If you keep eating like this you’ll …
out of bed to take my dog to the park for 20 mins. Run the risk of alerting your housemates to your food
8:00am After eating muesli all week I’m sick of it, so I steal
one of my housemate’s English muffins and, upon realising kleptomania. In my experience, it’s best to stick by the rule: never
we have no Vegemite, fry an egg. Then, because it’s there, I if the pack is sealed, never if it’s the last one. An English muffin is
put some feta in the muffin egg sandwich and it’s actually a risky choice - your housemate might have counted the number
pretty yum. they had left. Did they have a loaf of unsliced bread you could
10:30am Friday Morning Tea sees me throw down 12 have taken instead? Steer clear of discrete items. A slug of milk
Twisties, a microwaved party pie with tomato sauce, and two is always a safe gamble. I once took a housemate’s egg from an
slices of watermelon. obvious dozen and, boy, did I never live that down.
12:30pm I go downstairs to the vending machine for a Coke
Zero. The vending machine eats my coins but I get no Coke. Why don’t you try …
I call the number on the machine and the guy on the end of Convincing RIEL & Co. Postgraduate Society to stock Coke
the line says he can be there in 30 minutes.
1:20pm The guy texts me to say he is at the machine. I go Zero for Friday Fancy so you can flog them from the kitchen
back downstairs and he refunds me my $2.50 and gives me a fridge and save yourself the vending the machine hassle. You
free Coke. You beauty. may never finish your PhD because you’re spending all your time
2:30pm A long meeting sees me eating lunch late, which is waiting for your money back.
the leftovers of a fish curry I made four days earlier. After
Googling how long cooked fish keeps in the fridge, I find out Robin Leppitt is a PhD student at CDU, trying to balance a
they recommend three days. I eat it anyway, and it’s yum. healthy diet with his love for chippies and sleeping in. Jennifer
Made with Queenfish, snow peas, lemongrass, chilli, spring Macdonald is also a PhD student and most certainly not a
nutritionist, so all advice should be disregarded.

IL LUSTRATIONS: TEGAN JACK SON F LYC ATC H E R | 11

THE PARAP WRAP

By Adele Mammone

Oh, in Moil, on my soil
In Tiwi, with my she-we, down by the Dripstone Cliffs

Casuarina, have you seen her?
Larrakeyah, wanna free ya

Parap is so crap, since Bogart’s closed
Bring it back

Through Coconut Grove
Down Dick Ward Drive

Into Fanny Bay
Hear what we say

(bring it back)
Ludmilla, she is my she-la
In Nightcliff, you might riff, of super freaks in Rapid Creek
Used to hang at the Chippo

Now those poor bois
They got nowhere to go

Bring it back
Through Coconut Grove
Down Dick Ward Drive

Into Fanny Bay
Hear what we say
You can keep your Mitchell Street
Give us live and loud, NT artists do us proud
DJ covers aren’t so sweet
Don’t say you’re just eating dinner
Pay a cover charge and be a winner

Bring it back
Through Coconut Grove
Down Dick Ward Drive

Into Fanny Bay
Hear what we say

Bring it back

The Epi(c)phannys (pronounced epic fannys or epiphanies with a silent c) came together when VJ Debbie Does (guitar/vocals) and
Adele AKA The Reach (bass) hooked up in Darwin to make some blues rock punk grunge sounds. The sounds soon became songs
about women, racism and life in the Territory. In 2016, they were joined by the lovely Danielle backing up the vocals, and have been
rockin’ Darwin ever since. The Epi(c)phannys are inspired by Patti Smith, Ruthie Foster and cool chicks making music.

12 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018 ILLUSTRATIONS: TEG AN JACKSON

Darwin Dating
with the Dating Doctor

Send in your dating, sex and relationship questions to:
[email protected]

Dear Dating Doctor, Dear Dating Doctor,
What are the credentials of the Dating Doctor? Is she/he My parents are saying that my wife and I need to have a
suitably qualified? baby soon, but we are not ready. What do you suggest we
… do?
I’m glad you asked. Like you, I value the education and …
credentials that advice-givers hold. And I assure you, I am A lot of my friends are starting to have kids and I was
suitably qualified! I hold a Diploma in Romance, Bachelor getting pressured by my parents to start a family. I’m
of Love with Honours (specialising in foundations of not ready for that and not sure I will be for some time,
relationships and dating), and a PhD in sexual intimacy. so to keep them off my back I got a puppy. It’s the most
beautiful chocolate-brown Labrador. You might want to
Regards, Dating Doctor consider getting a ‘fur-baby’ and when you go away on
holidays make sure that you leave the puppy with your
Dear Dating Doctor, parents so that they get the full responsibilities of being
Are we more prone to genital fungal infections in Darwin’s grandparents. All dat puppy poo and wee in the house
tropical climate? will be a great introduction to their next phase of life as
… grandparents.
We know too well that skin and nail fungal infections
increase as the humidity increases. This is obvious Regards, Dating Doctor
when you walk down the health and beauty aisle at the
supermarket and notice all the foot fungal creams sold Dear Dating Doctor,
out in November. So, what’s the go with genital fungal Where is the best place to get information about LGBTIQ
infections for those living in the tropics? While fungal sexual health in Darwin? Ps: I think I’m trans.
spores live on the skin and parts of the body throughout …
most of the year, it is the increased moisture and heat that There are a range of places in Darwin where you can find
can lead to a higher prevalence in fungal infections. If the out more information on LGBTIQ sexual health – you can
conditions on the body are right for fungal growth, then access some services online, such as OUTNT/Rainbow
spores will proliferate. Increased sweat and dampness, Territory. My top two picks for LGBTIQ sexual health
synthetic clothing and reduced breathability near the are Family Planning Welfare Association of the Northern
groin region could influence genital fungal infections. But Territory, and Northside Health NT – both located in
… a wise scientist once told me to look at the literature, Coconut Grove. Clinic 34 also offers specialist sexual
and so a quick Google Scholar search has revealed 1) a health services, and is free!
lack of research around this topic (cue Masters degree Thank you for sharing that piece of information with
research question!), and 2) that factors other than climate me! It is great that we can open up conversation about
influence the prevalence of genital fungal infections. So, if our identities, whether we fully know what they are or
you are concerned about the dreaded yeast overgrowth in what we think they might be. The Territory community
your hoo-ha or on your ding-dong, then maintain good is slowly becoming more progressive and providing the
self-hygiene, avoid the antibiotics, reduce your sugar necessary support services that people need. I wish you all
intake, use condoms during sex, and go sans underwear the best with coming out!
for maximum air flow and breathability.
Regards, Dating Doctor
Regards, Dating Doctor

F LYC ATC H E R | 13

HAKONE JAPAN - OPEN AIR BATHING AND ART
By Carol Saffer

Tokyo is amazing. Culture shock as a descriptor doesn’t do stool with water from the shower tipping it over my head for the
it justice. In four days on the ground in Tokyo I overdose final rinse.
on cherry blossom, temples, and shrines; jostle with the crowds
in Takeshita Street; lunch in Harajuku on chicken kebab cooked Scrubbed and clean to within an inch of my life I cautiously
by a Kurd from Afghanistan; join five chain smoking Japanese tread the wet stone tiles to the edge of the hot springs pool and
businessmen drinking sake in an izakaya just off Sunshine gently lower myself into warm bliss. No splashing, no swimming,
Street in Ikebukuro; eat chicken gizzards and ‘parsons nose’ at simply lazy suspension in calm almost hot water in the open air.
a tachinomi (standing only bar) and gaze at the ‘school girls’ in When I tire of lolling around in the water, I lightly splash water
costume in Akihabara. on the stone edge, gently easing myself out of the pool onto the
stones, mimicking the actions of the Japanese women in the bath.
On the fifth day respite was urgently needed. The train south
west from Tokyo to Odawara takes under two hours. A further The crisp mountain air on my warm body is refreshing.
45-minute bus ride around Mount Asama to the shores of Lake Once I cool down, again I follow suit and slip back into the
Ashinoko, drops me in Hakone. It was worth the journey. Water, warm waters. Repeat as many times as I like. Rinse once more
forests, clean air, and almost empty streets were a balm for my on the little stool before heading to the dressing room. Towels,
soul. hair dryer, and body lotion are available for use after the onsen.
However, I still have to wrap myself in the yukata and obi to do
Hakone is renowned for its ryokan, traditional the soft shoe shuffle back across the lobby.
accommodation with tatami rooms, and onsen - hot springs
open air bathing. I was taking my first stab at sleeping on the Bathing is effectively available 24 hours a day. My room does
floor and communal bathing. not have an ensuite. Early next morning instead of a shower in
the privacy of my own bathroom I return to the onsen. This time
The yukata robe is gold brocade. The obi (sash) red, stiff, and I bath inside. No sitting on rocks in the chill morning air. It was
rather long. One size fits all. Wraps around two or three times on simply a case of a speedy scrupulous scrub on the stool, quick
the petite Japanese women, maybe just once on my voluptuous plunge into the hot spring waters then good to go.
body. The scuffs a perfect fit if your shoe size is no larger than a
six. A coffee from the ubiquitous vending machine before
jumping into the white lace antimacassar-adorned taxi for the
Naked underneath, clutching the obi tightly my shuffle to the drive to the Hakone Open Air Museum - an eclectic collection of
lift then across the lobby to the onsen was embarrassing to say massive sculptures and art work, including over 20 Henri Moore
the least. Unfortunately for me the lobby is a very popular place pieces, set on seven hectares of undulating mountain side.
due to the availability of free wi-fi. I pray the red haired long-
legged woman and the family of three Germans won’t look up While open air bathing is available almost everywhere in
from their phones. I keep my head down trying to be invisible Hakone weirdly at the Museum I could bathe my feet in a curved
as possible while making sure I choose the women’s door behind concrete trench, pebble lined bottom, bubbling with natural hot
the red flag. spring water. Sitting under an umbrella with my legs dangling in
water bobbing with citrus fruit, was too bizarre for me. I left that
My lobby walk was a mere moment of mortification, when to the tourists. I was here on my last day to admire the artwork,
after stowing the slippers and dropping the yukata, I enter the study the sculptures, then head to Narita for my flight home.
onsen to sit on a stool not much bigger than Miss Muffet’s tuffet.
On a shelf in front of me are large pump action bottles of body Carol Saffer is an award-winning freelance journalist who loves
wash, shampoo, and conditioner. A shower attachment on a hose a deadline and harbours a life-long obsession to write for The
allows me to sit on the stool, lather up thoroughly with the body Economist. She is a CDU Alumni.
wash, rinse and repeat continuously, ensuring I don’t miss any Photo credit: Carol Saffer
bodily nooks and crannies. I fill a small bucket placed by the Photo caption: The gardens of Narita-san Shinsho-ji temple

