Friday 22 November 2019

NANNA KERRY'S DOWNRIVER TRIP

As a former Queensland Nanna, Nanna Kerry enjoys travel in NSW and is contantly clamouring to be out and touring to new places.  So, several weeks ago two of the Nannas from the Grafton Loop decided it was time she was given a chance to check out some areas downriver of Grafton.


Nanna K enjoying the breeze and scenery on the riverbank at Ulmarra
The first stop was Ulmarra where Nannas Dianne and Leonie had coffee at the hotel  while Nanna Kerry inspected the river bank and was introduced to some of the resident water dragons.  She found these creatures very alarming and was relieved that none of them came too close.

Too weird and intimidating for Nanna Kerry!

Before leaving Ulmarra they visited two other local shops.  The first was the second hand bookshop. There Nanna Kerry was astounded at the thousands of books on display and the range of subjects.


The second was an artist's shop where she was delighted to meet a very interesting fellow who was dressed for the Jacaranda Festival.  She found Jacaranda Jack quite charming and hopes to catch up with him again soon.


The Nannas then headed for Yamba where Nanna K checked out one of the beaches.  She wanted to sunbake on the rocks but soon found it to to be very uncomfortable as well as very hot.  Nanna Dianne then had to help her back to the car and turn on the air-conditioning to revive her.

It had been a long day for Nanna Kerry and, as she was not used to such exertions, the Grafton Nannas realised it was time to take her home.  But, along the way they called in at Maclean where she enjoyed surveying the river and waving to a yachtie moored nearby.

Nanna Kerry found the day very tiring but so did Nannas Dianne and Leonie.  Moving Nanna K around is sometimes challenging - particularly up and down stairs and on uneven ground.


But travelling with Nanna K will be much easier in future now that she has wheels.



Saturday 28 September 2019

FORESTS AND NATIONAL PARKS CONCERNS OF GRAFTON NANNAS

This blogging Nanna has had so many stitches on her bamboo needles in recent months that she has been very slack in doing important things like posting on this blog.  So there's some catching up to do!!


Nanna Kerry protesting outside Chris Gulaptis' office


LETTER TO  CHRIS GULAPTIS MEMBER FOR CLARENCE

 The letter below was presented to our local state MP at a knit-in on August 27th.

*  *  *  *  * 

Dear Mr Gulaptis
Protected Forest and Murray River National Park Concerns

The members of the Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed are very concerned about the push to log important forest areas in this state.

1. Logging Protected Areas of State Forests

Over a year ago, on 31st May 2018, we wrote to you about the management of our State Forests and the proposed new logging rules which would see much more intensive logging and increased mortality for native wildlife as their habitat was destroyed.  Unsurprisingly the Government did not listen to the concerns of community members and scientists about the folly of its plans.

Now we see the Government is planning to allow logging in more than 15,000 ha of protected old-growth and high-conservation-value public forests.

The Nannas remind you again that the State Forests of NSW belong to the people of this state - not to the timber industry or to a Government that appears hell-bent on damaging as much of the natural environment as it can while it is in office.

We also point out that these forests store huge amounts of carbon - something the government should be aiming to keep stored as part of a comprehensive policy of climate change action.  (It is, of course, astonishing that the Government does not have a comprehensive or effective climate policy.)

In addition these forests provide crucial habitat  for many threatened species including koalas, owls and quolls.

2. Push by the National Party to Log Murray River NP

The Nannas are appalled that your party is pushing to allow logging in the Murray River NP.  If Mr Barilaro and your Nationals colleagues are so concerned about jobs in that area - and in other regional areas - it's way past time that they spent some time investigating sustainable jobs rather than harking back to the destructive days of  the past.

In conclusion, Mr Gulaptis, the Nannas have two questions for you based on the concerns expressed in this letter:
  • What plans do you and the National Party have for the creation of sustainable jobs in the regions - including our own.
  • What are the Government's plans in relation to effective action on climate change?

Nanna Dorothy ready to deliver our letter



NOTE The Grafton Nannas are still waiting for a response to our letter from our MP (28-9-19)

Thursday 11 April 2019

GRAFTON NANNAS OBJECT TO STATE GOVERNMENT'S DISSOLVING OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE




During a recent knit-in outside the office of the State Member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, the Grafton Nannas delivered a letter to the MP about their concerns about the NSW Government's changes to the status of the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) following the recent state election.

The  text of the letter is printed below:



Dissolving of Office of Environment and Heritage
The Grafton Nannas are very concerned about your Government’s recently announced intention of doing away with the Office of Environment and Heritage  as an independent entity.
We have long been worried about the Government’s lack of concern about protecting the natural environment for current and future generations of humans as well as for other life forms.
Government policies over recent years have been seen by many in our community and elsewhere as being a de facto war on the natural environment.
For example:
·         Changes to vegetation laws which have led to a large increase in clearing of habitat which is important to the survival of native flora and fauna.  This weakening of the former laws is also likely to lead to increased topsoil loss and general land degradation.

·         Changes to logging regulations which threaten the sustainability of native forests which belong to the people of NSW – and not to logging interests.  These changes include limiting pre-logging fauna surveys, an inevitable increase in clear-felling, and reduction in  the width of buffer zones along streams. 

·         Failure to protect the health of rivers, particularly those in the Murray-Darling Basin.  For years the NSW Government, as well as the Federal Government, has been pandering to the irrigation industry while ignoring the need to protect river health by ensuring that flows are adequate for river health.  The drought is not an excuse for this folly.


