A Sydney Nanna recognised in the King’s Birthday honours; preparing for the 1 Million Women Festival of Solutions, being together and experiencing our environment as we farewelled Iselin.
King’s Birthday Honours for Sydney Nanna
Sydney Knitting Nanna, Professor Emerita Heather Goodall AM FASSA FRSN, from the University of Technology, Sydney, was recognised in the King’s Birthday honours for her significant service to tertiary education, social science, and to the Indigenous community.
Congratulations Heather! We celebrate this recognition of your contributions to Australian history. Loving a touch of irony, as we do, we wonder how much the King knows about your work. One thing we do know is that the Nannas are richer for your contributions to the Nannalution!
Click here for the full citation
Saturday 29 June – 1 Million Women Festival of Solutions
Come and join the Sydney Nannas at this event – we will display some of our craftivism and be ready to chat with all-comers about the solutions we are working towards. Go to the link for registrations to find out all the information about the day.
Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW 2015
9am doors open for registration
10am to 12.30pm – Speakers panel discussions, DIY demos and performances (doors closed during these events)
Market place open 9am – 10am and from 12.30pm – 2.30pm
Iselin returns to Norway
Iselin returned to Norway on Monday after five months of shadowing and interviewing Nannas for her Master’s in Social Anthropology. When she arrived, we wondered how to keep her busy but there has been so much going on it was never a problem. Now we look forward to reading how Iselin pulls together the “threads” of the Nannalution, and to her next visit Downunder.
Her last week in Australia was a busy one too, but different from our usual activities. This week was dedicated to being together and experiencing some of the wonders of the Australian environment.
Iselin with card made by Nanna Bron
Restorative Walk in the Blue Mountains
On Tuesday a bunch of Nannas caught the train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains where we were met at Katoomba Station by Nanna Anne and her friend Jude who whisked us away for a caffeine hit. They drove us to the start of an easy walk on one of the upgraded paths. It wasn’t crowded because it was very cold, and a week day. The walk had some amazing views and we were lucky to have Nanna Anne’s knowledge of the recent history of the area. After the walk we warmed up in the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre with its library, art gallery and café – highly recommended. More walks are planned in future.
Farewell Brunch followed by a dip in the sea
Thanks to Keelah for putting on a fabulous farewell for Iselin at her home in Fairlight on Thursday. Nannas had a fun time reminiscing about their childhoods. It was a very happy day to mark a sad occasion – we are going to miss Iselin’s humour, smiles and interesting questions.
We knew that going snorkelling was on Iselin’s wish list for her visit, and time was running out. After lunch Nannas Cathy and Bron braved the chilly waters of Shelly Beach with Iselin. It was invigorating because it was cold and exciting because Iselin and Cathy saw a blue green groper and Bron saw a school of electric blue fish. Shelly Beach is part of the Cabbage Tree Aquatic Reserve, where fishing has been banned since 2002.
A dip in the sea at Shelley Beach and Nanna Keelah with her pelican walking stick crafted by Nanna Bron
Nanna Retreat
After an earlier trip to a Nanna retreat had been cancelled due to floods, Iselin’s final weekend was spent with a few Nannas staying in a house without mains power, in a remote area close to Sydney. We had many walks in the fresh air spotting birds, wallabies, wallaroos and wombats in the wild.
Nannas are Watching
Wind Wars ABC Four Corners
A new climate battle is now raging, pitting nature conservation against wind farms. It’s fracturing communities and leading to enemies forming alliances. Plus the next frontier for clean energy – giant wind turbines offshore.
Sydney Nannas are in favour of wind farms in the right locations because of the huge contribution they make to reducing emissions. We can’t reduce our emissions without them. There is a lot of misinformation about them from politicians and organisations backed by fossil fuel companies whose aim is to delay the transition to renewables.
Nannas are reading
The Climate Council has released an evidenced-based alternative to the Future Gas Strategy – Powering Past Gas: An Energy Strategy That Works.
Forthcoming Events