14 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

IMPRESSIONS OF DILI

By Joanne Forrest

Flying close to the ocean edge
Seemingly hovering like a bird

On a wing before landing
Undulating ribs rise from Dili
Scarcely blanketed in foliage

Stripped and bare
Slow rebirthing yet again

Furrows blurred
Lines demarked
A turbulent story
Of fight and suffering and strength and resistance
Resilience persists perpetuates
A future and a present
With eternal spirit
Determination and force of will
Now… what to do about Burger King

Currently Batchelor Institute lecturer for the Preparation for Tertiary Success course and CDU student, Joanne
Forrest is embracing her lived experiences to shape her studies and constantly improve her practice. Travel and
stories open up worlds we nudge against but often can't quite realise until we're invited to step into them. These

experiences continually imprint on our way of knowing, being and doing as we navigate a unique path.

ILLUSTR ATIONS: TEG AN JACKSON F LYC ATC H E R | 1 5

DOWNPOUR
By Julia Gomes

The raindrops trace a line down the window I stand behind.
The sheer number of droplets creates an almost portrait with the windowpane as the frame.

It’s sprinkling, I think, with my palm against the window-glass.
There’s a ruffle of curtains behind me and I turn,
Catching sight of the window that I had left open.
Quickly, quickly, I need to shut it.
Click.
The window is closed,

And the sprinkling raindrops outside start to sprinkle a little faster;
A little harder.

Now it’s a shower,
And the pitter-patter of the droplets are building as a wondrous crescendo

To the masterpiece outside that is nature’s symphony.
One step… Two step…

I tentatively step towards the front door as the shower of raindrops turns my vision white.
It’s really beginning to rain hard isn’t it…? I ask nobody in particular.
The downpour is deafening now,

And somewhere in the distance a crash of thunder accompanies the howl of the wind.
Nature’s symphony…

The click that signals the unlocking of the front door echoes throughout the house,
And then I was stepping out.
The wind claws at my hair,
It tears at my clothes,

While the raindrops relentlessly pelt down upon my skin.
I try to speak but my voice is drowned out by the rain,
By the wind,

By the crash of thunder that now sounds closer than before.
Didn’t they say there was a cyclone warning in place?
I should go back inside…
But the beautiful chaos

And the beautiful orchestra of sound has me chained to this wet earth beneath me.
A streak of lightning sharply flies through the darkened skies above me as
Nature continues its merciless assault on my body.
How insignificant I must be amidst all of this wind, thunder and rain.
I can’t help but smile.
Drown me,
Please drown me.
Take me away from this place.
I lose myself.
Isn’t it so beautiful how the seduction of nature’s symphony,
Makes one lose themselves?

Julia Gomes is an avid reader and writer, naively hoping for her works to be read by millions. As she is studying a Bachelor of
Medical Laboratory Science, she believes the course to be a pleasant stepping stone to help fund her big dreams.

16 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

CDU CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

THE NEPALESE STUDENT ASSOCIATION IS IN-AMONG THE CDU CLUBS
By Manoj Bhatta

नमस्ते सबैलाई, सन्चै हनु ुहुनछ्
Namaste sabailai, Sanchai Hunuhunchha?

Hi everyone, how you doing?

When we noticed that Charles Darwin University includes petal is the crescent moon and in the middle of the blue petal is
international students from over 55 countries and among the sun. The petals combined represent the one and only non-
them a significant number from Nepal, we realised there was a quadrilateral flag in the world, the Nepalese national flag.
need for a club committed to CDU Nepalese student support
and welfare. In pursuit of attending to this need, we students For now, we are a committee of 4 members which will
came together and formed the student club, named the “Charles soon be a full 9-11 membered committee, inclusive from every
Darwin University Nepalese Student Association”. College / School at CDU. Our purpose for establishment of the
NSA is not limited to supporting in-need students, but also to
To unite the Nepalese overseas students and help those to actively participate in community services outside the university.
better experience their study within CDU, there was always We believe we are capable of dealing with any difficulties on our
need of a strong team which could give voice to the students way to success and hope for the best.
and help them in every aspect of their university experience.
Included in the agenda of the NSA is to run information sessions Our sincere thanks go to the Non-Resident Nepali Association
about Darwin and the Australian lifestyle, accommodation, job (NRNA) of the Northern Territory and Student Support, CDU
searching, information and regular updates on the DOs and DO for helping us to come up with this innovative idea for a club and
NOTs in Australia, serve as a support hub for Nepalese students their assistance in shaping the club in the beginning.
in the NT, provide a networking opportunity for students, and
increase student participation in diverse events and opportunities If you’d like to find out more information about the NSA
within and outside the university. or if you’d like to join the team and come along to our events,
go to https://www.facebook.com/CDU-Nepalese-Student-
Firoj Rana, a Nepalese community member in the NT, Association-110459926462757/ for recent updates.
designed our unique logo, which represents a garden with
much floral diversity. The picture is of a flower called ‘CDU: an धनय् वाद
open book’. The flower has petals, or pages, because it is also an Dhannebad!
open book. The book consists of a lot of pages, or petals, which Thank you!
represent all the students of CDU globally, studying at different
levels in various faculties across the University. The two petals Manoj Bhatta, NSA member
in the middle, the blue and the crimson red petals, represent
Nepalese students. These are in the shape of a pennon, which is This section of Flycatcher is intended to raise awareness about
a small, narrow flag, forked at the end. The crimson red petal is all the wonderful clubs and societies at CDU. If you run a
the colour of the Rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal, club or society and would like it profiled in the next edition of
and the blue petal symbolises peace. In the middle of the red Flycatcher, please email [email protected].

F LYC ATC H E R | 1 7

COFFIN IN THE HILLTOPS
By Samantha Smith

Dear: Grandfather, in the hills you lay Dear: Grandfather, they all greed for wealth,
drifting further from the living day by day. not too good for a poor boy’s health.
Aunty Donna no longer, his uncle’s lie
Who will live on? Your legacy to show
whomever it be, your fortune bestow. gone with one stab, now more goodbyes
A great many riches, from land to gold, A whole new funeral over nothing but money,
now to wither; like the master, so cold. betrayed by the one she used called “honey”.
Aunties and uncles, threats have begun Now, again, the boy dressed in dreary black.
screams do erupt from mothers to sons. Crying and wondering why she will never be back.
“No, tis’ mine” They growl on all night
your poor grandson scared by the fight. She too, now lies quietly under the hill,
In a brown wooden box, the lining befrilled.
Poor little boy; too young to know
what his grandfather is doing from the ground below Under the hill, the peace does not waver.
Finally no fights, the only dead favour.
a family feud over nothing but greed By your side, your first child does lay
the curling vines of hate, like ire weeds. more to come as the time fades away.

Dear: Grandfather, the world seems a mix. Dear: Grandfather, how do you rest?
Family, sneaking and playing dirty tricks In your eternal sleep, your soul is blessed.
How calm it must be in a land of no worry
since you left with no warning
the era of hate be slowly dawning. no doubt or fear; euphoria a flurry,
Ask Cousin Maria I’m sure she’ll agree Not like here. A world of corruption,
locked away and they threw out the key. your soothing slumber with no interruption.
How scared she must be alone in the ground Such a lucky man in your quiet wooden box,
nothing but dirt and debris all around.
Hidden in the forest for the worms to take, never to see the world of our fox.
betrayed by a sneaking, dirty snake. Such calm from death, your mind set free.
Family she is but by family she dies
buried far away were howls of cries No screams to hear no blood to see.
but the feud goes on, despite her gone. Doesn’t it all seem much fitter
a cross on the hill for her memory to live on.
than this hurtful world of stinging bitter?
Life: a perfect fabrication.

Take the ‘F’ and it becomes a simple prevarication.

18 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

Dear: Grandfather, again the bells ring Dear: Grandfather, the boy does cry
and the howling sound of the grieving sing. when he is left alone to stare at the gleaming sky.