·         Other examples include the cutting of funding to the National Parks & Wildlife Service and penny-pinching changes to its structure as well as the failure to ensure that the existing weak environment laws are enforced and appropriate penalties imposed on those who breach them.



We are aware that the Premier recently stated that her Government would make the environment a priority. 

Since hearing that OEH was to lose any of the limited independence it currently has and is to be pushed into a mega-Planning Department, we are left wondering about what the premier actually meant about “priority”.  Did she mean that she intended to make it a priority to finish off effective protection of the natural environment – something started years ago under the Coalition State Government?  It looks very much like that to the Nannas.

Nannas deliver the letter to Member for Clarence

Saturday 6 April 2019

NANNAS PARTICIPATE IN THE "ONE SPIRIT, ONE VOICE" EXHIBITION

Wadjar Regional Indigenous Gallery
Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre


The Grafton Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed were invited to contribute to the "One Spirit, One Voice" ExhibitionThe exhibition featured the work of eight talented indigenous artists and illustrations of the work of the Knitting Nannas in their campaigning to protect the environment from unsustainable and damaging development.

As Alison Williams, the Gallery's Creative Director,  states in the exhibition catalogue: "One Spirit, One Voice evokes a sense of connection and of belonging.  It speaks to caring for country and the common growing perception of what that entails."

Before the exhibition opened three of the Grafton Nannas and one Poppa installed a spectacular yarn bomb near the gallery entrance.  It was made possible by a great deal of knitting and some crocheting by Grafton Nannas with contributions from the Lismore Nannas. And the installing Nannas - and the Poppa - were all tuckered out by the time they were finished with the winding and attaching and so on!

Some of the knitting used in the yarn bomb installation.  Photo: L Blain

Close up of three sections of installation.  Photo: L Eggins

The official opening of the exhibition took place on March 30.  It followed presentations on the history of Yarrawarra, some wonderful aboriginal dance and a magnificent buffet lunch which included bush tucker. 

The Nannas' contributions to the exhibition  included material from the Grafton Loop as well as from the Lismore Nannas and others who have been involved in Nanna campaigning. One of the Nannas' prize exhibits was Nanna Erica's Nanna Kerry, that well-travelled and dynamic campaigner from southern Queensland.

Nanna K showing her knitting skills and enjoying the limelight.  Photo: L Blain


Some exhibits highlight what talented craftpeople some Nannas are. The photo above shows various crocheted garments made by Nanna Dorothy as well as her knitted echidnas and platypus and a dangerous-looking multi-coloured snake knitted by Nanna Dot.

And others showed how innovative the Nannas have been in their campaigning.  Nanna Lynette's big knitting needles which have been on tour to various Nanna conferences have always attracted a great deal of interest.

Large knitting needles & big yarn with crocheted triangle.  Photo: L Eggins

And then there were the knitted chains which came into being as a response to the State Government's draconian anti-protester legislation several years ago.  These were used at knit-ins to highlight the Nannas concerns about the authoritarian moves to limit the community's right to protest.  The Nannas remain concerned that these laws still remain on the statute books - indeed they were later strengthened.

Other exhibits included photos of a Grafton knit-in, highlights from three of the Nanna conferences and a copy of the Nannifesto.

The exhibition is open until May 27.


Entrance to the Wadjar Gallery with yarn bombing in place.  Photo: L Blain




Sunday 10 March 2019

KNAGG PROTEST AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2019


United to protect our water

101 enthusiastic Knitting Nannas from around NSW ( including Nanna Purl Stockingstitch from Cairns) converged on Sydney on International Women’s Day to protest outside Parliament House about the state of our rivers and the lack of effective government action to restore their health. The theme of the protest was “No Water no Life”.

The Nannas came from Loops in the Northern Rivers, Grafton, Coonabarabran, Dubbo, Midcoast, Central Coast, Gloucester, New England-North West, Hunter Valley, Illawarra, and Sydney.

Organising the Nannas for the Martin Place photo
They assembled in Martin Place. After collecting their specially designed T-shirts, they donned them and draped their dramatic red, black and yellow sashes across their bodies suffragette style. Then it was time for the photo shoot with the big banner held above the assorted Loop banners.

Some of the Nannas assembled in Martin Place
Fortunately it was only a short walk to Parliament House but it took the milling Nannas a while to shuffle into position along the tall fence outside our state politicians’ lair. Actually parking the many derrières (some of them reasonably broad) on the concrete fence base led to a bit of a squash. Then the Nannas, in the spirit of the suffragettes, used their sashes to tie themselves to the metal spikes that form the fence.
 
Northern River Nannas outside Parliament House
Various politicians joined the Nannas on the footpath to hear about the “knagging list” - the Nannas’ demands for political action.
  • Climate action immediately
  • Transition to 100% renewables
  • Every person to have access to potable water 24/7
  • NSW gas ban
  • Protect and respect Aboriginal sacred sites
  • Create a youth advisory panel
  • Revoke anti-protest laws
And the list concluded with:  Don’t forget to keep your promises! (When you think about it, that’s a pretty tall order given the past efforts of many pollies in keeping promises!)


Hunter Nanna ready for action
It was a great day.  As usual there were many energetic Nannas involved in the organisation of the protest and in the making of those wonderful sashes (sure to become collectors’ items!), printing of the Tshirts and making of the very big banner (United to Protect Our Water).