Ask anyone in my family what they remember about my maternal grandma, and they’ll mention her in the kitchen baking treats, her glasses on her nose and an apron round her hips. Within our little family of New Zealand migrants, … Continue reading Of Pinnies, Patterns and Reuben Paterson

Long before David Attenborough seduced us all with his dulcet tones, art and science were inextricably linked by the use of scientific illustrators to provide visual records of each new discovery. Though the earliest examples were often comically inaccurate, having … Continue reading Found and Lost: the art of Emma Lindsay and Victoria Reichelt

Those of us who love the arts know that the thought of life without art is a pitiful one. Some of us, myself included, would even go so far as to say that our lives depend on its inclusion. Likewise the need to reconnect regularly with nature in order to give our minds and bodies a rest, and provide the energy we need to keep going. The importance of art and environment is something we refer to time and again as we plead our case to the wider community for recognition, funding and protection. For the people of Ethiopia’s remote Omo River Valley however, the central role of art and nature to wellbeing is … Continue reading Hans Silvester, and the plight of the Omo River Valley Tribespeople

You know what’s great about Australia’s handling of our refugee ‘crisis’? It’s that no matter how long you take to write about it, it never gets old. I’ve been faffing around since April last year trying to write about refugees and, rather than being out of date, it’s still current. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s even more current now than it was then. That never happens. It’s like journalistic manna from heaven! The issue of asylum seekers is hard to write about without sounding like a massive bleeding heart. Thirteen years ago, with the images of … Continue reading Hope & Love: through the eyes of refugees