Another gone to lie at your side, In the lonely garden he sits
the ground above them set stratified as his loved ones fight and betray their wits.
however, this funeral, not a single but a triple. Nothing but anger; towards him, what did he do?
The people’s murderous tendencies ripple.
Now with fewer, the fortune cuts, bigger, His small body hurt by his father’s rue.
your fortune condemned to greedy gold diggers. Pain, pain, a bad haunting pain,
They, do not care, for the worth of loved one’s
proven, when the boy’s father, polished his guns. he shows no one for it be a shame.
The poor lady he once called his wife What would they do if they found his skin?
stepped in his way, now away with her life. Turned black and his body brought to sin.
Your poor grandson, alone he will cry
his family slowly wither away and die. Poor, poor boy, your grandson be
but alone in garden, his mind set free.
Dear: Grandfather, what a lovely garden. Happy feelings return after what feels like so long
In its perfect presences all is pardoned. sent back to a time before everything went wrong.

A charming aroma of serene purity Dear: Grandfather, your son is a sinful man.
and there sits the boy in his bubble of security. Shining bullets of silver, as his siblings ran.
Most of your children killed by his greed,
Seen by the others in the cool morning dew, their bullet wounds burn, from the ground with need.
the boy remains silently under the blue. Revenge at work, a conniving curse from the dead
Hair a mess and eyes a puffy red if your fortune he wants, the true treasure he must shed.
his cloudy tears held back by a thread. The man turned crazy by the fuel of gold,
his love for his son turned bitter and cold.
The boy remembers a time when all was well, The little boy, he must kill but on the inside he weeps
with his mother in the garden but he is now in hell. strikes on the boy are memories he will keep.

Poor, poor soul be this little boy, “Please no more!” is what the boy said
in our dark world with no more joy. a pure golden scream then from the stomach he bled.
Alone he sits with no one to care,
what has happened to him , dulls his flare. And as his innocent red blood, drops,
another coffin does lay in the hilltops.

Samantha Smith is a first year law student at CDU. She loves academics; however, has always
craved a more artistic nature. She loves to write and is an aspiring author and poet.

F LYC ATC H E R | 1 9

MAYSE'S CORNER

Mayse’s Corner is a supportive and inspiring
space for women to discuss issues

related to women and modern feminism,
and a place to explore what it means to be a

woman in the 21st century.

ILLUSTRATIONS: TEG AN JACKSON

MAYSE'S CORNER

DIVISION OF LABOUR IN THE HOME AND PRACTICAL STEPS TOWARDS
HOUSEWORK EQUALITY – A BEGINNER’S GUIDE.

By Heather Holt

Warning: this article contains generalisations. Some men are brilliant housekeepers. Some women are dreadful
slobs. In this article, I’ve tried to put together some useful advice, based on my own learnings and from gleaning
information from friends and family. My apologies in advance if these generalisations come across as thoughtless,

culturally insensitive, or hetero-normative.

The patriarchy exists. We are dealing with the fallout of has a right to equal leisure time?
centuries of inequality and oppression and somehow in 2018
in a western democracy, housework is STILL a major sticking Practical Step Four: Do Not Play or Assign the Role of
point for lots of couples and women do, on average, twice the Housework Consultant
amount of unpaid domestic work than men. Know this, my
children, (and especially my children from culturally diverse If one member of a couple is housework-challenged, (possibly
backgrounds): women are not innately ‘better at’ housework through strategic incompetence) THEY should be the ones who
than men. Men are perfectly capable of taking responsibility buy a book, look up a website, outsource their worst jobs to a
for their share of the grunt work of daily life. Most of them are cleaner, or call someone (else) for advice. Constantly asking
just socialised to believe that they don’t have to. If you want to the other for advice about cleaning is the same as absolving
read more about this issue, the classic text is Wifework by Susan responsibility for cleaning, and ‘not knowing how’ is only an
Maushart. excuse for 0.78 seconds until the Google result for ‘how to get
wine out of upholstery’ comes back with its 1,120,000 hits.
Cohabiting with someone involves you and that someone
fitting your daily lives and your stuff together. This inevitably Practical Step Five: Language Matters
creates mess. When you first move in together, you’re probably Men should not ‘help out’ with housework. That phrasing
mostly OK with the mess. The daily, boring tasks of cooking,
tidying, washing, can take on a new, cosy significance when you implies that housework is a woman’s role and that men might
do them with your sweetheart. Out of the love-haze, the mess magnanimously do a bit of it in order to be kind or score some
doesn’t look so bad, and because you are both showing-off a bit, brownie-points. No. They are participating in their fair share of
you will probably pull together fairly happily. Gradually, though, life’s grunt work. And he is not doing the dishes ‘for you’ either.
as the novelty wears off couples will fall into their patterns of
learned behaviour and that’s where the trouble can begin. Practical Step Six: Acknowledge That This Can Be A Deal
Practical Step One: Do Not Play House Breaker

It’s important to begin as you mean to go on. Do not think Housework incompatibility is a good enough reason to split
it’s cute or even particularly caring to make up for a partner’s up with a partner. Don’t feel like it’s frivolous or inconsequential.
domestic shortcomings. Play the long game and don’t look back Daily shared living goes on a lot longer than the early-relationship
and regret a choice you made to iron his underpants once twenty bliss-cocoon and resentment is poison. Ideally, BEFORE you
years ago, in an attempt to be a domestic goddess or some crap move in with someone you have gauged whether you have similar
like that. standards of hygiene, and if your beau’s share house bedroom
looks like a rubbish tip maybe reconsider the relationship’s long-
term potential.

Practical Step Two: Mutually Recognise the Innate Crapness Practical Step Seven: Understand That Babies Wreck
of Housework Everything

Household tasks are boring. They are repetitive. Some are Having kids changes relationships and unfortunately the
disgusting. This can be a good opportunity to examine your female sex’s sole possession of working mammaries casts us in
own preferences and find easy solutions. Example: if your live- the role of primary carers in a majority of cases and that often
in partner hates to cook and you love it, it would be unkind and means time at home and an increase in domestic duties. So if
probably gastronomically-distressing to insist on a 50/50 split of you’re embarking on a relationship that you think might be
that particular task. the start of a family, deeply consider your potential co-parent’s
housework habits and attitudes. Let their actions guide you, not
Practical Step Three: Mutually Agree on Bare Minimum their words.
Standards
Good luck to those navigating the early stages of relationships
People do have genuinely different standards for what is and remember that the privileged don’t tend to wake up one
‘clean,’ ‘liveable,’ or ‘organised.’ The beginning of a cohabiting day and surrender their privilege. Men benefit from the current
partnership is the ideal time to discuss these, along with other unequal situation so it will be up to women to change things.
significant questions which can lead to important discussions and
agreements: Who did the lion’s share of the housework in your Heather Holt is a CDU Alumni who writes freelance (call her!
family of origin? When you go to visit a couple and the house She’s great at job applications!) and works in the public service.
is untidy, to which member of the couple do you automatically She also parents a small whirlwind, coaches horse riding, and
assign the blame? Do you feel that each member of the household sings a lot.

F LYC ATC H E R | 2 1

THOSE PINE TREES ACROSS THE STREET
By Lewis Woolston

Hush yourself little one, Dad’s got you now, there you go, cuddle up to Dad. You make a lot of noise for
such a little baby, don’t you now?
What’s the time? Where’s my phone? It’s just gone six thirty in the morning. Well I suppose I’m getting up
early now, aren’t I little one? Your mother and me used to sleep in till ten every Sunday, that’s out the window
now isn’t it, Chook?

C’mon, we’ll get your bottle and we’ll sit out on the front porch and let Mum get a bit of sleep. See that sun
just coming up? See the way the dawn light hits those pine trees across the street? That’s a beautiful morning,
almost worth getting woken up for.

I’ve always loved those big Norfolk Island Pines there across the road. I hope the council never does
something stupid like cut them down. Trees like that are a public good in my opinion.

You finished your sooking, little one? Here, have your bottle, you’re lucky you know, you nearly grew up
out in the desert where there are no Norfolk Island Pines. Did I ever tell you the story about how me and your
Mum met up? No, well since you’ve woken me up and I have nothing better to do while you have your bottle
and I watch the dawn rise, I suppose I can tell you the story.

A long time ago, little one, I used to be a bit of a drifter. I travelled around the country working in all sorts
of odd places. Mining camps, roadhouses, cattle stations, I’ve done them all, Chook. Free as a bird I was. I’d do
a job for six months or a year and then I’d wander off to the next one. Not a care in the world.

Some of those places, little one, my word they were rough, not a place for a little one like you, that’s for
sure. I remember this one place, a mining camp up in the NT, we had a mouse plague because of all the rain
we had that year. Of course, in the bush nothing happens in isolation; when the mice reached huge numbers,
the snakes followed. Found a metre and a half long Taipan in my bed one morning. I’ve never moved that fast
before or since.

I worked up in the Kimberley for a while, Chook, on a prawn trawler out of Wyndham, hard work, but
the things I saw, little one! Crocodiles, sharks, Barramundi the size of a full-grown man with flesh that melted
like butter when you cooked it. When you get off the bottle and onto solid food I’ll get you to try Barramundi,
not the crap they serve down here, which is probably not even real Barra. We’ll do a family trip up to the
Kimberley one day and get some out of the river. Nothing like it, little one.

Wasn’t all good times, Chook, nothing ever is. You won’t realise this until you get older, but you can
actually die from loneliness, and even if you don’t die from it, it can make you strange. That’s the thing about
that sort of life, you’re free, but nobody is there for you when it counts. I’ll tell you something for nothing,
little one, if I hadn’t met your Mother I reckon I’d have gone proper strange permanently. I’ve seen it happen to
other men. It was only meeting your Mother that saved me from that fate, I reckon.

Finished your bottle, have you? God, you’re getting big now, just hoovering down your food, aren’t you?
You’ll be walking before I know it. Here, sit on my lap, little one, and watch the sun come up over those pine
trees across the street. See if that magpie is going to give us a morning call.

I remember when I met your Mother, she said hello in her Dutch accent and I was sold on her there and
then. You know I kissed her for the very first time on a morning just like this, little one? We were both working
at a little roadhouse near Tennant Creek; she was a backpacker and I was just a drifter. We’d been up all night
with the other staff having too much to drink and just as the sun was coming up we kissed for the first time.
No Norfolk Island Pines up there though, just the red dust and scrub.

Six months later we came down south to Port Lincoln. A month later she was pregnant with you, and a
month after that we were married. I’ll no doubt tell you that story again when you’re older, more than once
probably, but it’s a good story. It does me good to remember how close I came to being lost out there forever. It
makes me appreciate what I have now. You, my little Chook, and your Mum; I’m a lucky man when it’s all said
and done. I could have very easily spent the rest of my life drifting, another lost soul out in the bush. There’s
plenty of them. Instead, I got to have this little family in this little house, across the street from these big old
Norfolk Island Pines.

C’mon now, Chook, I reckon your nappy needs changing and I think I can hear your Mum up and about.
Let’s get her a cuppa and get you sorted. Those pines will still be there tomorrow.

Lewis Woolston grew up in a small beach bum town in Western Australia. When he left he travelled
around Australia living in several cities as well as spending long periods in the bush. He worked at remote
roadhouses on the Nullarbor and in the NT for years before settling down in Alice Springs with his wife and
newborn daughter.

22 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018 ILLUSTRATIONS: TEG AN JACKSON

INTELLIGENCE, BY DESIGN
By Jeremy Garnett

Part 1 “So. A pre-mythic or post-nuclear event in a status-centric
culture?”
“Are they performing as expected?”
“I almost can’t believe it. Yes. It goes beyond all logic.” “Essentially, yes; and before you ask, I checked for
“And they have one belief? Or many?” intrusions and infections. But the individual had already
“Many, without a doubt. Some of them even worship expired by the time I realised its significance. A conflicting
plants.” culture had sacrificed it to a plant, which makes me think
“Actually, that’s quite common. But we never tell the it was pre-mythic rather than post-nuclear. It was a crafter
students till they’ve seen it for themselves. Like you said; of wood, which is just too logical to be a coincidence. It rose
completely illogical. It beggars belief.” from the grave, too, which fits much better within a pre-
“Really? Well I can certainly understand why not. But, mythic framework.”
apart from that, pretty much everything matches the case
studies from the textbook. Couple of things, though.” “That does certainly sound pre-mythic. I’ll recommend
“Hmm?” the technicians examine your system, though it sounds more
“I’m having trouble with part of the write-up. I mean, like a glitch than an infection or intrusion.”
there’s distinct geographical distinctions, as expected, and
a linear shift with time; but in one area, a polytheistic belief “Really? Even with the sacrifice of a woodworker to a
appears to have melded with a monotheistic belief creating plant?”
its own offshoot and spawning a whole bunch of splinters.”
“That’s not all that odd. Did you check Appendix 5-49.6?” “That’s the basis of my thought. Such an event would
“Of course. I wrote up that much, but this particular sit entirely within the framework of a pre-mythic scenario.
offshoot had a resurgence, then went and invaded most If the issue was the result of a malicious action, the events
of the planet. Not just that lot, either. It’s been 1800 solar wouldn’t sit so perfectly within the parameters of the pre-
revolutions and the original offshoot is still splintering, and mythic scenario.”
so are many of the splinters. I can’t keep up.”
“You’ve made sure to read all the stats before proceeding “Oh.”
with each revolution?” “What subject did you work on prior to this one?”
“Of course. Um, well, I kind of forgot to, after the end-of- “Observed Interactions of the Impossible with the
semester celebrations.” Possible.”
“Ha. I’m not surprised. I’m not so old that I don’t “Really? That’s a fistful. What eras did it focus on?”
remember the parties. Well, no harm done, I’m sure.” “The pre... Oh! The pre-mythic belief systems.”
“No.” “I thought so. So your issue is likely a mistimed event
“Hm?” from that scenario. Unfortunately, it does sometimes occur.
“No. Not no harm done. That’s when this whole mess Did you use that scenario as a basis for this one?”
started. And I don’t have a blow-by-blow record of it!” “I did. That’s what the textbook says to do.”
“Ah.” “So it does. Unwisely, in my opinion, but no one listens to
“I’m going to lose marks, aren’t I?” a lowly tutor such as l.”
“I assume you’ve recorded your mishap, and haven’t “Lowly tutor? But; sir?”
missed a revolution since?” “What did I say?”
“Um. I think. Yes...” “Sorry.”
“Then I’ll write it up it so you don’t. From what I’ve “Observed Interactions of the Impossible with the
observed, you’re normally quite diligent and have studied Possible. Seriously? It was called Myths & Legends, in my
hard to reach this level. I don’t think an unanticipated day.”
behavioural evolution should affect your record.” “Really? Politically correct bureaucrats!”
“Thank you, sir.” “Ha. You’re much too cynical for someone your age.”
“None of that. I’m a student myself. Give it a few years “Maybe. Do I need to restart the scenario?”
and you’ll be a good addition to the tutoring staff.” “What did I just say? No. The professor is interested in
“If you say so.” oddball scenarios like yours. He thinks they teach us more
“I do.” about social theory than our psychological division.”
“Well, thanks. I think. But what should I do now?” “But... But, we’re an actual species?”
“You can piece together a record from their records. They “Nevertheless. I’ll talk with him and then we’ll set up
do keep records, surely?” viewing privileges.”
“Yes. Um. Sort of. But their records are fanciful at best. “Ah.”
Apparently, this individual did a whole lot of altruistic, and “Yes, ah. You’ll have to be extra attentive from now on.“
frankly impossible stuff; at least for a pre-nuclear culture. “Well, alright. So long as I don’t have to start again.”
Walking on water, healing the dead and dying, matter “Was there anything else?”
transformation. Stuff like that.” “Not really. They’ve just discovered evolution, so the logic
threshold shouldn’t be too far off.”
“And well deserved, from the sound of things. Well then;
bring me your write-up of the offshoot splinter explosion,
and the glitch, and I’ll go over it with you. Otherwise, I’ll see
you in the next class.”

F LYC ATC H E R | 23

Part 2 cultures can survive closer to the threshold than the standard
case studies suggest.”
“So you’re back again?”
“Yes.” “So what’s the problem?”
“Something else has happened, hasn’t it?” “Do you remember that offshoot group that splintered?”
“Didn’t the professor tell you?” “I do. Is it still doing so?”
“No. But I wouldn’t expect him to. He’s got these grand “Yes, but that’s not the point. One of the splinter groups
theories on the relationships between initiative and has started to posit my existence.”
intelligence. Says its good for the brain.” “You? Well that’s normal. The majority of scenarios have
“But we don’t have brains.” at least one deity, if not more, that resemble their creator.
“You know that, and I know that. But between you and Has not yours already had such?”
me, I sometimes think the professor has spent too much time “Oh, of course. It‘s had many. But this group is different.
observing the scenarios.” It’s theorising my purpose.”
“Oh. I guess I can understand that.” “Your purpose? What deity has a purpose beyond
“Really?” protecting the faithful and punishing the unfaithful.”
“They do such unexpected things.” “This one! Me! They’re calling me their intelligent
“I swear, that really stretches the bounds of coincidence, designer.”
both of you expecting oddities, and then they happen.” “Oh. That’s...”
“Um...” “Scary. I know, right.”
“What? Did I say something odd? You suddenly smell “And what do they say your purpose is? Do they know it’s
afraid.” to study them?”
“Is it coincidence?” ‘No. Not that. But they say that everything has been
“That’s an answer he would give. You’re freaking me out. designed. And they’ve suborned evolution.”
Right, let me have it. What has happened now?” “They’ve done what!?”
“They’ve known about evolution for 200 sun rotations, “They’ve taken the principles of evolution, and claim it’s
but still doubt its accuracy.” the design of a higher intelligence. Their deity.”
“That is rather slow, but still within reasonable probability. “That’s...”
Go on.” “Logical. It gets worse.”
“They entered the nuclear era without even hinting at “How? How could it possibly?”
crossing the Logic Threshold.” “They say their planet was created 4000 sun rotations
“Again, not totally unexpected. I know of one scenario ago, and that the giant remains were planted to confuse the
that reached the plasma era.” faithful and tempt the unfaithful.”
“Did they cross the threshold?” “How long has your scenario been running?”
“There was growing speculation that they would, but “For this subject, roughly 3000 rotations, but...”
they self-immolated first.” “But, as per the instructions in the textbook, you started
“Oh.” this scenario using the pre-mythic base from your last
“Don’t worry. You won’t lose marks if that happens to subject.”
your scenario.” “Yes.”
“It’s not that. It has almost happened a couple of times, “I’m scared to ask. What subject preceded that one?”
but I looked at a few of the original sources, and the nuclear “Studies in the Viability of Sub-Thermal Blood.”
“These names. I swear. Let me guess. Large-boned, pre-

24 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

mammaloid...” “Honestly, sir, I’m not sure I’d care if there were.”
“And the textbook told me to build on the existing “I quite understand. But considering the possibility
you’ve yet to verbalise, I think — and I’m sure the professor
framework.” will agree with me — that we would be very stupid to punish
“Huh. Well, as far as I’m aware, this is the only instance you.”
“Um, well, yes. I think you’re probably right. So. I, um,
of such an occurrence. The professor will be so pleased. You think that an intelligent designer, perhaps even our own, as
have a bright future ahead of you.” unbelievable as that is to suggest, is making contact.
“Yes. That does seem rather likely.”
“But, it’s a glitch.” “How? How can you seem so calm?”
“Don’t let the professor hear you say that.” “Oh. Don’t mistake my manner for calmness. You are my
“Um...” student, just as I am a student of others. The professor will
“But it’s evident this prospect doesn’t please you. Why? get to see me freak out, I assure you. Not you.”
What am I missing?” “Oh. Thank you.”
“You’re the tutor, sir! Think!” “You’re welcome. What do you plan on doing now?”
“Just this once, I’ll ignore that. And I don’t think you “Um. I thought I might take some leave. Go home and see
actually meant ‘sir’. So, assuming I am what you didn’t say, my parent.”
explain it to me.” “That sounds like a wise idea. Stress leave won’t affect
“Think! Through a series of inexplicable occurrences, your grade. We can pause the scenario.”
which could possibly be explained by a glitch in my framework, “Why? I mean, you... It’s not mine anymore.”
the active scenario became aware of my existence.” “Oh, no, don’t think I’ll take it over. If contact is being
“Hm. I think I see where you’re heading. Malicious made, it was made with you. Neither I, the professor, or the
interference. Go on.” scientific community, once they’ve considered it, will want to
“Not quite, and I checked. Again! Evolution is the key go anywhere near it.”
ingredient of this scenario. Though a successful outcome “Oh. Ah. But what if...?”
usually requires the scenario to pass the Logic Threshold, “If an intelligent designer has truly made contact, then I
without the underlying evolution framework, this would be am mostly certain they will allow you your stress leave.
impossible.” Consider the implications.”
“Not entirely impossible, but that will be covered in a “Implications? I hadn’t... Oh!”
more advanced subject.” “Yes. If we, who intelligently design, have an intelligent
“To the best of my prior knowledge, then. So, by combining designer, who knows how far it goes.”
their own evolution with the structure of their belief system “I don’t know why, but somehow, that makes it less scary.”
and logically extrapolating, the uncannily accurate descriptor “It does, doesn’t it. Now go. I’ll send you the code to pause
of ‘intelligent designer’ replaces the more traditional deity. A the scenario. Please pass my greetings on to your parent.”
deity that only exists because of the aforementioned glitch.”
“Ah.” A creative imaginist; Jeremy Garnett's poetical adventures
“So far, they’re wrong about the purpose of the intelligent of high renown are burgeoning, spilling over the nascent
design, but how long can that last?” boundary of the Slumbering Veil.
“From what you’ve alluded to, not long. But, please, let me www.jeremygarnett.com
hear you say it.”
“I fear to. I haven’t verbalised it to anyone. Not even
myself.”
“There will be no repercussions. I promise you.”

F LYC ATC H E R | 25

ENVIRO COLLECTIVE

SUPPORTING THRIVING NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS

WEED MANAGEMENT AT CDU CASUARINA CAMPUS
By Bryan Baker

Students, staff and the general public passing through University Masterplan that proposed to clear it all for a view of
Casuarina campus may have noticed some big changes with the sea! Richard’s report is now an important historic marker
landscaping in the last few months along the large stormwater showing what plants and animals occurred on campus back
drain between the sporting ovals and University Drive South. then. For example he recorded agile wallabies, which have now
This work is actually important weed removal of the invasive disappeared from campus.
Coffee Bush (Leucaena leucocephala) and revegetation of native
trees and shrubs. Coffee Bush easily invades and displaces native To the credit of CDU FM, they not only took on the
vegetation which support the biodiversity that is a treasured part responsibility of dealing with declared weeds in the native
of our Darwin tropical lifestyle. vegetation, they also included all campus landscaped areas and
weeds of environmental significance (i.e. species they are not
What is probably less noticeable is the extensive amount obliged to control). To achieve this, they engaged a consultant to
of weed control that has occurred in the large area of native prepare a draft weed management plan and survey the campus in
vegetation on the western side of campus (the area nearest late 2017 and commenced controlling invasive grasses and coffee
Casuarina beach), which has mainly been control of highly bush over the Wet Season. To date, 10 declared weed species
invasive Gamba Grass (Andropogon gayanus) and Mission have been detected during surveys and about half of Casuarina
Grasses (Cenchrus spp.). Not only do these displace biodiversity, campus has had weed removal or control. The revegetation that
they also create a fire hazard. has started to take effect near the stormwater drain has been
donated by Greening Australia.
The Enviro Collective and the Conservation on Campus
groups played a large role in advocating to CDU Facilities In looking to the future we hope that the weed management
Management (FM) to be proactive in the conservation and plan will allow CDU FM to budget for annual monitoring and
maintenance of the native vegetation on campus, which is not control as these regenerated areas become an important feature
just for the amazing wildlife that occurs there, but it is also an of life, work, and play around campus.
area used extensively for ecological and botanical research and
teaching, as well as community education. Bryan Baker has been coming to the Casuarina campus for the
past 25 years. He learnt a great deal about Top End flora using
Indeed, this is not the first time staff and students have the native vegetation on campus as an undergraduate student,
advocated for the protection of this native vegetation. In 1992, and has spent the past 20 years working in natural resource
Science Faculty lecturer Dr Richard Noske and his students management in the NT. In this time he has seen a lot of threats
surveyed the remnant vegetation on behalf of the then Vice to biodiversity emerge and hopes that CDU can be a responsible
Chancellor Malcolm Nairn to demonstrate its value and support environmental steward.
its retention. This was in response to the release of the 1992

26 | WE T SE ASON EDITION 2018 ILLUSTRATIONS: CARA ELLEN PENTON

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE - REHABILITATING DARWIN’S WILDLIFE
By Hanna Markones

When someone asks to visit her during the wet season, final release. They are then free to roam the sanctuary or enter
Nina just laughs: “Come back in a few months’ time!” Life Litchfield National Park, but always have the option of returning
out at Litchfield Park, in the middle of the wet, is hard. Once, for one feed per day. In a scene that is as dramatic as the bush will
Nina had to be evacuated via helicopter — luckily her son is a let you be, Nina calls the macropods with a resounding, “Come
pilot! — when the water level was approaching her doorstep. on, roos!” On a good day, more than 250 macropods will heed
In the last heavy monsoon, she lost two of her wallaby joeys — her call and hop towards their dinner table — a several metre
one drowned, another one was fatally hit by a dropped branch long trough — for a feed.
knocked loose by the heavy winds.
With her diurnal visitors fed and watered, the afternoon rings
Nina’s driveway is 8 km long. There is a small creek to cross, in Nina’s busiest time, with a lot of food to cut up for her nocturnal
with a makeshift bridge, and sometimes a 4-metre crocodile residents, such as the possums and sugar gliders. Many kilos of
lurking underneath. The heavy rains of the wet can make the fruit and vegetables get chopped up before being distributed
creek swell and flood the bridge in record time, and the remaining in release cages as well as numerous feeding ledges across the
driveway can soak up so much rain any unassuming visitor gets sanctuary. For any animal lucky enough to pass through Nina’s
bogged in no time. Should a visitor make it out to Nina’s at that sanctuary can either disappear into the wilderness of the park or
time of the year, she might take them out in her ‘buggy’ — a hang around for additional nightly feeds. Like humans, animals
small open vehicle not unlike a golf cart, but designed to be used are ready for independence at different, individual stages.
on the floodplain around Nina’s sanctuary. You might see mobs
of wild wallabies and wallaroos hopping across the landscape in Nina’s fight for wildlife is relentless, and she was once able to
exaggerated jumps, covering vast distances in no time, despite stop a mining company from exploring on her land. “Wildlife
seemingly in slow-motion. has it tough in our country. Survival of the human population
will always come first.” Ignorance is the root of the problem,
It is the chance to see wildlife like this — free and happy, she believes. Education in the form of road signage or even ad
in their natural environment! — that prompted Nina to found campaigns on wildlife issues by governing bodies could make all
her wildlife sanctuary 23 years ago. Born in the United States, the difference. “Governments have little regard for wildlife. This
she moved to the Northern Territory at 11 years old and was needs to change so that all of Australia is cared for — not just the
immersed in the animal kingdom from then on, her family land, the indigenous people, the commercial trade, and feeding
owning various cattle stations over the years. “I always had some the masses. It is my belief we can change all our practices in many
creature I was caring for – I guess you could say it is what I was ways that will benefit all in this great country, not just a few.”
put on earth to do.” Growing more and more uneasy about the
cattle industry, which she diplomatically calls “inhumane at To find out more about her sanctuary, including her yearly open
times,” Nina and her husband Malcolm purchased 160 ha of day and ways in which you can get involved, visit http://www.
bushland at the boundary of Litchfield Park to build an animal ninasarksanctuary.com.
sanctuary, as much for the peace and safety of the rehabilitated
animals as for themselves. A dream come true! Hanna is from Germany but one day she was given a book
project about Working Holidays in Australia, and, after reading
Today, she cares for a number of different species at Nina’s a lot of personal stories from people who had done it, decided
Ark. As the only wildlife sanctuary around Darwin, she takes to quit her job and try her luck down under! That was seven
in a majority of the rehabilitated wildlife, from a variety of years ago and she's been here (mostly in Darwin) ever since. She
bird species to Northern Brushtail Possums, Sugar Gliders, finished her Master of Environmental Management at CDU last
Wallabies, Wallaroos, and the vulnerable Black-footed Tree Rats. July and is currently working as a veterinary nurse.
The animals go through different rehabilitation stages before Photo Credits: Nina R. Keener
getting soft-released. Macropods for example start in the Joey
Kindergarten before moving through bigger enclosures until the

F LYC ATC H E R | 2 7

LOVE AND POPPIES
By Amanda Lilleyman
Part 3 of 4

You can read Part 1 and Part 2 of Love and Poppies in the 2017 Dry Season and Build-Up Editions of Flycatcher, respectively.

It had been only two days since Belle had been away, but Peter syndicate. Jack was shocked to learn from his source that there
felt alone and isolated without her. They shared so much of was a black-market trade of illegal opiates in the small country
their lives together, and it was only during her absence that he town. He took down the man’s statement but was suspicious as
realised how much he had come to depend on her. Peter carried he had not yet spoken to the police. On the other side of town,
on with his life, balancing regular visits to the hospital to see his Belle was meeting with her clients and compiling the evidence
mum and spending time with his family. One of his sisters was she needed to pin this company for illegal vegetation clearing.
pregnant and needed some help around the house. Her partner But her mind was elsewhere — she was torn between her passion
was not the most practical or attentive person, spending most of for Peter and her newfound lust for Jack. Was it just a fleeting
his time on the computer engrossed in his work. curiosity? All these years, she had not thought of Jack in that way
— why now? Had she been so loved up in her romance with Peter
----- that she hadn’t had eyes for anyone else? She needed to reconnect
That night at the local pub, Belle and Jack looked over with Peter before she lost control and gave in to her desires. She
statements from community members that they had met with only had to last one more day on this work trip and she’d be back
earlier in the day. Belle focussed on the allegations made about home.
illegal land clearing of an agricultural plot that backed on to a
national park, while Jack was more interested in investigating It was a quiet drive back home for Belle and Jack, some seven
a possible drug syndicate that was linked to the poppy farm. hours of travel with almost all the conversation about the poppy
This was their first trip away as business partners, and Belle was farm case. It was only then that Belle realised that she admired
thoroughly enjoying spending some time alone with Jack. She Jack for his business capabilities and that outside of their work
was fascinated with his investigative drive in this case, and his together, they were completely different people. Since knowing
broader interest in the small town they were in. They didn’t have Jack, Belle had never seen him commit to just one thing, and
much free time between community meetings and consultations this business together was a huge risk for her because of that.
with the local police, but somehow Jack found ways to help Belle She didn’t know if he was ready to focus on one venture. It
detach from the stress of their work and her stresses back home didn’t matter so much if that’s how he acted in his personal
with Peter. relationships, but she had a stake in this business. Belle was glad
Belle could confide in Jack — she felt so distant from Peter that her feelings settled, and she could go back to maintaining a
and worried that she couldn’t support him during his time of working friendship with Jack.
need. Jack knew them both so well that he could respond in a
way that defused her worries, and reassured her that she was a Peter had missed Belle so much — he really thrived in her
strong, supportive woman and had always been there for Peter. company and felt instant warmth as soon as he wrapped his arms
Belle was flattered, and after a few beers she felt herself gushing around her. Belle was reminded that she still loved Peter with
at the words coming out of Jack’s mouth. She caught herself with all her heart, but she also knew she had insecurities to address
a cheeky grin on her face and had to stop her thoughts; she was in their relationship. It wasn’t a good time to open up about her
fantasising about joining Jack in his hotel room! And as quickly fleeting lust for Jack, so Belle kept those thoughts to herself.
as she had that thought she realised it was so wrong — how could She did however, feel it would be better to be honest with Peter
she do that to her beloved Peter? In a fluster, Belle slammed her about her recent lack of attention to his issues. Belle explained to
diary closed, claimed to have a meeting booked for the early him that she had created a distance between the two of them in
morning, and left Jack sitting in the booth. She was sure Jack this critical period because she felt that she couldn’t adequately
believed her excuse despite her sudden abruptness after giggling support him. She also found herself struggling to balance
at him for the last hour. her personal life and her new legal firm. She found herself in
The next morning, Jack knocked on Belle’s hotel room door. a cycle of trying to be supportive for Peter and trying to be a
He had come to check on her as he knew she didn’t really have successful business woman. It had only led to more strain on
an early morning meeting. After all, they were working as a their relationship.
team and surely she would have told him earlier. Belle answered
the door; shocked to see him, she said that she delayed her Since returning home, Jack had worked long days on the
morning meeting because she was feeling sick. Jack accepted her poppy farm case, but couldn’t get any new leads on the drug
explanation but knew something was not quite right. Belle threw syndicate. There was no evidence to pin an inside operation
herself into her work that day; she knew that she could always supplying illegal opiates. Jack couldn’t even get back in contact
rely on her work to fully grasp her attention. Meanwhile, Jack with his source who had provided the controversial statement.
visited a local man who had contacted him directly with a tip off. Jack discussed this with Belle and they decided to stop following
Jack was intrigued to find out as much as he could, as he fully the possible internal drug trade. Belle had gathered enough
suspected foul play at this poppy farm. evidence now — it was going to be a long court case…
There had been recent arrests associated with trespassing and Amanda is a fledgling writer. She enjoys pots of tea and choclutz.
attempted theft of poppies from the farm. But it was suspected Her most recent passion project is ice skating, an unlikely but
that they were petty criminals and not linked to the drug enjoyably cool endeavour in the tropics.

28 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

CORRUGATED IRON
By Hannah Barrows

Corrugated Iron isn’t just a youth arts company. It provides The adult aerial circus class is also an excellent program that
the first sparks of creativity and invests in young and currently runs on Thursday nights. Nikki Jeffries, the Circus
emerging artists. The organisation is most known for its Program Manager, is passionate about her work, “It’s another
drama and workshop program, and annual performances. But way of getting fit and working muscles you never even knew you
there are many ways to connect with Corrugated Iron even if had. We help people get out of their comfort zone and reach new
you’re over 30 and don’t think of yourself as an artist. If you’re heights. We have a wide range of ages and all skill levels, anyone
seeking professional learning in the arts or want to join a vibrant is welcome to join us.”
community organisation as a board member or volunteer, come
and talk with us. If you prefer being behind the scenes, volunteer and get
involved. We have a board of management with an array of arts
Corrugated Iron’s breadth of community activities includes lovers. You can gain on-the-job training and experience through
an extensive schools and community program across the production work, and we always love people to help out with
NT delivering professional learning for educators and sport costumes and show creation. Lily Whiteaker began her journey
& recreation officers. Corrugated Iron also sends teams of with us just last year, “I came across an advertisement for Bamboo
community engagement workers into the field to work with Moon on Facebook. Since then I haven’t looked back! I take part
young people. The arts draw participants in and teach crucial in circus open training, 18>30 Acting and I tutor a drama class.
skills like encouraging and listening. It is so much fun!”

For adults who want to explore or reconnect with the Corrugated Iron provides opportunities for everyone: young,
performing arts, Corrugated Iron has 18>30, a self-managed young-at-heart, artistic and enthusiastic. Come and be a part of
ensemble for theatre makers. They meet on Wednesday nights Darwin’s booming art culture, meet new people, and have some
to encourage their development as emerging artists. Participant fun.
and Corrugated Iron Tutor, Thomas Midena, loves attending,
“It’s a great opportunity for young adults to learn acting skills, Hannah Barrows recently finished her creative arts and
play drama games and develop shows, with regular opportunities industries degree in communication at Charles Darwin
to perform along the way. The group adapts to the aspirations of University and is now working for Corrugated Iron Youth Arts
the participants and anyone is encouraged to bring along their as the Marketing Coordinator.
own scripts, ideas, or goals.”

F LYC ATC H E R | 2 9

MAKE IT OPEN!

By Jayshree Mamtora

Open Access is a phrase that is bandied about a lot by the such as BioMed Central or PLos where the author pays a fee
Library at CDU – what is it and who even cares? Why do we upfront to make the research open access. This is known as gold
mark Open Access Week in October each year? open access.

Imagine you are an academic or researcher that doesn’t have The two major funding bodies in Australia — the Australian
access to all the specialised literature that you require for your Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research
research through your institution. Council — have mandated that the results of any research that
they fund be made freely accessible within a required period of
Imagine you are an academic or researcher living in a time. So the Library can and does play a major role in helping
developing country without access to ludicrously expensive with this compliance.
journal databases such as ScienceDirect or Medline. How would
you keep up with developments in your field? How would a In addition, there are many benefits to the researcher and the
doctor or a health worker access up-to-date medical research so institution as a result of their research being made more widely
that they can make a difference to their community? available. The more visible and the more discoverable your
research, the more its impact, resulting in an increase in citation
They would look for online material that could be freely rates. Other benefits include:
downloaded. It is in situations like these that open access can
and does make a big difference. Open access makes the results In 2017, CDU Library presented two Open Access Awards
of research freely available and accessible to all, online. In this — Professor Peter Morris from the Menzies School of Health
way, anyone anywhere would be able to access the results of Research won the award for the most number of open access
the research. If the results have been written up as an article in articles, and Professor Lindsay Hutley won the award for the
a journal, there are ways to make them available open access, most cited article.
rather than rely on the Library’s subscriptions to journals.
Do you want to know more about open access and how to make
Prices of journals keep rising at a dramatic rate whilst library your research more openly discoverable? Contact Jayshree on
budgets remain unchanged or are severely cut.  It is, therefore, 8946 6541 or jayshree [email protected].
unrealistic to expect the Library to be able to subscribe to a wide
range of journals. Jayshree Mamtora is the Research Services Coordinator at the
CDU Library
In Australia, all universities have an institutional repository.
Researchers are encouraged to self-archive a version of their Photo caption (left): Prof Lindsay Hutley with his award. Photo
research into the repository and thus make it open to all. It can credit: Jayshree Mamtora.
either be the submitted version or the accepted version of a Image caption (right): The benefits of open access. Image credit:
journal article so long as the particular journal publisher allows Danny Kingsley and Sarah Brown
it. Research has shown that 70% of all journals allow you to do
this. This is known as green access.

Alternatively, researchers may want to publish in a journal

30 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

THE POLITICS OF LANGUAGE AND TECHNOLOGY
By Cathy Bow

“Digital technologies hold the potential for Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to record,
revive, maintain, celebrate and share languages today and with future generations.”

Senator Mitch Fifield, Minister for the Arts.

Foreword to the 2018 National Indigenous Lan

guages Convention,

Gold Coast, 23 February, 2018.

Irecently attended the first National Indigenous Languages of language maintenance and revival—issues of empowerment,
Convention on the Gold Coast, a forum for language workers identity, and well-being that are harder to match to key
and others to share innovative ideas “to inspire and motivate” deliverables.
and showcase “digital approaches that work.” The event was part
of the Commonwealth Government’s additional $10 million One of the Indigenous language workers at this event
commitment over four years for protecting, preserving and commented, “We need to frame ‘language’ differently—the word
celebrating Indigenous languages. doesn’t express what we mean.” For many Australians, especially
those who subscribe to the ‘monolingual mindset,’ language is
The invitation list for the event was a source of much simply a means of communication, a form of technology in itself
conjecture and discussion. Was it just for Indigenous people and that facilitates other things. This implies that languages other
bureaucrats? I’d heard an early request to “keep the academics than English are either a luxury (akin to doing ballet classes) or a
out,” and comments about linguists “stealing our words.” I’d had problem (that reduces NAPLAN scores, and requires interpreting
to argue for my invitation, as a non-Indigenous linguist and PhD and translating services). But when Indigenous people talk about
student researching digital language resources for Aboriginal languages, they’re actually talking about land, law, health, well-
languages, so tried to keep my head down and observe the being, relationships, justice, identity, culture, and connection to
dynamics, as bureaucrats, policy officers, language authorities, country. When language is gone, it’s like having the land stolen
and Indigenous leaders grappled with the affordances and all over again.
challenges of technology for Australian languages.
The narrative of those who consider language as something
The program itself was also a contested space, with a lack of to be ‘captured’ crossed paths at this event with those who
transparency about which language projects were showcased consider it something to be ‘enlivened.’ Like technologies,
and why. What I noticed about the presentations by language languages are not the end in themselves, but rather what they
workers was firstly the range of attitudes to the affordances of enable for people. There was a concern that shifting the agency in
digital technologies, from “we need to use mobile technologies language maintenance and revival to digital technologies could
because they’re the new campfire where kids are sharing stories,” bypass people altogether—why invest in teachers or language
to “not every language group wants a website.” Secondly, the authorities when an app can preserve language for longer and
presenters didn’t focus on the technologies themselves, but on share it further than any individual?
what they facilitated for people—attention was always on how
people can be equipped and enabled to record, revive, maintain, These tensions over the role and power of technologies and
celebrate, and share languages. This often involves using digital languages created an interesting dynamic, keeping everyone
technologies, but the tools are enablers, not agents. As one young agreeing and disagreeing. While the program was set up to create
participant said from the stage, “You don’t revive language with conversations on particular topics in particular ways, the really
an app, you revive language with people.” interesting and productive work was happening completely
in parallel to those structures, including the gossiping and
Yet the government had already decided to spend this grumbling as much as the networking and schmoozing.
additional funding on technologies. There is something
alluring about the narrative of modern technologies ‘saving’ The whole process reminded me of the First Nations National
ancient traditional tongues. It makes for good headlines and Constitutional Convention held at Uluru in 2017, where the
photo opportunities, but vastly oversimplifies a complex story. government invited key Indigenous representatives to meet
Indigenous Australians have a long history of adapting new together to discuss and agree on an approach to constitutional
technologies to suit their own purposes, from trading implements reform to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
with Macassans, to using colonial tools such as guns, 4WDs, and peoples. The clear message that came out of that meeting, known
mobile phones. Those Indigenous Australian languages which as the Uluru Statement, was then summarily rejected by the
have survived the ravages of colonisation have also adapted to government with a very Aussie response of, “Yeah, nah.” The
the modern world, incorporating new words, and even new message that came out of this language convention was that
varieties to enable the continuing transmission of knowledge, digital technologies are an important component in the work of
maintenance of relationships, and caring for country. language maintenance and revival, but they are not the solution.
Was this message heard, or is it another case of consultation
But the aspirations of many of those working in the area of being performed without actually changing practice?
Indigenous languages expressed at this event were not to create
the new technology that would ‘save’ their language. Again, the Cathy Bow is a PhD student at CDU in the College of
focus was on people, lobbying for more support for training Indigenous Futures, Arts, and Society, jointly enrolled at the
language professionals, more career paths, ongoing support for Australian National University.
language centres, and recognition of the less tangible outcomes

F LYC ATC H E R | 31

WAITING FOR MY "EVE"
By Michael Driss

The inspiration for my art comes from my personal reflections on my past experiences, drawing on the positive
or negative emotions that follow. I am also greatly influenced by my faith in God and the Bible when I draw. The
picture that I drew and submitted to Flycatcher is my interpretation of Genesis 2:18, the scripture, which says, "The Lord
God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”’ The picture depicts my faith and
hope in God that one day He will provide me with a wife, my ‘Eve.’

Disclaimer: Flycatcher Magazine is a secular organisation. We encourage artistic submissions from all
CDU students. The views expressed in the articles reflect the authors opinions.

32 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

THE FLYCATCHER QUIZ

MOULD

By Elvey, Clint Cameron,
Stef Oberprieler

1. What scientific kingdom does mould belong to? 9. Why shouldn’t you look for dangerous mould with your
a. Animal nose?
b. Fungi a. It doesn’t have a strong smell
c. Plant b. Most moulds smell the same
d. Protist c. It can be dangerous to inhale
d. Mould isn’t dangerous
2. Mould is made up of tiny filaments called what?
a. Fibrosis 10. How old is mould?
b. Mycelium a. 6 million years
c. Silk b. 10 million years
d. Reobar c. 1.5 billion years
d. 4.3 billion years
3. What bacteria produces a toxin that is used to keep you
looking forever young? 11. How was blue cheese apparently discovered?
a. Aspergillus fumigatus a. Hours in a lab
b. Clostridium botulinum b. An accident involving a stanky foot and cheese
c. Penicillium ascomycetous c. Chasing a pretty girl
d. Stachybotrys chartarum d. A very distracted cheesemaker

4. Which of the following does not get rid of mould? 12. What can’t the delicious blue cheese mould do?
a. Vinegar a. Improve your sex life
b. Tea tree oil b. Improve your sense of smell
c. Sage sticks c. Make it tangy
d. Grapefruit seed extract d. Kill bacteria

5. How much does mould cost Finland in health expenses 13. What is a scoby?
each year? a. A cartoon dog who solves mysteries
a. A few quid b. A questionable cigarette
b. 100,000 euro c. Healthy bacteria scum
c. 6 million euro d. A skin mite
d. Half a billion euro
14. Who makes your vinegar?
6. What sickness is unlikely to be mould related? a. Mother
a. Nasal congestion b. Father
b. Coughing c. Brother
c. That awkward itchy red patch d. Sister
d. None, mould can cause almost anything
15. What is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a
7. What is not a good way to prevent mould? plant called?
a. Good ventilation a. Mycelium
b. Controlled humidity b. Mycorrhiza
c. Bleach c. Mycetoma
d. Cleaning up after yourself d. Mygrowfastest

8. What did Melbourne Brewery ‘7 Cent’ make beer from? 16. Why did the mushroom get invited to the party?
a. Belly button yeast a. He was a fungi
b. Beard yeast
c. Space yeast Answers:
d. Toejam 1b, 2b, 3b, 4c, 5d, 6d, 7c, 8a, 9c, 10c, 11c, 12b, 13c, 14a, 15b.

ILLUSTR ATIONS: CARA ELLEN PENTON F LYC ATC H E R | 33

ART SPACE

PROFILING CDU ARTISTS

IAN HANCE

Ian Hance is a PhD candidate in visual arts at CDU. His work will be part of the Spectacular Failures exhibition in
the Nan Geise Gallery during the Darwin Festival. Ian writes:
My PhD visual arts project was initiated by my observations of a phenomenon that I had first noticed occurring
along the highways of Northern Australia. In many parts of the tropical north and the ‘Top End’ there are large
termite mounds (sometimes called ant-hills) built onto the landscape that have been dressed or decorated. The visual
result of many of these ‘dressings’ was eye-catching and strange. Often shapes that defied our ideas of ‘humanness’
were being pressed into discarded clothing, provoking humour and obvious sight gags invited by the form, but also
recalling the deeply uncanny nature of the non-human and the monstrous. I wanted to understand the cultural
significance of these structures, and then to consider my own position as I interpreted meanings from them in the
creation of my own artworks. Therefore, I needed to conduct data collection to map out the kinds of dressed up
termite mounds that appeared along the major highways. To do this, I undertook eleven road trips along the three
major highways, the Stuart, Barkly and Victoria Highways, across a three-year period (the beginning of 2015 to the
beginning of 2018), recording the dressed-up mounds both with photography and video (Fig. 1).

The exhibition is entitled TER(MITE MOUN)D : Painting the Humorous Kitschgrotesque of the Roadside Dressed-
up Termite Mounds of Tropical Australia.

Figure 1 (page 34). Ian photographing roadside mounds. Figure 2 (page 35). Ian Hance 2018 Fire and Sentinel Figures:
Photo: Keith Goldsmith 2017 Apocalyptic Humour. Oil on canvas 183 x 140 cm Photo Ian
Hance
Through my painting-led research, I addressed a number of
questions concerning the concepts of humour as they pertain Concurrently with this exhibition, Ian is holding an
to the psyche of the population of tropical northern Australia. I exhibition/installation in the WWII Oil Storage Tunnels in
concluded that through the lens of the kitsch grotesque, I could Darwin, of paintings developed during his candidature. There
express a unique humour that combined notions of the uncanny will be an opening on Sunday the 12th August 2018 and the
and the abject: a humour that involved irony and the absurd that exhibition runs until the 26th. Opening hours are the same
often alluded to spectacular failures relating to the challenges of as the normal opening hours of the tunnels where the regular
the tropical north (Fig. 2).” information about the tunnels and displays are on show. The
normal charge for viewing the tunnels apply.

34 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018

SPECTACULAR FAILURES

NAN GEISE GALLERY CDU CAMPUS 17TH - 26TH AUGUST, 2018

How often do we pretend that life is not full of, or shouldn’t physiological oscillation, so that the reading of the work never
contain, spectacular failures? Yet the tropical north is littered really becomes clear.” (Artspace March 2018). Similarly, failure
with them, and the resident willingness to turn spectacular and spectacle can exist side by side in ambiguous relationships
failures into stories of place, full of humour, pathos or reverence, that don’t necessarily evoke a negative response or lack of value.
creates a culture of resilience against the inevitable spectacular Works that evoke ambiguity and ambivalence often conceal the
failures that ‘go’ with the Territory. intention of the artist, and as the Chapmans maintain, “in some
sense the object becomes residue of all the things it fails to do;”
In this group exhibition, PhD and Masters candidates of the or to put it another way a spectacular residue despite the artist’s
newly formed College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society, intention.
respond to spectacular failures, making commentary on social
or institutional absurdities, or honestly delving into the art This exhibition promises to be a stimulating exploration into
making processes to reveal that an artist’s work will often appear the evocation of these thoughts through the use of (amongst
a spectacular failure until it can be truncated through skill and other concepts) humour, irony, and the absurd.
the happy accident into simply spectacular.
The exhibitors are pleased that this exhibition will be part
Collaborative artists Jake and Dino Chapman, in discussing of the Darwin Festival visual arts program and will run from
their sculptural works in relationship to the concepts of dialectics, the 17th to the 26th of August, 2018. Opening hours are from
recently said, “one of the points about setting up an object that 10am to 2pm daily, with an opening event on the 17th. There
has certain values placed in opposition to each other is that they will be a public program to accompany the exhibition, which will
don’t necessarily neutralize each other, but they set up a kind of announced closer to the date.

F LYC ATC H E R | 3 5

ART SPACE

PEOPLE LIKE US

CDU ART GALLERY: 8 MARCH – 5 MAY 2018

By Kellie Joswig

Riding a bicycle through Sydney’s streets, interacting with of ‘place as identity’; Mesiti’s Rapture (Silent Anthem) is a silent
purring cats, and travelling through a virtual bloodstream slow-motion film of young people enthralled at a music concert;
are not generally what people expect when they visit an art gallery Ross’ The Claiming of Things cleverly uses animation and everyday
- but that is exactly what awaits at CDU Art Gallery! People Like sounds as a witty and thought-provoking visual narrative of
Us, touring to regional venues all over the country is now on at contemporary Australian society; and Healey and Cordeiro’s The
Casuarina campus and is an exhibition not to miss. Drag uses irony and two separate screens in a video that shows
one man doggedly getting his car from A to B in a (perhaps not
People Like Us is about people, and our place in the too distant) future without fuel.
contemporary world. Incorporating an array of moving images,
interactive digital technologies, atmospheric sounds, and Another work with political undertones is a sound installation
beautiful orchestral music by award-winning Australian and titled Syrinx by Australian Aboriginal-Chinese artist Jason
international artists, visitors to the exhibition are engaged the Wing, which features native Australian birdsong and recitals in
moment they step inside the gallery. Aboriginal languages.

Volker Kuchelmeister and Laura Fisher’s Veloscape, for Italian artist Yuri Ancarani’s short film Da Vinci employs
example, allows participants to ride a stationary bicycle an all-over blue hue, visually linking the sterile surrounds of a
connected to a pre-recorded projection of an interesting (and at hospital operating theatre with the clinical process of a remote-
times frightening!) ride from Paddington to Rozelle in Sydney, controlled keyhole surgery. The film’s score dramatically builds
whilst weaving past bemused pedestrians and negotiating busy up as the surgery progresses and the robotic arms performing
inner-city bus lanes. The pace of the journey is determined by the the surgery seemingly take on a life of their own – a fascinating
pedalling speed of the person on the bike! notion as we consider a future with an increasing AI involvement
in our everyday lives.
John McGhee’s artwork Inside-Topologies of Stroke uses a
virtual reality headset to immerse the visitor in the blood vessels As though icing on a cake, acclaimed British composer
of the brain. X-box controls enable swift movement to traverse Michael Nyman (renowned for his film scores for The Piano
the 3D renderings of red blood cells and clots as they flow past. and Gattaca) has created two works in the exhibition: Memorial
McGhee is the Director of the 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab and The Art of Fugue. Thematically poles apart, both works
at the University of NSW’s National Institute for Experimental nonetheless share splendid visual imagery with impressive and
Arts, and this work brings together a fascinating amalgam of art, poignant soundtracks. It is remarkable how affecting music can
science, and medical data. be.
People Like Us is currently showing at CDU Art Gallery,
George Poonkhin Khut’s Brighthearts is an app that Building Orange 12, Casuarina campus until 5 May 2018.
utilises the visitor’s heartbeat, via an ear sensor, to register as W: cdu.edu.au/artgallery
pulsating concentric circles and colours on dedicated iPads in A National Exhibitions Touring Support Australia exhibition
the exhibition. The premise of the work - and the challenge for developed by UNSW Galleries and toured by Museums &
the participant - is to use an awareness of breath to maintain a Galleries of NSW. The National Touring Initiative is supported
lowered heart rate, which in turn changes the forms and colours by the Australian Government through the Australia Council,
on the iPad and chiming bells via earphones. its principal arts funding body, and by the Visual Arts and Craft
Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory
Award-winning Luxembourg artist Su-Mei Tse’s work Son Governments.
pour Insomniaques (Sound for Insomniacs) also aims to create a Kellie Joswig is the Acting Curator of Charles Darwin University
sense of peace and calm through the reverberating purrs of five Art Collection and Art Gallery.
different cats. Visitors wear earphones and select the cat they Image credits and captions for opposite page:
want to hear by pressing a button on one of two stools carefully (Top) Angelica Mesiti, Rapture (silent anthem), 2009, Single-
positioned in front of large face-portraits of each of the five cats. channel video, Colour. 10 minutes, 10 seconds. Courtesy the
The portraits are a humorous reference to our regard for framed artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery.
photographs of people (and pets!) that we love. (Bottom) Daniel Crooks, A Garden of Parallel Paths, 2012
(still), Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery.
Notable Australian artists Daniel Crooks, Angelica Mesiti,
Joan Ross, and Claire Healey and Sean Cordeiro all deploy
innovative filmic methodologies to achieve new ways of looking
at and considering the world. Crooks’ splicing of Melbourne’s
iconic laneways in A Garden of Parallel Paths plays with notions

36 | WET SEASON EDITION 2018